Evolution to an Altruistic Society

I am interested in an evolution of human societies to a place where people widely uphold the idea that it is not okay for people to hurt each other. I think it's remarkably phenomenal that we live in a society that is so far from, and in many ways the exact opposite of, the simple idea that it is wrong for people to do harm to one another. The modern economy is based in hurtful, divisive, derisive, destructive, exploitative and violent activities.

So I think the following passage, which comes to us from over 115 years ago, is striking in its relevance to the current situation of our modern day economy. People talk about progress. But we need a wake-up call, because in some very real ways, the economy is actually degenerating - and becoming more exploitative. When all is told, in many ways that are very real, the economy is getting worse and worse for common people, and for everyone—everywhere.

I believe that everyone deserves to be treated well. How about you? Do you agree? If you do, then I ask: where do we start changing this abusive and destructive socio-economic political system?

Mary Elizabeth Lease, "Wall Street Owns the Country" (Circa 1890)
from A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove

"This is a nation of inconsistencies. The Puritans fleeing from oppression became oppressors. We fought England for our liberty and put chains on four million of blacks. We wiped out slavery and our tariff laws and national banks began a system of white wage slavery worse than the first. Wall Street owns the country. It is no longer a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, but a government of Wall Street, by Wall Street, and for Wall Street. The great common people of this country are slaves, and monopoly is the master. The West and South and bound and prostrate before the manufacturing East. Money rules, and our Vice-President [Levi Parsons Morton] is a London banker. Our laws are the output of a system which clothes rascals in robes and honesty in rags. The parties lie to us and the political speakers mislead us. We were told two years ago to go to work and raise a big crop, that was all we needed. We went to work and plowed and planted; the rains fell, the sun shone, nature smiled, and we raised the big crop that they told us to; and what came of it? Eight-cent corn, ten-cent oats, two-cent beef and no price at all for butter and eggs—that's what came of it. The the politicians said we suffered from over-production. Over-production, when 10,000 little children, so statistics tell us, starve to death every year in the United States, and over 100,000 shop-girls in New York are forced to sell their virtue for the bread their niggardly wages deny them.... We want money, land and transportation. We want the abolition of the National Banks, and we want the power to make loans direct from the Government. We want the accursed foreclosure system wiped out.... We will stand by our homes and stay by our fireside by force if necessary, and we will ot pay our debts to the loan-shark companies until the Government pays its debts to us. The people are at bay, [so] let the bloodhounds of money who dogged us thus far beware."

more information: Mary Elizabeth Lease, "Wall Street Owns the Country" (Circa 1890)

In other news, Fort Lewis Army Base and McChord Air Force Base have been merged into a join operations center. "Lewis-McChord: A giant military marriage"

Arbitary and Abusive Policing

Port of Tacoma, Washington
August 4, 2008
Port Militarization Resistance Protest

The officer in this unmarked vehicle made sure to tell everyone where not to park.

He was telling people that their cars were too close to driveways and had to be moved - or that their vehicles would be impounded.

When asked how far away from the driveway cars were allowed to park, he responded, "Didn't you pass the driver's test? If you don't know, then read the book."

If I remember correctly, when I took the test the distance was 10 feet.

Is that right? In this case the cars were more almost certainly more than 10 feet away; they certainly were not blocking anyone's access to driveways.

Really, it seemed to me that the officer was just being mean. He was abusing his authority and threatening people, people whose cars were not blocking driveways, with the impounding of their vehicles.

Arbitrary and discriminatory abuse of power. Why are people mean to each other? What causes people to behave like that?

Is it fear? Low self-esteem? I want to know!

The world would be a much better place if people were not mean to each other.

link to larger version: Unmarked Police Squad Car

No Donkey! No Elephant!

No Donkey, No Elephant

"No" to bi-partisan support for U.S. international policies.

Policies of dominance and aggression, and exploitation of overseas material and labor resources are wrong - these policies are harmful and violent!

