This is a call and response between John Galt and myself. I've never met John, but he responded to our posting of anti-war pictures on craigslist.org and we began a dialogue that I'd like to name "Call and Response."
Me: Portland says no fucking war!
John: mass graves
Me: Thanks for showing me these pictures.
The business of funding and supporting mad men has to end. Prescott
Bush (the president's grandfather) made a shit load of money doing
business with Hitler, by supplying the Nazi's with steel used to build guns
and tanks for death.
It's too bad that people can't see the real enemy is greed, not cultures
or beliefs, just greed that causes nations to commit murder.
John: Yeah, whatever.
It would still been going on if it was up to you.
Me: Aloha,
"It would still been going on if it was up to you."
What would be going on? No greed, no slavery, no rich and poor?
bushflash
Aloha!
John: Yeah, yeah.
Keep marching and carrying signs. There's real work to be done if you are up to it. Your boy Kerry is going to get pasted in November, enjoy your 15 minutes.
Me: What "real" work are you talking about?
I am interested in what you have to say
and what you think needs to be done.
Kerry is not my man. He's another puppet, just like every other high
powered "elected" offical we've ever had "serve" us.
My view is that we should vote for people who are going to
represent our ideals. People who are going to listen and act the will of the people, not their corporate paymasters, i.e. the shadow hands.
Saddam was our dog. Trained, armed, and manipulated by US and Britain's
oil interest. A pawn, just like every other dictator we
have used and removed at will in the modern era. American Power has become a brutal monster, and in the history books this Empire will go down in a
very negative light, much like the Nazi's.
I love the Bill of Rights, and the ideals our country "stands" for. My wish is that our government walks its own dogma, and takes care of its people. Not rule the globe with an iron fist, figure-headed by an unelected cowboy fuck-face who says things like, "More and more of our imports are coming from overseas."
What do you think needs to happen? Where do you stand?
John: Well, what you say is typical of what I have been hearing from the Democrats, " I don't like Kerry, but I hate Bush." That's weak, man, weak. No default candidate is going to beat an incumbent, especially in the middle of a war.
I really feel that the world has changed, and I 1000 percent agree we've backed
despicable guys, all over the world, for years. The Shah, then Hussein against
Iran, then Bin Laden against the Soviets. Then we smack Hussein, and then incite the Kurds to revolt, leaving them to get slaughtered, NICE. That's one reason I voted for Clinton.
What I don't get, is when Bush says, "We ain't playing that game anymore." and
actually IS on the right side for once, [I mean, all the times we've done the sleazy easy thing, and this time, for once, we get it right] everyone STILL hates him !!?!?
I don't get it. I think terrorism will continue and only get worse, unless we change the root problem, which is that most of the peoples of the world are stuck under the foot of oppression. If real democracy can take hold in Iraq, then it will spread, man, maybe not like wildfire, but it will spread, to Iran, to Syria, to Saudi Arabia, you can't stop it once it gets going. And once people have a real voice in their own lives, what exactly will they be angry enough about to blow themselves up?
It's a big picture thing, I can see the overall plan, I think the WMD thing is a
huge blow, no doubt, because the NEXT time we need to preempt, and there WILL BE a next time, we aren't going to get even the minimal support we got this time.
Western Europe is corrupt, man, it's a failed welfare state, and once we stop
footing their defense bills, which we WILL, and pretty soon, their whole socialist
system is going to collapse. To hold them up as some sort of shining example, I
just don't see it.
I see the Democratic party at this point beholden. So sooo many special
interests, and having to buy them off with sooo many entitlement programs.
I see flat out racists like Al Sharpton, flat out wack-jobs like Kucinich and even
Clark and Dean to an extent. I think we need to move past all that, get to a point where we focus on the real task of bringing freedom to people everywhere, not just in their interests, but in OURS, too.
Sorry to be long winded.
Me: I agree.
Democracy is a wonderful idea.
Freedom to choose who, and how we will be governed.
I don't think there has ever been a true democracy.
Our government is a good example of that.
We get to "choose" leaders between a couple of rich guys who went
to Yale, belong to upper-upper class society, and have never had to work an
honest day in their lives.
An effective and just government would be localized democracies with
representives from the majority of the citizens (i.e., the poor and the workingclass). Decentralization of the power and the decision making, making it more difficult for "special interest" (better stated: money interest) to control the votes and the direction of foreign policy. Being an example to the world of how to govern right would be much better than forcing our way in and setting up shop, "American style."
The fact is, people do care about people and we want everybody to have a fair and just existence. Some people, like the CEO's and other super rich fucks, only care about controling the world market. They use anything including the sacrifice of American citizens. Example: 9/11 was known by the Bushies, it was uncovered in the British press months before the attack,and they sat by and used us to line their pockets and make a power grab in the Middle East.
I want a government that will stand for the ideals it was founded
on. A country that will help when asked, but never control or forcefully influence world politic's for finanical gain.
Nader is a good man, and so is Kucinich.
If people weren't so afraid of "spoilers" and vegans we might get somewhere. Somewhere is a lot better than where we are going. You are right, preempts will happen again, and things will probably get worse before they can get better, that's why we need direct action now more than ever.
Thanks
John: I agree, we are a republic, not a true democracy, Jefferson was afraid the masses were too dumb to have that much DIRECT power. If you've been to, say, a Ranger game lately, you'd probably agree.. LOL
I'll tell you what, man, you and me, let's start getting involved LOCALLY, I mean
everyone knows who the guys running for president are, but who can name their local state or congressional representative ?
Maybe then in 15 years, we'll meet in a presidential election that MEANS something.
Me: Well this has been fun. Thank you for your thoughts. I am one of the writers for http://www.salvationinc.org
We are just a small group of artists that started our own political
zine, which turned into a webzine. If you like to write for us we will gladly publish your articles. We just want to get people talking and thinking about politics, and breath some fresh air into our communities.
I've enjoyed our conversation and, with your permission, would like to use
our dialogue in one of my articles.
Thanks,
Tyler
John: Of course you may. Thanks, Ty.
I often post on Craigslist.org as John Galt and you can always reprint them. Just as courtesy, send me an email so I can enjoy my 15 minutes. =o)
- John Galt
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If you have a topic you'd like to talk about just e-mail me lefty@salvationinc.org
If it goes somewhere, then maybe you will become the next co-author of Call and Response.