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Thomas Jefferson sez: "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."
In his most recent book, a two-volume set called "Endgame," author Derrick Jensen tells of a discussion he had with a longtime activist. "She told me of a campaign she participated in a few years ago to try to stop the government and transnational timber corporations from spraying Agent Orange, a potent defoliant and teratogen, in the forests of Oregon," Jensen writes. All too predictably, the dedicated demonstrators assembled to protest the toxic spraying were, "like clockwork," ignored by the helicopter pilots. Both humans and landscape ended up thoroughly doused with Agent Orange-time and time again. The protest campaign obviously had no effect, so a different approach was taken. "A bunch of Vietnam vets lived in those hills," the activist told Jensen, "and they sent messages to the Bureau of Land Management and to Weyerhauser, Boise Cascade, and the other timber companies saying, 'We know the names of your helicopter pilots, and we know their addresses' "You know what happened next?" she asked. "I think I do," Jensen responded. "Exactly," she said. "The spraying stopped."
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To me, the following quote reads like poetry...so that's how I'll present it:
Whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness
(Thomas Jefferson)
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In her excellent 1995 book, "Bridge of Courage," Jennifer Harbury quotes a Guatemalan freedom fighter named Gabriel, responding to a plea to embrace non-violent resistance: "In my country child malnutrition is close to 85 percent. Ten percent of all children will be dead before the age of five, and this is only the number actually reported to government agencies. Close to 70 percent of our people are functionally illiterate. There is almost no industry in our country-you need land to survive. Less than 3 percent of our landowners own over 65 percent of our lands. In the last fifteen years or so, there have been over 150,000 political murders and disappearances... Don't talk to me about Gandhi; he wouldn't have survived a week here. There was a peaceful movement for progress here, once. They were crushed. We were crushed. For Gandhi's method to work, there must be a government capable of shame. We lack that here."
Repeat after me: We lack that here.
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Another "poem" of sorts:
You've got to learn that when you push people around, some people push back. As they should. As they must. And as they undoubtedly will. There is justice in such symmetry.
(Ward Churchill)
Love is the answer...but as in tennis, sometimes it means "nothing."
... about Jefferson and lets make no mistakes that he and others of that time were farseeing and predicted that at some point in the future that someone, somewhere would try and introduce a despotic regime and how right they were.
According to a 1269 interpretation of an amendment to the Magna Carta, it became the very right, indeed an expectation that if the state e.g. the Crown became top heavy and misused its powers under the agreement of the MC, the right being the abilty to resist and revolt legally to put right and redress the balance between state and citizen.
I do believe that in part, the original people who tried to bring about change in the US colony viewed this as a licence to rebel and revolt and this has been forever enshrined in the Declaration of Independance which as we know is the definition for the constitiution, it is the foundation, the very fibre of what America is built upon.
Some interesting passages from the Declaration of Independance:
"But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."
"He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people "
"He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power."
"For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:"
"He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation."
"In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury."
"For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:"
"For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:"
I have highlighted the many valid passages that applied to the government of George III as in relation as to todays "King" George and how he has committed the same level and degree, more so infact of oppression and tyranny against the American people and peoples worldwide.
Why was it acceptable, legal and just then to declare independance but today, when the executive has committed equally or more atrocious examples of tyranny against the American people it must be borne and anyone that considers otherwise is a traitor and a terrorist?
As a leader of a peaceful resistance and independance movement he was 110% but... and a big but, as a manager of a country it has been suggested that when he segregated India a great many people died in misery when they were forcefully expelled from the Hindu provinces to the new Muslim states.
Just thought to add that about him as he was a brilliant pacifist leader but an absolutely awful Premier of a nation.
Ancient One
by
Ancient One (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 13 comments)
on Monday, November 6, 2006 at 8:19:31 AM
I always thought that Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated and the first Premier of India was Javaharlal Neru. His daughter, Indira Gandhi was a Premier too as well as her son Rajiv. But those are different Gandhis.
by
Mark Sashine (46 articles, 19 quicklinks, 235 diaries, 3359 comments)
on Monday, November 6, 2006 at 9:01:14 AM
