Chomsky on Anarchism & Anarcho-Syndicalism

The American صمود

The United States was founded by wealthy white slave-holding militarists from Europe whose only beef with British imperialism was that they had to pay for it. The fact that the "revolutionaries" had benefited enormously from that imperialism (and you get what you pay for) quickly exits the narrative. That's why Howard Zinn's look at American history--from the side of those who had to take to the streets and struggle against the status quo in order to squeeze a little fairness out of the ruling elite--is so monumental.

The marvel and miracle to me is that, in the midst of a toxic mercantilist-militarist-Christian-manifest-destiny culture, the holy trinity of Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman emerged--among so many others who were capable of thinking outside the cultural box, before and since.

As citizens of the Invisible Whitmanian Republic, then, we have a duty to keep the embers of free thought glowing for those few who will poke down through the ashes to find them. But it's truly difficult to keep one's head up and hopes high under the weight of jingoism and white supremacy styled as "patriotism" in these dark days. There are moments when I absolutely loathe my countrymen. But you get that sense from Twain every now and again as he immerses you in the acid bath of his satire--and you love him for it. There is redemption to be found, but it comes in sparks and flashes. Beggars can't be choosers. Take it where you can find it and endure the rest.

We shall not overcome, but we shall endure to the end. This is the American sumud (صمود).

An American City

Consider, if you will, Colorado Springs...

What passes for culture leaves much to be desired. The philharmonic is respectable, however, and the Fine Arts Center is a gem.

Manitou Springs right next door is a funky hippy enclave where the '60's never ended-- just got wrinkled and gray.

The natural environment is stunning.

The climate is wonderful (it is actually possible to look forward to winter). The megalopolis of Denver is an hour away (with Rockies baseball, Nuggets basketball, Broncos football, Avalanche ice hockey and great restaurants, museums and neighborhoods).

Another half hour to the north is the People's Republic of Boulder--always worth a day trip.

The only thing that's really difficult to bear (besides the toxic trinity of the Republicans, the military, and the Religious Right) is how land-locked the place is.

But drive 2 hours west and you are in the heart of the Rocky Mountains with hot springs and the headwaters of the Arkansas river. Fly 2 hours west and you are in San Francisco. Drive south 4 hours and you are in Sante Fe. Never think of driving east to Kansas. All things considered, it is a good spot--if one must live in the Imperial Metropole.

Kcarab Amabo

Out-Bushing Bush since 2008...

All the elements are in place for the next "Reichstag fire" event which will "necessitate" a permanent state of emergency and open military rule (as opposed to what we have currently which is military rule by corporate proxy).

But fear not, white folk. Ironically, Amabo has your back. It's the poor, the immigrant, and the people of color who have to worry about the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act that suspends rights of due process for U.S. citizens accused of "terrorism."

Ironies of Theopolitics

The Christian Right in the U.S. is creationist when it comes to science, social Darwinist when it comes to public policy.

Go figure.

Christmas Rush

The Season of Palpable American Desperation is upon us: the annual effort to reassure ourselves that, through an orgy of acquisition and consumerist spending, we can somehow vindicate our deification of a first century Palestinian apocalypticist. The disconnect between history and our present reality could not be more stark; consequently, the pressures to conform are correspondingly intense.

It is sheer madness. Around age 20, I took the cure. It still took me another decade or so to wean myself of the feeling of guilt that my "failure to celebrate" entailed. And the pressure to join the lemmings continues to be applied in casual conversations wherever one goes. Over three decades have passed since I gave up Christmas, and I still experience the looks of fear and loathing that my public admission of that decision inspires.

Sorry, my fellow Americans. It's not my job to reassure you that the emptiness you feel inside each year at this time is only dyspepsia from too much holiday "cheer." On the contrary, that emptiness is real and well deserved. If you want to avoid it, do as I have done and learn to live without the desperation and the delusions. Go cold turkey: give it up--for Christ.

I have too much love and respect for the figure of Rabbi Jesus to deify him. Even if the historical Jesus considered himself "divine" in some sense, which I seriously doubt, I won't do him the injustice of indulging that fantasy.

I rather enjoy the way I pass December 25th: ordering Chinese and sitting in a movie theater surrounded by Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and dogmatic atheists. But I enjoy even more my liberation from the scandal that is Christmas shopping.

On December 25th, I also light a candle in memory of that great Second Temple non-conformist and do as I believe that he would have done if faced with the madness of the Solstice crowds: turn my back on it all and withdraw into a secluded place...to pray.

The Obama Administration's Proposed Discretionary Spending for 2014

[Chart from the National Priorities Project; data provided by the OMB].