This group in Spain is interesting. One of their posts discusses a "wikiparliament" in formation.
Whatever the outcome, and however provisional the initial steps, it seems a spirit of experimentation and pursuit of radical change is bubbling.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Castells stirring things up in Spain
I guess I better pull "Network Society" off my bookshelf this summer and finally read it!
This is a translation of the conclusions of the speech in Spanish of the sociologist Manuel Castells, professor at Berkeley University (California) and researcher at the Open University of Catalonia (UOC), on May 27 at the Plaza of Catalonia – to support the camps around the world and enumerate the conditions necessary to achieve real democratic change.
“Fearful around the world, but united in the Web”
We are in a society where everything needs to be fast, but when we arrive at home we colapse. Therefore we should do what we want to do, like for instances create a new democracy, but slowly. Nobody is in a hurry, we have to make history, there is not need to rush. Others can run, we don’t, because we are advancing systematically. If not we will become the rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, running always with the clock. My long experience in social movements, starting with the May of 68 in Paris, where I participated actively, tells me that what we are living here, and in 706 camps more around the world, has substance, has roots, and whatever forms it takes and whatever will happen, this movement will continue. It will attempt to bring profund changes. Precisly because it is a movement of people not of organisations. People are neither created nor destroyed, only transformed. But is not going to be easy. When the powers that be realise what is going on is serious (because for the moment they don’t believe this is serious), they will react. And they will react probably violently because there are too many interests at stake. That is why it is essential that this process be slow and profund to reconstruct democracy. It must also have non-violence as a fundamental principal, which is already expressed and put into practice.
Non-violence is fundamental. What camps are proving all over Spain, is that after 11 days there has been not a single violent incident. And until the police come, there is not going to be violence. To the likely violence from the system, we should propose people use non-violence. To do this, a lot of courage is needed, becauase to reply to violence with violence, is to respond from fear: you are attacked and you defend youself. We will need to help people who would be so scared that would became violent. We should help them to advance towards a superior level of courage, which requires one to overcome fear. Overcome fear from the acceptance of the funtamental fact that fear is a part of life. The only way to overcome fear is by leaving solitud. Fear is a disease caused by loneliness. The only cure is joining others. And without fear and without violence, all is possible. Some days ago, I asked a good friend, and a great neuroscientist, Antoni Damasio: “Do you think it is true that if we overcome fear things would change?” And he replied “Absolutly” because fear is human nature and have to recognize it.
Therefore if now I had to propose a slogan, I would say: Fearful around the world, but united in the Web. United, because together the only thing you can lose is your fear. And if we do it, this may be the start of a new participatory internet based democracy, yet to be invented, which will be born. Thanks for your antention, and we can continue discussing this after the talk.
This is a translation of the conclusions of the speech in Spanish of the sociologist Manuel Castells, professor at Berkeley University (California) and researcher at the Open University of Catalonia (UOC), on May 27 at the Plaza of Catalonia – to support the camps around the world and enumerate the conditions necessary to achieve real democratic change.
“Fearful around the world, but united in the Web”
We are in a society where everything needs to be fast, but when we arrive at home we colapse. Therefore we should do what we want to do, like for instances create a new democracy, but slowly. Nobody is in a hurry, we have to make history, there is not need to rush. Others can run, we don’t, because we are advancing systematically. If not we will become the rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, running always with the clock. My long experience in social movements, starting with the May of 68 in Paris, where I participated actively, tells me that what we are living here, and in 706 camps more around the world, has substance, has roots, and whatever forms it takes and whatever will happen, this movement will continue. It will attempt to bring profund changes. Precisly because it is a movement of people not of organisations. People are neither created nor destroyed, only transformed. But is not going to be easy. When the powers that be realise what is going on is serious (because for the moment they don’t believe this is serious), they will react. And they will react probably violently because there are too many interests at stake. That is why it is essential that this process be slow and profund to reconstruct democracy. It must also have non-violence as a fundamental principal, which is already expressed and put into practice.
