Solutions: Combatting Corporate Dominance of American Politics

How do ordinary citizens counter the massive influence that large monied interests have over our democracy? What is possible after the Supreme Court's recent disastrous decision opening the floodgates to corporate money in elections. Fran Kortan, publisher of Yes! Magazine, explains "ten ways to stop corporate dominance of politics."

UPDATE: NPR's Ari Shapiro has an excellent interview with Lewis Maltby, author of Can They Do That? Retaking Our Fundamental Rights in the Workplace, about the widespread restrictions on individual liberties in the corporate workplace. Maltby says, "What most Americans generally don't know is that the Constitution doesn't apply to private corporations at all." The full interview can be listened to here. Another excerpt and review of the book can be found at Alternet.

UPDATE: Robert Borosage has a good essay about an amendment to the Constitution Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD) and Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) have introduced in Congress aimed at overturning the Supreme Court's decision in Citizen's United, which gave corporations the right to spend unlimited funds in election campaigns as a matter of free speech.

Fannie Lou Hamer

Do you know who Fannie Lou Hamer is? Everyone should...

Dr. King: Struggling Not to Lose Him

A passionate plea to reclaim the memory and legacy of Dr. King...

... and to put the challenging political strategist and activist that King was back into the story.

Take roughly 5 minutes and have a look:

What are your thoughts?

Reprise: Got Milk?

UPDATE: The following entry was originally posted on September 7, 2008, but I thought it made sense to repost it now since "Milk" is finally in theaters. Drea and I saw it yesterday and enjoyed it very much. The pacing lags a bit in the second half of the film and a couple of the characters are thinly drawn, but overall we thought it was great and that there were several strong acting performances in it.

_________________

Here is the trailer for Gus VanSant's new film, "Milk," starring Sean Penn. It looks great. Check it out:


Harvey Milk was the first openly gay person to hold a major political office in the United States when he became a City Supervisor for San Francisco in 1976. (TIME Magazine has named him one of the 100 heroes of the 20th century.) Known as "The Mayor of Castro Street," Milk was an advocate for the rights of gays and lesbians, as well as an advocate of civil rights, more broadly. In 1978, Milk and S.F. Mayor Willie Moscone were gunned down at the capitol by a disgruntled former supervisor, Dan White, who then got off with a very light sentence after a controversial "twinkie defense" defense by his lawyers. White later committed suicide in 1985.

On the historic night of his election, Harvey Milk told supporters, "This is not my victory -- it's yours. If a gay man can win, it proves that there is hope for all minorities who are willing to fight." In his famous "Hope speech," Milk said,

"[Y]ou have to give them hope. Hope for a better world, hope for a better tomorrow, hope for a better place to come to if the pressures at home got too great. Hope that all will be all right. Without hope, not only gays, but the blacks, the seniors, the handicapped, the us’es, the us’es will give up….

So if there is a message I have to give, it is that if I’ve found one overriding thing about my personal election, it’s the fact that if a gay person can be elected, it’s a green light. And you and you and you, you have to give people hope."

In an audio note he left, which was to be listened to only upon his assassination, Milk wrote, "If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door." You can listen to the audio tape here:


After the assassinations, Beat poet, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, wrote, "An Elegy To Dispel Gloom":

Let us not sit upon the ground
and tell sad stories
of the death of sanity.
Two humans made of flesh
are meshed in death
and no more need be said.
It is pure vanity
to think that all humanity
be bathed in red
because one young mad man
one so bad man
lost his head.
The force that through the red fuze
drove the bullet
does not drive everyone
through the City of Saint Francis
where there's a breathless hush
in the air today
a hush at City Hall
and a hush at the Hall of Justice
a hush in Saint Francis Wood
where no bird tries to sing
a hush on the Great Highway
and in the great harbor
upon the great ships
and on the Embarcadero
from the Mission Rock
to the Eagle Cafe
a hush on the great red bridge
a hush in the Outer Mission
and at Hunter's Point
a hush at a hot potato stand on Pier 39
and a hush at the People's Temple
where no bird
tries its wings
a hush and a weeping
at the Convent of the Sacred Heart
on Upper Broadway
a hush upon the fleshpots
of Lower Broadway
a pall upon the punk rock
at Mabuhay Gardens
and upon the cafes and bookstores
of old North Beach
a hush upon the landscape
of the still wild West
where two sweet dudes are dead
and no more need be said.
Do not sit upon the ground and speak
of other senseless murderings
or worse disasters waiting
in the wings.
Do not sit upon the ground and talk
of the death of things beyond
these sad sad happenings.
Such men as these do rise above
our worst imaginings.

