Send a note to Lynne Stewart!

CLICK THE PIC OF RALPH AND LYNNE TO LISTEN TO CINDY SHEEHAN'S SOAPBOX WITH SPECIAL GUEST, RALPH POYNTER TO HEAR ABOUT LYNNE'S CASE.

To my hero, Lynne Stewart

REG. NO. 53504-054

FEDERAL MEDICAL CENTER, CARSWELL

PO BOX 27137

FT. WORTH, TX 76127

Dear Lynne,

It was so wonderful and inspiring to receive your holiday greeting! I think of you and the injustice that you are experiencing and the grace and dignity that you show in a situation that would cripple many people.

I also send healing thoughts and love for your health issues and hope you are getting good care in prison.

My friends and supporters also send love and holiday greetings back to you.

To address something that you said in your note: yes, the Occupy Movement is very righteous and has some powerful grievances against the criminal elite class in this country and the world. But if I see a weakness in the movement, it’s that it doesn’t want to make any demands and enforce them with the power of its numbers and it seems to not want to hear the wisdom of the elders. If there’s one thing that I have learned, it’s that we don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time we begin a new action.

2011 was a terrible year for police state oppression and war. On my radio show, I have spoken with the families of or legal representatives of political prisoners, including your husband, Ralph. I just returned from Cuba where I attended a symposium on the Cuban 5. I know that you know that George Bush and his regime didn’t invent any of these tactics and it’s so demoralizing to many people that Obama is continuing them: including allowing your unjustifiable incarceration and that of Bradley Manning.

My hope for 2012 is that the people’s movement that is arising addresses more the issues of war and peace and the alarming nature of the rise of the oppressive police state here at home.

You are loved and may 2012 return you to your loved ones and freedom!

In, love, peace, solidarity and admiration!

Cindy Sheehan

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What Consistently, Courageously, Intelligently and Interestingly Challenges the War Makers?

 ... Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox .. That's What!

To All Our Friends and Supporters Who Care…

 Happy New Year and Happy Holidays:

For the past three years Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox has been producing a weekly radio show centered around guest interviews that help bring into focus important issues from an alternative left-wing viewpoint.  

Past guests have included:

Roseanne Barr  

Cynthia McKinney

Troy Davis' sister, the late, Martina Correia

Ann Wright

Dr. Michio Kaku - theoretical scientist

Eva Golinger

Arun Gandhi - the grandson of the Mahatma

Rachel Corrie's mother, Cindy

Yoko Ono

Helen Thomas

Robert Fisk

Professor Angela Davis 

Daniel Ellsberg

Tommy Chong

Ambassador Edward Peck

John Pilger

Russell Means

The late Howard Zinn

Congressman Dennis Kucinich

Malalai Joya (Afghan Parliamentarian)

Actor, Mike Farrell

Dahr Jamail

Rosa Clemente (Green Party Candidate for VP)

Gore Vidal

Jesse Ventura

John Perkins

Graham Nash

...and the list goes on and on.

Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox is run on donations from listeners.  

No corporate or compromised dollars control the direction or content of the show.  

The comments and feedback from our listeners oftentimes guide the content and guests selected for interviews.  In fact, many of the guests are sometimes the activist/listeners themselves - people who are making a difference in their respective area with various organizations local and national. 

In 2012, as Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox continues to grow we are going to be broadcasting on two new radio networks: UWS - United We Strike and CPR - Community Progressive Radio.  Both networks are aimed at bringing the stories and issues to the public that mainstream media seems to overlook.

If there has been one unifying theme of Cindy Sheehan's Work and the Soapbox it is the desire to increase our efforts for peace and justice.  That really is the heart and soul of the show and none of this could happen without united action.  No one person can do it his/herself.  It takes the efforts and resources of many to achieve peace and justice for the many.

Our nation and our world are at a crossroads, and independent voices and media are needed to help us choose the right path.

Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox has been overwhelmed with pleas to stay connected and broadcasting, we can only do it with your support.

