This is offered in the spirit of an Occupy Oakland Committee for Absurd Ideas which I understand is primarily focused on political performance art. The idea though is not just about performance art, but rather about developing further the inter/national conversation of the DeColonize/Occupy moment.
We may want to think about proposing a transitional national council for the lands now called the United States in #DO or #OO and then on through Inter-Occupy nationally. Transitional national councils were previously established in Libya, Egypt and there is presently one in Syria and I believe also one in Yemen. An earlier form of this, also quite recently rearticulated by the U.S. left, is the Committees of Correspondence.
“Take Back Wall Street! Occupied Since 1625.” We all know we live in Occupied America under an economic system produced by both colonial settlement and racialized enslavement. In these lands now called the United States racial ideology changes constantly to perpetuate racial and other hierarchies and economic injustice. Hence the need for the QPOC/POC formations within the Occupy/Decolonize spaces.
While in Occupied America the outward forms (elections, debates) of representative democracy persist, in truth we live today under the dictatorship of the 1%. The Republicrat and Democan parties, congress, the president, federal agencies and state governments are today wholly owned subsidiaries of 1%. This could be documented fairly thoroughly I suspect by Occupy Research and our other social movement and organizational allies.
Large corporations, due to the Supreme Court’s Citizens United case, have moved from domination to outright control of elections. They have already used their power to abolish taxes on themselves. We might conceivably flip an American revolutionary slogan and say no representation (for corporations) without (high) taxation (on corporate profits).
Human votes in reality no longer count in U.S. elections. Accordingly, it is time for the 99% to alter or abolish the present government so that a new government can be instituted by and for the humans of these lands. This is about the consent of the governed to the governmental form that no longer serves us, the 99%. That is why Inter-Occupy ought to work towards the Transitional National Council.
Don’t Vote, Revolt! Bye Bye Bloomberg! Government by the Billionaires, of the Billionaires,and for the Billionaires shall perish from this earth!
John Hayakawa Torok
Welcome to Occupied Aztlan: http://vimeo.com/23688989 The Killing of Kokopili
by Robert Lundah
Brother John,
This is my first communique using your site–i could not figure out how to post a separate introduction comment, so I am infringing on this space to find a way to just communicate from occupy San Diego…..
OK, a few comments:
We know the cops want folks here to know that they may be busted for doing nothing but observing.
We know there is a cop intelligence/spy network.
We know, like you, the entire city council, there and here are in cahoots and it is pointless to appeal or attempt reasoning with them.
There have been well over 150+ busts, all minor violations, so far–the attorneys here have found some weak links and exploited them.
The morale is high with less ignorance of the true nature of the armed might of the state.
the rose parade intervention was successful and helped keep Occupy in focus.
There is periphery support but the cop riots against peaceful occupation continues unabated although more selective.
Still, as with all occupy, illusions are heavy baggage but by no means an obstacle–the core here has responded with every attack plus international solidarity.
There are many instances of individual sacrifice leading to arrest or brutal assault.
This is vital–since the first days, the massive use of uniforms has served to violence bait, intimidate and otherwise successfully drive allies and supporters out–the objective is clear –their will be no civil public discourse to democratically expose/reveal the total hypocricy of the 1% fake freedoms–further–the particular fear is the breaking from the d&r party hoax, because the next step is not what has failed before ie p&f parties, out skirt parties or micro/molecular marxism, no, the next step is a thorough break and a new way of thinking–Plato’s allegory of the cave comes to mind–the fear of freedom fades and youth begin to think–that’s their greatest fear–this is real and they are responding in kind.
Outreach is critical and continued meetings in safe places is essential–the actual turf is important but not first or last line of defense–this is still a political conflict–nearby overpasses here with signs during rush hour are still met with continuous positive responses–honking and thumbs up or waving by motorists–this continued connection is very important, as against sitting in isolation.
The need for more accurate communications and shared plans when feasible really helps–there is no doubt the Oakland is a fantastic epi-center with enormous influence and two great victories with rank & file worker /communities forging the formula that spells doom for the 1%.
Critical mass is ahead of us, this can happen, so long as none are alienated–think 99%.
The legal approach is OK but not the answer–black robes are not popular–think Latino and disgust along with dparty and rapid disaffiliation–youth don’t buy it anyway.
One possibility is using voter registration as a protest vote before the fake 2012 circus–register independent or re-register independent and ck the county wide totals–this can help destroy the primaries which are of zero use to us, plus consider the feeling of disassociating with the the twin agencies of oligarch rule. Ponder this closely.
I was raised in Oakland, worked in San Jose for near 20 years in unionized transit–in 1973, I was the co-chair of the Raza student union at Merritt–i remember well working with James Brush and James LaMont who was, as I recall, Minister of Information, BPP before Elaine ran for mayor as a democrat–the world has changed. I’m 67 and relishing the last 4 months as a gift from the Mayan Gods–2012, by the way is the beginning of a new count of days and therefore a new ERA–it’s not the end of the world, to the contrary it holds the possibility of awaking one morning with all our children and the knowledge of revolution fulfilled (Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman,George Jackson, Malcolm X, Sitting Bull, Vernon Bellcourt ) and not a single 1% in all of the Americas–these are the stakes.
I am with no committee but am well known on the edge to better aid and support, plus my voice is heard and respected and everyone loves my solidarity pendants. I’m union. Hope this report is helpful–i left a message on media with a phone number and hope to converse with Boots directly.
josericardotrujillo
independent xican@ communista
ps there are half a billion of us just south of the alamo–arpaio is correct in reckoning his future–he just can’t stop it–we can hasten his demise and all those he and others serve……………..