There is also an excellent 1984 documentary, "The Times of Harvey Milk." If you'd like to watch it via YouTube, click here:

part 1
part 2
part 3
part 4
part 5
part 6
part 7
part 8
part 9
part 10

Here is the review from "Siskel and Ebert"

Here is the original tv news report of Milk and Moscone's murder.

Here is footage of the "white night riot" after Milk's assassination and White's light punishment.

Here is footage of the gay pride parade in San Francisco in 1978.

Dropping Knowledge

Can a single question make change?


What is your question?

This is what "Dropping Knowledge" is all about. Check it out.

Post your question and see what others have to say. Read other people's questions and post your response. Hear what some of the world's leading humanistic thinkers have to say in response to these questions, too...

Here is the original short film the people behind Dropping Knowledge made to introduce their idea and the website:


Here is a more recent 8-minute film on Dropping Knowledge, what it is all about, what they have accomplished so far and what they hope to do in the future:

Dropping Knowledge is very cool and inspiring. I hope you will spend some time with the website and will pass the link along to other people you know...

Chomsky: It's OK to Vote Lesser of Two Evils

Noam Chomsky has been one of the leading critics of American foreign policy since the 1970s. In this video, he challenges head-on Ralph Nader's claim that there is no difference between the two major parties in the U.S. and argues that it is OK to vote for the lesser of two evils. According to Chomsky, there is indeed a difference between the two parties and their candidates, if a narrow one. While they both serve elites, he says, the Democrats, over time, help people:

Any thoughts? Do you think Ralph Nader is going to head up to MIT to kick Chomsky's ass?

This is What Democracy Looks Like!

An estimated 100,000+ people turned out to see Barack Obama in St. Louis yesterday (photo below). Another 75,000 came to hear him in Kansas City the same day. That's a total of 175,000+ Obama supporters in Missouri in one day!

Don't let the desperate, condescending and elitist rantings of Republicans against democracy muddle your thinking or temper your enthusiasm in this election. We should all be proud of the incredible, historic grassroots support Obama is receiving. This is a sign of a much-needed reinvigoration of American democracy and citizenship. We need to keep that energy flowing through election day and BEYOND!

To that end, there are now only two weeks until election day. The polls are tightening a bit, as they usually do in the final stretch run. Don't get worried or negative. Get ACTIVE! Obama is still looking very good to win, but we should not be complacent. We should not underestimate the possibility that race is a shadowy obstacle in this election that might rear its ugly head on election day with a drop in support for Obama. We should not underestimate the various efforts Republicans are making to suppress Democratic votes among poor people and people of color. We have two recent elections (2000 and 2004) that should have taught us all we need to know about how serious and devastating these anti-democratic efforts can be. We cannot tolerate this agin in 2008. Obama needs to win big to put these types of efforts out of range. He also needs a large Democratic majority in Congress to pass his agenda; so work down ballot, too.

BE ACTIVE THESE LAST TWO WEEKS. Do something in your local community. If your community/state is all sewn up, travel to a nearby state for a few days to help out. Or, go to your local Obama headquarters and ask how you might get involved making calls to potential voters in important swing states. And, keep on talking about why you are supporting Obama to your friends and family, your neighbors and colleagues, and even strangers you meet along the way each day. Again, if you know people in swing states, TARGET THEM! They need to hear from you about why we all need Obama in the White House and why we cannot afford 4-8 years of McSame. And, finally, get active in your state's "get out the vote" effort for Obama and the Democrats. The outcome of the election hinges on Obama's ability to get his voters to the polls and to have their votes counted. If you can, offer to give people rides to the polls on November 4th. Take several of your friends and family to vote with you. Stand on a corner with an Obama sign! Do whatever you can...

On election day, if you notice any hijinx by Republicans around polling areas, notify election authorities. And, if you are voting on an electronic machine, MAKE SURE YOUR VOTE IS REGISTERED PROPERLY. There are already reports in a couple of states that electronic voting machines are switching Obama votes to McCain votes!

By positive. Be active. Let's bring home this victory. Our nation and our world needs us...

Spread the word...

Got Milk?

Here is the trailer for Gus VanSant's new film, "Milk," starring Sean Penn. It looks great. Check it out:


Harvey Milk was the first openly gay person to hold a major political office in the United States when he became a City Supervisor for San Francisco in 1976. (TIME Magazine has named him one of the 100 heroes of the 20th century.) Known as "The Mayor of Castro Street," Milk was an advocate for the rights of gays and lesbians, as well as an advocate of civil rights, more broadly. In 1978, Milk and S.F. Mayor Willie Moscone were gunned down at the capitol by a disgruntled former supervisor, Dan White, who then got off with a very light sentence after a controversial "twinkie defense" defense by his lawyers. White later committed suicide in 1985.