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Never-ending War: R.I.P. Brian Arredondo

"He Suffered So Much"  Brian Arredondo, R.I.P. May 10, 1987 to 12/19/2011 Cindy Sheehan Brian Arredondo was 17 when his 20 year-old brother, Alex, a U.S. Marine, was killed in Iraq on 25 August, 2004—he was 24 this past Monday, 19 December, when he took his own life. Recall that Carlos Arredondo, the father of Alex and Brian, his only children, was so distraught when the Marines came to tell him that his oldest son was killed, he caught their van and himself on fire, burning over 26% of his body. His recovery from his physical wounds was long and difficult, but his emotional wounds from having his son killed by the U.S. government in its illegal and immoral war in Iraq will never completely heal. However, I know since my son, Casey, was killed in Iraq only four months before Alex, that Carlos was beginning to be able to get through his days without overwhelming pain before his other son committed suicide. Carlos, and his wife, Melida (stepmother to the boys) are part of our Camp Casey family and the wider peace movement. Carlos credits Camp Casey with giving him his “voice” to be able to speak for Alex and against the war that took his life. When we held our Camp Casey gatherings, Carlos would always be there with his rolling monument to his son, Alex, and he would often be the first one to get up in the morning and the last one to go to bed—he was always working and there for me when I needed a bottle of water, a plate of food, or a hug. However, Carlos could always take a break to talk to a visitor to make him/her feel welcome, and share his son’s story. Carlos and Melida are wonderful people who have sacrificed much for peace—and even though I wouldn’t wish this kind of pain on anybody—they did not deserve to bury even one son, let alone two. Of course, my love also goes out to Brian's mom, whom I have never met, but I wish her healing, also. When I spoke to the Arredondos on the phone today, Carlos told me that Brian, “suffered so much,” from the death of his brother, and it’s so sad that siblings are often forgotten in the heartache of loss. Brian’s suffering has now ended, but his family’s and other loved ones has just begun. It’s often said that what doesn’t kill a person makes him/her “stronger,” and although that saying is annoying, it’s true. I know Carlos and Melida have incredible strength and I have found depths of strength that I never knew I had since I have a daily survival struggle from the tragic death of my son. Sadly, Brian could never fully recover and was recently told by mental health professionals that "nothing was wrong" with him—he tragically fell through the cracks as so many in our dispassionate society often do. Besides the fact that I adore the Arredondos and know about the struggle they have had with Brian over the years, this terrible news highlights the glaring truth that, even though wars may end (and I dispute that the war on Iraq has even ended), for some people, the tragedy and pain never will be over. I am profoundly sorry for the pain of our losses, but war does terrible things to people. It doesn’t matter if a person supports war, or doesn’t, it’s undeniable that war causes everlasting pain and irreparable damage. The President and Vice President of the U.S. may be celebrating the “end” of the Iraq War, but on Monday, December 19, 2011, that war of choice for profit claimed another innocent victim: handsome, sensitive, and compassionate, beautiful soul, Brian Arredondo. How many more will suffer? The country of Iraq is spoiled with depleted uranium and babies are being born with birth defects and children are dying from leukemia and other war-related illnesses every day, still. How many years will it take the Iraqi people to recover from the decades’ long devastation the U.S. has caused? How many of our veterans will commit suicide, or die from long, painful deaths from DU poisoning, emotional scars, or other wounds? Wars never truly end, so the best thing to do is never allow them to begin in the first place. If the reader is in a position to do so, please send a donation to Brian’s memorial fund to help cover the funeral expenses. Send donations to: Brian Arredondo Memorial Fund, at The Cooperative Bank 40 Belgrade Avenue Roslindale, MA 02131 Brian’s Wake: Tuesday, December 27, 2011 Time: 4:00pm until 9:00pm Mann and Rodgers Funeral Home 44 Perkins Street, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts Brian’s Funeral Mass Weds, December 28th Time: 12noon to 2pm St Thomas Aquinas Parish IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEND A CARD DIRECTLY TO THE ARREDONDOS, THEIR ADDRESS IS:  11 Seymour Street Roslindale, MA 02131 Brian and dad, Carlos in July 2011

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The Politics of Lesser Evilism by Ted Rall

