Comments for For Want of a Nail

Comment on It Happens Already by fwoan

fwoan — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:54:21 +0000

Hi Richard, that’s an awesome example that I totally forgot about. Thanks!

Comment on It Happens Already by Richard Estes

Richard Estes — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 02:24:37 +0000

yes, the law does tend to ratify what the government and large corporations do after the fact

just look at telecom immunity, for example

Comment on It Happens Already by fwoan

fwoan — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:52:10 +0000

Hi valerie – good to hear from you again! With NDAA, it was terrifying. I imagine many people refuse to understand the things that are happening and wish to instead live as if it isn’t happening and so NDAA had push-back but nothing on the scale of SOPA/PIPA. SOPA/PIPA was much less terrifying and I think that allowed people to actually process it.

I dunno, that’s how I explain it to myself, at least.

Comment on It Happens Already by valerie

valerie — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:59:06 +0000

and that’s how i feel most of the time. i cycle from super revolutionary to super nihilist real super fast.
i’m still astounded that the online outrage was instantaneous with this one, and with NDAA pretty much nothing. no one cares. no one seems to give two shits when you say, the president can kill you where you sit and breathe and fart right this very second, and it’s okay.. they will just plant a homemade banana bomb or something somewhere around your powdered remains and call you a terrorist. all your neighbors will say, gee he was such a quiet normal fellow, but i guess all the really bad guys just blend in.
i dunno man i feel alien anymore.

Comment on The Least Surprising Man in the World by Flora

Flora — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 11:28:45 +0000

You’ve got to be kidding me-it’s so tasrnparenlty clear now!

Comment on Democracy Requires Ignorance by fwoan

fwoan — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:40:51 +0000

Hi t! Thanks for your comment – excellent points!

You and I both agree that the U.S. electoral program is democratic in name only so let’s just set that aside – when we speak of democracy we mean true democracy.

I’m skeptical of democracy because of its tendency to fragment the electorate as you often see with the Left. We are a fragmented movement with that often fight against each other because there are so many voices going in so many directions that a united front always seems nearly impossible. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t want it to work, I desperately do. Given an opportunity to exist in a true democracy I would work tirelessly to see it work. I would expect however that a truly informed and educated electorate would soon divide as we see often with the Left.

I’d much rather see a lottery system whereby workers were allowed to represent their communities with having to win a pseudo popularity contest first. I guess, as I reflect on it, my stance on demarchy still involves and relies heavily on democracy. My grievance with democracy is mostly a grievance against electing people, not enacting policy.

Thanks again for your comment – it’s given me a lot to think about!

Comment on Democracy Requires Ignorance by t

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:21:51 +0000

Could we say that the faux-democracy that is the US political/economic system requires ignorance, but that genuine democracy is impossible under conditions of deception and ignorance? I share your view that the electoral mechanism in the US gives us no genuine choice. The system is broken and needs to be replaced. I think it’s worth returning to the example set by emancipatory events like the Paris Commune which demonstrate what genuine democracy actually looks like. In that brief experiment in democratic living, the existing parliament and all of the career politicians were 100% swept aside, the standing army was dissolved, and capitalists were deprived of their power and ownership of the means of production. As Marx put it, “Instead of deciding once in three or six years which member of the ruling class was to misrepresent the people in Parliament, universal suffrage was to serve the people.” The people directly elected their own representatives who were instantly recallable and paid “workingmen’s wages”. The economy was democractized and brought under the control and management of working people themselves. As far as I’m concerned, that the sort of democratic society we should be aiming for. The occupy movement, with its GA’s and grassroots democracy from below, is the embryo of the kind of movement it would take to build a society like that.

Comment on Go Team, GO! by Jacki

Jacki — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 05:49:32 +0000

The “sports team” concept of politics is an interesting analogy. One I’m sure would cause hours of discussion with Nonnie!

Comment on Yeah, Well I’m More Disillusioned Than You, Pal! by fwoan

fwoan — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 13:12:43 +0000

Hi Daniel,
Thanks for your comment! I suppose it’s never surprising when we see depths to which our leaders will go when trying to sell us their latest flavor of shit.

Comment on Yeah, Well I’m More Disillusioned Than You, Pal! by Daniel

Daniel — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 12:14:37 +0000

I’m disillusioned by the people who are disillusioned by the people who are disillusioned by Obama…TIMES INFINITY. Your move, Dr. Ross.

I’ll give Cary Grant-lite credit for one thing: I can easily see Republicans selling a guy preserving a deregulated industry polluting and destroying our environment, inviting more a larger pool of Americans into the military industrial complex, and killing a dude without the faintest pretense of due process.