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

Thursday, January 14, 2010

China responds to Google hacking claims

From the Guardian in Beijing.

Notice the rank hypocrisy from US administration figures re this issue. What about the use of telecommunication services in the US to spy on its citizens? See this and this. It is rather nauseating to see US government leaders wrap themselves in civil rights righteousness when they are so deep into this surveillance activity.