Dear Frinds, all,
In the following, Thomas Lunde writes:
>Revolution is not the answer. Dramatic helplessness may be.<
After his words, I've copied a posting to Quaker-B (a list-serve involving a
bunch of Trans-Atlantic-ish Quakers.)
The first part is a highly pointed critique of 'The Problem.' There follows
my best attempt at 'The Solution.'
To use Thomas' call - can we stand naked(-ish?) before *our* legislators and
demand that they impliment *our* preferred solution ?
I hope so !
Hugs
j
***********
The Solution Set stuff is at the end ( there's no zen-type intrigue in that
pointer !! )
************
----------
>From: "Thomas Lunde" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Subject: FW: Putting on the line - could you do it?
>Date: Tue, Oct 5, 1999, 11:05 am
>
> Thomas:
>
>You may have noticed - a little ego here - I have not been posting lately.
>Why! Because I came to the realization that ideas and talk are not going
>to solve our multiple problems and I felt I had to withdraw and rethink
>this whole situation. Tom Attlee, the author of the word co-stupidity
>which I posted an essay about to the list several months ago is perhaps
>feeling the same way - as are other groups he is working with. They
>finally moved out of their comfort zone in a very big way to make a point
>of incredible value. (see essay below)
>
>The image now in my mind is Tinneamin Square (sp?) - remember that image of
>the Chinese man standing in front of the tank and when the tank tried to go
>around him, he continued to move in front - in essence saying, "listen and
>respond or take my life" the choice is yours, I am just going to stand here
>(naked) and you make the decision.
>
>I'm beginning to think that the only way we can slow and stop this insanity
>around us of poverty, Y2K, the effects of capitalism on the Earth and
>future generations is to take our clothes off and stand in front of the
>tank. Instead of starving us, lying to us, tricking us, decieving us -
>just go ahead and kill us - we stand here naked before you.
>
>Revolution is not the answer. Dramatic helplessness may be. I watch the
>news and see the people of Serbia, begging daily for Milosovic to just go
>away. They are not crying for punishment or justice, they are just saying
>"Please, go away, allow us to regroup and rebuild and restructure our
>country." That is what most of us want - for the existing structure to
>"just go away" and allow the rest of us to regroup, rebuild and
>restructure. Take the damn money you have stolen, just go away. Perhaps
>we have to give them the alternative - kill us or just go away, it is your
>choice and stand there in front of them - naked.
>
>Respectfully,
>
>Thomas Lunde
>
>When you think about what you have to do in this culture to get your
>priorities straight, it just boggles the mind!! But it is always
>heartening to hear about someone doing it. I wonder if there will be any
>copycat demonstrations elsewhere... -- Coheartedly, Tom
>
********************
Dear Friends
I'm grateful to Mona for the following, pithy account of the devilish world
in which
we live.
Even more somberly, on the day of yet another rail smash in London (another
!! ), and with my cash resources almost gone, I've produced the best plan,
that I can, to ensure that this lunatic economic system is replaced - by one
in which the ennui of youth is reduced and money for train safety systems
(and other necessary works) *is* available.
The essay follows at the end of the post.
Let us find peace, finally, in our time.
Your Friend,
john courtneidge
hertford + hitchin mm
ps Please copy it on for others to share - thanks, j
***********
----------
>From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Subject: A lot of thought for the day
>Date: Tue, Oct 5, 1999, 5:29 pm
>
>Hello, all. The following, written by a student at
>Columbine High School, is being circulated these
>days. I thought it might give us something to think
>about today. (For those abroad who may not know,
>Columbine was the site of a horrendous shooting
>incident in which two students fired on a crowd
>of their classmates.)
>
>Mona
>
>
>The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller
>buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower
>viewpoints. We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy
>it less. We have bigger houses and smaller families; more
>conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less
>sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more
>problems; more medicine, but less wellness.
>
>We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh
>too little, drive too fast, get too angry too quickly, stay up
>too late, get up too tired, read too seldom, watch TV too much,
>and pray too seldom.
>
>We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.
>We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too
>often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've
>added years to life, not life to years. We've been all the way
>to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet
>the new neighbor. We've conquered outer space, but not inner
>space.
>
>We've done larger things, but not better things.
>We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've split the
>atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We
>plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not
>to wait. We build more computers to hold more information to
>produce more copies than ever, but have less communication.
>
>These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men,
>and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships.
>These are the times of world peace, but domestic
>warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but
>less nutrition.
>
>These are days of two incomes, but more divorce;
>of fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick
>trips, disposable diapers, throw-away morality, one-night stands,
>overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer to
>quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the show
>windowand nothing in the stockroom; a time when technology can bring
>this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to
>share this insight, or to just hit delete.
>
********************
**** This, I Hope, Is 'The' Solution Set *****
Delivering A Fair, Safe and Peaceful Society -
Money, Work and The Economic Policy of The Labour Government.
Paul Anderson ('Tribune,' 23 July 1999), asks that we create a plan of
action for Labour.
I consider that the goal is to create a fair, safe and peaceful society, and
that the key to delivering such a socially- and globally-ethical society is
the economic system in which it is embeded.
In a phrase, we need to create an economy where people are in control of
their lives: working for the long-term benefit of all. A world, in other
words, where we live in trust and respect both for one-another and the
planet .
Looking back over the past fifty years, we can see that, by leaving the
fundamentals of capitalism in place, each return of a reactionary government
has resulted in the roll back of many of our parents' achievements.
As a consequence, we need to take action that cannot be taken away.
We need, in other words, to find the nineties' equivalent of the NHS -
something that is so universally valued, that it will never be repealed.
To find this elusive step, we have to have find strategies for all three of
capitalism's central features: ownership of workplaces used for private
profit, ownership of land used for profit and ownership of money used for
profit.
To be able to deal with all three of these aspects of capitalism, we must,
first, return money to its proper use - as a lubricant of human activity,
created by, and flowing through, a nationally-owned, community-controlled,
Public Service Banking and Financial System - a 'National Wealth Service.'
With that in place, we can, then convert workplaces into appropriate
co-operatives - each having care, or stewardship of, their land and premises
and all working for the commonweal, ensuring that every-one receives a fair,
guaranteed income - a network of workplaces, which maximise, in William
Morris' phrase:
"Useful work, not useless toil."
Given that strategy, how about these for practicalities:
Co-operative Socialism - A Plan of Action
� Convert competitive activities into worker co-operative partnerships and
remodel monopoly activities as stakeholder co-operatives,
(see points two and five for the funding mechanism for this);
� Redistribute 'added-value' from these co-operatives, through
nationally-collected corporate taxation, distributed into local,
democratically-controlled Community Banks, thus making money available for
wealth creation and community development,
(and the conversions refered to above);
� Maximise necessary service provision (health, education, libraries,
transport (?) etc) on a free-at-the-point-of-use basis, retaining
(initially?) money as a mechanism for access to discretionary purchases.
� Introduce guaranteed income maxima and minima for all, and, so, abolish
personal taxation;
� Abolish money-lending for profit, operating banking and financial
services as a Public Service, 'National Wealth Service'
(see point two above);
� Reintroduce international exchange controls as necessary;
� Make capital grants (not loans) to developing countries.
In brief, transforming money - from master to servant - provides the way of
converting planet-trashing capitalism into locally-controlled, sustainable,
ethical co-operatives, each operating according to the 'Seven Co-operative
Principles' of The International Co-operative Alliance, all working
inter-dependently to deliver sustainable, 'responsible stewardship' of the
earth - for the long-lived well-being of all.
Dr John Courtneidge 13 North Road Hertford England SG14 1LN
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 01992 501854
****************************************************
