Friday, August 22, 2008


I have heard it said, as I am sure you have also, that "Now is the time to fight!" Well, my comrades, that is not the whole truth. You see, the fight has always been here. The fight has been in the homes of every person alive, at the check out lane, at the work place, at the school houses and churches, at the unenmployment lines and welfare offices across the country, the fight has been against us. The weapons used have been the destruction of workers unions, the scapegoating of public assistance, the copyright of god the churches and preachers have taken to control our spirit, the influx of drugs into our neighborhoods, the shark tacitcs of Slave-mart (wal-mart) and BigBucks (starbucks) McDeadly food for our children, television that does not inform but distract, the selling of sex and condemning of sexuality, the gentrification and stripping of culture of our neighborhoods, and the littany goes on and on.The fight was not over at the end of the Civil Rights movement, a time that many look back on as a great victory. To assume that this was a victory and not merely a launching point for a greater battle is to deny the ghettos and prisons of today, both being a breathing ATM for the wealthy in the form of drug trafficking and forced labor of corporate prisons. Our schools have been racially integrated, yes, but has there been a fair and equal distribution of funding? No. Black americans gained the right to vote, but has there not been voter fraud and a complete deletion of real black voices from the political sector of the world? Yes. The greatest movements of social change have not taken place in the voting booths, but by those who did not have the vote to rest upon. The minute that all americans could vote, the system adapted to make voting a ridiculous and crule joke, allowing for corporate america to buy off candidates and create wars for profit, despite the voice of the people in the streets screaming for justice and peace. This should tell us that there is not a concern by the those who control and profit as to what we believe. This should tell us that our vote and our anger are for nothing so long as we pay for the existence of these vultures. There has to be a new way to fight.If you are new to the idea of this fight, then I welcome you, and charge you to learn from those who are experienced in tactics of survival and promotion of a more just society. If you are not new then I charge you step up your game. Recently, a group called Move-On has celebrated 10 years of being in existence. This is no cause for celebration. This is cause for mourning and anger, that a group founded under the pre-suppositon that we must end war and corporate control has turned ten years old and we are in the midst of the most privatized corporate war for profit ever, and it is not over. We need to step up our game! The tools of our slavery have gotten heavy and we have allowed for it to happen in the name of our security, or in the belief that "I am comfortable, so everyone can be too". It is time we turn the tides and shake off the shackles together.Recently on blogtalkradio, there has been a harsh reminder that corporate interests do not coincide with the voice of the people. This is not a new notion to some of us, and a bitter awakening to others. Let us stop criticizing those who have been fighting, let us no longer say that "radical" is a bad word. Let us now learn the roots of our very rebellious nature and suck the sweet milk from them to nurture our branches of dissent into great flowers of revolt. Let us come together now to learn from one another, and have no shame for our ignorance, rather a yearning to mend it and irradicate it. Let us not rely upon the historical movements as proof we have existed, rather creat a new movement that is inspired by our past and nurtured by each others beauty and creativity.Stop asking and start taking. Take back our labor, our lives, our spirit, our streets and our voices from those who would rather see us numb and complacent. Turn off your television brothers and sisters, because the streets are alive and in full color, high definition, surround sound glory and they are ours. OURS! Stop working on the assumption that there are some people in power that are good, and start working on the notion that good people have the power to change the world right now, without political endorsements or fundraising campaigns. Leaders do not need votes, they need bodies in the movement all around them. Leaders do not need signs bearing their names, but signs declaring our demands. Leaders do not require acceptance from the status quo, and will rarely find it. Leaders teach, learn, cook, clean, change diapers, raise children, stay child-like and playful, join together with all people of struggle, and most importantly, leaders are not extraordinary people, just regular people with large dreams and larger ambitions. Let us all become the leaders we are crying for.We must understand that the fight has been against us for our whole lives, so now is the time to FIGHT BACK!We may not win today, but that must not stifle us. We may not win tomorrow, but that must not scare us, if we choose not to fight, we will never win, and that should move us into action more than anything else. We Must Fight Back!