Mussolini, the theoretician of fascism, defined it this way: Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power.
The Occupations are about much more than simple economic justice, taxing the rich, ending corporate personhood, etc. There is an urgency here. The corporations are not just sitting passively; they are unleashing a class war the object of which is to completely takeover society and the state apparatus.
Our reality is that either the people will take over the corporations, or the corporations will destroy society and the people. Corporations have already privatized the cells in the human body (see the John Moore Decision), are destroying our water and privatizing it across the country, refuse to allow more than 33% of the grain to be used for human food and producing Global Warming at an increasing rate. We are not going to reverse this by allowing corporations to continue to exist.
Movements always organize around ideas. The central question that we need to hash out is: what are we up against? Is it only Jean Quan? Is it only the City Council? Is it only the Port? Is it just a few bad politicians in the Democratic Party? Is it just elections? Or is it political power? How we answer this question determines which way we go and what we try to accomplish with Occupy Oakland.
The Occupy Movement nationally and locally is still not on one accord on this question. We may not be able to outgun the police and the state, but we certainly can out teach them. We need to have this debate.
Steven Miller
Oakland Teacher for 25 years.
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