Rally at Occupy Concord, Ca with Cindy Sheehan on 11/17/11

Protest the Robber Class Chase Bank in Woodland with Cindy Sheehan

Turn, Turn, Turn: An Important Message from Cindy Sheehan

Turn, Turn, Turn Dear Friends, I have some wonderful news, after almost two years and much stress, heart break, and inspiration, I am within a couple of weeks of finishing my project, Revolution, A Love Story. As some of you may remember, or not, Revolution, A Love Story began as a documentary project after I traveled to Venezuela in February-March of 2010 to interview President Hugo Chávez for Cindy Sheehan’s Soapbox Radio Show. I had a terrible split with one of the cameramen, who was my roommate at the time, who not only absconded with the footage for the film, but with thousands of dollars of merchandise that belonged to my non-profit, Peace of the Action. The end of last year was terrible for me, but it wasn’t the first time I had been stabbed in the back by someone whom I trusted—it was just the worst time. Anyway, since I do write, I decided to write a book based on my research and to be able to give something to my supporters (the one who stole the footage had no supporters and didn’t raise one penny for the project) who pre-ordered the movie to give us some working capital. It took me way longer to write than my previous books, perhaps because I never tried to write a book while being a grandmother to four adorable babies before, but I don’t know. I was still busy with my radio show, blog, protesting and traveling the world on my almost 8-year long quest for peace. So, the wonderful news is that by the end of this year, I can fulfill my commitment to my supporters to deliver a product to them. It’s not what I hoped it would be, but it’s something. So here’s the difficult news I have to share. I have been waging a mighty internal struggle for some time and have come to some important conclusions. The movement moved away from me a long time ago, or I moved away from it when I realized that the Democratic Party was part of the problem, and not worth investing any time or energy into. It doesn’t matter who moved away from whom at this point because it’s become increasingly difficult for me to survive—I don’t want to become rich from circumstances leading from my son’s death and that’s why I have poured most of my earnings back into the movement, but the struggle to remain a full-time activist that hasn’t sold out her principles has grown too great. I am literally just one person, now; I can’t do it anymore. I don't think anyone, friend or foe, can't say that I haven't tried my hardest. I have also come to terms with the fact that, contrary to what I believe, Cindy Sheehan’s Soapbox must not be a good show, because it is not supported. Since January of 2009, when the show premiered, it has always been a struggle to pay the Soapbox bills. The only way it has remained on the air for the last six months, however, is because my staff has been working for free and I cannot ask them to do that any longer. I appreciate the help from them all and appreciate that they believed in the show, but banging ones head against the wall just gives one a headache. I can’t afford to pay for the bandwidth to keep the show on the air or the email service I use to send out my reminders and other info anymore, either. For me, at least, sadly, Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox is signing off. For everything there is a season and some of the events of this past year show great promise for a renewed sense of activism and empowerment, but even though I have been preaching this gospel for years, now, and organized the post-911’s first Occupy activity (Camp Casey in Crawford, Tx), a new generation is arising. I am super-happy about that and super-excited that the energy is there and the OWS movement has the resources it needs to do whatever it thinks it needs to do. I am not needed and that’s perfectly fine by me. The only thing that’s not fine with me is that foreign policy issues are getting scarier and scarier, and it doesn’t seem that there’s currently much of a movement to address this. Like I said, I put everything into working for peace: my heart, my soul, my money, etc, and the only thing I have to show for it is some dusty awards and a bank account that has a negative balance of $4. The Evil Empire is even farther away from peace than it was when my son was killed and this is a fact that causes me much pain and frustration. This is not a message asking anyone for money. I will never ask you for money again. I have to sell my soul, swallow my principles (like someone just reminded me, people do it every day—but it won’t be easy) work with the IRS and find a job, or assistance to go back to school, or something. Life has two guarantees: either everything will be okay, or it won’t. I have a strong feeling that I will be okay, because I have survived the worst thing any mother can survive, the pre-mature and unnecessary death of a child. Somehow, I am always “okay," and I will continue to do what I can as a part-time peace and justice activist. I can’t even express my gratitude strongly enough for all the love and support that each of you have shown me over the years and give thanks for the memories, because there have been far more good ones than bad ones. I am excited to begin this new phase of my life. In May of 2007, when I resigned as “face of the antiwar movement,” I was physically ill and profoundly exhausted, I can’t say that now! I honestly feel healthier and in better physical shape than I have been in years. This message is not self-pity party because I have no regrets. Regrets are for those that live in the past. I do detect a certain amount of irony, however, in the fact that the murderers responsible for my son's death seem to be prospering and have an endless stream of opporunities available to them. It would be funny if it weren't so tragic and continuous. Oh, one last thing I will ask of you all—does anyone know any job available for someone that can read, write, speak in public, has a better than average grasp of current events, is articulate, can cause trouble with the best of them, and who is fearless, funny and smart? I'm the woman! Love and peace, Cindy Sheehan PEACE OUT! Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox, LLC PO BOX 6264 Vacaville, Ca 95696

