Talk at the “Military Industrial Complex at 50” Conference, Charlottesville, VA
American Political Passivity, Anti-Authoritarianism, and Building a Base
Battle for Brooklyn and Eminent Domain Abuse
Do we really accept that Big Money—through intimidation, bribery, or some other coercion—can shove us out of our homes and obliterate our communities? Eminent domain is the government’s right to seize private property, usually with compensation, for the public good. We live in a nation, however, in which the elite—not ordinary Americans—have the power to […]
3 Requirements—Including 2 Oft Ignored—for the Defeat of the Corporate Elite
Transforming the United States into something closer to a democracy requires: (1) knowledge of how we are getting screwed; (2) pragmatic tactics, strategies, and solutions; and (3) the “energy to do battle.” The majority of Americans oppose the corporatocracy (rule by giant corporations, the extremely wealthy elite, and corporate-collaborator government officials), however, many of us […]
Stopping Senseless Wars and Wasteful Military Spending: “MIC at 50: The Military Industrial Complex at 50” Conference in Charlottesville, Virginia
The majority of Americans oppose the U.S. government’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and believe that defense spending is the area that must be cut to reduce the federal deficit. However, many of us feel powerless to stop the ever-increasing bombings, invasions, and occupations of nations which pose no threat to us. Most of us […]
8 Ways Young Americans’ Resistance to Domination Has Been Subdued
Traditionally, young people have energized democratic movements. So it is a major coup for the ruling elite to have created societal institutions that have subdued young Americans and broken their spirit of resistance to domination. Young Americans—even more so than older Americans—appear to have acquiesced to the idea that the corporatocracy can completely screw them […]
How Americans Can “Get Up, Stand Up” Against Corporatocracy Rule
Many Americans recognize that the United States is neither a genuine democracy nor a real republic in which elected officials actually represent the people. Instead, the United States is a corporatocracy in which Americans are ruled by a partnership of giant corporations, the extremely wealthy elite, and corporate-collaborator government officials. There are at least three […]
Populist Alliances or Senseless Wars and Corporate Welfare
Ron Paul and Ralph Nader have an intriguing idea. While both know that there are significant ideological divides between their camps (and so neither are suggesting forming a political party together), they are proposing populist coalitions on some major issues. Interviewed together by host Andrew Napolitano (“Freedom Watch,” January 19, 2011), Nader began by explaining […]
The Tenfold Path to Guts, Solidarity and the Defeat of the Corporate Elite
Many Americans know that the United States is not a democracy but a “corporatocracy,” in which we are ruled by a partnership of giant corporations, the extremely wealthy elite and corporate-collaborator government officials. However, the truth of such tyranny is not enough to set most of us free to take action. Too many of us […]
Liberation Psychology
When I first heard the term liberation theology (in opposition to a theology that fosters compliance with the status quo), I thought there should also be a liberation psychology—a psychology that doesn’t equate a lack of adjustment with mental illness, but instead promotes constructive rebellion against dehumanizing institutions, and which also provides strategies to build […]
The Missing Piece in the Battle for U.S. Democracy
Activists routinely become frustrated when truths about lies and oppression don’t set people free to take action. But as a clinical psychologist who has worked with abused people for more than 25 years, it does not surprise me to see that when we as individuals or as a society eat crap for too long, we […]
