In the Vietnam War protest song, "Five to One," Jim Morrison of The Doors
sings:
The old get old/And the young get stronger
May take a week/And it may take longer
They got the guns/But we got the numbers
Gonna win, yeah/We're takin' over
In my youth, I took solace in the whole "we got the numbers" thing. The very
idea filled with me hope...but little did I know, the ones with the guns
have had it all figured out for a very, very long time. Philosopher David
Hume‹in 1758‹explained it this way: "As force is always on side of the
governed, the governors have nothing to support them but opinion. It is,
therefore, on opinion only that government is founded and this maxim extends
to the most despotic and most military governments as well as to the most
free and most popular."
"The corporate grip on opinion in the United States is one of the wonders of
the Western world," adds Gore Vidal. "No First World country has ever
managed to eliminate so entirely from its media all objectivity‹much less
dissent."
This potent combination of muscle and misinformation manifested itself in
the events leading up to the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. On February 15 of
that year, tens of millions of earthlings marched and carried signs to
declare their unambiguous disapproval of America's plan to drastically
ratchet up what had essentially been a 12-plus year war against the people
of Iraq.
The massive global protests were barely noticed.
The shock-and-awe invasion went on as planned.
The repulsive occupation continues to this day.
Doesn't say a whole lot for "having the numbers," huh?
"We" also had the numbers last summer when it came to who did and didn't
support Israel's assault on the Lebanese populace. Outside of a select few
in Israel, Great Britain, and the United States, the vast majority of our
planet's human population were vociferously against the actions of the
Israeli government and its U.S.-funded armed forces. But once again, the
numbers just didn't add up. As long as America's ruling elite avoided any
mention of a ceasefire, Lebanon remained doomed to its fate...no matter how
many of us didn't like it.
In these and countless other cases, "we" have had the numbers. "We" still
have the numbers. Morrison's "they," however, give no indication they'll be
surrendering their guns any time soon. As a result, dissent in America is
pretty much limited to marches, protests, boycotts, petitions, candlelight
vigils, Michael Moore documentaries, the occasional vote for a third party
candidate, and articles like this one. All of these methods (at least in
their safe-for-mass-consumption versions) are deemed "legal" by those with
the guns and, in their own way, legitimize the power held by those with the
guns. Thus, all such tactics are ultimately impotent in terms of provoking
systemic, long term change. If you don't believe me, ask yourself why you
haven't taken your rebellion beyond the methods listed above. Your answer is
likely the same as mine: "We've got the numbers, but they've got the guns."
Maybe author Derrick Jensen had it right when he said: "We still think we
have something to lose. That's what's stopping us. As soon as we realize we
have nothing left to lose we'll be dangerous." After all, as Jim Morrison
sang: "No one here gets out alive."
Mickey Z. can be found on the Web at http://www.mickeyz.net.
Well, most people do not engage in civil disobedience, general strikes or occupations of corporate and government institutions in the US. apparently, because "they" have the guns. Of course, "they" had the guns in Argentina and Bolivia, too. They still have them in Mexico, but somehow people have managed to bring their message to the street and sustain it.
Then again, the British had the guns in 1776, too; and in India with Ghandi. Americans too have the guns. Do "they" comprise the bulk of the police and the troops. In Venezuela, 2002, it was the military troops not the military leaders who saved Venezuelan democracy. Then again, Chavez had the respect of Venezuela's troops. Apparently, it is Bush who has the respect of America's troops.
American has two problems. American police and troops, in general, do not love their country's democracy or respect their country's constitution. The American public is incapable of sustaining a public protest. Both essentially lack courage and the will to get it done.
And the rest of us are suffering for it! Blue
1
February 18, 2007
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In the Vietnam War protest song, "Five to One," Jim Morrison of The Doors
sings:
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