Occupy Revolution: Order your PDF copy of Revolution, A Love Story by Cindy Sheehan

Finally!

Cindy's tribute to Hugo Chávez and his Bolivarian Revolution, Revolution, A Love Story,  is at the editor for final edits and should be completely finished within the next two weeks, (more or less)!

If you haven't ordered your copy yet, use the links below to order.

If you would like a signed copy (by Cindy) of the cover sheet mailed to you, please choose option 2.

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Look forward to Cindy's next book, provocatively titled: 

I Left My Marbles in San Francisco.

The road to the finished product of Revolution, A Love Story was long and sometimes arduous, but always inspiring and rewarding.

Cindy Sheehan interviews President Hugo Chavez

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Cindy Sheehan to attend 1st Amendment Party at Occupy Sacto

Cindy Sheehan, dozens of others may be arrested
Wednesday night at Occupy Sacramento; City
expected to play the role of 'Scrooge' again
 
SACRAMENTO – Occupy Sacramento has announced it will hold a "First Amendment Party" at Cesar Chavez Park Wednesday night – and that it expects the City of Sacramento  to again play the Scrooge.
 
The "Party" begins at 11:01 p.m. Wednesday night at Cesar Chavez Park, one minute after the city imposed curfew, which has led to 87 misdemeanor arrests since Occupy Sacramento started Oct. 6. "Occupiers" are expected to gather between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m.
 
Cindy Sheehan, and participants from the greater Sacramento area, foothills, Stockton, Elk Grove and Woodland are expected to join the festivities. But dozens of arrests may occur if the City maintains its "zero tolerance" policy.  
 
Nine jury trials are set to begin Dec. 13. The District Attorney refused to prosecute, but the City of Sacramento is pursing the cases, which carry six-month jail sentences for a curfew violation.
 
 Occupy Sacramento maintains the First Amendment does not end at 11 p.m. (midnight on weekends), and that free speech and freedom of assembly rights continue for 24 hours a day, despite a local ordinance banning First Amendment activities in city parks at night.
 

International Pariahs by Cindy Sheehan

I happened to be watching CSPAN today and was “treated” to a rebroadcast (From 12/2) speech by Leon Panetta, who recently was the head of the CIA, but now is Secretary of Defense for the USA (that info is important for this article).

The obsequious, Leon, was speaking at the Saban Conference (organized by a very modest Haim SABAN of Power Ranger fame and of the SABAN Center for Middle East Policy at the allegedly “liberal” stink tank, Brookings Institute). The conference was entitled: Strategic Challenges in a New Middle East. In Haim’s intro of Leon, he states (verbatim) that one of the challenges of Israel, in this “New Middle East,” is how to “sustain the occupation,” of Palestine. 

Leon isn't the first politician in the U.S. to pledge his/her undying love and fervent loyalty to Israel, in fact, I think it's a Congressional right of passage, but clearly, recent uprisings in the Middle East have shaken the Zionist state of Israel and its shills to the core. Leon is just one of those shills—a Catholic who admits in his keynote address that, as U.S. Secretary of Defense, one of his “key priorities” is “strengthening the bond between the U.S. and Israel", and “of course,” he takes his commitment to the safety of Israel very seriously and he meets with his Israeli counterparts frequently in their “shared efforts to strengthen Israeli security.” Maybe I am naïve, but isn’t the job of the SecDef of the U.S. to ensure the safety of the U.S? It’s been obvious for quite some time that the “special relationship” that the U.S. and Israel share has harmed the U.S. I don’t see any benefit that the U.S. receives from that special relationship.

