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, December 11, 2012

Class War in Michigan

Click here if you wish to access the source and transcript of this 14:58m video in which Paul Jay interviews Frank Hammer who "now organizes with the Auto Worker Caravan, an association of active and retired auto workers who advocate for workers demands in Washington."

This discussion was held before today's action by the Michigan legislature which passed anti-union legislation.
We're having an all-out assault on Michigan's working class. We're having an all-out assault on the urban centers in Michigan. We're having an all-out assault on education. It's a general—if there was ever talk about class warfare, we are seeing class warfare.