Date: Fri, 3 Jan 2003 10:00:58 -0800


Michael:

Just read your book which was a Christmas present from my step-daughter.

You came to our area a while back but I had little interest (although
some curiosity) to hear you. Your sister worked in the public
defender's office here in Nevada County. By the way, in case you didn't
know....Nevada County is probably the most Republican and conservative
county in the state. Back in 1990 or so, some of us activists passed a
Nuclear Free Zone ordinance which was a testimony to our hard and
brilliant campaign but the following year, the Elephant felt the flea
and flicked it off...the ordinance was quickly voted out in another
election by the Republican Faithful.

I say I had little interest because I am one of those cynical
individuals who has worked for a number of seemingly radical causes
over the years only to become amazed and shocked at the Plutocrats that
run our country and the subservience of the masses to them. As an
aside, I am not convinced as are you and Chomsky (so you report) that
the masses have the intelligence to see through the daily political
charades. Or maybe it is desire.

I mean, how can you or anyone expect the masses to be pissed? We live
in, arguably, one of the richest and most liberated countries in the
world...possibly the richest and free-est ever. The dogs don't bark if
they get enough crumbs. And the crumbs keep falling in the form of
toys, gadgets, and other consumer products.How else can you explain how
successful the Republicans and conservatives have been? How else can
you explain Clinton and Gore? 

I know it is never as simple as one tries to make it. For example, the
media is corporate controlled and the argument can be made, justifiably
so, that the information that the public gets is so one-sided, is such
a dribble from the waters of Truth, that their consciousness as been so
manipulated, that they are so brainwashed....that of course, the
overwhelming majority of the population is conservative. Even given the
fact that Gore won the election...as you point out in your
book.....Gore and Clinton were very conservative.

A radical political science professor once put it to me back in 1973
that the conundrum of American Politics for those who want significant
progressive political change is that the masses are not motivated for
progressive change...that their consciousness (Marx called if false
consciousness) has been tweaked, so to speak, so that they are
actually share the motivations of the upper classes, the Oligarchy, the
Plutocracy, the Beast.Again, they have been bribed with the promise of
the good life, with hedonism (drugs, alcohol and saccharin
entertainment), and license...or freedom taken to its ultimate extreme
(the ability for adults, teenagers and now children to do anything they
want regardless of whether it is good, healthy, virtuous, honorable,
decent). As a quick aside here, this is where conservatives have made
strong inroads into the working class as they are seen as the
preservators of the family, of what is good and moral. This is a topic
due a very deep dialogue on the left which has virtually ignored it. In
fact, it may explain to a considerable degree why working class persons
support the conservative agenda.

What is or should be in their best interests of the mass of people,
working class, women, minorities, etc. i.e. universal health care
including dental and vision coverage, universal day-care and preschool
opportunities, a radical reforming of the educational system, political
campaign reform, etc. has been so ridiculed by the conservatives for so
long....that the mass of voters, easily swayed and manipulated,
conformists as most of humanity probably is, has actually agreed by
default that these things are unworkable in our culture.

Of course, the only other explanation, in part, is that those of us on
the left, the activists have not done our job. It is hard to stand
alone or in front of the Beast when it can so readily devour you. 

But what am I getting at here? THere is hope. Maybe it is simple a
matter of time and historical forces. Maybe we need an economic
collapse. BUt of course, if the collapse does come, we best be ready
with some program that we can utilized to breathe life into the
Movement as it was once called.

Here is an interesting anecdote. Irritated with the Plutocratic press
and frustrated with the Republican agenda for so long, I decided to go
on the internet to see what radical alternative dialogues there may be.
I called up two which I assumed would dredge up something significant:
socialdemocracy.com and socialism.com

Would you believe it, nada, nothing, zilch.

Maybe my search engines are bad. Maybe I don't know how to use the
internet to my advantage as I rarely use it at all. Maybe I haven't
visited your site (which I will do soon). The only thing I found was 
some radical Feminist site or something like it.

If what I am saying is accurate. This is a sad and sorry state.

