Stephen, your excellent commentary really helped me clarify a few things. I respond to this point you made:
I guess the point is that the way ahead lies in *distinguishing* GOVERNMENT and the STATE from the interests of capital. The interests of capital seem able to take care of themselves very well. But the interests of humanity, the *public good*, the *commonweal*, are *not* congruent with the interests of capital. And it is the public good that must govern. Because it is more difficult to "separate the wheat from the chaff" many people simply do not continue to do this in their lifetimes. They allow themselves to become "sheeple", as another FWer cleverly said. I am perplexed as to how to refresh people's inquisitiveness or outrage or tap into their sense of community to stay involved and connected. Does it always take a calamity or uprising for people to be moved, or is this just a result of economic well-being compared to the Dust Bowl and other great disasters that Nature introduced and man's institutional response made worse? I refer to these recent events because Everyman's short memory depends as much on what personal experience and oral legacies are learned from family/community than what is learned from classroom history. Is it worse today than it was a couple of generations ago? Have we passed the point of no return with education and vision or are we on the cusp of another Renaissance in spreading knowledge? As you can probably tell, I do not have much confidence in Everyman's attention span or motivations, but this may be reactionary on my part to recent experiences. I shall endeavor to become more 'sage' in my future. Karen Watters Cole East of Portland, West of Mt Hood SS wrote: My problem with Lederman's indictment is that he makes ordinary corporate behavior appear as if it were some kind of extraordinary conspiracy. The name of the economy is "capitalism" and as no less an observer than Karl Marz noted, capitalism is an energetic revolutionary power, always transforming the modes of production and overturning every remnant of feudal superstition and rural stupidity. So if there is a beef against Bush, Cheney, & Co. it is that they are acting - mistakenly - as if the interests of globalising capital are and ought to be the governing interest. This "state capitalism" must be opposed and it might be in just these terms that effective opposition could be mobilised. The "war crimes" that Ray thinks should be prosecuted may well stem primarily from this capitalist occupation of the state. It is very much in our habit and training to remember - or to be reminded - that when you are dealing with business, BUYER BEWARE! If the Bush regime is a business regime ... CAVEAT EMPTOR. Buyer beware! How's that for a progressive slogan? Outgoing mail scanned by NAV 2002 _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