If the U.S.A. wants to counteract "extremist" opposition - then the people of the U.S. will need to take a look at the extremely abusive economic policies that have their roots in U.S. policies and practices.

No to Abusive Economic Policies!

View Larger: No Donkey, No Elephant

War Resistance Poetry from a War Resister

War Resistance Poetry from a War Resister
http://www.pricetagsart.org/video3.html

Hope for the Earth and Moon

March 10, 2009
nearly full

What a special planet is this — this planet Earth...and with that big old moon going around — Wow!

Astounding to think of the planetary physics involved - and surely the moon has played in integral role in the development of life on Earth.

What a magical place, this planet Earth, with so much diverse life teeming about its surface.

I hope we can truly protect all life on Earth, and not squander the wealth of diversity...

(Did you know that there is currently a mass extinction in process - relating to human activities?)

Human beings are sacred. Part of that sacredness are the tremendous powers, which we bear: phsyical, emotional and mental (spiritual.)

Let's worship ourselves and each other, as the illumined beings we are - and recognize our power, our potential, our promise, and our responsibility.

Humanity has so much potential, it is sad to see the condition of humanity today. It is sad to see the destruction, the oppression, the exploitation (of Earth and each other), the violence, the various profligacies and tyrannies.

There is another way. I believe that humanity is capable of change. A world of peace, justice, sustainability, dignity and respect awaits.

Change begins within. Within the heart and mind of each one of us. Peace be with you on this journey.

inthecourseofevents.blogspot.com/2009/03/stimulating-economic-change.html

True Freedom

No one is free when others are oppressed. No one is free when human activities are destroying the conditions for human life. True freedom exists in ecological sustainability and social justice.

True freedom exists in a harmonious relationship between humanity and nature.

Egalitarian and Sustainable Future

I believe that to have holistic sustainability will require economic egalitarianism. To have sustainability will require ending economic exploitation, both of each other, and of the resources of the planet. The fight for sustainable, and sound, economic practices and ecological relationships is tied in tightly with the fight against oppression - the fight against discriminatory behaviors. This is especially true when people in power express preferential treatment for some. The path to peace, justice, nonviolence and sustainability will be paved with love and understanding, with radical compassion and forgiveness.

Here's an excerpt of a comment I recently posted on OlyBlog about egalitarianism and sustainability relating to future potentials:

The standard that makes sense to me is for an egalitarian future. We need curtailment, I believe that is clear based on unsustainable consumption of resources. Will the future be one of responsible, and holistically sustainable, environmental relationships?

Population growth downtown sounds great to me. But this population growth must be coupled with a serious and responsible reduction in resource consumption. I believe it will be possible to grow in terms of population (and people power,) while simultaneously reducing overall resource consumption to levels which are holistically and fundamentally sustainable.

I believe in the power of community - the power that people have with each other.

What needs to be changed is the the status quo - the current system - where decision makers have coercive power over others.

Real power exists in our relationships with each other, in our ability to cooperate and to serve truth and life.

The idea of some few having power over others is destined to recede - to fail along with the cultural status quo of oppression, of exploitation, of imperialism and economic/social/political dominance.

When some people receive preferential treatment in their interactions with elected decision makers, while others are discriminated against, then we have a system that is divisive and socially destructive. It's unsustainable. People are waking up. People are talking. People are sick of it. And I believe people will not tolerate the current inequities for long.

"Our problems stem from our acceptance of this filthy rotten system."
- Anarchist and Catholic Worker, Dorothy Day

I want to live in a world where the concepts of long-term sustainability, the precautionary principle, and the well-being of all people, and planet, take precedent over economic self-interest.

And, here are a few Ben Harper tunes to keep you company. Have a Good weekend. I'll be in Seabeck Washington Celebrating Peace with the Western Washington Fellowship of Reconciliation:

Oppression/Get Up Stand Up - Acoustic Live


Give a Man a Home


Beloved One


Be Well

War Wastes, War Confines: Peace Conserves, Peace Liberates

Stoploss is one of the horrible policies to come out of the military in relation to imperialism. Stoploss is a backdoor draft that attempts to force and coerce soldiers to stay in the military beyond what ought to be their rightful contractual obligation.


