We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Monday, February 1, 2010

New mindset for US foreign policy? Pt.2 (9:01m video)

from The Real News Network. Continues the interview with Peter Dale Scott. Notice that when he talks about the influences behind Obama or any President, he uses words like "Washington" or "the machine", abstractions which hide the fact of a ruling class created by a system called capitalism that produces for them the power, profits, and privilege they enjoy. This kind of circumlocution is common among academics and others who are understandably concerned about their careers and material prospects.
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