Did anybody see this?
Fred
group.
Recurring Empire
----------------
I have been watching the movie "Gandhi" and thinking about Empire.
The rules have changed little over the decades, or even millennia.
We had the Roman Empire, which rose and fell. We've had the British
Empire, which rose and also fell piece by piece. Now we have the
American Empire which has risen and is about to fall. The political
and economic patterns for Empire have not changed, although the
details of their application have undergone technological innovation.
The use of fear and violence has also not changed. Torture and
assassination remain the tools of Empire and slavery is the bread on
which it feeds.
The reason for the existence of pepper spray, tasers, and "pain
compliance" in general is not what is stated by the
officials. "Non-lethal alternatives." When in our countries short
history have they killed innocent protestors, or innocent foreigners
lost at airports. "Pain Compliance" is by it's very
definition "Torture!" "Pain Compliance" is by current
practises, "Torture!" Torture is not merely intended to gain
compliance of those on whom it is practised. It is intended to
strike fear into the hearts of the masses and guarantee compliance of
those who sit at home, watching the evening news and are trying to
understand the politics of the day and what we can do about it. It
influences the thoughts and actions of all who hear of it. Does a
mother bring a child to a public meeting if she thinks there is a
possibility that pepper spray will be used on those gathered? Does a
man bring his wife or those he loves? If public meetings are
prevented, how do those seeking justice proceed?
Would Gandhi's method of provocative, non-violent, non-compliance
work in a world where much of the public communication is corporate
controlled. Other voices are not silenced, but it suffices to
separate those voices from the audience. The effect is the same.
The message is not heard and when the elite few control what may be
heard and what may not be heard, they also control the opinions of
the audience they have isolated. When we do not make an effort to
search and discover the truth, we never hear it we never read it and
we never believe it, should someone tell us. We contribute to our
own enslavement and live our lives believing a lie, while working
hard to make our masters richer.
This Empire is about to fall, but before it does it will use every
bit of it's remaining power to support itself for as long as possible
and that will mean the destruction will continue for as long as the
rich can continue it,... as long as there are slaves willing to
support the system that enslaves them.
It is alleged that Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford Motors
Company, and the guy who is credited with inventing the assembly
line, once said, "It is well enough that the people of this nation do
not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I
believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning." It
doesn't really matter whether is was he who said it or not. It is
simply true, regardless.
Yet a violent revolution merely replaces one set of masters with
another and resets the system to a zero state so that the injustice
may begin again. This is not the objective that we seek! Canada,
our own country, was born not in war but over a conference table.
That is a noble tradition and one we must never forget. The
revolution we must support is a peaceful revolution, an economic
revolution, a revolution of non-violent, non-compliance, and yet also
a provocative revolution. Our success will come from our numbers and
from our unwillingness to remain slaves and our unwillingness to be a
part of the injustice against our brothers and sisters who are
suffering so horribly in many parts of the world. The dynamics of
Empire are such that we too will suffer in our turn, and if we do not
now support our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan and Iraq, who
will be around to support ourselves when they come for us?
"But what are we to do?" you may well ask. First, don't just take my
word for it, but you must take what little time there is left and
research what is really going on the world. Listen to arguments from
all sides and make up your own mind about who is telling the truth
and who is not. Combine everything into the big picture and see what
fits and what doesn't fit. Do this with a true heart seeking the
truth and that is what you will find. Then come back to me and ask
again, "What are we to do?" If you can't find me, turn to your
neighbours and work together. Be inventive and turn the profits of
your labour over to your brothers and sisters, instead of the slave
masters. When you yourselves control who your labour profits, then
you are on the road to freedom. Like Gandhi, we must have the
courage to die for our cause, but the love not to kill for it.
--
Peace,
Fred
(Remove FFFf from my email address to reply by email).