End Stoploss

Comments (posted to the flickr photo page):

Wayne in Indy says:
If you're a coward, don't join the armed forces like this one did.


^Berd says:
I have the pleasure to report that this young man is not a coward.

In fact - he is a model of courage.


Wayne in Indy says:
He is a model of cowardice.


^Berd says:
Looks like we have different opinions on this one.

So then, why do you think his behavior demonstrates cowardice?


Wayne in Indy says:
When one signs up for military service they are expected to fully understand that, if war comes, they will likely see combat. It's disgusting that, when war does come, some servicemen suddenly get the willies and want out. So, if this character is anti-war, he had no reason to join up in the first place.
Surely it's not that he opposes this particualar war? That's worse. There are only two sides and no middle ground whatsoever. You either support the war against Terrorism or you support Terrorism.
So which of the two is he?


^Berd says:
I don't know Josh's story, but I know him enough to know that he isn't a coward. It takes real courage to stand up and refuse to comply with the military establishment.

A lot of folks signed up to be in the National Guard, thinking that they would protect the USA against invasion - but never dreaming of being sent overseas to fight against an ambiguous enemy in a foreign nation.

Let's look at what is going on in Iraq. It's a guerilla war, an insurgency. To Iraqis, insurgents are freedom fighters - fighting for liberation against imperial occupation.

Terrorism isn't so simple. And the best way to fight terrorism isn't with war and violence. The best way to fight terrorism is with justice, truth, and tolerance of personal differences. Economic imperialism is creating terrorists. It's blowback. It's well documented and well understood. America's foreign and economic policies (global domination, or hegemony) are principle causes of terrorism.

If you're really against terrorism, then it makes sense to be against imperialism too.


Wayne in Indy says:
Terrorism is, by my definition, resistance to American imperialism. It must be destroyed. I don't give a rat's caboose about folks who consider terrorists to be freedom fighters. It just means that they too are terrorists.
"Justice", "truth", and "tolerance" as weapons against "Terror"? Need to come out of that dream world of yours, my dear Berd. Real world don't work that way--never has.
The application of full-scale brute force has been, is, and ever shall be, the ONLY answer.
Resistance to America is a war crime and should be dealt with as such.


^Berd says:
Terrorism defined as resistance to American Imperialism, that's interesting.

You support imperialism. I oppose imperialism. In fact, I resist American imperialism. By your definition, I would be a terrorist.

Might does not make right. America behaving as if it can dictate the ways of the global economy is ridiculous and insane. Empires are born to fail. They are inherently unsustainable. Empires require oppression. People naturally will resist and oppose oppression.

The American Empire is already on its way out. The Empire is on the wane. Inherently unstable, the empire alienates, disenfranchises, and weakens its own foundations all the time. The empire is wholly dependent on a steady supply of cheap energy. Supplies of cheap energy are dwindling.

I could go on and on. But the point here is that being opposed to imperialism is not wrong. Opposition to empire is right. Empire is constricting, restricting, wasteful, oppressive. So (nonviolently) resisting empire is the right action to take.

I am a humanist Wayne. I care about humanity. I want all people to be free. I want a common societal denominator of ecological and economic sustainability.

Empire is an obstacle to peace. Empire is oppression. Empire is environmental degradation. Empire limits freedom. Empire wastes resources. Empire is a blood stain on the fabric of humanity.

Opposition to empire - resistance to empire - that's right and true.


Wayne in Indy says:
I agree that the American Empire is in decline. However I'm hopeful that this decline will be reversed when all the inevitable disasters of of the Obama presidency come home to us--and they will. It took four years of Jimmy Carter to bring us eight of Reagan and four of Bush for twelve years total. Obama is worse than Carter--far worse. A right-wing backlash is inevitable as Americans are rudely awakened by the consequences of the last presidential election.
And cheap energy isn't going anywhere. The planet is producing more oil than we can drill for.
And your dream of "peace" will never come, Berd. Too many people like me out there. Human beings are a predator species. That's what makes us great. The idea of all human beings coming together as one is a nightmare far too horrific for me to even contemplate.


