What the Revolutions Mean to America

The information provided by the publication of leaked diplomatic cables, classified war logs, corporate memos, transcripts of leaders backroom meetings, and the rest by Wikileaks and others have largely backed up the Chomsky view of the world. Put simplistically, the biggest obstacle to promoting a more fair and just world, at the present moment, is the United States of America.

Taking a wide angle view of what these documents reveal is really what many already knew. Some of the world’s most oppressive, human rights violating states are being supported and in some cases totally propped up by the United States. Democracy for the world is not in the best economic interest of the United States, or at least for a certain economic class in the United States. Therefore our leaders, both political and corporate (if there is any need to make a distinction), over many years have invested a lot of resources (i.e. your tax dollars) to keep dictators in power. Why would our leaders want dictators instead of truly representative government? Capitalism is all about maximizing profit. It’s much easier for ExxonMobil, for example, to not only gain access to, but receive the most profit possible, from the natural resources they exploit from poorer nations, when leaders of those poorer nations are corrupt.

The United States was not founded as a capitalist state. There is no mention of capitalism in our Declaration of Independence or our Constitution. The most farsighted of our nation’s forebears dreamed America would one day become a beacon in the world for the principles of liberty, equal opportunity, and democratic government. We have strayed from those ideals.

Capitalism, at least the style of capitalism that currently dominates our society and culture, is not compatible to the concept of democracy. Democracy is about giving equal weight, equal voice to every citizen. Capitalism is about trying to take as much as you can for yourself. We as a nation, and as individuals, must decide what our nation should be and should become. Should we stand for democratic government? Should we stand for human rights? Against genocide? Should we stand for liberty and equal opportunity? Or should we abandon and/or forget those lofty ideals? Should we now conclude our experiment of having a country based on rights, freedoms and principles, as opposed to blind loyalty to a King, a failure?

I’ll end this rant with a quote from the end of an old speech by the late United States Senator from Minnesota, Paul Wellstone:

Can I conclude on this personal note? As I get older I learn more. When our first child was born, I was only twenty years old. Now we have three grandkids now and our oldest has just turned eight. When she was a baby, I held her in my hands and I thought to myself "I know what I believe in." What I believe is that whatever infant I hold in my hands - it doesn't matter the color of skin, doesn't matter rich or poor, doesn't matter religion, doesn't matter boy or girl, doesn't matter urban or rural - every child in our country, the greatest country in the world, should have the same opportunity to develop her full potential, and his full potential. That is the American dream, that is the goodness of our country, that is what unites and binds and ties all of us together as Americans, and that is the principle of economic justice. That is why I come here as a United States Senator to honor your hard work and to tell you that we have our work cut out for us.

Reminds me of a great speech given by Wendell Phillips, an abolitionist in the 1840s. You might remember from your history that both political parties then were worried about taking on slavery, because it would create uncomfortable cleavages in each party. But not Wendell, he would not equivocate. He was speaking at this gathering and he said, "slavery is a moral outrage, it should be abolished." That Wendell Phillips, he wouldn't give an inch. And he finished speaking and a friend came up to him and said "Wendell, why are you so on fire?" My favorite quote. Wendell came up to his friend and said "Brother May, I'm on fire because I have mountains of ice before me to melt." We have mountains of ice before us to melt and we will do it in the spirit of solidarity. Thank you brothers and sisters.