State of Our World: Open_Notes 7

we have to challenge the monopoly of the Republican and Democratic parties; we need a major progressive political movement in this country; willpower to show ourselves that we can succeed is the first step vs. corporate government -- a rising tide lifts all boats, but what we see today is a rising tide lifting all yachts - wealth [top 1% = bottom 90%] -- social infrastructure is crumbling within an expanding economy of rising profits; imagine what would happen in a recession or depression -- one step towards unionization and the company heads for the border; a new level of greed and power, and a grotesque distortion of a nation's promise; corporate costs being externalized upon society, making obscene profits and multi-million dollar executive salaries possible -- corporate speech [media monopolies] reaching millions, individual free-speech effectively censored, no reporting of citizen groups, etc. -- capitol hill "withering heights."

signing the dotted line is not a contractual meeting of the minds, it is a done deal in favor of the seller, no choice left, we accept it, we are corporate; fine-print contracts are binding arbitration's, we sign away our legal right to the courts if a dispute arises, if a damage occurs, corporate rights reign supreme - democracy restricted, constricted -- growing up corporate means we don't know what we own as a society, ie., the public airways, 1/3 of America [the public lands], our $4T pension pool [managed by the corporate, worker control is zero] - we own but do not control - taxpayer assets [incl. research developments given away, ie., the National Institute of Health] - our common gene pool being expropriated for enormous profit; the WTO and NAFTA rigged to make free-trade supreme, all other issues subordinate to trade, incl. human rights, food safety, environmental concerns, etc. - a rising tide subordinating our local, regional, and national rights. -- [NPR, Alternative Radio, consumer activist Ralph Nader, May.06.00]

scripted speeches, scripted conventions are no indication of a candidates character, ability; being a performer, reading a speech by teleprompter, written by a professional speech-writer makes a candidate an artificial, manufactured product NOT a representation of America's political-social aspirations - the resultant media analysis of the artificial-superficial speech results in superimposition of the script on the candidate [the political mask], performance [reading ability, emotions,mannerisms] equated with the scripted values, issues, policies [the art of political warfare; the posture], the manufactured image.

State of Our World: Open_Notes 7