The best alternative and argument for leftists in this country, and I
believe this to be obvious, are the social democracies in the world
such as those that exist in Europe or maybe New Zealand, Australia and
Canada. 

One would think that these are incredible models for those leftists in
American, if any do exist!, to emulate. I mean, they all have universal
health care coverage. I understand that any number of them grant
workers six weeks vacations eyarly, that in France, a woman gets a
years paid maternity leave, that in Germany a few years ago, some
workers if not all have the 37.5 hour work week and that they were
fighting for a five minute break every hour, that they have mass
transit systems, that political campaigns are six weeks long and
government financed with regular debates on television.I know this and
I haven't even studied it.

Michael, what the hell is going on? Please tell me! The fact that there
is no consistent clamoring for the same rights that western Europeans
have must mean something really bad.

I really must go since I have to work..I have four kids to feed and am
self-employed and I don't know if I can meet my bills this
month....but,,,and I know this is much more complicated than I am
making it...but I think the following has to be done:

1.  Study and Research European Social Democracies and find out what
benefits their workers get and use much of this for a basis for a new
social reformation, revolution, or platform of  our social democratic
party.

2.  Get people like yourself, Ralph Nader, Noam Chomsky, and others who
have or can get access to the media to promulgate the program on
Pacifica, other independent radio, local cable channels, alternative
media.

3.  Really know our stuff. Have workshops, lectures, etc. so that this
message can get out to other activists so that we have the knowledge
and facts at our fingertips...we would have the arguments, the
philosophical underpinnings, the rebuttal to criticism, whatever it
takes.

4.  To repeat the message ad nauseum as the right-wing does. And to be
aggressive, combative when necessary. To be diplomatic when strategy
dictates. To not relent.This is the only way we can get our message
into the popular media.

5.  To attack, unmercilessly, key issues and to show no quarteer. To
make it a class warfare: the have versus the have nots, the rich versus
the poor. To repeat that our elected officials, for example, have
health care...why are they entitled to that privilege? Don't let the
rich and privileged off the hook.

6.  To get outrageous. To rant, to scream, do political theatre. To be
Ironic Theatre.....children and moms on street corners with signs that
say"

"Please Ignore Me, I am a Homeless Liberal Leaching off the Crumbs of
our Decadent Society."

7.  For those of us who can, to give lots of money to the cause. To set
an example for the rich liberals or anyone rich who cares.

8.  To consider mounting a campaign to either support Nader in the next
elecion cycle but only if he decides to regular campaign...or...to
organize a boycott of the National elections at least at the
Presidential level since the "playing field is not level" a charge made
against the Sandinistas. We would articulate why the elections are an
absolute farce...very calmly, comprehensively, and logically.

9.  To organize nationally at every college campus to promote this
social democratic ideal/program.

10.  To ask for a commitment of an hour a week for all activists. To
provide all activists with a laminated card of some sort that each can
regularly demonstrate is proof positive of the belief and commitment to
a better, more just society (weak, I know but I just thought of this
gimmick).

11.  To have all prominent activists who get into debates with the
media,  Republican or Democrat reps, senators, officials,to include
aggressive questioning such as the following:


-How much money do you earn? Or do you not work? Or, what actually do
you do at your work? Describe it for us (meetings, phone calls and
discussions don't count).

- How much money to you inherit from you parents or grandparents?

- How much money per month do you get from your trust?

- How many rooms, bathrooms do you have in your home? Which home has
the most?

- Why do you think you deserve full health care and poor people don't?
(substitute day care, dental care, vision care, etc for health care)

- How many weeks vacation per year do you get? Why don't you think poor
prole shouldn't get that?

- How many cars, yachts, airplanes, homes, vacation time shares do you
have?

- What are your assets valued at?

- How many closets full of clothes do you have?

- What grade steak does(do) your dog(s) eat?


To keep asking these questions calmly if possible and then ask for a
response and when none is given to say, "Why I can understand your
embarrassment. I can understand your silence. After all you have it all
and you want to keep it for yourself. It is not enough to have a
mansion."

Anyways, got to get to work.


Sincerely,

Mike Mihaljevich