[Peace-discuss] In the streets

[John W.]

On Sun, Feb 1, 2009 at 11:24 AM, LAURIE SOLOMON <LAURIE at advancenet.net>wrote:

>  Which is why - despite it being a French saying - the saying "the more
> things change the more they stay the same" has become an American
> description.  Until the masses of ordinary people get off their asses and
> take to the streets with a willingness to shut things down and prevent
> business as usual even if it means their inconvenience and discomfort, there
> will be no significant change in the US - only minor symbolic reforms at the
> periphery.
>
This is true.  But there are certain fundamental differences between French
society and American society.  In general, the law and law enforcement are
tilted much more in favor of the French citizen than of his/her American
equivalent.  French citizens frequently sue their government, and have a
decent chance of winning such suits.  French gendarmes are much less brutal
in their methods of crowd control and law enforcement in general.

All of which is to say that American citizens would be risking much MORE by
taking to the streets, with less chance of success.  And since the average
American still thinks of himself as "middle class" and buys into the Horatio
Alger myth, he doesn't want to or see the necessity of taking the risk.


Instead of the corporations and the establishment elite getting 3 trillion
> of the common person's money, the government will only give them 2 3/4
> trillion; and instead of demanding final control and veto over the
> operations of those corporations and the use of the money, the government
> will get for the public only minor symbolic control which only those behind
> the closed doors will be able to know about.  Indeed, the French
> demonstrations have much more authority and impact than any placard carrying
> or letter writing demonstrations that we have in the US will ever have.  Our
> demonstrators do not even get off the sidewalks and block traffic for fear
> of being called irresponsible and losing respectability, for fear of being
> arrested and getting a record or having to pay a fine, or because they do
> not want to be seen as being disruptive.
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net [mailto:
> peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net] On Behalf Of C. G. Estabrook
> Sent: Sunday, February 01, 2009 12:46 AM
> To: peace-discuss
> Subject: [Peace-discuss] In the streets
>
>
>
>       Paris When it Sizzles:
>
>       The French Say No to Fat-Cat Bailouts
>
>
>
> You have to admire the French. The ordinary people there know how to stick
> up
>
> for themselves – instead of meekly bowing down and accepting whatever
> bitter
>
> gruel the elite tries to cram down their throats. And they don't just write
> a
>
> few angry letters (or blog posts!), or send checks to some worthy
> progressive
>
> organization to organize a few mildly admonishing ads or press releases on
> their
>
> behalf. Hell no, they take to the streets, by the millions, they shut
> things
>
> down, they make some noise, they put their time, their jobs, and their
> bodies on
>
> the line.
>
>
>
> Yesterday saw another remarkable display of this national trait, as an
>
> astonishingly broad spectrum of the French citizenry surged through the
> streets
>
> of Paris to express their outrage at the government's response to the
> economic
>
> crisis. This response has been the usual doling out of billions in public
> money
>
> for the fat cats who caused the crisis, coupled with increasing demands for
>
>
> "sacrifice" from the hoi polloi: less pay, longer hours, fewer benefits, a
>
> bleaker life for you and your children while the elite party on.
>
>
>
> But on Thursday, an estimated 2.5 million people – blue-collar workers and
>
> white-collar professionals, educators and students, doctors and train
> drivers,
>
> native-born and immigrants – came out to tell the government: "We are not
> going
>
> to pay for the greed and corruption of the elite! Find another way!" The
>
> contrast to the stunned, herd-like reaction of the American and British
> publics
>
> to their governments' gorging of corrupt oligarchs with no-strings largess
> could
>
> not be more striking...
>
>
>
> Full article at <http://www.chris-floyd.com/>
>
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