Solution To World Problems

by Tony O' Reilly - none Thu Oct 31, 2002 12:13 dep1 at eircom dot net

this link should get to the relevant site

by iosaf mac diarmada - reclaim the streets & genome (for peace) Thu Oct 31, 2002 13:48 iosaf at email dot com codols 23 barcelona 08002 0034679708674

we never had "world" problems before.
We had serious civilisation wide problems
be they in Western, Russian, China etc.,
Till the development of New World Order and its associative neo-liberal global capitalist system which I prefer to term "hyper-capitalism" we did not see "global" problems with unitary "global" causes.
As long as the USA continues to implement "full spectrum dominance" we shall see no end of such "global" problems.
However it is vitally important for all to remember that Earth is now a global community with interconnected problems, which traditional modelling and critical methods do not properly fit.
That is why many anti-globalist anarchists refer to WW4.
it is odd that WW1 was a european war, and WW2 was two conflicts together, WW3 was a cold war between superpowers occasionally including China but never reached full global transantional status.

by Tony O' Reilly Thu Oct 31, 2002 16:34 dep1 at eircom dot net

I think, in the past, we have had 'world problems'. I mean the wealth of independent countries has been siphoned off by imperialists/ colonialists etc. for centuries. I grant that the current worldwide scourge is a new, lethal twist. But the basic problem, of power crazed 'leaders' looking to boost their bank balances / egos etc. while not caring one bit about those they destroy is the same.

I also don't agree that there is one cause of current problems i.e. USA. For a start I see that the Elite domination of the world is not confined to USA. Elite scheming exists in all countries.

And Joe Public often pays the bill (through tax) and often indirectly throws fuel on the fires that are lit worldwide in the name of capitalism by investing in shares/pension funds (and expecting profits).

Tax was invented for the purpose of war, and to this day the real reason for the collection of tax is equally conniving. Our money is collected and pooled, and we are told given back to us via hospitals, roads, police etc. Obviously, the squandering/ corruption / thieving / murder that is paid for by tax is not advertised by those who collect it.

So, what can we do? Back to solving our own problems locally. If we can solve our local community's problems locally then we should do so. Why should we pay tax to Capital City and then expect them to send someone down to fix our problem? Do it ourselves. This way, the Elites get less (no) money to start their wars with.

And we need to educate ourselves as to how what we do NOW, TODAY effects people elsewhere. (e.g. our pensions.

I know that solving local problems is not going to make the USS Mass Murder turn around and sail home, but the process of people taking back power form the insane tyrants has to start locally.

Again I recommend 'Zen Of Global Transformation'. It's only 15 pages long or so, and well worth a read. I'm a believer in it, and I will remain so. Sometimes, in the creative search for a better world, there seem to be far too many architects and too few labourers. Nothing gets built.

One solution is enough.

by iosaf ( anois is aris) - reclaim the streets & genome (for peace) Thu Oct 31, 2002 23:03 iosaf at email dot com barcelona

Tax was not invented for the purposes of war.
The study of taxation is very closely linked to the study of proto-semitic languages and orthogeraphical systems, an area of study I´ve given some of my more "dilletante-ish" spare time to over the last ten years.
Taxation appears to have developed as means allocate percentages of "surplus" within early urban/agro-economic civilisation to define elites and serve the education of their children.

I maintain that we have a new situation now because in the traditional critical device models of analysing Western Civilisation the left falls down.

