Are You Ready?

October 6, 2007

The Revolution on Leadership Fraud in America Begins Today!

By Kevin Gosztola

The people of America stand vastly immobilized, as do the poor, middle class, and the elderly, all people who have been demoralized and disrespected in the past decade. While Americans protest the war, many forget that in order to be effective, no matter the number of people that gather, people must strike at the heart of the institutions that are corrupting and destroying our Constitution and this beautiful nation of ours. Too many neglect the fact that it is the very processes in which our leaders were elected that have led us to the point we are at today. Let’s not forget that we allowed a president to be elected in two consecutive elections that didn’t actually win. While some nations would have staged a coup, we staged a ceasefire because we bought into the idea that polarization was crippling America.

Polarization is not what cripples America. We can preach about the need for blue states and red states to come together. We can preach the need for all people of every color, ethnicity, and race, etc. to unite but if we fail to realize that what we are dealing with is ideas that support working with corruption and broken government versus ideas that do not support allowing corruption and broken government, than we see that there is only one solution.

Americans must commit to a long term vow to take back America in the same way that American revolutionaries claimed their freedom from King George over two centuries ago.

The title from King George to “King” George: How America Came and Went would be an apt title for a tale of how an empire rose and fell, but I do not want to be part of that narrative. I would rather be part of a narrative that involves rebel forces fighting the imperial forces and winning because of an all powerful force that echoes throughout the minds of Americans---this force being a drive to be moral, humane, and compassionate human beings that can together maintain security and sustainability nationally and internationally.

The process that currently exists requires us to elect people who represent us. It does not ask us to pick who we think will win but asks us to pick who should win. In our districts, in our state, in our nation, we must stand up for our rights and our nation. To help you, I have put together a brief questionnaire you can give to each candidate running for office. Based on his or her answers, you can decide if he or she deserves to have any power whatsoever in America.

1) What do you think about “war as an instrument of foreign policy”? Is peace attainable? How do you propose we attain peace if you believe in it?

2) Do you possess the strength and courage to take on corporate and special interests? Are you willing to take them on in the same way that Teddy Roosevelt did nearly a century ago when he broke up monopolies?

3) What do you propose as a solution to America’s health care crisis? If your solution is not single-payer not-for-profit health care, than how do you propose we tackle the crisis instead? How is that approach better than instituting a single-payer health care system?

4) How important is it to you that we institute a “living wage” in America? Do you believe in impressing the importance of having Americans work “service” jobs or “labor” jobs because these jobs keep our nation running? How do you propose that importance be impressed if not through a “living wage”?

5) How do you propose we handle global warming? What about a worker’s program to restructure our nation so it can be “green” or take on global warming so we can begin to curb the negative effects it is having on our planet? If not a worker’s program, what do you propose?

6) What do you think about tuition-free education from pre-school to public college? How can we institute that? If not, why is it not possible?

7) What is the importance of labor unions in America? What do you propose we do for labor? If your plan does not involve ending free trade agreements like NAFTA, what do you think we should do instead? How is that plan better?

8) What do you propose to do about the plague of debt in our society? How do you plan on handling home foreclosures, predatory lending, and crippling tax policies, which are decimating the poor and middle class? Why will you be capable of combating this plague?

9) What will you do to allow the people’s voice to be heard on the public airwaves instead of the corporate or establishment voice? Does your plan involve the Fairness Doctrine? If not, why? What changes can be made to the Fairness Doctrine so that we can still regulate an agreement that requires media outlets to give a voice to the people?

10) Will you tirelessly work to fix the processes in America that are keeping Americans disenfranchised and disgusted with the electoral process and the processes of governance in the executive, judicial, and legislative branches? Do you believe our Constitution has been damaged in the past decade? If so, what do you propose we do to repair our Constitution?

11) If necessary, will you vigorously pursue impeachment of elected leaders who undermine our nation and our Constitution?

A history of protesters and dissenters against the status quo has taught us many lessons. Bob LaFollette taught us the importance of progressive economics. Ralph Nader taught us the importance of corporate accountability. John L. Lewis taught us the importance of justice for workers. Rachel Carson taught us the importance of environmental accountability. Mother Teresa taught us the importance of compassion. Thomas Jefferson taught us the importance of democracy. George Washington taught us the importance of nationhood. Mahatma Gandhi taught us the importance of the dream of freedom through soul force. Susan B. Anthony taught us the importance of the dream of gender equality. Abraham Lincoln taught us the importance of the dream of union through equality. Martin Luther King Jr. taught us the importance of the dream of racial equality. And Jesus Christ taught us the importance of the dream of peace and personal transcendence.

Together, we can teach each other the importance of running a nation through community.

Join me in turning cynicism and defeatist mentalities into optimism and dreams of a better world.

Authors Website: myorwelliannightmare.newsvine.com

Authors Bio: Kevin Gosztola is from Mishawaka, Indiana. He is studying film at Columbia College in Chicago and loves movies but has an even greater love for this country. He has been reading political books and following politics since he was 15 years old feeling that it is necessary to pay attention to his country, a feeling that was instilled in him by his 5th grade teacher when she asked us all to watch the news every morning. He likes music especially music with politically charged lyrics or progressive undertones. He hopes to become a filmmaker who makes regular movies along with avant-garde ones and documentaries. In everything he does, he wants to fight for the greater good and also push the limits of what is accepte in society. He believes in life with no boundaries and loves the underdog. That's why he supports guys like Kucinich for 2008 even when people around him point at him and laugh calling him crazy. He's not afraid to lose if he knows what he's doing is right.

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The Nazis, Fascists and Communists were political parties before they became enemies of liberty and mass murderers.