Saturday, October 30, 2010

Some call it sedition...

At various times as I politically matured, I've been called a seditious traitor by those less class conscious than myself for being a "little-c" communist, particularly for being one who strongly believes the capitalist class will not relinquish control peacefully, and will in fact react violently to any movement or prophet who advocates a redistribution of wealth, from the hands of nebulous investors to those working class grunts responsible for that wealth in the first place.

That redistribution will not be anything other than violent, and as I see it, the existence and level of violence will be decided by the capitalist class itself, and how hard and fast they send out their armed wing known as the police and military. I accept that as my political truth.

In a short-sighted display of liberal delusion, those seeking a just and better society often ignore labor history and have long eskewed violence, better able to be both infiltrated and smashed before their very simple demands are made. Their simple demands? In the words of James Connolly, "our demands are very simple - we only want the earth."

Face it -- if you advocate a just and better society, you WILL be smashed violently, regardless of whether yer weapon is a gun or a pen, a molotov or a megaphone.

So that being said, my ears perked up when Stephen Broden, a GOP candidate for Congress, in my home state no less, adopted AND mainstreamed my belief that the violent overthrow of the government is on the table.

A quick google search defines sedition thusly: "an illegal action inciting resistance to lawful authority and tending to cause the disruption or overthrow of the government; or conduct or language inciting rebellion against the authority of a state."

Let's take another look at what Broden, the GOP's candidate for Tx-30, said again -- "The violent overthrow of the government is on the table."

Now, had a so-called liberal Democrat uttered such a seditious phrase, the reichwing echo chamber would have quickly jumped into action, and succeeded in forcing their resignation and a life-time of political exile. But in this day and age, when up is down and teabaggers are right, GOP candidates for Congress are free to advocate violent overthrow of the American government.

It may seen nutty on the surface, but I embrace this mainstreaming of such a radical idea, especially by agents of the reichwing, because this mainstreaming protects myself and others of my ilk who have long faced political persecution.

Saying thusly, Thomas Jefferson earned his own political exile from the Texas educational system (even as the GOP-packed School Board of Education and the GOP'ers themselves incorporate his message into their "revolutionary" programme) -- "The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive."

Hell, driving it home, teabagging GOP'ers have taken Jefferson's 1787 quote "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants" as their call to arms in their faux-revolution against the brutal reign of democratically-elected and broadly-supported President Obama.

Now, I'd argue that revolution is indeed as American as apple pie. However, reichwing luminaries like Henry Kissinger and his NeoCon spawn typically only practice that policy abroad, toppling democratically-elected governments and enacting "regime change" so that American corporate interests are preserved, protected, and run supreme. These teabagging fascists have adopted the "regime change starts at home" rhetoric of the Left, and plan on doing violently of democracy stands in the way of their reactionary plans.

The reichwingers should take careful note of their actions and their rhetoric, and pay special mind to another founding father, John Adams, who cautiously, if not prophetically, said: "Democracy... while it lasts is more bloody than either [aristocracy or monarchy]. Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There is never a democracy that did not commit suicide."

As for this redneck revolutionary who embraces a healthy dose of misanthropic nihilism, I wouldn't mind seeing this corporatist vision of democracy die a flaming death at its own hand so a new, and better, society can take its place. I suspect, however, that I'm in the distinct minority on this, but I am heartened that some of my fellow travellers as I rage against the system now include some of the most powerful, strongest and well-connected actors on the political stage.

So come on in, compadres, sit down, grab a beer, make yerself at home, and embrace yer violent, revolutionary impulses. Unless, as I suspect, yer faux-outrage is pure bluster, yer anti-government rhetoric dies the instant yer side once again steals power back and you go back to yer unAmerican, anti-democratic thievery in service to the oligarchs who really run this joint. Yeah, you are revolutionary posers who will gleefully lock away me and mine for uttering the same sentence Stephen Broden shouts from the campaign trail.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Purple is revolutionary.....

The tide is turning, and the forces of hate and bigotry that have gripped our nation for decades -- selling us fear and suspicion about our neighbors -- are losing their hold on us dumb hicks thanks to tons of hard work and dedication by the forces of love and tolerance.

In a country where dogs and cats can be married without protest, when those who argue about the sanctity of marriage believe in it so much they divorce and marry multiple times and have multiple mistresses (Newt, I'm speaking to you!), a marriage between two loving gay adults is a revolutionary act.

Much has been said for and against gay marriage. That ain't my focus here, I take a dim view towards that racket run by church and state -- my interest is acceptance, not merely tolerance, of yer fellow man and woman. Who and how they love should be secondary to the fact that, indeed, they DO love. The forces of intolerance preach love, but taints that message with hate towards my friends, my brothers, my co-workers, that loving couple down the street who don't match a narrow definition of who is "real" and "valid".

The time for dividing us on gender issues is past, because it allows the class war to continue unabated -- being a straight ally, and wearing purple are both revolutionary acts, because it tells you I don't give a damn who yer consenting adult partner is, it tells you I don't give a damn who and how you love, but that you love.

And that love drives the right wing -- our common enemy -- nuts. Join me as I join you.

In closing, the prophet-comic Bill Hicks closed his shows with this song by Rage Against the Machine. The lyrics still remain relevant nearly 20 years later. When the reichwingers tell you to hate yer neighbor, yer children, yer brothers and sisters, yer coworkers, or anybody else because of who and how they love, do yer best Zach de la Rocha impression and yell "Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me! Motherfucker!" And then embrace them, shower them with love, and tell them hatred based on who others love is so 20th Century.