Mato's Blog

Ian Welsh (http://www.ianwelsh.net) wrote two heartfelt comments about the US elections that offer interesting insights into the mode of US American dissidents. Here once again a list (and I promise, this is the final list) of commentaries and analysis about the fallout of the US elections:

Some Personal Thoughts
Reality about America’s Future
The Reelection of a “Rational” Reactionary
Doing Us Proud: Black America Has Lost Its Moral Compass
Victory! – for the Non-Resistance
Obama and progressives
Powerful “Special Interest Groups” Won Again

The tenor of these commentaries is, that the situation will get worse and that the US political system is corrupt, unjust, scabby, and deformed beyond repair or restoration. Non of the articles though seems to offer a way out or is presenting detailed visions, directions to go, goals to pursue.

Is it too far a reach, is it unreasonable to connect the defunct political system of the USA with the devastation brought by hurricane Sandy? Am I mixing things up when I consider them both as pathological symptoms of human hubris, egoism, savagery, and stupidity?

Whatever our mode is and on whatever side we stand, things will come to pass — and we are only at the beginning.

The political, social, economic, cultural, and environmental crisis is not confined to the USA, it is a worldwide calamity. While thousands of US Americans are still sitting in dark and cold houses or languishing in overcrowded shelters, Cubans and Haitians face the grim task to build up a new life out from piles of rubble.

In addition to that Haitians endure an increased epidemic of cholera and are confronted with a looming hunger catastrophe. The hunger crises is also deepening in Mali, Niger, and the wider Sahel region. People all over the world are threatened by famine, water shortages, floods and storms, and the toxic brew from contaminated wells, soils, and rivers.

Even the affluent Europeans are inconvenienced by extreme weather, by austerity programs and the fear of a financial crash. Greeks, Spaniards, Italians are protesting, fascist groups are gaining ground (Golden Dawn).

Venice was submerged by record floods, the flood waters swamped 80 percent of the historic city center.  

And if all that would not be enough, the strategic moves of the worlds big players, who are tryings to destabilize countries and are fanning the flames of war by pouring out their cornucopia of weapons onto even the meanest and heinous thugs is causing indescribable pain and suffering all around the world (Syria, Congo, Somalia, Afghanistan, to name just a few of the imperial projects).

How mean, how insane, how sad.

In the face of all these threats the creation of a counter-culture with many small, loosely interconnected cells operating under the radar and preparing for the big breakdown seems to be the best option.

The ruling elites who suspiciously watch us and who are ready to crush any movements which could erode their power will not be able to recognize and understand the tiny local initiatives which over time will inevitably merge into a new society.

To discuss the preparations and necessary adaptations for the hard and dark times to come, to try out novel ideas and exchange experiences, to reorganize and revolutionize our own life is the most pressing thing we have to do now.

We shouldn’t fool ourselves and pretend that we can go on like before, we shouldn’t indulge in the illusion that redistributing wealth is possible or — if it against all odds can be achieved — redistributing wealth alone will be sufficient. We will have to abandon many amenities and luxuries of our Western life style, we will have to resist the temptations of fancy technology, we will have to reconnect with nature.

It will not be easy.

This was the main theme of the blog until today, it will also be the main theme in the coming days, weeks month, years. What I have to clearly improve is the communication with like minded bloggers (and like minded people in general of course); I intend to do this by increased comments on other blogs and by expanded email contacts (as well as expanded contacts using any other viable means).

I invite all readers and visitors of the blog to voice her or his criticism, comments, concerns, thoughts, observations, and opinions in the comment section or personally to me [my domain (without dot com) at speed dot at].