On the historic night of his election, Harvey Milk told supporters, "This is not my victory -- it's yours. If a gay man can win, it proves that there is hope for all minorities who are willing to fight." In his famous "Hope speech," Milk said,

"[Y]ou have to give them hope. Hope for a better world, hope for a better tomorrow, hope for a better place to come to if the pressures at home got too great. Hope that all will be all right. Without hope, not only gays, but the blacks, the seniors, the handicapped, the us’es, the us’es will give up….

So if there is a message I have to give, it is that if I’ve found one overriding thing about my personal election, it’s the fact that if a gay person can be elected, it’s a green light. And you and you and you, you have to give people hope."

In an audio note he left, which was to be listened to only upon his assassination, Milk wrote, "If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door." You can listen to the audio tape here:


After the assassinations, Beat poet, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, wrote, "An Elegy To Dispel Gloom":

Let us not sit upon the ground
and tell sad stories
of the death of sanity.
Two humans made of flesh
are meshed in death
and no more need be said.
It is pure vanity
to think that all humanity
be bathed in red
because one young mad man
one so bad man
lost his head.
The force that through the red fuze
drove the bullet
does not drive everyone
through the City of Saint Francis
where there's a breathless hush
in the air today
a hush at City Hall
and a hush at the Hall of Justice
a hush in Saint Francis Wood
where no bird tries to sing
a hush on the Great Highway
and in the great harbor
upon the great ships
and on the Embarcadero
from the Mission Rock
to the Eagle Cafe
a hush on the great red bridge
a hush in the Outer Mission
and at Hunter's Point
a hush at a hot potato stand on Pier 39
and a hush at the People's Temple
where no bird
tries its wings
a hush and a weeping
at the Convent of the Sacred Heart
on Upper Broadway
a hush upon the fleshpots
of Lower Broadway
a pall upon the punk rock
at Mabuhay Gardens
and upon the cafes and bookstores
of old North Beach
a hush upon the landscape
of the still wild West
where two sweet dudes are dead
and no more need be said.
Do not sit upon the ground and speak
of other senseless murderings
or worse disasters waiting
in the wings.
Do not sit upon the ground and talk
of the death of things beyond
these sad sad happenings.
Such men as these do rise above
our worst imaginings.

There is also an excellent 1984 documentary, "The Times of Harvey Milk." If you'd like to watch it via YouTube, click here:

part 1
part 2
part 3
part 4
part 5
part 6
part 7
part 8
part 9
part 10

Here is the review from "Siskel and Ebert"

Here is the original tv news report of Milk and Moscone's murder.

Here is footage of the "white night riot" after Milk's assassination and White's light punishment.

Here is footage of the gay pride parade in San Francisco in 1978.

Power to the Poster!

My good pal (and brilliant graphic designer), Justin Kemerling, is a co-creator of a really great public political poster project over at The Match Factory. The project is called "Power to the Poster." The idea is to encourage people to create interesting, challenging and provocative political posters, post them to the web, and allow anyone to download, print and post these pieces of political art in their communities. Here is how Justin and his co-conspirators describe it at the site:

A graphic design democracy project.

There is a restless, hopeful movement with eyes set on new possibilities for change leading to the prosperity of the collective.

And, of course, there is the clutter-ridden madness of a constant control room information flow.

Power To The Poster is the former taken to dismantling the latter.

This website is for people to use a ready supply of well-designed, wild postings that comment on the issues of our time. These 11x17, B/W posters in PDF format are for anyone, anywhere to download, print and post. Here's how:

• Download a Poster in 11 x 17 PDF format from our downloads page.

• Open your Poster in a PDF viewer program on your computer. One such program is Adobe's Acrobat. Totally free.

• Print your Poster on any printer capable of printing at 11 x 17 inches. If you don't have a printer you can print it at just about any copy center. Also, if you can, you should always print your posters on some serious FSC recycled, chlorine free paper.

• Take your new Poster print to a high traffic area. Maybe its at your work, maybe a wall in your neighborhood, maybe a coffeehouse, maybe its your refrigerator. (Respect people's property, of course).

• Post it and watch heads turn.

• Repeat.

Here are some more great and FREE designs (click any image to enlarge):










Now, go download, print and post...

... and TELL A FRIEND ABOUT THIS GREAT PROJECT!

Two Good Things About the Obama Revolution...

