Texas Longhorns with newborn calf in Bluebonnets

Texas Longhorns with newborn calf in Bluebonnets

Please note I have a new phone number...

512-517-2708

Alan Maki

Alan Maki
Doing research at the LBJ Library in Austin, Texas

It's time to claim our Peace Dividend

It's time to claim our Peace Dividend

We need to beat swords into plowshares.

We need to beat swords into plowshares.

A program for real change...

http://peaceandsocialjustice.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-progressive-program-for-real-change.html


What we need is a "21st Century Full Employment Act for Peace and Prosperity" which would make it a mandatory requirement that the president and Congress attain and maintain full employment.


"Voting is easy and marginally useful, but it is a poor substitute for democracy, which requires direct action by concerned citizens"

- Ben Franklin

Let's talk...

Let's talk...

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

“We Need to Make a Ruckus”: Robert Reich on Democracy Now!, today.

Robert Reich appeared on Amy Goodman's "Democracy Now!" this morning promoting his new e-book, "Beyond Outrage."

Reich has obviously been sent out to try to do the job of once again hoodwinking liberals, progressives and the left into supporting Barack Obama by creating legitimacy for this by sounding like he is calling people out into the streets making people think they can actually influence Obama by pressuring him to do what is right.

Reich brings up the bit about President Franklin D. Roosevelt telling someone, "Make me do it," even though Reich is fully aware that Barack Obama has no ties or links of communication with any representatives of movements for peace, social and economic justice which Roosevelt intentionally cultivated through his cabinet members like Frances Perkins and Harry Hopkins and many others including his very progressive wife, Eleanor.

Furthermore, Reich ignores the fact Roosevelt had to oppose his own very conservative Democratic Party to push through the required reforms which were, as good and needed as they were and most welcomes by people in the streets even though the reforms were mostly too little, too late and not anywhere near well-defined enough, not broad enough nor universal enough. But at least Roosevelt set up the lines of communication between his Administration the unions and the broad People's Front which included the socialist Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party and the Communist Party of the United States.
Obama has no such apparatus in place nor does he intend to create such an apparatus; Obama intends to use slick sounding left-wing populist rhetoric just as Robert Reich does in order to ideologically confuse the people.

Obama has no intent to do anything other than beat down the people as they protest his austerity measures to pay for Wall Street's dirty imperialist wars.

Robert Reich wants to hoodwink us into believing that supporting Obama is part of what is required to win reforms when just the opposite is the truth.

In fact, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was already using his Executive Order privileges within days and weeks of being elected to office in implementing real reforms... Obama has done nothing of the kind.

Robert Reich stooped so low to compare the upcoming election with the U.S. election of 1936 snidely and dishonestly insinuating without expressly stating that there is a chance of fascists coming to power in France, Italy, Greece, Germany and Spain when in fact the working classes of these countries are being led in very responsibly militant manners by the Communist Parties in these countries with the KKE in Greece leading the way through its very militant united working class front P.A.M.E. Obviously Robert Reich and his fellow Obama supporters like Occupy Wall Street raising a little bit of a "ruckus" as long as this "ruckus" doesn't take on the character (and working class Communist leadership) being demonstrated in Greece and these other European countries and to some extent in Canada, too, as the Communist Party USA "leadership" falls into line with Robert Reich and these other phony liberals, progressives and leftists supporting Obama as rank-and-file working class Communist activists urge a real "ruckus" along the lines of what those Communist Parties in Europe and Canada advocate--- the kind of "ruckus" this country witnessed during the depression years of the 1930's and 1940's.

I find it of utmost importance to note that Robert Reich does not ever mention the socialist Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party as the kind of politics we need to be engaged in but rather turns to trying to undermine the kind of ruckus we need by dragging people into the useless Democratic Party fold.
Robert Reich sat in silence and urged no "ruckus" to halt Clinton's "welfare reforms"--- although he claims otherwise in claiming he did not publicly vocalize his claimed opposition to Clinton's right-wing Wall Street ordered welfare "reform." Why didn't Reich call for a "ruckus" in the streets in opposition to Clinton's welfare "reforms?" For the very reason Reich has never advocated a "ruckus" against Obama's even more reactionary Wall Street agenda.