In fact, Israel receives the most foreign aid from the U.S. than any other country and Leon assured the conference attendees that even though the U.S. has some severe economic troubles here at home, extra money and military hardware will keep flowing to Israel. Leon did receive a question from the audience about the possibility of foreign aid being reduced to Israel, and I swear, he was almost on the verge of tears over the remote likelihood that the U.S. government would actually do something for peace and that makes a little sense. 

Israel’s oppressive and violent “occupation” (SABAN’S word) of Palestine with the support, encouragement, and protection of the U.S. (especially in the UN) pours gasoline on the flames of hatred towards this country. In his speech, Leon Panetta reiterated that one of the reasons for the U.S.’s oppressive and violent occupation of Iraq was for Israel’s safety in the region. Of course, U.S. regional violence combined with Israeli regional violence is a dangerous cocktail of provocation that only decreases regional stability--but I have a feeling Leon and his Israeli counterparts have never been interested in stability. Their actions speak so loud, the hollow words get drowned out. 

During the Q and A period, many of the questions revolved around the Iran “issue.” Leon called Iran a “pariah state.” Seriously, I guess it takes one member of a “pariah state” to recognize another.

Look, I don’t know if Iran is a “pariah state” or not—I receive a lot of conflicting information. I know that I am uncomfortable with religious fundamentalism whether it be Jewish, Christian, or Muslim. I do know that I am certain that I oppose nuclear power and, most of all, nuclear weapons and will vigorously protest the usage of that technology; however, Iran is a sovereign state that is unfortunately situated not too far away from a state with hundreds of known nuclear weapons: Israel. And how many nukes and nuclear power plants does the country Leon lives in have? Hmm? 

With many of Israel's neighbors in internal/external turmoil, the Lebanon-ization of the Middle East is nearly complete. Also, many of the leaders who were critical of the regional hegemon, Israel; or the international, hegemon, the U.S.A., have been either killed or run-off. It’s called “divide and conquer” and occupiers have been skilled at using this strategy for millennia.

Iran has not been the aggressor in any wars for centuries, but the “pariah states” of the U.S. and Israel have. With Russia joining the saber rattling, it would seriously behoove the rest of us as members of humanity to look beyond our noses at the cauldron of instability and bloody wars that the Pariah States are stirring up.

In the meantime, I am going to register a complaint with my cable provider at the soft-core porn love affair I was subjected to between Leon Panetta and Israel that it rebroadcast today. Disgusting!

Why Socialism by Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein is the world-famous physicist. This article was originally published in the first issue of Monthly Review (May 1949). It was subsequently published in May 1998 to commemorate the first issue of MR‘s fiftieth year.

Is it advisable for one who is not an expert on economic and social issues to express views on the subject of socialism? I believe for a number of reasons that it is.


Let us first consider the question from the point of view of scientific knowledge. It might appear that there are no essential methodological differences between astronomy and economics: scientists in both fields attempt to discover laws of general acceptability for a circumscribed group of phenomena in order to make the interconnection of these phenomena as clearly understandable as possible. But in reality such methodological differences do exist. The discovery of general laws in the field of economics is made difficult by the circumstance that observed economic phenomena are often affected by many factors which are very hard to evaluate separately. In addition, the experience which has accumulated since the beginning of the so-called civilized period of human history has—as is well known—been largely influenced and limited by causes which are by no means exclusively economic in nature. For example, most of the major states of history owed their existence to conquest. The conquering peoples established themselves, legally and economically, as the privileged class of the conquered country. They seized for themselves a monopoly of the land ownership and appointed a priesthood from among their own ranks. The priests, in control of education, made the class division of society into a permanent institution and created a system of values by which the people were thenceforth, to a large extent unconsciously, guided in their social behavior.


But historic tradition is, so to speak, of yesterday; nowhere have we really overcome what Thorstein Veblen called “the predatory phase” of human development. The observable economic facts belong to that phase and even such laws as we can derive from them are not applicable to other phases. Since the real purpose of socialism is precisely to overcome and advance beyond the predatory phase of human development, economic science in its present state can throw little light on the socialist society of the future.


Second, socialism is directed towards a social-ethical end. Science, however, cannot create ends and, even less, instill them in human beings; science, at most, can supply the means by which to attain certain ends. But the ends themselves are conceived by personalities with lofty ethical ideals and—if these ends are not stillborn, but vital and vigorous—are adopted and carried forward by those many human beings who, half unconsciously, determine the slow evolution of society.