^Berd says:
Dear Wayne, why is the idea of all human beings "coming together as one," or living alongside each other respectfully and peacefully, horrific for you?

It seems to me common sense, and something that resonates with most people, that justice, fairness and equity are universal. I prefer to think that there are no bad people. Sure, some people do bad things. But people only do bad things out of fear, out of misunderstanding, out of being hurt themselves. People hurt each other as a product of being hurt. It's an insane obsession.

I believe that taking an eye for an eye will only leave the whole world blind. How sad would the world be then? I want to live in a world that is full of beautiful light and color - light and color that everyone can see.

Peace will come. Peace is the way. Peace is all around us everyday. Peace comes from within. When enough people carry peace in their hearts, then we will see peace reflected in the institutions, societies and culture around us.

Human beings are versatile, adaptable. That's what makes us great. We never stop learning. The only reason that human beings prey upon each other, and hurt each other in general, is because of misunderstandings and fear. When we wake up to the fact that there is enough for everyone, then we will no longer oppress each other, and put each other down.

The world is changing. A growing chorus is rising up. People know that true security and peace are born out of economic justice and equity. There is enough to go around. There is no scarcity of what we need to live happily. There is enough land, water, food, love and community for everyone.

A world where people live to lift each other up, to support each other in personal and social liberation is not far off.

War is waste. War is prison. War is poison. Peace conserves. Peace liberates. Peace heals.

Another world is possible. A world of peace, truth, justice, and security -- for all.


Wayne in Indy says:
What makes us great is our primitive human nature. We are one of the only (if not the only) predator species that preys even on itself. This, coupled with our complex homo-sapien brain, makes us a truly deadly and has given us sole control of this world. Our continuing to utilize this deadly combination is the very root and reason of our expansion and our technological advancement.
Without these, we are nothing more than glorified plants.


^Berd says:
That's sad.


Wayne in Indy says:
Nothing "sad" about it. We are the Alpha Predator species on this planet and possess the most complex brain in all of nature.
You want to throw it away and embrace peace, love, and kumbayah. Yeech! What a waste.


^Berd says:
Wayne, that's offensive and cruel. I am not so sure that you aren't just trying to test getting a rise out of me. However, it's plain to see that most people would consider your ideas to be hate speech.

Wayne. Humans do not exist on this beautiful planet for the purpose of conquering and subduing. Humans exist on this planet for the purpose of promoting the natural brilliance and beauty. Humans exist as shephards, stewards and protectors. The highest virtue and noblest cause for any human being is to serve the interests of life. To hold up the sanctity of all life, we as human beings are the ultimate arbiters of our fate - and I know that the great majority of us would rather work toward a "heaven on earth," a place where all people have enough, a place where all people take care of each other, a place where all people have the opportunity to prosper, a place where no one lives under oppression.

I know that the far and away great majority of people believe in this vision of a stable, secure, cooperative, peaceful, and harmonious co-exist amongst all the peoples of the one human family... Come join us Wayne. There is plenty of love and community to go around for everyone.

In Peace,
Berd

Culture of Conquest, Culture of Oppression

We live in a culture of oppression. It's all around us. It is something that we can all too easily take for granted - unless we make conscious and concerted effort to make it plain.

It's all around us. Since we were born. This culture has been around for thousands of years. We have the oppressors and the oppressed.

No one is left unscathed or unharmed. No one is left undamaged by this cultural oppression. Neither the oppressed, nor the oppressor.