Non-violence is fundamental. What camps are proving all over Spain, is that after 11 days there has been not a single violent incident. And until the police come, there is not going to be violence. To the likely violence from the system, we should propose people use non-violence. To do this, a lot of courage is needed, becauase to reply to violence with violence, is to respond from fear: you are attacked and you defend youself. We will need to help people who would be so scared that would became violent. We should help them to advance towards a superior level of courage, which requires one to overcome fear. Overcome fear from the acceptance of the funtamental fact that fear is a part of life. The only way to overcome fear is by leaving solitud. Fear is a disease caused by loneliness. The only cure is joining others. And without fear and without violence, all is possible. Some days ago, I asked a good friend, and a great neuroscientist, Antoni Damasio: “Do you think it is true that if we overcome fear things would change?” And he replied “Absolutly” because fear is human nature and have to recognize it.
Therefore if now I had to propose a slogan, I would say: Fearful around the world, but united in the Web. United, because together the only thing you can lose is your fear. And if we do it, this may be the start of a new participatory internet based democracy, yet to be invented, which will be born. Thanks for your antention, and we can continue discussing this after the talk.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
How things really work in this country
During the meeting, Roark says, she warned Hayden that no court would uphold the program. Curiously, Hayden responded that he had already been assured by unspecified individuals that he could count on a majority of “the nine votes”—an apparent reference to the Supreme Court. According to Roark’s notes, Hayden told her that such a vote might even be 7–2 in his favor.
Roark couldn’t believe that the Supreme Court had been adequately informed of the N.S.A.’s transgressions, and she decided to alert Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, sending a message through a family friend. Once again, there was no response. She also tried to contact a judge on the FISA court, in Washington, which adjudicates requests for warrants sanctioning domestic surveillance of suspected foreign agents. But the judge had her assistant refer the call to the Department of Justice, which had approved the secret program in the first place. Roark says that she even tried to reach David Addington, the legal counsel to Vice-President Dick Cheney, who had once been her congressional colleague. He never called back, and Addington was eventually revealed to be one of the prime advocates for the surveillance program.
“This was such a Catch-22,” Roark says. “There was no one to go to.” In October, 2003, feeling “profoundly depressed,” she left Washington and moved to a small town in Oregon.
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/05/23/110523fa_fact_mayer?printable=true#ixzz1Mc9HzGnd
Roark couldn’t believe that the Supreme Court had been adequately informed of the N.S.A.’s transgressions, and she decided to alert Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, sending a message through a family friend. Once again, there was no response. She also tried to contact a judge on the FISA court, in Washington, which adjudicates requests for warrants sanctioning domestic surveillance of suspected foreign agents. But the judge had her assistant refer the call to the Department of Justice, which had approved the secret program in the first place. Roark says that she even tried to reach David Addington, the legal counsel to Vice-President Dick Cheney, who had once been her congressional colleague. He never called back, and Addington was eventually revealed to be one of the prime advocates for the surveillance program.
“This was such a Catch-22,” Roark says. “There was no one to go to.” In October, 2003, feeling “profoundly depressed,” she left Washington and moved to a small town in Oregon.
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/05/23/110523fa_fact_mayer?printable=true#ixzz1Mc9HzGnd
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Remnick redeems himself a bit
The New Yorker's coverage of West Asia was quite bad leading up to the Iraq war, so it's a good thing, though culturally an easier thing, that he does some plain speaking here.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
The most important number on earth
350 ppm
From Dr Saini's Cardioblog, which is here.
McKibben is building a mass movement quite well.
Some of my elderly friends have told me they don't want to live long enough to see the outcome, but those of us who have no choice have no choice.
This speech is good.
From Dr Saini's Cardioblog, which is here.
McKibben is building a mass movement quite well.
Some of my elderly friends have told me they don't want to live long enough to see the outcome, but those of us who have no choice have no choice.
This speech is good.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Don't forget about Fukushima even if the media have
I am not certain this means what I think it means. But it is very sobering and requires attention.....
Busby - Fukuparticles2
Busby - Fukuparticles2
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
There are many roads to socialism
From the Associated Press:
China, one of Cuba's biggest backers, praised the island's ruling Communist Party on Tuesday for approving sweeping economic and social reforms.
[SNIP]
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said those decisions were sure to have a "profound and far reaching impact on the development of socialism in Cuba."
China, one of Cuba's biggest backers, praised the island's ruling Communist Party on Tuesday for approving sweeping economic and social reforms.
[SNIP]
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said those decisions were sure to have a "profound and far reaching impact on the development of socialism in Cuba."
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