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

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Mike McConnell, the WashPost & the dangers of sleazy corporatism

by Glenn Greenwald. This article is important for two reasons: first, it illustrates how American fake democracy works by tracking one individual as he moves in and out of government and corporations; second, it once again reports on efforts by a powerful corporation to increase surveillance and control of US citizens' access to the internet which is frequently lauded in US media as a bastion of freedom in contrast to nations like China.