[Peace-discuss] The AWARE S.O.A.P. Box
C. G. Estabrook
cge at shout.net
Thu May 17 21:39:31 UTC 2012
THE SOCIETY TO OVERCOME THE AMERICAN PRECARIAT /&/
THE SOCIETY TO OVERTHROW THE AMERICAN PLUTONOMY
- two cadet branches of the ANTI-WAR ANTI-RACISM EFFORT -
announce the institution of the ~ AWARE S.O.A.P. BOX ~ at the
Urbana Farmers' Market on Saturday 19 March 2012.
~~~
Members and Friends of AWARE will declaim statements by Noam Chomsky,
Glenn Grenwald, Chris Hedges, and others,
that further the mission of the Anti-War Anti-Racism Effort of
Champaign-Urbana, from the AWARE S.O.A.P. BOX,
by the AWARE table at the Lincoln Square Farmers' Market.
~~~
Speakers Under Delegation from the Societies (S.O.A.P. SUDS) will be
present and speaking while the market is open.
Come by and say hello - and stay for conversation with passersby. --CGE
~~~
'This could be a period of irreversible decline. For the 1% and even
less -- the .1% -- it’s just fine. They are richer than ever, more
powerful than ever, controlling the political system, disregarding the
public...
'For decades, Citigroup has been one of the most corrupt of the major
investment banking corporations, repeatedly bailed out by the
taxpayer, starting in the early Reagan years and now once again ... In
2005, Citigroup came out with a brochure for investors called
“Plutonomy: Buying Luxury, Explaining Global Imbalances.” It urged
investors to put money into a “plutonomy index.” The brochure says,
“The World is dividing into two blocs -- the Plutonomy and the rest.”
'Plutonomy refers to the rich, those who buy luxury goods and so on,
and that’s where the action is. They claimed that their plutonomy
index was way outperforming the stock market. As for the rest, we set
them adrift. We don’t really care about them. We don’t really need
them. They have to be around to provide a powerful state, which will
protect us and bail us out when we get into trouble, but other than
that they essentially have no function. These days they’re sometimes
called the “precariat” -- people who live a precarious existence at
the periphery of society. Only it’s not the periphery anymore. It’s
becoming a very substantial part of society in the United States and
indeed elsewhere. And this is considered a good thing...
'So the world is now indeed splitting into a plutonomy and a precariat
-- in the imagery of the Occupy movement, the 1% and the 99%. Not
literal numbers, but the right picture. Now, the plutonomy is where
the action is and it could continue like this.
'If it does, the historic reversal that began in the 1970s could
become irreversible. That’s where we’re heading. And the Occupy
movement is the first real, major, popular reaction that could avert
this. But it’s going to be necessary to face the fact that it’s a
long, hard struggle. You don’t win victories tomorrow. You have to
form the structures that will be sustained, that will go on through
hard times and can win major victories. And there are a lot of things
that can be done.' [Noam Chomsky]
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