Topic: The Revolution
Mesmerized by Melodic Rhetoric Compared to rioting Europeans, Americans seem like docile, drugged out sheep herded towards the economic cliff, mesmerized by melodic rhetoric of political messiah Barack Obama. Too much hope can precipitate violence.by Joel S. Hirschhorn
(libertarian)
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
"I've been through Y2K and I've been through 9/11. I have never seen people so afraid as what we are seeing right now," said gun shop owner Scott Moss recently. With more guns per capita easily 250 million privately owned ones and certainly more people in prisons than any other democracy, the intriguing question in this still worsening economic calamity is: If Americans found the courage for political rebellion now, would it preempt massive criminal violence, social havoc and armed rebellion later?
What we see President Obama and Congress doing and debating seem inadequate to restore financial health and security to the vast majority of Americans before millions more lives are devastated. Billions of tax dollars have gone to banks, corporations and others but have not stopped the hemorrhage of our financial lifeblood. More than half a million jobs continue to be lost a month; 3.5 million in the past year. Millions are losing their homes, health insurance and ability to buy food. Those with jobs are afraid to spend money.
As Nobel Prize winning and gloomy economist Paul Krugman said the other day after condemning what is going on in Washington, DC: "the economy is still in free fall" and we may be "falling into an economic abyss." Harsh words for a harsh reality.
Recently, President Obama said: "A failure to act, and act now, will turn crisis into a catastrophe." But what really matters is exactly what actions the government takes and whether they are what is needed. Besides, about the same time, his senior advisor David Axelrod said on television that "we have an economic catastrophe." For most Americans, catastrophe seems more accurate.
Meanwhile, the elite Upper Class that stole the nation's wealth in recent years with their greed and political clout, and destroyed the global economic system, are still sitting pretty in their McMansions, penthouses, private jets and yachts. They still enjoy their $50,000+ cars, still wine and dine in incredibly expensive restaurants, and still retain more wealth than ordinary people can imagine. Brioni men's suits for $40,000+ are selling fast.
So what are ordinary Americans doing? Are there massive crowds of screaming, sign-carrying Americans in city streets from coast to coast? No. Or outside congressional buildings and the White House? No. Are there riots and looting by hoards of hungry and angry people who have lost a decent lifestyle? No. Do we see anything like the anti-Vietnam War protests? No. Do we see anything like the urban riots after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.? No. Do we see anything like the rebellion against the British that created our nation? No
What do we see? Millions of people getting notices that they have lots their jobs, getting eviction notices, applying for bankruptcy, trying to get unemployment benefits, standing on long lines to get a shot at few jobs, filling crowded hospital emergency rooms to get medical help, taking their children out of child care they no longer can afford, and buying fewer and cheaper foods or seeking free food.
Compared to rioting Europeans, Americans seem like docile, drugged out sheep herded towards the economic cliff, mesmerized by melodic rhetoric of political messiah Barack Obama.
No wonder our politicians look like dithering, confused idiots arguing among themselves as we continue falling into economic hell. We simply are not demanding enough of those we elected.
It's as if most Americans are patiently waiting to be rescued by winning the lottery. Is it hope or stupidity?
Meantime, President Obama has successfully stimulated one business sector. Since November, gun and ammunition sales have soared, as have requests for concealed carry permits. "Our sales are up 15 to 20 percent since October," says the owner of Shooter's Service in Livonia, Michigan. "It's not the 40 percent other stores are reporting, but it's good business." Oakland County in Michigan issued 130 percent more concealed carry weapon permits in January than a year earlier. Such permits are up as much as 90 percent in some Western North Carolina counties. According to the FBI, background checks for gun sales in January jumped 29 percent over January 2008; this followed a 24 percent rise in December and a 42 percent increase in November. In many places gun sales have dropped because of shortages.
What awaits us when hope becomes futile and all confidence in the government is lost? Gun owner Chad Roberts in Tennessee said this recently: "With the economy like it is more people are going to be desperate wanting to steal from you." So, perhaps we will see a contagious, rapid descent into mass criminal violence. As suffering, gun-toting Americans resort to looting, theft, robbery, burglary, assaults and other economically driven violent acts to get what is needed to survive, and other gun owners shoot to defend what they have. The fabric of civilized society ripped apart. Brutal police and military actions result, and for many no police protection. Constitutional freedoms suspended in a national emergency. Government threatened by armed rebellion as gun-toting citizens put their Second Amendment rights to the ultimate use.
This nightmare scenario may happen because free people waited too long, remained too hopeful, put too much faith in elections. Armageddon is closer than most Americans realize. Beyond catastrophe lies mob rule, a doomsday post-democracy, disintegration, collapse, chaos. Americans sucked into the economic abyss where violence replaces politics.
Hope will be a distant memory. One way to avoid the abyss is to give Americans what they have a constitutional right to have, something the Founders in their wisdom knew we would need. They provided an option in Article V of the Constitution that Congress has refused to honor, even though the one and only requirement has long been met. It is a convention of state delegates to consider proposals for constitutional amendments. This would provide a national forum for the public to seriously become involved with possible ways to reform and improve our government structure. Over 700 applications from state legislatures for an Article V convention have been submitted from all 50 states; they are being made available for the first time at foavc.org. Because the convention can only propose amendments that still must be ratified by three-quarters of the states there really is nothing to fear about harming our Constitution. There is now considerable interest in many states to push for a convention.