For these reasons, we should be on our guard not to overestimate science and scientific methods when it is a question of human problems; and we should not assume that experts are the only ones who have a right to express themselves on questions affecting the organization of society.


Innumerable voices have been asserting for some time now that human society is passing through a crisis, that its stability has been gravely shattered. It is characteristic of such a situation that individuals feel indifferent or even hostile toward the group, small or large, to which they belong. In order to illustrate my meaning, let me record here a personal experience. I recently discussed with an intelligent and well-disposed man the threat of another war, which in my opinion would seriously endanger the existence of mankind, and I remarked that only a supra-national organization would offer protection from that danger. Thereupon my visitor, very calmly and coolly, said to me: “Why are you so deeply opposed to the disappearance of the human race?”


I am sure that as little as a century ago no one would have so lightly made a statement of this kind. It is the statement of a man who has striven in vain to attain an equilibrium within himself and has more or less lost hope of succeeding. It is the expression of a painful solitude and isolation from which so many people are suffering in these days. What is the cause? Is there a way out?


It is easy to raise such questions, but difficult to answer them with any degree of assurance. I must try, however, as best I can, although I am very conscious of the fact that our feelings and strivings are often contradictory and obscure and that they cannot be expressed in easy and simple formulas.


Man is, at one and the same time, a solitary being and a social being. As a solitary being, he attempts to protect his own existence and that of those who are closest to him, to satisfy his personal desires, and to develop his innate abilities. As a social being, he seeks to gain the recognition and affection of his fellow human beings, to share in their pleasures, to comfort them in their sorrows, and to improve their conditions of life. Only the existence of these varied, frequently conflicting, strivings accounts for the special character of a man, and their specific combination determines the extent to which an individual can achieve an inner equilibrium and can contribute to the well-being of society. It is quite possible that the relative strength of these two drives is, in the main, fixed by inheritance. But the personality that finally emerges is largely formed by the environment in which a man happens to find himself during his development, by the structure of the society in which he grows up, by the tradition of that society, and by its appraisal of particular types of behavior. The abstract concept “society” means to the individual human being the sum total of his direct and indirect relations to his contemporaries and to all the people of earlier generations. The individual is able to think, feel, strive, and work by himself; but he depends so much upon society—in his physical, intellectual, and emotional existence—that it is impossible to think of him, or to understand him, outside the framework of society. It is “society” which provides man with food, clothing, a home, the tools of work, language, the forms of thought, and most of the content of thought; his life is made possible through the labor and the accomplishments of the many millions past and present who are all hidden behind the small word “society.”


It is evident, therefore, that the dependence of the individual upon society is a fact of nature which cannot be abolished—just as in the case of ants and bees. However, while the whole life process of ants and bees is fixed down to the smallest detail by rigid, hereditary instincts, the social pattern and interrelationships of human beings are very variable and susceptible to change. Memory, the capacity to make new combinations, the gift of oral communication have made possible developments among human being which are not dictated by biological necessities. Such developments manifest themselves in traditions, institutions, and organizations; in literature; in scientific and engineering accomplishments; in works of art. This explains how it happens that, in a certain sense, man can influence his life through his own conduct, and that in this process conscious thinking and wanting can play a part.


Man acquires at birth, through heredity, a biological constitution which we must consider fixed and unalterable, including the natural urges which are characteristic of the human species. In addition, during his lifetime, he acquires a cultural constitution which he adopts from society through communication and through many other types of influences. It is this cultural constitution which, with the passage of time, is subject to change and which determines to a very large extent the relationship between the individual and society. Modern anthropology has taught us, through comparative investigation of so-called primitive cultures, that the social behavior of human beings may differ greatly, depending upon prevailing cultural patterns and the types of organization which predominate in society. It is on this that those who are striving to improve the lot of man may ground their hopes: human beings are not condemned, because of their biological constitution, to annihilate each other or to be at the mercy of a cruel, self-inflicted fate.