One example, the freedom of Capital.
as reported in THE ECONOMIST world review of this year (spring edition) freedom of gloval capital has only returned to levels enjoyed between 1912 and 1914. Thus "hyper-capitalism" has not led to free-er capital, just a return to an imperialist norm.
However in the same period the peoples of earth have gone from being "ruled" by less than 50 "rulers" to being citizens of more than 200 countries.
In Europe we see over 125 recognised regions, 150 jurisdictions, and many nation and supernational states.
These political devolopment can only be traced back to 1867 at most.
I had thought to be challenged on Famine.
Usually people say "Famine has always been a global problem", I had prepared myself to wax lyrical on the geographical phenomona on famine and pestilance, tracing the development of blight throughout mid 19th century Europe, but sure you didn´t go for the famine... )-:

I very much support your aims of ethical pensions, but as an anarchist I argue against Capital and money being seen as a source of either happiness or security.
I see a world of 500 multi-national-corporations and their respective governmental lobbies and defence blocks fighting each other for over 80% of the wealth of this planet, and in doing so damning all of us to unsustainability.

If you can persuade some to bank their money with conscious I applaud you, but I and many others will continue to work against the banking system in the first place.

The planet currently boasts 39 trillion € GDP.
This figure is generated from taxed and legal income and is furnished by the CIA on the website.

I think that means
YA BASTA.
we have enough money.
And never before did we, those old imperialist systems were based on Gold standard and operated without the Cyber-world. Two effects which can not be discounted.
REally Tony do try out the WW4 critical tool.

by iosaf (slight return) Fri Nov 01, 2002 13:43

:ONE:

Pension plans are an abuse of the older members of our society, It is a peculiarity of our society that people are bonded to their future by fear of hunger and made "save for those rainy days". The current banking and mortgage systems exploit these fears of young and old alike. The move to private pensions has as any red block activist will tell you undermined the social care aspect of the "liberal democratic contract" as it stood in Europe in the post WW2 period. It is nonsensical that society can dictate when an individual will stop being productive and impose conditions on their economic security resulting from that inactivity.
Now I don´t pretent to be able to persuade the "greys" of Europe or North America to go into open revolt against this current system, however not until we seriously rethink the purpose of work, wage and allocation of "humanright needs" [food, housing medicine, etc...] shall we see a better world.

:TWO:

Budhism in its present popular form entered the Western Civilised imagination and popular culture with all the "Zen" trappings when a young Dalai Lama walked for 33 days across Tibet to escape the political control of the Chinese in March 1959. Budhism of all the world religions has recieved the most support from American interests since as its "do nothing" approach to real problems is not particularly problematic for the Hyper-capitalist.

by Tony O' Reilly Fri Nov 01, 2002 18:37

Agreeing with Iosaf in the main.

Appreciate corrections to any inaccurate statements in my piece.

Still, ..... if the world is to change for the better... surely the great mass of people will have to row behind that change.

One point I'd make is that the change will have to begin gently, and I feel that the mere mention of 'anarchy' is a dirty word to the general public.

Do you think anarchism can become more acceptable?

Have to go.... will return to this link.

by iosaf = o as if - reclaim the streets & genome Fri Nov 01, 2002 19:02 iosaf at email dot com barcelona

is not just to win a Nobel prize
but to help Anarchy become "more acceptable".
:-)
Maybe
we should "rebrand" anarchy as New anarchy?
no seriously the expansion of property to include intelectual and biotech, gave anarchy the common ground it had been deprived of for more than a century with other alternative political movements.
At present anarchists perhaps suffer the most loss of confidence to the general public for being percieved as "extreme" left.
We still haven´t managed to communicate our very "alternativism" to the wider political audience in Europe or North America.
The development of Indymedia and also the writings and very character of Marcus and the EZLN also gave impetus to much we were arguing.
Let in not be forgotten that when subcomandant Marcus arrived amongst the indiginous indians of Mexico he did so as an avowed Marxist. It was only a short while for him to realise that Marxist philosophy collapses in a world without concept of "money" or capital.
Anarcho-ideas will shape the relationship between "western civilisation" and the rest of the planet this century. Because there is no realistic alternative. "Western Civilisation" is at present set on a course of mutual assured destruction because of its pursuance of non-sustainable development and antagonism to "non-western civilisations". Though whether or not these changes will be acknowledged as "anarcho-solutions" I yet do not know.
Happy Halloween weekend!
= Shona Samhain doibh!