In some ways the oppressed can be seen as having the luxury of awareness. The ability to see the reality of the situation—this ability is not nearly as available to the oppressor as it is to the oppressed. It's because the oppressor oftentimes must look away, the oppressor must avoid the brutal truth of the situation, the truth that it is they whom are the propagators of such vicious assaults against the oppressed. The oppressed must be maligned, cursed, castigated, made to seem unworthy, weak, insufficient, or somehow the source of the problem. In order to oppress, the oppressor often times must delude themself about the true nature of the situation, and the reason for the oppressive behavior. For example, the oppressed are labeled as terrorists so that the justification of protection or self-defense is used. (This often becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.)

Look at the situation in Israel and Palestine.

Many Israelis have brainwashed themselves into believing that they are the ones whom are actually oppressed. But nothing could be further from the truth.

Israelis live in a hyper-vigilant, hyper-sensitive, culture. Jews have been subjected to anti-semitism, and discriminated against, and treated with prejudice and hate for centuries. Yes this is true. Do Jews deserve a refuge state? I think so. —But that does not make it right for Israelis, Jewish or not, to subjugate and to discriminate, to disrespect, and to treat others (primarily speaking of Palestinians here) as if they're inferior.

All human beings deserve to live dignified, happy and prosperous lives. This includes Palestinians and Israelis. This includes all of us. All of us deserve to be treated equally.

The roots of this conflict exist in the systematic oppression of Palestinians that occurred surrounding, and in regard to the formal establishment of the State of Israel.

It is a very common attitude amongst Palestinians that a peaceful coexistence would be possible if only Israel would respect the 1967 borders.

So why won't Israel pull back? Why the ongoing intensive settlement building in traditionally Palestinians Territories? What's the deal? If Israelis truly want peace, then why do they refuse to meet with Palestinians? Why do they insist on labeling their opponents as terrorists, rather than making an effort to acknowledge their common humanity?

The answers exist in the problems associated with a culture of oppression. This is a cultural problem. It's deeply ingrained within our collective and individual psyches. And the hurts caused by this culture cause deep and lasting psychological wounds. The hurts caused by this culture cause disease.

There is so much need for healing. Not only the oppressed, but the oppressors too, are victims of this culture of oppression.

Finally, my suggestion to all of humanity is to work toward the creation of a culture of consent. Abandon this culture of oppression. Do away with it immediately! Leave it behind, and let its desiccated dusts dissolve away, the crystalline structure of social and environmental degradation to be abolished.

Just imagine: a culture of consent and cooperation. Imagine kindness, reciprocity and sharing as some of the guiding principles.

(p.s. This reminds of a topic I want to be sure to pursue, i.e.: What does it mean to be "Pro-Israel?"

So, what does it mean to be "Pro-Israel?"

I argue that to be for militarism and violence towards, and oppression of, Palestinians is in no way truly "Pro-Israel." What would truly be Pro-Israel, and pro-Jewish, would be to call for a breakdown of settlements in the West Bank, and a strong initiative for reconciliation and amends toward Palestinians and all Arabs (and Persians, et al.) To be truly Pro-Israel is to call for a cessation of violent conflict. To be truly Pro-Israel is not to feed the destruction inherent in the military machine. To be truly Pro-Israel we will call to abolish the military-industrial complex.

Israelis and Israel have a right to exist. And so do Palestinians and Palestine. So do Iranians, and Iran. And Iraqis and Iraq. And Americans and America.

All people have a right to exist. All people have a right to organize themselves peacefully and not be subjugated, assaulted and/or oppressed.

We are each sufficient, individually and collectively, in and of our own beings.

So instead of distrust, violence, militarism and war - how about practicing tolerance, truthfulness, peace and compassion, etc...)

(update 3/17/2009: I also want to add a few words about the right of indigenous peoples and traditional cultures to exist without interference and intervention. In the above postscript I wrote that "Americans and America [have a right to exist.]"

While I feel this is true, I also do not want to ignore the horrible history of oppression in America, the decimation of Native Peoples and Cultures, the enslavement of Africans and Asians. This horrible history of oppression is not limited to America, nor even to the West, but has existed in various cultures and societies throughout world history.

So when I write that all people have a right to exist, I mean all people - and all cultures. All people ought to be able to participate in cultures - so long as they are not harmful to others.