I have long said that as much as I like Obama as my candidate for President, I don't view him, or any other president, as the end all be all for social change. Of course, the presidency is a crucial seat of power; unlike some other progressive/lefties, I think it matters. But, I think what will determine whether Obama is a good or great president is the degree to which the rest of the citizenry organizes and presses that institution, along with others (most notably the legislature), to make good on the promise for change. In this way, WE all play the crucial role in determining our collective future. Politics does not end and begin with a national election every four years. Politics happens every day.

To this end, I like the following two ideas:

• Obama's Summer Organizing Camp for Your Adults. The point of this camp is to give younger people some organizing training, just like Obama himself received when he became a community organizer in Chicago.

• Ideas from the Grassroots: Oh Boy Obama! "is the unofficial campaign think-tank. Created by Obama supporters for the purpose of giving the Obama grassroots a platform to submit and vote on ideas to better the 2008 primary and general election campaign of Barack Obama. All supporters are welcome to contribute."

Both of these efforts aim at getting citizens more actively involved in politics. They emanate from the idea that WE are the source of power and ideas, ultimately. WE have a responsibility as overseers of our democracy. WE must act to make change happen...

What will YOU do to ensure greater democracy in the U.S.? What will YOU do to help make our society more humane and just?

School House Rock... Rocks!

NOTE: The Democratic Party is fragmenting along race, ethnic, class and gender lines. Check the results in NV and look ahead at what is likely to happen in SC. Given the shameful role Bill Clinton has taken on in Hillary's campaign as Slimer-in-Chief (Code Name: "Spiro Agnew"), the next week and beyond looks to get very ugly as the Clinton Machine tries to recapture black votes in the South. Even party stalwarts and Clinton friends, Ted Kennedy and Rahm Emmanuel, have warned Bill to stop smearing Obama or risk fracturing the party in the Fall (and, presumably, losing the White House). Nevertheless, expect more sleaze from the Clintons... after all, it has worked this long. It is all so depressing that for now I am continuing to avoid writing about it. So, here you go. Another diversion...



If you were a kid between 1973-1986, the School House Rock educational ads on ABC tv probably left a deep imprint. They put groovy tunes together with a seventies vibe and distinctive and playful drawings and the result, if you were a kid, was magic.

If you want to walk down Nostalgia Lane, or if you weren't around then but are curious, or if you have kids now, check 'em out:

• History Rock:

"No More Kings"


"The Shot Heard Around the World"


"How a Bill Becomes a Law"


"The Preamble"


"Three Ring Government"


"Great American Melting Pot"


"Elbow Room"


"Fireworks"


"Mother Necessity"


There is also an awesome School House Rock segment called, "Sufferin' Till Suffrage," about the women's suffrage movement. It is really great, but unfortunately, I can't seem to find it online to post here; you can listen to the song and read the lyrics, though: "Sufferin' Till Suffrage"

If you can find the video online somewhere, please post the link in the comments section...

• Science Rock:

"Victim of Gravity"


"Circulation"


"The Body Machine"


"Energy Blues"


"Telegraph Line"


"Greatest Show on Earth: Weather"


"Them-not-so-dry-bones"


"Interplanet Janet"


• Grammar Rock:

"A Noun is a Person, Place or Thing"


Pronoun: "Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla"


"Interjection!"


"Conjunction Junction"


"Verb: That's What's Happening"


"Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, Adverbs Here"


"Unpack Our Adjectives"


"Preposition"


"Grammar Tale of Mr. Morton"


• Multiplication Rock:

"Zero My Hero"


"Three Is the Magic Number"


"I Got Six"


"Figure Eight"


"Twelve - A Dozen"



• Satirical Versions: (These are a bit risqué and/or radical, at times, so proceed at your own risk...)

"Conspiracy Theory Rock"


"Great American Slaughter House"


"Pirates and Emperors"


"Exclamations!


"MADtv: Public School House Rock - Fatty, Fatty, Fatty, Get Your School Lunch Here"


"MADtv: Public School House Rock - Dysfunction Junction"


"MADtv: Public School House Rocks - Nouns"


• Alternative versions of "Three is the Magic Number":

De La Soul - "Three is the Magic Number"


Blind Melon's version of "Three is the Magic Number"



And, for the record, Scott Berkun wants you to know that School House Rock doesn't get it all correct:

* Newton did not get hit by an apple - at best he watched one fall in his grove decades before he completed his treatise on gravity (From the song Victim of Gravity).
* Robert Fulton didn’t invent the steamboat. He was, however, one of the first Americans to make a successful business of it, much like Edison and the light bulb. (From the song Mother Necessity)
* Galileo most likely did not perform the famous falling bodies experiment at Pisa (From the song Victim of Gravity).
* It’s disputed whether Franklin ever flew his famous kite, though he did have the idea (Electricity).
* Elias Howe did not build the first working sewing machine. He was the first American to do so, but that’s not the same thing. Same for Ford and the automobile. (From the song Mother Necessity).
* Betsy Ross may not have sewn the first U.S. flag, as most claims come from her relatives. (From the song Sufferage).