In these dismal times using what the Founders gave us makes more sense than ever before. Americans need more than two-party politics. They need a serious debate about structural reforms through constitutional amendments that can attack the deep rooted corruption and incompetence that plague the federal government and contributed to creating our current economic meltdown.
Rather than fear a convention, embrace it. It is far more rational to fear sticking with our status quo dysfunctional government or, worse, the degeneration into violent upheaval. Following the Constitution's path to get reforms should be preferred.
[Joel S. Hirschhorn is a co-founder of Friends of the Article V Convention; contact him through delusionaldemocracy.com.]
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Posted By: Walt Thiessen
Date: 2009-02-11 09:58:27
You (and others) have written a lot about Article V conventions, but to the best of my knowledge I can't remember seeing a single article where you specified what specific changes you think such a convention should make to the Constitution (subject of course to 3/4 states approval). Frankly, I don't think an Article V convention will solve anything. Since most people don't even understand what the source of their woes is, they're much more likely to pass changes to the Constitution that will actually make things worse rather than better.
So how about writing an article in which you actually make specific suggestions for specific changes to the Constitution, suggestions that could be implemented at an Article V convention, should one be convened.
Posted By: Roger Nowosielski
Date: 2009-02-11 21:18:11
Sorry, Joel, for biting remarks on Blogcritics. That\'s better. Why wasn\'t the longer version published?
I think we\'ll just have to ride the crisis, so yes, there will be social unrest and perhaps some violence. See my own piece posted yesterday, "The New World Order, Part I" where I\'m alluding to just such a possibility.
Personally, I think corporation powers will have to be curbed (if they\'re going to recover to their previous stature, which is a big if).
Why don\'t you read my piece and we can discuss matters later.
Posted By: Jahfre Fire Eater
Date: 2009-02-12 07:08:23
Hi Joel,
I'm with Walt on this one. Your article contains a single sentence that sums up this Article V convention folly: "It's as if most Americans are patiently waiting to be rescued by winning the lottery. Is it hope or stupidity?"
The pro-Article V Convention crowd just thinks their "Magic Pill" is the True magic pill but the one they accuse the rest of American's of waiting for is placebo. The ignorant myopic hypocrisy is astounding in self-asserted "smart" people. Anything, no matter how uncontrollable or unpredictable, it seems, is preferable applying all that pent up anger and outrage towards consistent, repeatable individual political activity.
Even if the magic convention was chaperoned by the Good Witch of the East when it was over, the nation would still be in the hands of the same corrupt politicians and at the mercy of the same apathetic population who, together, don't care what the Constitution says pre or post Article V convention.
The Article V crowd has just found another place where their anger and outrage can be vented to no good purpose. They may as well be standing on a street corner chanting "End the Fed", "End the Fed" with the rest of the people who want the world to know they are angry and unwilling to do anything constructive about it.
In the long run, one magic mantra is just as futile as the next but I guess it really makes the chanters feel GREAT! about themselves. Whoppie for them. I hope that wonderful feeling lasts as long as the socialism it is ushering in.
Is it hope or stupidity? That varies with the individual, I'm sure. However, along with requisite portions of hope and stupidity that foster these magic pill plans must come a huge dose of lazy. Otherwise why would "normal" people go to such ridiculous lengths to avoid learning how to participate effectively in the political process.
Nowhere in the Constitution is the power of foamy-mouthed chanting in the face of corrupt politicans described.
In any case, all this longing for protest, magic pills and rebellion can only come from people who can't be bothered with trying to understand the process our civilization is undergoing....for the umpteenth time. They all react as if history started the day they first became outraged about some preceived unfairness. One thing that ties them all together is that they WILL suffer the consequences of their folly. Oh, I really hope theat great feeling they have about themselves will last until AFTER a few decades of abject oppression and misery at the hands of the rich socialist elite slave masters. THEN AND ONLY THEN will there be any kind of popular uprising.
Posted By: Joel S. Hirschhorn
Date: 2009-02-13 06:57:54
To Jahfre Fire Eater and other doubters and critics of the Article V convention option: first, none of us who support this see this as a magic bullet because there are none. Second, this option has one unique and very important characteristic: it is what our Founders and Framers gave us in OUR Constitution and I have always found it amazing and sad that so many people who seem to love and honor the Constitution do not accept what Article V gives us, nor do they appear overly concerned that Congress has blatantly disobeyed and dishonored the Constitution. For Walt: I have in a number of articles given examples of the types of amendments that would probably get and merit discussion at a convention; but FOAVC has a policy of not supporting specific amendments, because history has shown us that serious previous attempts to get a convention failed in large measure because of linkage to specific amendments whose opponents attacked the convention option itself. As to examples, I would expect a balanced budget amendment, one that removed all private money from all political campaigns in favor of total public financing (so called Clean Money/Clean Elections) which would open our system to new political parties, one that eliminated the Electoral College in favor of the popular vote for president, one that made Election Day a national holidary to increase voter turnout and possibly one that lowered the age for voting, and one that attacked gerrymandering of congressional districts. Again, I want to emphasize that a convention by itself can only propose amendments that must still be ratified by 3/4 of the states. Finally, one of the best arguments for trying the convention approach is that sticking with current corrupt, dysfunctional political plutocracy is the worst possible strategy.
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