December 13, 2008
by Cindy Sheehan
their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of
government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people
to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation
on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall
seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.
Preamble to the Declaration of Independence
"An army of principles can penetrate where an army of soldiers cannot."
Thomas Paine (Revolutionary)
I was recently in Cuba to attend a Human Right’s conference. Cuba is a lovely
country (with many problems still) that will be celebrating 50 years of Revolution
on January 1st of 2009.
Cuba is struggling economically because there are limits to what a tiny island
nation can do, especially when the mightiest nation on this planet sits menacingly
to the north and has maintained a blockade against trade and travel for many
decades. The nation of Cuba is struggling economically, but since they have
been able to survive (not quite thrive) after all this time gives the citizens
of Cuba a rightful pride and sense of unity that is not so apparent in The Empire
that has tried to crush them.
The Revolution led by the Castro brothers, Che Guevara and many other Cuban
heroes overthrew the US puppet government in Havana led by US proxy General
Fulgencio Batista. The puppet government was installed, in the US way, to protect
US business interests in Cuba over the impoverished Cuban people. At the time
of the Revolution 75% of Cuba’s arable land was owned by US agri-businesses.
The Cuban-elite took hundreds of millions of dollars of wealth from the country
when they fled along with Batista. The Revolution to Cubans not only means independence,
but it means literacy, education, healthcare, housing and, like I mentioned
before, a great sense of pride.
Traveling back from Cuba, I was sitting on the cramped plane next to a Bay
Area elderly Chinese woman who was returning from a luxury cruise to the Bahamas
who asked me: "Why did you choose Cuba to have a Human Right’s Conference
when their record on Human Right’s is not transparent?" Well, first of
all, that is not entirely true, but secondly, I asked her if we should have
had the conference in the US, when our record on Human Right’s is atrocious.
It is hard to criticize one nation when your own country is operating a medieval
style torture prison on that country’s soil.
The Revolution did not choose to isolate itself from the US; the US is the
one who hypocritically has full relations with Communist China and Communist
Vietnam, but not with one of our neighbors. Cuba has full and friendly diplomatic
relations with over 180 countries, the US and Israel being the most glaring
exceptions. Cuba has relations with Canada, Great Britain, Switzerland, Germany,
Italy, France and many other first world nations that the US also enjoys full
diplomatic relations with—the embargo or blockade begin to make less and less
sense when our allies do not join in the anti-Cuban rhetoric of our Robber class.
The Cuban Revolution is fresh and new in relation to the US Revolution against
the British that began over 232 years ago and the British were defeated in 1781,
only to return 31 years later to try and reclaim what they had lost. 50 years
into the American Revolution, our nation was being divided by the stain of immoral
African slavery and today, we are being divided by our Robber class who are
steadily impoverishing the rest of us to effectively destroy the middle-class
and put us all into the very hard working-poor class. The wars of aggression
that the US has been waging for 60 years (constantly and covertly in Latin America)
have contributed to the strength of the Robber class and the weakness of our
economy and standing around the world.
Despite an Obama victory, many people in our nation are fed up to nearly bursting
with empty rhetoric and change only for the worse. Obama will be a successful
President if you belong to the Robber class, but there are millions of us who
know that the Robber class only exists to perpetuate its sick-self and will
stop at nothing until it has reduced the US to a 3rd world nation populated
by citizens who have X-Boxes and computers, bought on credit, but no money to
pay for the electricity to run them.
The Robber class won’t stop until millions more people lose their homes and
are put out into the streets. Millions of homes already stand vacant and in
disrepair while potential occupants are freezing on the cold streets or in tent
cities.
The Robber class won’t stop until all unions are busted and those who do have
jobs are working for pittances. Why was it so important for Congress to bailout
the banksters who are raping our country for millions while Congress and the
"Big 3" collude to make sure any bailout of the auto industry insures
that workers will be harmed?
In the final death-throes of our Empire and the eventual total collapse of
our economy, who will be the winners and who will be the losers? Will we restructure
in the way Cuba did? Will our "leaders" make sure that every American
is educated, housed and taken care of medically? Or will the Robber class continue
to function in the way they always have? In their protected mansions under heavy
guard living in the style they have been accustomed to, while we, their complacent
financiers suffer unspeakable hardship?
It is up to us. We are the sovereigns in this country. Will we continue to
dress in pink, sing cutesy songs and drop frilly pink banners off of buildings
hoping that our pink energy will waft up to the Robbers and overcome them with
integrity, or will we rediscover our Revolutionary roots and start demanding
a more equitable redistribution of the wealth and resources (and not just here
in the US).
The Declaration of Independence also says that EVERYONE is created equal with
certain "inalienable" rights: The right to life, liberty and the pursuit
of happiness." These rights are "inalienable" for everyone, not
just for The Empire’s Robber class. Rights should not pit one human against
another or rob most people of their prosperity and security to give an overabundance
to so few.
I am calling all patriots for humanity without borders to join me!
Oh no, is Cindy Sheehan calling for an armed revolution to overthrow a "Democratically"
elected government? As if We the People ever get to vote on our choices for
President, anyway—the Robber class chooses Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dumdum
for us. No, I am not calling, nor ever will call for violence. We saw a militant,
yet peaceful action, win in Chicago this week when the demands of the plant
workers were met.
Together, over 300,000,000 of us have untapped and almost infinite power for
change here in the States. If we could channel this into what Martin Luther
King, Jr. called a "Revolution of values," we could overthrow the
Robber class without a shot being fired from our side.
What if the shrinking working class all decided to stop paying our Federal
taxes? What if we organized in every Congressional district and state to overthrow
our Robber class government by huge electoral majorities?
What if we organized to throw monkey wrenches in the cogs of the US war machine
by sustained actions against military recruitment centers, ports and bases all
over the country like activists did in the Port of Seattle and active duty soldiers
did during Vietnam?
Millions of jobs have been lost and off-shored since George took office. What
if this Revolution of Values organized to support one another in these sustained
actions for true change? What if the workers took over every plant and started
on the path to clean, renewable and sustainable forms of energy, farming, and
transportation?
We can do it, in reality, but it will take millions of us committed to the
Revolution like the millions of people in Cuba have been for decades.
CODE-RED: People for Revolution, is a nascent idea that will take organization
and commitment from We the People who remember our Revolutionary roots and want
profound, revolutionary change.
If you would like to join, or organize in your area, please email me at: Cindy@CindyforCongress.org
Viva the Revolution!
USA libre!
(Free the US)
Hasta la vctoria siempre!
(Forever, until victory)