The recent mass protest gatherings in Egypt and other places around the world need to happen again in Washington D.C.

::::::::

CND Badge, 1960s by dannybirchall

The insanity of U.S. foreign policy, the emergence of the Surveillance-Police State, and the destruction of the planet by corporate capitalism necessitate a return of the anti-nuclear, anti-war, nonviolent Peace Movement. 

We may laugh at religious fanatics who hold signs that say, "The End is Near!" But, right now, it's clear that we are in fact experiencing an end to democracy (in whatever limited degree we had it), privacy, and ecological sustainability. International bankers and transnational corporate executives--the military-industrial-security-financial complex-- continue to "hijack" the U.S. government as it seeks to gain control of every country, creating a sinister New World Order. Now, I am not one of those people who believe in an organized conspiracy going back 300 years, but I do believe a lot of the wealthy elitists have similar interests that don't bode well for the rest of us, the 99%.  

Actually, there does need to be a New World Order, but it has to be built from the bottom-up, with an emphasis on personal freedom (such as marijuana/hemp legalization and the freedom to visit Cuba), democracy, ecological wisdom, radical egalitarianism, social justice, and nonviolence. 

Dividing the world map into 500 legislative rectangles of equal population, while taking all money out of politics, would be one way to create a democratic world government. The World Legislative Council could then make executive and judicial branch appointments. 

Expecting real change to come through better Democrats and Republicans leads mostly to great disappointment. The two-party system is corrupt, and third parties under the current system will never get an equal voice. 

Writing to members of Congress, writing articles, and signing petitions to get new federal amendments passed--such as striking down the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling of 2010, which now increases the corporate influence of politics--can take decades to produce the needed change.  And, even if those efforts are successful, many other major changes will be needed to further expand democracy and promote peace. The millions of Egyptians who have recently massed together in one place in unity have much to teach us.    

The problem with the Occupy Movement was that the demonstrators could not agree on a list of specific demands, equally supported by other peace movements around the world. Here is a proposed list of ten demands that can create the change needed to save the planet before it is too late:   

1. Dismantle all nuclear weapons and nuclear energy power plants the world over as soon as possible.

2. The U.S. government must bring home all its troops and close down its 700-1000 military bases around the world. Even with such a drawdown, it would retain more than enough capacity to defend its own borders. The money previously spent on the military would be used instead to create jobs and rebuild the nation's infrastructure: "[A]nd they shall turn their swords into ploughshares." (Isaiah 2:4). 

3. Single-Payer Health Insurance will be instituted, with the federal government as the single payer.  

4. The influence of money will be taken out of politics.

5. The U.S. House of Representatives will be elected through a system of Proportional Representation, and the U.S. Senate will be abolished. The seven largest national political parties will be empowered. 

6. The Electoral College System for electing a president will be abolished. A president must win by a majority of individual votes (not just a plurality of votes), using the method of Instant Runoff Voting. 

7. Congress, not the president, will select Supreme Court judges, who will serve for nine-year terms. 

8. There will be a non-hierarchical, or grassroots, approach to public schools: Neighbors who live within the boundaries of each public elementary, middle, and high school will establish their own school philosophy and curriculum, using public funds. There will no longer be federal, state, county, or township control of neighborhood schools. This will improve neighborhood togetherness and community solidarity. 

9. The Federal Reserve will be abolished, and Congress will oversee a publicly owned banking system like the State Bank of South Dakota. 

10. The United States will work to establish a democratic world government that provides equal pay for equal work, with no one earning more than three times the wages of the lowest paid worker. A system of workplace democracy will be instituted.  

Marches on Washington D.C., state capitals, and city government buildings can be coordinated to occur simultaneously four times a year, until the U.S. Congress, as urged by masses of citizens, implements the above ten demands through the passage of federal amendments and laws. Representatives who do not support the ten demands will be voted out of office. It is time to begin. 

Roger Copple is 63 years old. He retired in 2010 from elementary school teaching (mostly 3^rd grade) and high school special education in Indianapolis. Now residing in the Bradenton/Sarasota area of Florida, he is deeply grateful that he stuck it out to get a teacher's pension and started getting his Social Security early at age 62. He now hopes to make a contribution to society through further study, reflection, and writing.

Authors Website: http://www.WorldWithoutEmpire.com

Authors Bio:

February 11, 2023

I grew up in a church that said you had to speak in tongues to get saved and go to heaven. I often prayed fervently starting at the age of 5 for the experience in the prayer room at church, where people would cry and wail, and roll on the floor. One 80-year old lady would sometimes get happy in the spirit and run laps around the church during church services. That was always entertaining.

About my sophomore year in college, I became transformed by the protest of the Vietnam War, the anti-nuclear movement, Eastern philosophy, the study of psychology, smoking reefer, and democratic socialism, which I started believing could save the world. However, the Covid crises that began in March 2020 caused me to become disillusioned with the Left, so now I would say I am more an anarchist or a libertarian, but I don't support corporate or crony capitalism. Many libertarians think it is perfectly fine to aspire to be a millionaire or billionaire, but I think incomes above certain amounts should be taxed at much higher rates. Libertarian capitalists, like socialists, are against imperialism, and I will always resonate with that.

Here is a definition of anarchy that I have always liked: Anarchy: a self-governed society in which people organize themselves from the bottom-up on an egalitarian basis; decisions made by those affected by them; direct democratic control of our workplaces, schools, neighborhoods, towns and bio-regions with coordination between differing groups as needed. A world where women and men are free and equal and all of us have power over our own lives, bodies and sexuality; where we cherish and live in balance with the earth and value diversity of cultures, races, and sexual orientations, where we work and live together cooperatively.

Two times in my twenties and thirties, I had brief periods where I went back to being a Christian fundamentalist or an evangelical Christian. Later going to a liberal seminary, where I studied the New Testament like a scientist, caused me to doubt believing in the virgin birth, the trinity, and the literal resurrection of Jesus in the way that evangelical Christians believe. Now I believe that Jesus could have been a highly evolved yogi to achieve the various things he allegedly achieved.

Growing up in an anti-intellectual home, I had the most trouble with high school courses like U.S. history, which seemed like a boring subject that was a waste of time. Later in my life, European history would become an important and fascinating subject. Lately I have been interested in studying the history of Christianity again using the excellent textbook I read in seminary.

Fascinated with yoga and meditation, I starting reading many of the books written by Swami Rama. When I later met him in person and was initiated and given a mantra (which I never did repeat over and over as suggested), I remember that being in his presence was the most powerful spiritual experience I have ever had in my life: I felt rapturous love and indescribable bliss. So I became convinced that meditation and spiritual disciplines can transform a person. My ex-wife, by the way, thought there was nothing special about Swami Rama.

In my mid 50s, I started advocating the integration of the Perennial Philosophy (that's the term Aldous Huxley used; it is also referred to as Ageless Wisdom, describing the nondual, mystical experience) with a democratic form of socialism as a way to save individuals and the world. I created a website called www.NowSaveTheWorld.com because the website name "SaveTheWorld.com" had already been taken by somebody else. I created this website in 2010 right before I retired at age 60 from teaching. I was a high school special education teacher of Algebra, English, and Social Studies, but during the last 6 years of my career I taught general elementary, mostly third grade. In March 2020, I changed the name of my website to WorldWithoutEmpire.com.