People Power: It’s Time To Stop The War Ourselves

[flashl]

We need a strategy to end the occupation of Iraq and stop the next invasion, in Iran or elsewhere. One reason it’s been hard to mobilize people since the invasion of Iraq is the absence of a clear logic as to where our efforts are headed.What will another march, continued lobbying, or even a nonviolent direct action add up to? How will we actually stop this war and prevent the next one?

As we approach another presidential election, we have to look soberly at the history of candidates who mobilized anti-war sentiment only to reverse course once elected. Woodrow Wilson was elected on his promise to keep the United States out of World War I and Richard Nixon was elected on his promise to bring troops home from the Vietnam War. Most members of Congress who were elected in 2006 on promises to bring the troops home have done little or worse.

...

People Power

People power can assert the democratic will of communities and movements to change the things that matter when the established, so-called democratic channels turn out be little more than public relations for elite rule.

Every successful movement in the United States-from the workers’ and civil rights movement to victories in anti-corporate campaigns today-and every successful effort to topple a dictator in recent history has relied on people-power methods.

The term was popularized by the 1986 Philippine uprising against the U.S.-backed dictator Ferdinand Marcos; military resistance and mass direct action mobilizations were central to his ouster.

If we, as a movement of movements, adopt a people-power strategic framework, identify the pillars that support the war, and choose thoughtful campaigns with creative tactics to remove them, then we will have a viable anti-war strategy.

It’s clear that we are not all going to agree on any one (or two or three) campaigns, but it is possible for us to consciously adopt and promote a people-power strategy that makes our various efforts complementary and cumulative. We think of it as a massive umbrella under which we can-whether we are a national organization, a local group or a decentralized network-make our efforts add up.

Read Entire Article

Got it? People Power!

[Angela Shelley]

1. OK flashl, I´m ready for a truly constructive discussion.

What´s the first step?

[flashl]

2. It starts where you began

use Iraq ‘occupation’ not ‘war’.

[Angela Shelley]

3. Wow, flashl, I am floored

are you referring to a post which I made several weeks ago?

(It was an attack, invasion, and occupation)

If so, we are definitely cyber friends for eternity and I´ll begin to believe in the power of free speech again.

edited typo

[flashl]

4. Yes, I read it, understood it. And, wondered about the responses.

[Mnemosyne]

5. First step taken four years ago. What's next flashl? Ready and thinking.

:hi:

[flashl]

6. To begin the discussion

I believe in the concept of grassroots democracy and in the importance of empowering individuals.

[Angela Shelley]

7. I agree with you

btw, is there another type of democracy than a "grassroots democracy"?

[flashl]

8. Its my effort to describe citizen involved democracy

i.e. elections using friend-of-a-friend outreach not coporate-like election command centers measuring success based on number of handouts or TV ads driven by consultants.

[Mnemosyne]

12. The apathy here is almost spooky.

Most everyone I have spoken with is so disheartened they aren't sure they will even vote.

The one's I've convinced of how much it matters are willing to try just one last time. I'm still trying and encouraging others, but with a complicit media the word doesn't reach enough people.

I'm not sure how to keep going on this.

[magellan]

9. We need a John Doe and a functioning 4th estate

There's a John Doe out there but the media are not going to give Americans a chance to rally around such a personality.

[Whisp]

10. I like the term 'The Other Superpower'.

used to be the Soviet Union, now it could be us.

[Mnemosyne]

11. Error: You've already recommended that thread.

:kick:

[flashl]

13. What is a social entrepreneur?

A social entrepreneur is a person who has both a powerful idea to cause a positive social change and the creativity, skills, determination and drive to transform that idea into reality. Social entrepreneurs combine the savvy, opportunism, optimism and resourcefulness of business entrepreneurs, but they devote themselves to pursuing social change or "social profit," rather than financial profit. Behind all innovative business, there are entrepreneurs--individuals who possess the foresight, belief and boldness to build something new. The same holds for social change. Behind almost all important social innovations are social entrepreneurs--people with new ideas for solving problems, who build new kinds of organizations to implement those ideas, who will not take 'no' for an answer, and who will not give up until they have spread their ideas as far as they possibly can.


Where did this new wave of social entrepreneurship come from?
Why has it found a place in the 21st century?

In the United States and across the globe, individuals today are far more aware of social problems and have far more power to address them. At the same time, many have lost faith in governments. Social entrepreneurship allows people to align what they enjoy doing, what they are good at and what matters most to them ­ and have a real impact. This is a very fulfilling and rewarding way to work and live. There are also major historical forces that have, for the first time in history, made social entrepreneurship feasible for many people in recent years. The growth of an educated middle class, the extension of basic rights to women and minorities and the spread of information technology have made it possible for hundreds of millions of people around the world to unleash their creativity in new directions. In recent decades, more than 80 countries that were formerly dictatorships, totalitarian societies or apartheid regimes have moved toward democracy. People today are better informed about social problems and they have both the desire and the ability to solve them.

Entrepreneurs love to be innovative. Contrary to assumption, they do not only seek to maximize profits. This is why so many innovators today are focusing on creating new solutions--new ways to do business, new ways to alleviate poverty, new ways to attack a host of social problems. (This trend seems to have accelerated since September 11th.) These people represent the second great wave of entrepreneurship, which I believe will become a major force in the 21st century. The first wave occurred in the business sector over the past three centuries and brought enormous wealth gains worldwide. The second wave aims at building upon the first wave to create a more humane and sustainable world.

Read More ...

Do you know a social entrepreneur?