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Power. Civil Disobedience. Change.

Apr 11, 2011 | By: Mr_Blue | Tags: obama, protests, civil disobedience

We’ve reached a critical juncture for the economic survival of working class families. How we act will be critical.

I recently re-read two columns by Chris Hedges: Power Concedes Nothing Without a Demand and This What Resistance Looks Like. I strongly encourage people to read both articles. Mr. Hedges is absolutely right when he says: “Civil disobedience is the only tool we have left.”

It truly is a matter of economic survival. Check out these three facts (there are a lot more dismal facts):

1) 15.7% unemployment + underemployment rate - 6.3 million people have been out of work and looking for a job for more than six months.
2) For those lucky enough to find jobs - jobs are paying less.
3) 44.1 million people participating in Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (food stamps).

So what’s the problem - it’s our economic system and our political system is only a reflection of that. We have what is called a plutocracy. Those with the money have all the power. Forget about a democracy (even a representative democracy). Just consider these recent events:

1) Wall Street’s MULTI-TRILLION dollar bailout
2) Very weak financial regulatory reform laws passed in response to financial crisis.
3) Lack of prosecutions or real investigations of Wall Street fraud.
4) Spending cuts that impact poor and working class families.
5) More tax cuts for top incomes.

There may have been a time when politicians were responsive to the concerns of those they represented. This definitely not the case now. Both political parties are beholden to the plutocrats. They compete for the same pool of big money donations. Poor and working class families just don’t have the money to buy a politician.

What we do have is our voices and the ability to act together to effect real change. History shows, from protests and civil unrest during the Great Depression, to Civil Rights protests, to Vietnam War protests, that direct action and civil disobedience are more effective than the ballot box at instigating real change. Civil disobedience can take many forms. It could be street protests. It could be boycotts. It could a decision to purchase necessities from consumer coops or locally owned stores. The important thing is that we do it together. Time is running out for the economic security for millions of Americans and civil disobedience is all we have left.

Here is a list of brave Americans that have come together to act and they are organizing across the U.S. Check their websites for actions near you:

US Uncut
MoveOn.org
We Are One

Good luck.