If we ask ourselves how the structure of society and the cultural attitude of man should be changed in order to make human life as satisfying as possible, we should constantly be conscious of the fact that there are certain conditions which we are unable to modify. As mentioned before, the biological nature of man is, for all practical purposes, not subject to change. Furthermore, technological and demographic developments of the last few centuries have created conditions which are here to stay. In relatively densely settled populations with the goods which are indispensable to their continued existence, an extreme division of labor and a highly-centralized productive apparatus are absolutely necessary. The time—which, looking back, seems so idyllic—is gone forever when individuals or relatively small groups could be completely self-sufficient. It is only a slight exaggeration to say that mankind constitutes even now a planetary community of production and consumption.


I have now reached the point where I may indicate briefly what to me constitutes the essence of the crisis of our time. It concerns the relationship of the individual to society. The individual has become more conscious than ever of his dependence upon society. But he does not experience this dependence as a positive asset, as an organic tie, as a protective force, but rather as a threat to his natural rights, or even to his economic existence. Moreover, his position in society is such that the egotistical drives of his make-up are constantly being accentuated, while his social drives, which are by nature weaker, progressively deteriorate. All human beings, whatever their position in society, are suffering from this process of deterioration. Unknowingly prisoners of their own egotism, they feel insecure, lonely, and deprived of the naive, simple, and unsophisticated enjoyment of life. Man can find meaning in life, short and perilous as it is, only through devoting himself to society.
The economic anarchy of capitalist society as it exists today is, in my opinion, the real source of the evil. We see before us a huge community of producers the members of which are unceasingly striving to deprive each other of the fruits of their collective labor—not by force, but on the whole in faithful compliance with legally established rules. In this respect, it is important to realize that the means of production—that is to say, the entire productive capacity that is needed for producing consumer goods as well as additional capital goods—may legally be, and for the most part are, the private property of individuals.


For the sake of simplicity, in the discussion that follows I shall call “workers” all those who do not share in the ownership of the means of production—although this does not quite correspond to the customary use of the term. The owner of the means of production is in a position to purchase the labor power of the worker. By using the means of production, the worker produces new goods which become the property of the capitalist. The essential point about this process is the relation between what the worker produces and what he is paid, both measured in terms of real value. Insofar as the labor contract is “free,” what the worker receives is determined not by the real value of the goods he produces, but by his minimum needs and by the capitalists’ requirements for labor power in relation to the number of workers competing for jobs. It is important to understand that even in theory the payment of the worker is not determined by the value of his product.


Private capital tends to become concentrated in few hands, partly because of competition among the capitalists, and partly because technological development and the increasing division of labor encourage the formation of larger units of production at the expense of smaller ones. The result of these developments is an oligarchy of private capital the enormous power of which cannot be effectively checked even by a democratically organized political society. This is true since the members of legislative bodies are selected by political parties, largely financed or otherwise influenced by private capitalists who, for all practical purposes, separate the electorate from the legislature. The consequence is that the representatives of the people do not in fact sufficiently protect the interests of the underprivileged sections of the population. Moreover, under existing conditions, private capitalists inevitably control, directly or indirectly, the main sources of information (press, radio, education). It is thus extremely difficult, and indeed in most cases quite impossible, for the individual citizen to come to objective conclusions and to make intelligent use of his political rights.
The situation prevailing in an economy based on the private ownership of capital is thus characterized by two main principles: first, means of production (capital) are privately owned and the owners dispose of them as they see fit; second, the labor contract is free. Of course, there is no such thing as a pure capitalist society in this sense. In particular, it should be noted that the workers, through long and bitter political struggles, have succeeded in securing a somewhat improved form of the “free labor contract” for certain categories of workers. But taken as a whole, the present day economy does not differ much from “pure” capitalism.


Production is carried on for profit, not for use. There is no provision that all those able and willing to work will always be in a position to find employment; an “army of unemployed” almost always exists. The worker is constantly in fear of losing his job. Since unemployed and poorly paid workers do not provide a profitable market, the production of consumers’ goods is restricted, and great hardship is the consequence. Technological progress frequently results in more unemployment rather than in an easing of the burden of work for all. The profit motive, in conjunction with competition among capitalists, is responsible for an instability in the accumulation and utilization of capital which leads to increasingly severe depressions. Unlimited competition leads to a huge waste of labor, and to that crippling of the social consciousness of individuals which I mentioned before.


