malooga- yea, poor choice of words on my part as what was intended is the notion that you can always sell a military solution to a soldier no matter how ludicrous the pretext. but powell's certainly not naive - he's very experienced at killing people from all over the world.

thoughtful post above. educate toward action. the only saviors are ourselves. very much in agreement. education begins w/ seeing things as they truly are, looking behind the words & calling things by their real names, and visualizing a better way. another jensen, derrick, is also valuable in establishing these definitions. (no doubt this is hardly news to you, but be sure to read his new book if you haven't yet. ward's been rubbing off on him over the last few years.)

i've often thought of suggesting that our little internationale here attempt some type of manifesto that might help steer us toward some concrete actions, if for nothing more than to counter the sense of despair that comes from reacting to the latest horror/atrocity/crime/lie du jour regurgitated from on-high. but then i somewhat convince myself that it may also be counterproductive in that any effort to distill some essential guidelines is likely to invite conflict and discord in this here establishment when one of its very strengths has been that of diverse opinions, insights & experiences. obviously, there is no one path or ultimate tactic that will work broadly for everyone, nor does there need to be. some will do what they think they can at the time. others will realize the need for sacrifice and act accordingly. the key, though, is cooperation. those who stay in the realm of thinking must not suddenly decide to act in ways that are counterproductive to larger movements that ultimately work toward everyone's benefit. (here i'm thinking of the situation in seattle where pacifists & others felt compelled to defend starbucks windows & aid the establishment in subduing black blockers intent on disrupting the trade talks. they saw themselves more affiliated w/ the very establishment that they protested against than those who railed against it.) maybe there is a way to structure a manifesto so that it takes all of this into consideration and can still provide a vision of what we want to act toward. there likely is & often that i feel it is voiced here in many forms.

obviously, rebellion is more likely when focused locally. people will rebel when their local conditions are deemed intolerable. rebellion at the national level is hard to predict or even harder to instigate. in the united states, our structural and cultural mileaux undeniably work against mass protests & power to the people. but in our communities, individuals are more able to identify (& empathise w/) inequalities & injustice, and access to clear channels to express that discontent. on the national level, this is not always possible, and less visible. people are more willing to defy conditions they dislike in their own communities. they are more able to hold their representatives accountable & it is here that education in all its forms - critical thinking skills, leadership skills, communication skills, historical & structural analyses, contextualization - is most needed & effective.

one objective of any ultimate goal is to transform a nation of consumers into a nation of citizen activists. another is to reintegrate w/ the living world. replace their thanatocracy w/ an earth democracy.

Posted by: b real | Jul 29, 2006 11:12:16 PM | 101

i'll second ran's recommendation of the film tsotsi. powerful ending. much better than the book.

Posted by: b real | Jul 29, 2006 11:14:00 PM | 102

'm a stupidd fellow, finally understanding that cnn is a readers digest for those who neither want to read or digest:

Readers Digest is actually better IMHO, and readily digestible.

A street demonstration and a lot of tear gas would probably clean all that crap right out of your head, RG.

Won't be there with you, though, when those fascist-commie police start swinging their dreaded nerf batons.

Very dangerous, that.

Posted by: Ms. Manners | Jul 29, 2006 11:14:55 PM | 103

jeez, lots of reading to catch up on here. i get busy for a day and look what happens. looks like i'll be busy for awhile since i haven't been here since this morning, but i am looking forward to it. can't tell you how much i hope there are some workable suggestions here because i do need them. and it's back down the rabbit hole with me.

Posted by: conchita | Jul 30, 2006 1:23:01 AM | 104

Hey Malooga, nice to hear your informed and well-thought comments. One point you made re: politics is what my local green party and communist party candidates said recently, join a local group.

Funny how we all have so much to say when there is war in the news, or is it "chatter?"

What was that book, Chris Hedges, War Is A Force That Gives Us Meaning. Yes, he got out of the war correspondent business a few years back. Said that it becomes addictive -- in that sense Fisk and I guess Patrick Cockburn are both junkies.

Trying to make sense of giap's comment that Fisk, in the book giap is reading, is somewhat superior in tone. I'm not even sure if he is always accurate but I do trust him to tell it as he sees it, with the understanding that as a professional he needs an editor and paper to publish in, but his book tells of his integrity -- great quote when he is in Iran during that war with Iraq, he says he would much rather be at home in Beirut drinking a glass of wine with a beautiful young woman on his terrace overlooking the sea.

Not to mention that you get pretty good at your craft if you continue to do it for decades.

So he is human after all, Robert Fisk. Practically a saint when you think of what he has witnessed and lived through. I recommend his book, The Great War For Civilization.

My closing thought, hello to you all old friends and new. I can't buy a round for the house but I do raise my glass to you all.

Posted by: jonku | Jul 30, 2006 4:28:02 AM | 105