By Kamran Nayeri, February 27, 2012
 |
| Assistant Editor, Sunny, joined the staff in January. She enjoys spending time behind the philosophy books on the library shelves. |
The
Arab Spring of 2011, resistance to capitalist austerity in Europe, and the
Occupy Movement in the U.S. have all underscored the need for development and institutionalization of mass participation in charting an entirely new course for humanity. While the perspective and strategy and tactics of the movement are debated, activists generally agree that participatory democracy is necessary to figure
out these and other key questions they face.
History
shows us that institutions of participatory democracy arise in any
revolutionary situation and that radical social change will not advance unless
initial institutional forms of participatory democracy are improved,
extended and continually strengthened.
The
idea of democracy is tied to the idea of participation. In class societies, democracy has
typically meant the participation of ruling classes in running the affairs of
the state, society and economy while vast sections of the population are excluded outright (Athens city-state) or denied effective participation (United States).
The
fact that American working people continue to harbor illusions in
“representative democracy” is due to a long period of prosperity that
has benefited large sections of the U.S. working class (labor aristocracy and
bureaucracy) as well a sizable “new middle class” of professionals. Together, these
groups think of themselves as the “middle class” and help sustain the illusion
of a “classless” society and "one person, one vote" democracy.
Some
recent events serve as examples of how American representative democracy functions as a form
of capitalist class rule.
Whose representatives?
Bourgeois
politicians (in the U.S. they are organized in the Democratic and Republican
parties) emerge from the rank of citizens who are dedicated to the capitalist
system, trained by a permanent cadre of the capitalist parties, and selected to
run for office through a process dominated by financial contributions from
members of the capitalist class. Once in office, these “elected
representatives” are ideology and materially part of the capitalist system and
will serve its interest. At the
same time, they serve as the proxy for various capitalist factions pursuing
their own sectional interests.
These constitute the really effective subset of what in the U.S. is
called “interest groups.” An
example of such “interest group” is the American Legislative Exchange Council
(ALEC).
On
February 12, the editors of the New York Times complained
that in 2011 ALEC was instrumental in the passage of many state laws that are “making
it harder for minorities and other groups that support Democrats to vote,
obstructing health care reform, weakening environmental regulations and
breaking the spines of public- and private-sector unions.”
Founded in 1973 by the right-wing activist Paul Weyrich, ALEC’s major
funders include Exxon Mobil, the Olin and Scaife families and foundations tied
to Koch Industries. Many of the largest corporations are represented on its
board.
Let the Times' editors explain how ALEC functions:
“ALEC has written model
legislation on a host of subjects dear to corporate and conservative interests,
and supporting lawmakers have introduced these bills in dozens of states. A
recent study of the group’s impact in Virginia showed that more than
50 of its bills were introduced there, many practically word for word. The
study, by the liberal group ProgressVA, found that ALEC had been involved in
writing bills that would:
ҦProhibit penalizing residents for failing to obtain health
insurance, undermining the individual mandate in the reform law. The bill,
which ALEC says has been introduced in 38 states, was signed into law and
became the basis for Virginia’s legal challenge to heath care reform.
ҦRequire voters to show a form of identification. Versions of this
bill passed both chambers this month.
ҦEncourage school districts to contract with private
virtual-education companies. (One such company was the corporate co-chair of
ALEC’s education committee.) The bill was signed into law.
ҦCall for a federal constitutional amendment to permit the repeal of
any federal law on a two-thirds vote of state legislatures. The bill failed.
“¶Legalize use of deadly force in defending one’s home. Bills to this
effect, which recently passed both houses, have been backed by the National
Rifle Association, a longtime member of ALEC.
“ALEC’s influence in the Virginia statehouse is
pervasive, the study showed. The House of Delegates speaker, William
Howell, has been on the board since 2003 and was national chairman in 2009. He
has sponsored or pushed many of the group’s bills, including several benefiting
specific companies that support ALEC financially, like one that would reduce a
single company’s asbestos liability. At least 115 other state legislators have
ties to the group, including paying membership dues, attending meetings and
sponsoring bills. The state has spent more than $230,000 sending lawmakers to
ALEC conferences since 2001.
“Similar
efforts have gone on in many other states. The group has been particularly
active in weakening environmental regulations and fighting the Environmental
Protection Agency. ALEC’s publication, “E.P.A.’s
Regulatory Train Wreck,” outlines steps lawmakers can take,
including curtailing the power of state regulators.”
The
editors of the Times assure their readers that this systemic vote buying
process is fully legal and ethical.
Their objection is to the rightist nature of ALEC’s conduct and that the
liberals have fallen behind in such vote buying schemes. The esteemed editors’
concern is part of a factional struggle within the U.S. capitalist class in an election year. It has nothing to do with
participatory democracy that will fulfill Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 promise of a
“government of the people, by the people, for the people.”
Let
us recall the recent Supreme Court ruling that affirms corporations "constitutionally guaranteed right" to make unlimited campaign contributions.
This has resulted in formation of Super Political Action Committees (Super
PACs) for the candidates of both parties in the 2012 election campaigning underway. The vote of
the working people of the United States count as long as it is for the
candidates selected by the rich and powerful!
Disinformation campaign to undermine
action on climate change.
Last week, Peter Gleick, a climate scientist and activist, disclosed
documents throwing light on the activities of the Heartland Institute, a non-profit organization
funded by corporations (like Exxon Mobil) and individual capitalists (like
Charles G. Koch) to discredit the science of climate change. The documents show that several million
dollars—much of it coming from a single individual referred to as “the
Anonymous Donor” has been used in the past 5 years for such disinformation campaign.
