Soldiers For Peace International was founded in the belief that there is a way to bring together all Americans in the cause of restoring democracy to America. At the time the American Revolution was being contemplated the colonists were facing the power of the corporate monopoly that was the East India Company. Then as now, the ruling class and the government in England worked together for their common benefit at the expense of everyone else. This is the way of the Empire builders who are still trying to take over the world so that they can run it to suit themselves. Life to them is a game of Monopoly, while to those who fight their wars of Empire it is a deadly game of Risk.
The East India Company was funded by the Rothschild banking family. It seems that the banksters were in control even then, once again showing that the more things change, the more they stay the same. They colluded with the government to get a tax break from Parliament that enabled them to undercut the cottage industry of tea shops throughout the colonies. They tried to establish a monopoly on shipping by labeling American shippers as lawbreakers after passing a law requiring goods to be shipped by British companies. It was not surprising that these acts led to civil disobedience in the form of the first Tea Party.
What a shame that today’s Tea Partiers have been convinced that the problem was “taxes” and not a tax break for corporations and their wealthy friends in government and business. They have not yet learned that the enemy is those who established and built the corporate welfare state, not their fellow citizens on Main Street. However, those who vilify Tea Party supporters do not understand how to apply the lessons of American history. The only reason that the Revolution initially succeeded was that the colonists came together in a common cause and ignored lesser issues upon which they could not agree.
At the time of the Revolution those we now refer to as patriots were committing in what was termed by the government as treason. Some were hanged for cooperating. At the time of the signing of the Declaration of Independence Franklin was said to have commented “Well, gentlemen. We must now all hang together or surely we will all hang separately.” The same could be said today. If we are to succeed in finishing the Revolution begun in 1775, we must again strive to overcome our differences and come together to end the most uncivil war we are engaged in so that we might fight the fascists forces that have assailed our system of government and assumed control of its powers.
It is true that during the Revolution a substantial percentage of colonists were loyalists of the Crown. Then as now, if they had been asked directly “How’s fascism treating you?” they would not have understood the question. Today’s Tories do not cling to an unjustified loyalty to a government that had failed to serve them. Instead, they rail against government itself and work to elect representatives who do not want to govern but to tear down the government that was created to serve the needs of We the People. They do this only because they have been immersed in the belief that opinions are judged by whether they conform to our prejudices, not whether they are based on facts or even consistent with their values or other beliefs.
As a psychiatrist, I am fully aware that everyone thinks according to assumptions that may or may not be true. Most often, these false assumptions are made because of emotional experiences that lead us to make general conclusions about people, society and the world t that are colored by these emotional responses to life events. Because all of us at times fail to test whether our beliefs conform with reality and are internally consistent, all of us are irrational at some times. The solution is to test our ideas in open discussion with those who disagree with our assumptions.
To those who doubt that Americans of different political philosophies can talk together are assuming this to be so, whether based on their own failed attempts to do so or in the belief that those who disagree are incapable of understanding the reality of our situation. Neither proves that it is impossible. I would estimate that there are about 30% of the People who are so willfully ignorant that they choose to consciously hold clearly contradictory beliefs. You will find them on both the Left and Right extremes of the political spectrum. This is the hard core of delusional citizens who like the Tories at the start of the American Revolution are impervious to the facts of the case against the government or their true significance. It is the other 70% who must unite to Take Back America.
Jefferson pointed out in the Declaration that governments derive all of their just powers to rule by the consent of the People who created them. When corporations thwart our will through paying for the extremely expensive propaganda campaigns that get their Puppets elected, it is the will of the the plutocracy and not the People that is done. The only remedy to this situation is to realize that until we can form a consensus, we cannot speak with one voice about what our collective will is.
Everyone understands that the American is corrupt and everyone is looking for someone to blame. The truth is that there are too many traitors to the People every member of government is obligated to serve that we cannot hope to bring them all to justice. The only way forward is to look to the past. At the time of the founding the People took to the streets and talked to their neighbors. While computers are invaluable in having a dialogue with friends you already know, they cannot substitute for the direct dialogue that must take place between neighbors who are afraid to discuss politics out of fear of giving offense.
The most dangerous idea that has infected the collective consciousness of Americans is the idea that talking about politics with those who may not agree with you is impolite. This is why people who want to rebel against governments act in vain when they only talk to each other about their goals and methods. A House divided against itself cannot long stand. Thanks to a Supreme Court that has declared corporations to be persons with Constitutional “rights,” we now have the opportunity to unite around a common cause. If we are determined enough we can succeed in making it illegal for corporations to buy Congress by passing a Constitutional amendment that will abolish corporate personhood.
Many people think that it is impossible to change the deeply held ideas of others. I know that this is false because as a psychotherapist and politician I do it every day. The key is to remember that we are all suffering under the same yoke of corporate rule and it is imperative that we speak to each other to solve the problems our politicians will not address for fear of offending the corporate patrons who keep them in office. Both of the major Parties are too corrupted by corporate money to take on the challenge of abolishing corporate personhood unless we either force them to or replace them with others who will.
We do not have a choice in the matter. Until we end the scourge of corporate power over government, our children will never know democracy. I will not allow my children to grow up in a fascist nation if I can do anything to change it. It is our inalienable right to abolish a government that has become oppressive, but we can only succeed if we act as a united People. Until our modern abolition movement succeeds, we will all be subject to economic enslavement. If we do not fight for our rights, we will be selling our own children down the river.
For those interested in the idea of reaching across ideological barriers to form a united movement of the People to abolish corporate personhood, You may enjoy this essay from Stop the Madness: The Diary of a Soldier For Peace in the War to Take Back America:
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