The problem we have now is that it is our culture, our people, and our government that are the principle proponents of violence, harm and destruction throughout the world.

Therefore, we are right to resist the destructive tendencies of our gov't.)

Olympia Washington May Day 2008 (photography and video)

Please see: May Day Editorial Comment [OlyBlog.net]

I have some photos and videos from the day too. Mine are quite different from the adversarial and controversial scenes and sounds that you will find in The Olympian and on their website.

So here they are, first the flickr slide show (in case the embedded slideshow doesn't work for you, here's a direct link to the photoset: www.flickr.com/photos/rwhitlock/sets/72157604848281827/


I also took some videos, here are a few that I selected to post (In case the viewer embed doesn't work, here's a link):

Defining the Discourse

I recently signed up to receive email updates from Jewish Peace News. JPN is a spin-off of Jewish Voice for Peace. I like the letters that I have received so far. They are thoughtful, and well composed. The following is no exception:

This article by Noam Chomsky raises the important but extremely difficult problem of comparing “intentional” and “unintentional” civilian casualties. Can we equate American troops who accidentally kill Iraqi civilians with foreign terrorists who intentionally kill American civilians? Can we compare the deaths of Palestinian children caught in the line of Israeli fire with the deaths of Israeli child victims of suicide bombers?

The occasion for Chomsky addressing these questions is the assassination of Imad Moughniyeh, a senior figure in Hizbollah who was linked to several terrorist attacks on Americans and Israelis. Chomsky notes the hypocrisy apparent in the US media and government, which condemned Moughniyeh’s crimes on the one hand while remaining silent about much more serious crimes committed by the US or Israel, although these crimes were often what prompted Hizbollah’s retaliatory actions.

But is it really hypocrisy? Apologists for the US and Israel explain that unlike Hizbollah, the US and Israel do not intentionally kill the civilians who die as a result of their actions (for instance, the Palestinians who die as a result of Israel bombing Gaza’s power supply).

No, says Chomsky: the US and Israel (generally) do not intend the deaths of these civilians. Rather, the civilians die because the US and Israel often barely notice, much less care, that our actions will kill people. We hold the lives of these victims too cheaply to even register them. As Chomsky writes: “We are aware that it is likely to happen (if we bother to think about it), but we do not intend to kill them because they are not worthy of such consideration.”

This aggressively and viciously dehumanizing attitude might be distinguishable from a specific intention to kill, but is it really any better?

Judith Norman [of Jewish Peace News]

Noam Chomsky: The Most Wanted List
February 28, 2008
Source: TomDispatch

http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticle/16669

On February 13, Imad Moughniyeh, a senior commander of Hizbollah, was assassinated in Damascus. "The world is a better place without this man in it," State Department spokesperson Sean McCormack said: "one way or the other he was brought to justice." Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell added that Moughniyeh has been "responsible for more deaths of Americans and Israelis than any other terrorist with the exception of Osama bin Laden."

Joy was unconstrained in Israel too, as "one of the U.S. and Israel's most wanted men" was brought to justice, the London Financial Times reported. Under the heading, "A militant wanted the world over," an accompanying story reported that he was "superseded on the most-wanted list by Osama bin Laden" after 9/11 and so ranked only second among "the most wanted militants in the world."

The terminology is accurate enough, according to the rules of Anglo-American discourse, which defines "the world" as the political class in Washington and London (and whoever happens to agree with them on specific matters). It is common, for example, to read that "the world" fully supported George Bush when he ordered the bombing of Afghanistan. That may be true of "the world," but hardly of the world, as revealed in an international Gallup Poll after the bombing was announced. Global support was slight. In Latin America, which has some experience with U.S. behavior, support ranged from 2% in Mexico to 16% in Panama, and that support was conditional upon the culprits being identified (they still weren't eight months later, the FBI reported), and civilian targets being spared (they were attacked at once). There was an overwhelming preference in the world for diplomatic/judicial measures, rejected out of hand by "the world."

[... read more]