This crippling of individuals I consider the worst evil of capitalism. Our whole educational system suffers from this evil. An exaggerated competitive attitude is inculcated into the student, who is trained to worship acquisitive success as a preparation for his future career.


I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system which would be oriented toward social goals. In such an economy, the means of production are owned by society itself and are utilized in a planned fashion. A planned economy, which adjusts production to the needs of the community, would distribute the work to be done among all those able to work and would guarantee a livelihood to every man, woman, and child. The education of the individual, in addition to promoting his own innate abilities, would attempt to develop in him a sense of responsibility for his fellow men in place of the glorification of power and success in our present society.


Nevertheless, it is necessary to remember that a planned economy is not yet socialism. A planned economy as such may be accompanied by the complete enslavement of the individual. The achievement of socialism requires the solution of some extremely difficult socio-political problems: how is it possible, in view of the far-reaching centralization of political and economic power, to prevent bureaucracy from becoming all-powerful and overweening? How can the rights of the individual be protected and therewith a democratic counterweight to the power of bureaucracy be assured?


Clarity about the aims and problems of socialism is of greatest significance in our age of transition. Since, under present circumstances, free and unhindered discussion of these problems has come under a powerful taboo, I consider the foundation of this magazine to be an important public service.

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Frivolity by Cindy Sheehan

Frivolity

Cindy Sheehan

It’s been almost eight years since my son, Casey, was killed in Iraq on 04/04/04.

The last time we saw him was when he came home for Christmas in 2003. As most people (with functioning hearts) can probably imagine, this time of year is hard for anyone who has buried a child no matter what the cause of death was.

When Casey was first killed many well-meaning people told me that “time heals all.” I have discovered that the farther away I get from that horrible day, the less the physical pain of loss is, but the wound never heals, it is just like a chronic condition that one learns to live with.

I have had some wonderful experiences in the last past seven years since we Occupied Crawford, Tx, but those experiences are tinged with the fog of loss. Even the profound joy of grandchildren is dampened by the absence of their uncle. The same things that make me happy about the babies also make me sad. Each one carries a piece of their uncle in them and I know he would love each and everyone of them so much. All this is without having to wonder if he would be a father by now, or not—which is also so hard.

As I have previously stated in other articles and speeches I have made, when Casey was killed for lies and profit in Iraq, I decided, out of guilt at first, that I would not pay my income taxes. The more I became involved in peace and human rights’ work, the more my guilt expanded to a principled stand against paying for the crimes of my government and I have not filed or paid my income taxes since 2005.

Now, the IRS is hounding me. It wants my financial information and my money/property to pay what it says that I owe. Any argument highlighting my opposition to what the government does with that money is considered by the IRS as “frivolous.”

Here is Dictionary.com’s definition of “frivolous:”

1. Characterized by lack of seriousness or sense: frivolous conduct.

2. Self-indulgently carefree; unconcerned about or lacking any serious purpose.

3. (Of a person) given to trifling or undue levity: a frivolous, empty-headed person.

4. Of little or no weight, worth, or importance; not worthy of serious notice: a frivolous suggestion.

According to the above definitions, my reason for not paying the IRS is anything but “frivolous.”

I don’t consider burying a child, “frivolous.”

I don’t consider war crimes such as bombing villages with drone technology, “frivolous.”

I don’t consider imprisoning and torturing people based solely on his religious affiliation and geographical location, “frivolous.”

I don’t consider war for the sole purpose of profit and total imperial hegemony, “frivolous.”

Indeed, all of the above (and much more) are deadly serious activities, and my opposition to them is not “frivolous” but also, deadly serious.

I can’t stress hard enough how the rest of my life will be clouded by Casey’s death. The IRS can threaten, me, a tax resister with prison, yet the institution cannot realize that I am already in a virtual prison--forged by the Empire with lies and violence. I am in a prison of grief that I can never escape. And as a tax resister, I have dedicated my life to antithetical American living—no job, no income, and no possessions, besides my personal clothes and furniture (which is actually a very liberating way to live if one can pull it off).

In our society and during this season where “frivolity” seems to be measured by how many pieces of plastic consumer crap we can buy on credit, I reject that paradigm, I mourn my loss, I appreciate the good and I rededicate my life to peace.