We the People! A People's Congress. If You Are Indeed A Patriot...

Independence Day. This red, white and blue flag-waving holiday always makes me cringe. Blind Patriotism is not something to be proud of. Personally, I will never wave a nationalistic flag of any sort. I am a citizen of Earth. The Earth is my mother, people are my siblings, and animals are my guides.

My personal idealistic vision is for governments to be abolished altogether and for people to live together in harmony in a social-anarchistic society. However, whether you are an anarchist or believe in democracy, we all have to recognize that we are not living in a true democracy. Corporations run this country. It is a machine. Obama promised change that we have not seen. In order to see this change, we must take back the government and give power to the people,  just like it is written into the Constitution. That is why people are currently organizing a People's Congress.

The Declaration of Independence states, "But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security." The definition of despotism is: The exercise of absolute power, esp. in a cruel and oppressive way. Thereby not only is a revolution necessary, it is our constitutional right and duty.


The "founding fathers" so many celebrate today were aware of this threat. James Madison said, "I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power than by violent and sudden usurptions." Thomas Jefferson said, "I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial by strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country." So, are you Patriotic? Will you try to save this country, maintain our ideals of Freedom? We are not Free. Ralph Nader points out, "Presently, about 1,500 large corporations control or block the votes of most members of Congress on very important matters. It is not beyond the realm of realization to look forward to a time when a few millin modestly organized Americans, representing the values of much greater numbers of their fellow Americans, turn the national legislature into a Congress of the people, by the people, and for the people." The time is now. The People's Congress will take place the week(s) preceding the Congressional Summer Recess, 2012.

Please go to http://peoplescongress.org/ to learn more about this. There are many ways to be involved, many committees forming to organize this, and the more people take part in the People's Congress, the better.

From PeoplesCongress.org:
Peoplescongress.org is calling for a week long action in which We the People pass specific legislation which, when enacted by Congress, will put an immediate end to the corporate take-over of our government, revitalize and re-democratize elections,  allow for a more responsible and open media, and end the secrecy in policy making. Until we reform these institutions and the laws governing them, our goals for a just and sustainable world will remain elusive at best. An earnest national dialog about our future cannot happen until we re-balance the wheels of democracy. It is the intention of the People’s Congress to secure that change directly in accordance with the will of the People and the principles established by our Constitution...

...all legislation will be developed and posted in our Forums for review several months before the People’s Congress meets on the Mall.  Please read this legislation before coming to the Congress. 

The People's Congress Mission Statement:
It is the intention of the People’s Congress to secure change directly in accordance with the will of the People and the principles established by our Constitution. We seek an end to the systemic dysfunction within our government by demanding and securing the Common Sense remedies required to re-balance the wheels of Democracy.

We seek a just and sustainable Society through specific reforms.
We demand an end to the Corporate takeover of our Government.
We demand a truly representational and transparent Electoral System.
We demand a more democratic media accountable to the People.
We demand open and transparent Policy making.

To this end The People’s Congress will write the fundamental legislative remedies and with the full force and vigor of the People’s Congress present them to our Representatives for ratification.

The People’s Congress will remain in place, united voices, to express our collective will and determination, with continued vigilance, until true Democracy has been restored to our Nation. 

This could be a huge part of the change we need, a giant step towards freedom and justice. The discussions are just beginning and we need everyone involved in the discussions, so that the people are truly represented! Already I have found flaws on their website (no organizations representing people with disabilities and mental health issues were included) and already they have taken steps to correct this. If you are not involved, your voice will not be heard. But your voice CAN be heard.

I have recently written about and truly believe in a People's Revolution, and I think that an uprising preceding a progressive event like the People's Congress could create the change we are all looking for. The October 6 revolution has stated its demands and is planning a massive protest, the People's Congress is beginning its discussions. The way I see it, the more action the better. We are talking about the same revolution!

Health Care in a Social Anarchist Society

Recently I had a discussion about anarchism which brought up some questions that I was not immediately able to answer. The main question being, in an Anarchist society, what would happen to those with disabilities? What would happen to social services, health services, and mental health services? It took some reflection on my part, and then some research.

My first reaction is that people are inherently good, and there are so many  people in the world (myself included) whose drive is to help people. This would not disappear. So many of the services to people with disabilities and mental health needs are non-profit. While they still have paid workers, many have several volunteers. I can think of several examples here in Eugene, Oregon: OSLP (where I work), Looking Glass, White Bird Clinic, Mind Freedom and SAFE, inc. (run by people who have mental illnesses for people who have mental illnesses), and those are just a few. I suppose it would look a little different in an anarchist society, but I do not believe that these services would disappear.

Another very important point: Anarchy is based on community and cooperation! Many anarchists envision a socialized system of health care in an anarchist society. This is an important aspect of Social Anarchism. There would be public services, and this would vary from one community to another based on the needs and desires of those communities.  Here is a great article on this topic--the last section focuses on what future anarchist health care might look like: An Anarchist Vision of Universal Health Care: Mutual Aid Through Self-Managed Health Cooperatives.


It is  often beneficial to look at the past to see how these ideas work in action. During the Spanish Civil War, there was a collective anarchist movement providing free health care to people. Doctors from rural areas joined village collectives. They built hospitals. Take away the government, and all you're really taking away from health care is politics, restrictions, and inequality. People naturally take care of people. Some recent examples of anarchist health care in the United States are:  the Anarchist Black Cross, which provides first aid, health care, and trainings to protestors (see "How to Deal with Pepper Spray at Protests," Peacework March 2008). There are Black Cross Support Groups around the country.  There is also the Common Ground Collective, which began in the wake of Hurricane Katrina (see "Military in New Orleans Requests Help from Anarchist Relief Project," Peacework, October 2005). And from 1969 to 1973,  there was the Jane Collective, which provided safe abortions to women during the years that abortions illegal.

There is also the view that our society is the cause of much of mental health problems we have today. I believe there is some truth in that. Our society is fast-paced, and not catered at all to the uniqueness of individuals. The media constantly makes us feel bad about ourselves, and the government instills fear in us. Still, a revolutionary society will not make mental illnesses or developmental disabilities disappear. What we need as a society is more acceptance. We need to embrace people who have mental illenesses/disabilities/autism/personality disorders, etc., into our communities. This not only needs  to happen in our present society (check out the "Look Me In The Eye Campaign" in Eugene and Springfield,  OR), but also within the anarchist community (this article pleeing for acceptance within the anarchist community rang true for me based on past experiences: "Making Room for Difference: An Anarchist Response to Disability").

This is a great article answering to many common arguments to anarchism, and also explaining the reason for the misconceptions of anarchism: "Everything you ever wanted to know about anarchism but were afraid to ask."