The New York Times reports
that “The documents say that over four years ending in 2013, the group expects
to have spent some $1.6 million on financing the Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate
Change, an entity that publishes periodic reports attacking climate
science and holds lavish annual conferences. (Environmental groups refer to the
conferences as ‘Denialpalooza.’)
“Heartland’s
latest idea, the documents say, is a plan to create a curriculum for public
schools intended to cast doubt on mainstream climate science and budgeted at
$200,000 this year. The curriculum would claim, for instance, that ‘whether
humans are changing the climate is a major scientific controversy.’”
The
documents also show that Heartland has been involved in anti-union and other
rightist activities.
Again,
what the Heartland Institute has been doing is consider legal. While there are some indications that some of the money spent by
Heartland may have violation its non-profit status, it is worth considering
that the media’s attention is focused on ethical status of Peter Gleik’s
disclosure of these documents. (Gleick has issued a statement admitting errors
of judgment in how he handled the disclosure of these documents. He has lost a
number of his professional positions because of these errors of judgment).
Meanwhile,
there is no evidence that the Heartland Foundation will discontinue its
misinformation campaign about climate change and its more general anti-working
people’s agenda. The example shows how in the United States public policy is influenced by monied interest. Propaganda is used to influence voters behavior.
Green Capitalism
In
early February, Corporate
Crime Reporter and the Time magazine Ecocentric
Blog disclosed that Sierra
Club had secretly accepted $26 million from individuals linked to the natural gas
industry. In particular, the gift
from Chesapeake Energy, a leader in fracking technology, has raised popular outrage; some environmentalists have labeled it as “sleeping with the
enemy.”
However, having a cozy relationship with corporations and the government is nothing new in the U.S. environmentalist establishment. What caused some stir was the secrecy surrounding Sierra Club’s cozy relations with the
gas industry (see, for example, Ken Cook, the president of the Environmental Working Group,
a research and advocacy organization, response to the New
York Times).
For over two decades the U.S. environmentalist movement has followed the so-called “partnership model.” The idea of collaboration with the capitalist class and governemtn is essentially similar to the reformist course of Social Democratic and Stalinist parties. In case of the environmental establishment this collaboration is based on a similar view of nature as resource for exploitation. The environmental establishment preaches "sustainable use."
For over two decades the U.S. environmentalist movement has followed the so-called “partnership model.” The idea of collaboration with the capitalist class and governemtn is essentially similar to the reformist course of Social Democratic and Stalinist parties. In case of the environmental establishment this collaboration is based on a similar view of nature as resource for exploitation. The environmental establishment preaches "sustainable use."
In this view the
planetary ecological and environmental crisis caused most immediately by the
capitalist system is divided into a number of “problem areas” and each
environmentalist group focuses on particular problem area and hopes to find common ground with the capitalist class regarding "resource management."
This point of view and political strategy is a matter of concern for participatory democracy because of how it channels the energy
and good will of millions of people into supporting capitalist "solutions" to environmental and ecological crisis. In a sense, the environmental establishment follows a liberal version of how the rightist Heartland Institute functions--by fostering false consciousness among the working people concerned with the environment.
Those
concerned with the twin crises of nature and society would do well to defend
forms of participatory democracy that empowers the working people. This will require presenting facts about society and nature and their crises. It also requires a philosophy of nature and society that respects the intrinsic value of the former while acknowledging the class character of the latter. This is the promise of the ecological socialist movement.
At times of crisis, democratic and civil rights won by us come under attack. Rightists and incipient fascist movements emerge as they have in Europe and the United States to take these back. Confronting these attacks is part and parcel of building a national and international ecological socialist movement.
At times of crisis, democratic and civil rights won by us come under attack. Rightists and incipient fascist movements emerge as they have in Europe and the United States to take these back. Confronting these attacks is part and parcel of building a national and international ecological socialist movement.
* * *
There
have been 99 posts since my last communication (nos. 601 to 699
inclusive). As usual, a focus has been ecology, environment and ecocide
(18 posts) and global warming and climate change (11 posts). There
has been 8 posts on science/method and three posts on evolution. Ten posts dealt with various species
and 4 posts address animal welfare and animal liberation. Agroecology had 5
posts and agriculture 3 posts. Four posts deal specifically with the theory
and practice of ecological socialism.
Eighteen
posts addressed issues regarding the Cuban revolution; three posts dealt with
the Occupy Movement.
Other
topics covered include energy, population, political economy, imperialism and
repression. There has been a few book and film reviews.
I like to thanks readers who sent materials to include in Our Place in the World. Their recommendations help to improve the quality of the posts.
I like to thanks readers who sent materials to include in Our Place in the World. Their recommendations help to improve the quality of the posts.
I like to restate a standard journalistic policy: all
signed articles represent the views of their author(s). They are posted
here because they relate to a subject of our interest and some from mass media
can even represent current bourgeois thought. Only unsigned articles are
the points of view of Our Place in the World.
A
list of hotlinks to the last 99 posts follow:
698.
Habitat Loss, Climate Change, Koala Now Face a Deadly Bacteria
699. CFC Substitutes: Good for the Ozone Layer, Bad for Climate?
699. CFC Substitutes: Good for the Ozone Layer, Bad for Climate?
* * *
FAIR
USE NOTICE
This web log (blog) contains copyrighted material the use of
which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We
are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of
political, social, economic, foreign policy, human rights, scientific,
cultural, educational, health and legal issues. We believe this constitutes a
'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of
the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the
material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed
a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and
educational purposes. For more information go to: www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml . All the materials contained in these pages are
properly attributed. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for
purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you have to contact the
copyright owner.
No comments:
Post a Comment