Feel better? I know, it seems a bit much to be so critical of these fun little ditties ("Scott, lighten up!" you say), but I do think it is interesting to consider, particularly in the History section, the kinds of narratives - and myths - School House Rock embraces, creates and perpetuates, about America. Remember, this is a post-60s, post-Watergate, right-around-the-bicentennial kids project and reflects those cross-currents. Remember, also, that it was ok'd and aired by a major - corporate - network...

How would you "read" these as historical artifacts? What do they communicate to us about the nation at that particular moment in time, from the mid-1970s to mid-1980s? Hhhhhhmmmm...

Anyway, most importantly, enjoy...

"Public Financing of Elections Would Lead Us Out of the Partisan Swamp"

In Oklahoma City, a star-studded political cast has assembled to discuss the need for a new "independent" politics in America to help get beyond the yawning partisan divide. But Nick Nyhart over at The Oklahoman has a piece that I think is on point about what is really needed to free the system to be more democratic and responsive: Nick Nyhart, "Public Financing of Elections Would Lead Us out of the Partisan Swamp"


Here is the heart of the matter:

Big money is driving up the costs of campaigning and preventing candidates who are strong on brains, people skills, independence and vision -- but who don't have access to deep pockets--from running for and winning office. Endless fundraising steals the focus of our leaders, requiring that they spend less time leading the nation to solutions that work for all Americans, regardless of their ability to make a political donation.

And then...

Full public financing of elections would get us out of this swamp. It already has cross-aisle appeal and bipartisan leadership. In March, Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., introduced the Senate version of the Fair Elections Now Act, a policy that has been implemented in seven states and two cities, often under the banner "Clean Elections."

These successful state models can show the way forward. In states as different as Arizona and Maine, candidates who collect a set amount of $5 donations can qualify for public money to run their campaigns. Participating candidates must forgo all private donations and agree to a campaign spending limit. If they face a privately financed opponent, "Fair Fight" funds are available to keep the race on a level playing field.

Dealing with the wholly undemocratic influence of private wealth on public elections is truly the reform that will make all other reforms possible. This must be the beginning of any movement for small 'd' democracy in the U.S...

Art of Mental Warfare: "Warning" (music by Trent Reznor of NIN)

Woah. Here's another intense piece of propaganda...
(Please note that this video includes some tough images of injured and dead soldiers/civilians)


Any thoughts?

Do you know of any other interesting political propaganda pieces?

We Shall Overcome

I like sixties ephemera of all kinds. This is a photo of an original button from the mid-sixties civil rights movement. Given the current sad state of affairs in the United States under Bush and around the world, I thought this one was particularly appropriate as I launch my blog. Despite all the darkness, corruption, greed, inequality and war, it is important to remember that change IS possible, a better way of being is available to us... "We Shall Overcome"... IF we learn the lessons of history: change will not come from institutions of power, they are followers, not leaders, when it comes to social justice. They must be compelled to act. Change will not come from saints or deliverers. If we wait to be delivered to the Promised Land by some saintly figure, we'll be waiting a long time. History is clear on this point, particularly in the 20th century. The most meaningful change throughout history has most often come when ordinary citizens get together, share their experiences and struggles, and decide to act together to force change. When enough citizens stand up courageously and speak truth to power, institutions and leaders respond. Social movements are the key to real change. Citizen action is crucial to achieving a more democratic order. Frederick Douglass famously wrote, "If there is no struggle there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation…want crops without plowing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightening. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters…. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will." So, those of us who want a different way of being need to roll up our sleeves and get to work...

Similarly, it is important for us to understand the system we live under, to name the enemy, so to speak, but we can't just bitch about how bad things are. It is equally important for us to offer a prophetic and visionary alternative to this dehumanizing system that values profit over people, division over unity, war over peace, destruction over creativity, control over freedom, tyranny over democracy. If we only critique the system, but offer no solutions, no vision of a better way, we run the risk of disillusioning people and turning them off to the possibility of change. The flip side of idealism is cynicism and cynicism is paralyzing. I hope this blog will name names, but also offer solutions. This is the challenge of our era...