“Although Communism may be dead in fact if not name, the conditions that spawned and nurtured it are very much with us today. Large corporations have replaced the noblemen, the dwindling middle class is no buffer between the haves and the have-nots, and the rich get richer. Not much different than 1917… Change, unpredictable change, is coming to your home and sooner than you think!”
This was part of an article I did for Strategic Culture Foundation which is an online paper; it was dated April 10, 2010.
Now we have Occupy Wall Street in Vancouver and I have no doubt that it will spread like wildfire. The question is: Will it be like a grass fire and quickly burn out or get some roots? Moreover, if takes hold, what does it mean for the environmental struggle, in BC especially?
At present, there doesn’t appear any structure let alone leader but I think we can assume that this will change. The more important question is not if it takes on an organizational set up, who will be the major “bosses”, for want of a better word?
This raises another question: will this be led by a Robespierre, a Lenin…or a Gandhi, Mandela. Martin Luther King or Lech Walesa? That is not only a key question for political purposes but environmental questions as well.
If the former comes to pass – and this could well happen – the approach it will take will be to try to topple governments. To the extent they succeed, the environment will never be more than a convenient issue according to the times. For a glimpse at what a communist government will do, one need look no further that the Soviet Union and modern China.
If, on the other hand it tries to gain power democratically, their obvious role will be to take on the issues that governments have failed in. British Columbia is just such a place and the environment just the issue. This raises yet another critical question – how will Adrian Dix and the NDP handle this?
I suspect very cautiously just as President Obama has. The support would be very helpful but neither the US Democrats want to face a hijacking which is a very real worry.
Hold onto your hats for we’re in for a very interesting ride!
Occupy Vancouver kicks off at 10 AM on Saturday October 15 at the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Occupy Nelson speaks: See Youtube “occupy Nelson” What to say. It is mind boogling. Street kids (homeless) with a donated camera have been camping in front of Nelson City hall/court house, they’ve had 4 or 5 meeting with mayor and council, democracy with a hint of true anarchy is alive and well here. No commy’s. Lots of fun to feed this spontaneous effort against evil.
I believe the question was answered in the first statement “Yes; the movement will spread like wildfire.”
Are we not witnessing the SOLIDARITY component slowly coming together and forming on a worldwide basis?
Yes; the movement will spread like wildfire.
Sadly the moment is lost.
Any right winger ( I hate the term) could walk into the middle of a demonstration with a plackard stating..
We are against everything!! & they would not be far from the truth.
The demonstration against Wall Street is good & just as would be a demonstration against Bay Street or the City of London financial area.
We now have a hodge podge movement that possibly includes the movement to end ingrowing toenails!
Would we have been better to have formed a SOLIDARITY movement?