[Peace-discuss] Make you stop and wonder.

[Laurie Solomon]

Of course that misses my point entirely or sidesteps it, which is what I 
should have expected.  What you suggest might make sense if one were 
committed to the electoral process and thought that it was an effective 
avenue of systemic change in governmental policy and actions rather than a 
false façade that masks at best minor changes (i.e., reforms) on the 
periphery.  As I said the election is a rat race in which the winners and 
losers are rats where - maybe - some rats are better or more equal than the 
other rats in the race; but a rat is a rat.

Your response may also make sense if one has faith in the ability of one 
person in a position of authority, power, leadership to actually control 
their underlings and their actions significantly enough to make systemic 
and radical changes in the nature and direction of the broader governmental 
policies and practices - especially if they  plan to be re-elected, to 
effectively work with the legislative branch, to overcome resistance of the 
bureaucratic old guard in the administrative agencies and in the military, 
or get the corporate establishment to actively support and implement changes 
in their policies and practices in ways that may not be in their narrow 
self-interest.  I see it the other way.  Even if one should elect a black 
sheep to the office of President, it is like replacing one of the heads of a 
hydra, where all the other heads will be conspiring to undermine the new 
head and continue doing what they have always done.  I do not have any faith 
in the "great man" or "great leader" approach to social change - especially 
in a society that is not entirely totalitarian yet but might become in the 
near future if things continue as they have been going.

My pessimism and cynicism may cause some to ask what I propose as a way to 
bring about change; my response at this time and place is that what I would 
propose (which might be futile and result in the complete destruction of 
radical or progressive individuals and movements) is something that 
Americans are not going to undertake in my lifetime - if ever - so why 
bother to engage in Don Quixote like battles (as Sancho Panches says in Man 
from La Mancha, "whether the stone hits the pitcher or the pitcher hits the 
stone, it is going to be bad for the pitcher").  I just as soon sit and 
watch the serpent eat its tail and let the US destroy itself and the world 
for that matter - both may deserve it.

-----Original Message----- 
From: Estabrook, Carl G
Sent: February 05, 2012 11:21 PM
To: E. Wayne Johnson ; Laurie Solomon
Cc: peace-discuss
Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Make you stop and wonder.

Also there's no one else running as a Rep or Dem who's committed to ending 
thje most racist policy by far of the federal government, the 'war on 
drugs.'

If one wants to make an 'anti-war anti-racism effort' in electoral politics, 
the only major party candidate to back is Ron Paul.

In Illinois, one can take a Republican ballot in the March 20 primary & vote 
for his delegates. In the general election, one can vote for a 3rd-party 
candidate - Green, Justice - or perhaps for Paul if he runs 
ndependently.  --CGE


"Whether you agree with Ron Paul on every point is irrelevant--
there's NO ONE else running [AS A REP OR DEM] determined
to stop the wars, torture, renditions, assasinations and spying
committed daily in your name and at your expense."

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