And one thing I noted about Robert Reich in his appearance on Amy Goodman's "Democracy Now!" is that he loathes any talk of linking a discussion over militarism and war with funding the kinds of social programs we need.

There can be no "ruckus" in the streets that can be effective unless we link militarism and war to robbing society of the kind of massive universal social programs we need to solve our problems; social programs like a National Public Health Care System, National Public Child Care System, WPA, CCC and C.E.T.A.--- all of which will create jobs.

I would note that it was Robert Reich during his tenure as Clinton's Secretary of Labor who advocated and supported all of these "free trade" deals claiming these fiascoes and boon-doggles were going to create jobs here in the United States when the writing was on the wall that millions of good-paying union jobs were going to be destroyed.

I don't think it is coincidental that Robert Reich appeared on Amy Goodman's "Democracy Now!" with his Obama supporting "party line"  shortly after AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka parroted the exact same "party line" that we need to all rally behind Obama as a prelude to having our problems placed on the table for solution.

We have seen the exact same kind of crap being run in Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania that the Democrats are going to work with us in solving our problems when in each and every case these Democrats are nothing but bad attempts gone awry to clone this Wall Street serving Obama.

In fact, Richard Trumka and the AFL-CIO are afraid of creating the kind of "ruckus" in the streets required to defeat Walker and the Koch Brothers in Wisconsin because they are afraid the "ruckus" will continue to advance to Obama's door at the White House. Trumka is prepared to see Walker re-elected in order to "cover Obama's back."

We definitely need a "ruckus"--- a "ruckus" before Election Day beginning in Wisconsin; a "ruckus" that continues after the 2012 Election no matter who gets elected.

Greek workers led by P.A.M.E. (All-workers Militant Front) and the KKE (Communist Party of Greece) are creating the kind of "ruckus" we need in the streets and on the electoral front.

People are fed-up and outraged in this country.

What we really need is a public discussion taking us from outrage to massive opposition to Wall Street as we challenge Wall Street, along with its two parties, for power.

We need to get beyond outrage to well-organized militant opposition to Wall Street while embracing a united program for real change.

Obama has replaced his meaningless slogans intended to hoodwink the people "hope" and "change" from his previous deceitful campaign behind the slogan "forward." "Forward" to where? More wars? Greater misery? More poverty and despair? More unemployment?

Neither Obama nor his loyal suck-asses covering his back like Robert Reich, Richard Trumka or Leo Gerard are telling us with any specifics where they want to go "forward" to.

None of these Obama suck-asses dare to ask of the American people:

How is Barack Obama's Wall Street war economy working for you?
Something to think about:

Robert Reich, Richard Trumka, Leo Gerard could easily get together leading a "ruckus" in the streets demanding Barack Obama uses his Executive Order privilege before Election Day to end the dirty imperialist wars for occupation and use the resulting "peace dividends" to put millions of people back to work solving our problems IN RETURN FOR OUR VOTES.
This would be the perfect time to "hold Obama's feet to the fire" in a "ruckus;" any competent union leader or advocate for working people should be able to comprehend this.

For those who take us for stupid fools and expect us to support Obama without getting anything in return we need to send them a good strong message, too: Stop sitting in front of television cameras and go do your own campaigning for Obama and the Democrats because we aren't giving up our precious votes without getting something of real substance in return: PEACE and JOBS.

How could it be by coincidence that Robert Reich, Richard Trumka and Leo Gerard don't understand that the way to create jobs is by paying people real living wages while solving the problems created by the Wall Street 1% for the majority of working people?

People are fed-up and outraged in this country. Why is it so difficult for those claiming to be advocates for working people to understand we need a "ruckus" in opposition to Wall Street's agenda while advocating an alternative progressive agenda in defense of our lives and livelihoods--- an agenda that any politician deserving of working class votes to deliver.

Obama received working class votes in order to get elected. 

Is it too much to expect Obama deliver on what he led people to believe was his intent before he seeks votes from working people again?

Want to create a real "ruckus?"

Tell Barack Obama and the Democrats they won't be getting your precious vote until they deliver PEACE and JOBS.