The Bush Coronation
As the rich and righteous celebrated the coronation of King George II yesterday, thousands more lined the parade route and turned their backs on Bush as he and Laura drove by in their limousine. Large, yellow ImpeachBush.org banners were visible to television cameras all along the route and C-SPAN covered a portion of International Answer's antiwar rally live until 3 p.m.
Earlier, several members of the antiwar group Code Pink were arrested for merely unfurling banners during the "no dissent allowed" swearing-in ceremony. Most were released shortly after being arrested while others, including Code Pink founder Medea Benjamin, were held in custody longer.
As Bush was being solemnly sworn in, 49 percent of registered voters around the the nation were also solemnly swearing to themselves, but if there is any good news in all of this, it is that we are now past the halfway point of the Bush reign. During the next four years, of course, Bush plans to shift even more public monies from the public sector to the private sector by attempting to privatize Social Security. And he no doubt plans to invade other sovereign nations under one false pretext or another, perhaps with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at his side if her nomination is confirmed by the Senate. Meanwhile, the Republican neocons will be quietly grooming brother Jeb Bush to be the next presidential candidate, unless the U.S. Constitution is amended to permit a third term for King George II. These bastards have no shame and no allegiance to anyone or anything but the almighty dollar.
Demonstrations are fine, but the most powerful weapon that citizens have over the corporate oligarchy and the entire military/industrial/media complex is the "General Strike." A general strike is a pre-planned work stoppage that causes a virtual shutdown of all major factories, transportation routes, mines, mills, shopping centers, banks, and so forth, with the sole purpose of effecting a change in government policy. Hit 'em where it hurts: their wallets. A general strike is a rarity because it is difficult to organize and requires a substantial number of participants to be effective. It is safe to say that many millions of people would have to be feeling quite desperate before they would participate, so economic conditions would have to degrade substantially before a general strike could become a political weapon.
Until then, demonstrations and civil disobedience are the best political tools we have to work with. The next major demonstration will take place on March 19, 2005, the second anniversary of Bush's Shock and Awe occupation of Iraq. Citizens will be organizing marches and other events throughout the country, so consult your favorite alternative media source for more information on a location near you. (Many locations will be listed on sites like http://www.antiwar.com/antiwar-actions.htm , http://www.answercoalition.org , and http://www.zmag.org/ZNET.php )
Earlier, several members of the antiwar group Code Pink were arrested for merely unfurling banners during the "no dissent allowed" swearing-in ceremony. Most were released shortly after being arrested while others, including Code Pink founder Medea Benjamin, were held in custody longer.
As Bush was being solemnly sworn in, 49 percent of registered voters around the the nation were also solemnly swearing to themselves, but if there is any good news in all of this, it is that we are now past the halfway point of the Bush reign. During the next four years, of course, Bush plans to shift even more public monies from the public sector to the private sector by attempting to privatize Social Security. And he no doubt plans to invade other sovereign nations under one false pretext or another, perhaps with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at his side if her nomination is confirmed by the Senate. Meanwhile, the Republican neocons will be quietly grooming brother Jeb Bush to be the next presidential candidate, unless the U.S. Constitution is amended to permit a third term for King George II. These bastards have no shame and no allegiance to anyone or anything but the almighty dollar.
Demonstrations are fine, but the most powerful weapon that citizens have over the corporate oligarchy and the entire military/industrial/media complex is the "General Strike." A general strike is a pre-planned work stoppage that causes a virtual shutdown of all major factories, transportation routes, mines, mills, shopping centers, banks, and so forth, with the sole purpose of effecting a change in government policy. Hit 'em where it hurts: their wallets. A general strike is a rarity because it is difficult to organize and requires a substantial number of participants to be effective. It is safe to say that many millions of people would have to be feeling quite desperate before they would participate, so economic conditions would have to degrade substantially before a general strike could become a political weapon.
Until then, demonstrations and civil disobedience are the best political tools we have to work with. The next major demonstration will take place on March 19, 2005, the second anniversary of Bush's Shock and Awe occupation of Iraq. Citizens will be organizing marches and other events throughout the country, so consult your favorite alternative media source for more information on a location near you. (Many locations will be listed on sites like http://www.antiwar.com/antiwar-actions.htm , http://www.answercoalition.org , and http://www.zmag.org/ZNET.php )
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