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Departments National Issues Come together right now Gagnon provides further confirmation of Randy Shaw's thesis in "Beyond the Fields," that the best organizers come out of the United Farm Workers. Gagnon got his training as an organizer working for the UFW in Florida after having grown up Republican, joined the military, and then been reached and persuaded by the peace movement. Gagnon later came to the decision that organizing the poor to demand basic needs was the uphill struggle it was, at least in part, because those with power were directing too many of our resources into wars and militarization. Gagnon became a leader of the peace movement in Florida, and then the leader of an international network of activists called the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space. I was privileged to participate in the Global Network's annual conference last year in Omaha, Nebraska. And just this month Bruce and I spoke at a rally in Maine, where he has made his home for several years. Bruce's book is part autobiography, but it is made up largely of articles and reports and diary entries and even a play that he wrote during the past 20-some years. These thoughts of an activist and an organizer, as he was thinking them, presented here in chronological order tell a wonderful personal story, but also a story of where our country and world have gone. In early descriptions of campaigns we see Gagnon and his allies able to make use of "mainstream" media outlets. Fourteen years ago he already had a crystal clear grasp on how Washington, D.C., corrupted movements, and he was proposing that all social justice movements get out of that town and engage in grassroots organizing and educating. But he made no mention of investing in communications media. In contrast, five years ago, Bruce was writing about two strategies: I recommend visiting the Global Network's website and assisting in that project. Figures in Bruce's book suggest that the United States is spending at least $70 billion a year (as of four years ago, no doubt higher now) on military space development. "Queen Isabella," Gagnon writes, "began the 100-year process of building the Spanish Armada after Columbus' 'successful' return voyage from the Americas. Spain's naval armada helped create a global war system, that we suffer from today, as all the European powers were soon building navies to 'compete' for control and domination of the sea lanes for resources and markets." Gagnon suggests that debating whether so-called "missile defense," the offensive intentions of which he documents, can ever work misses the larger view. We are "debating the size of the cannon balls on the Spanish armada ships rather than discussing the long-term implications of creating a new arms race in the heavens." Whether or not "missile defense" ever works, Gagnon writes, it has "already allowed the Pentagon and the aerospace industry to move tens of billions of dollars into research and development programs for space offensive warfare." According to NASA's director in 2005 Mike Griffin, "For America to continue to be preeminent among nations, it is necessary for us to be the preeminent space-faring nation." But we are not preeminent in raising life expectancy or lowering infant mortality. We're nowhere near preeminent in reducing poverty or achieving an environmentally sustainable economy or lifestyle. We have no preeminence in educational achievements. Preeminence in job security, limited work hours, paid leave, healthcare, family stability, community support, quality of life, and happiness all belong to other nations. Yet we've given such massive secret unaccountable budgets to the military that a movie in theaters now depicts, in a not entirely fictionalized manner, a program in which people were trained in skills as stupid and fantastical as staring at a goat until it dies -- a program that referred to its trainees as Jedi, clearly influenced by someone having viewed the movie "Star Wars." Bruce Gagnon's book and his life are models of how, on every level, we can shift our priorities to what, in contrast to Star Wars, we might call earth lives. --- David Swanson is the author of the new book "Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union" by Seven Stories Press. You can order it and find out when tour will be in your town: http://davidswanson.org/book. |
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Recent National Issues Articles McCain could have meant Less War Healthcare mandate vs. the Constitution A healthy economy Apostle of our inner genius Wars or jobs: decide now Are Americans Too Broken for the Truth to Set Us Free? The school-to-prison pipeline Kucinich circulating privileged resolutions to end wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan National security state still killing John F Kennedy Richard Viguerie calls GOP litmus tests "Well intentioned," but urges replacement of Republican establishment leaders Craziest Obavietghanistan speech moments New civil resistance coalition formed to end the war Anti-Americans Why can't we do to DC what we did to Seattle? 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Take your torture photos to church day The hounds of heaven Pay to play politics is unacceptable for health care reform It's national Nancy Off the Table Day President Obama's war budget: analyzing the numbers Give everyone healthcare by shutting down insurance companies Torture and treason The wrong torture question The prosecution of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney The prosecution of torturers Rule of law vetoed by President Obama Take heart and have courage Karl Rove still not arrested Hard times for African-American workers Forced patriotism Geo-insanity's latest mutation Changing the rules of the blame game War casualties at home Capitalism's self-inflicted apocalypse MoveOn is not new to supporting war Is this the best we can do? Happy Birthday, Cesar Chavez! Capitalist Incarnate: My interview with a vampire Baseball: More than a man's game Let's truly honor Cesar Chavez A modest proposal Breaking: Peace activists arrested at Pentagon Government stands in the way of financial security of small farmers: NAIS program is source of deep concern A New Deal for American Workers Bill Moyers Journal: Interview with Simon Johnson Join a union, get fired Oregon Plumbers Local Endorses HR 676 Appoint a special prosecutor Kids for cash Washington & Lafayette get stoned & talk marriage An RX for nurses -- and us, too Jobs may decline, unions won't Cross of irony Coffee entrepreneur brewing trouble for George W. Bush Perriello, peace and justice What President Obama should say Truth and healing The problem with truth, reconciliation, and commissions Sit down! Sit down! Abandoning torture, but what about war? ... No intelligent life down here Keeping the Bush era viable Bolsheviks in Seattle? 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