I made this post (in blue) on FaceBook and have been getting quite a response and thought I would provide some further thought, below:
The
“March for Our Lives” seems to have all the earmarks and attributes of
the previous “Women’s March” and the “Science March;” as well as the
same sources of funding.
The big push was not for any specific
reforms but to register people to vote for Democrats. This is not just
my perception but the results declared by the organizers... and the
funders... a really strange group of bedfellows... Democratic Party and
Republican Party front groups financed by the millionaire and
billionaire crowd claiming to be “supporters of the students.”
Somewhere between seven to twelve million dollars was contributed from
the likes of George Clooney to Bloomberg and Warren Buffett and even the
reactionary Josh Kushner.
So, not to raise the hackles of
anyone, but I am wondering whether the funding is the strings which will
assure this “movement” doesn’t go beyond the “Woman’s Marches” and the
“Science Marches” and become a real movement focused on what has caused
this society to become so violent- these never ending wars and racism.
It is noteworthy the materials distributed and speakers never mentioned
either of these nor the need for a massive investment to place social
worker’s in our public schools where they can take action to prevent
violence from occurring to begin with.
Nor has there been any
mention of the need to get these military recruiters out of our public
schools who are glamorizing “guts, guns, glory and patriotism”-
violence.
Also not mentioned is the common thread binding all of
these young mass shooters together- racist, fascist right-wing churches
and hate groups nor not even being mentioned is Trump’s promotion of
violent racist and fascist hate.
Could no materials be written
explaining all of this... or would funding not be forthcoming if the
message was put together in this way?
We have had huge women’s marches, gigantic science marches and now even bigger marches against gun violence.
Will funding now be forthcoming for anti-racist and anti-fascist demonstrations?
What about a huge demonstration supporting the creation of a National
Public Health Care System based on the model of public education?
Will these funders finance a massive demonstration of working class parents for a national public child care system?
What about funding for a huge gigantic peace demonstration opposing these dirty imperialist wars?
What about a massive demonstration calling for an end to poverty?
Will there be a call to create a massive all-people’s united front to
bring all of these marchers together in a way to shut this country down
until real reforms are implemented?
These millionaires and
billionaires will finance “marches” as long as they don’t turn into
persistent movements becoming a thorn in the sides of the Democratic and
Republican Parties.
These big funders will tolerate a speaker
here or there saying they won’t vote but they will not tolerate any
speaker calling for busting free from this two-party trap by creating a
new working class based people’s party.
The violence in the schools doesn't just involve guns.
It isn't just gun violence; it is knives, baseball bats, fists and "curb stomping," too.
It is violence.
For sure these guns intended for military purposes need to be curbed;
but, what is causing this violence needs to be addressed. We have a very
sick society as a result of wars and racism spawned by a very sick
capitalist system which needs to be replaced with socialism.
Where are the social workers?
We need large numbers social workers in our schools. This is the
primary demand that needs to be made right now... along with some kind
of stopping the sales and distribution of these AR-15 type military
weapons.
School administrators, teachers and police always say,
"We are not social workers." Isn't this an admission we need the
intervention of social workers with our youth in school?
Also, young people need more sports programs and all kinds of other recreational, art and cultural programs.
Republicans and Democrats are not advocating solutions to violence
because the real solutions need vast outlays of money and resources...
money they would rather spend on militarism and wars which, they don't
want to admit, because the finger points back at themselves because of
their screwed up priorities.
The American people have no say in
the decision-making process other than what they can force on these
uncaring politicians through huge demonstrations, sit-ins, etc.
If we want a genuine voice for peace and disarmament and a socially and
economically just society which will help us eradicate all of this
violence in our schools and communities we are going to have to break
free from Wall Street's two-party trap by organizing a working class
based people's party of some kind.
Let's be very clear about this...
The very people who are saying things like, "Leave these kids to figure
things out for themselves," are the very same people trying to
manipulate them back into complacency.
This problem of violence in our public schools is going to take everyone getting involved.
How can we expect the youth who have been denied the tools for changing
things by being taught lies in school about everything from history to
how government works all of a sudden be expected to come up with
solutions to these problems let alone implement the solutions?
Who can these young people rely on to implement the solutions to these
problems even after they correctly identify the problems?
Come
on, really; are these young people supposed to rely on a bunch of
politicians who have made the choice to spend our tax dollars on
militarism and wars for decades instead of spending money for improving
public education people the youth can now rely on to implement
solutions?
There is a reason these worthless politicians don't
want us joining together with youth to discuss this problem of violence
in the schools.
The reason being, they are afraid we will all
join these young people out in the streets and the demonstrations and
marches will grow bigger and bigger until people get so sick of
listening to the excuses being made by these politicians that students
and workers will join together and shut this country down until real
solutions are forthcoming... this is the only thing these Wall Street
bribed politicians will ever listen to--- if they will even listen to
people organized in such a peaceful manner demanding a say in what is
supposed to be a government of the people, by the people and for the
people.
But, chances are good that instead of implementing real
solutions the people will be met by violence ordered by these
politicians--- billy club wielding police, pepper spray, water cannons
and even the rifles of the National Guard just like when students at
Kent State University peacefully demanded peace in Vietnam... or like
the residents of Ferguson, Missouri who were met by a militarized police
force in response to their demands for an end to racist violence and
police murders.
This thoroughly rotten and corrupt government at
every level maintains its disdain for democracy and the voices of the
people with what? Violence.
Why should any citizen of this
country have to look down the barrel of an AR-15, M-16 or M-4 because
they are insisting on justice when it comes to racist cops killing
people?
Why should any worker on strike have to look down the barrels of these guns held by police and union busting thugs?
Why did the people gathered to protect their water in North Dakota at
Standing Rock have to look down the barrels of these guns held by oil
company thugs, the police and the military?
Why do people all
over the world have to look down the barrels of these guns when they
demand an end to U.S. occupation of their countries?
What made
the CIA think it could get away with putting these weapons in the hand
of a fascist butcher like Pinochet in Chile to gun down students in
their high schools and colleges and workers in mines and factories?
Here we have a guy like Bolton who says forget the guns and use more
bombs including nuclear weapons to enforce U.S. dictate all over the
world because our might makes everything right.
These young
people who we are now told should be left alone to solve the problems of
violence in their schools have not been taught the real source of this
violence--- their own government and an economic system that is so sick
and corrupt the only thing that keeps either propped up and going... is
what? Violence.
The guns are not the source of the problem; the guns are making the violence of a violently sick society worse.
Talk to your children and the students about all of this. See if they don't agree. Then join these young people in the streets.
This country was stolen from Native peoples using violence.
Slavery was maintained with violence.
Employers use violence to keep union out.
Chances are, if you have ever engaged in any kind of peaceful activity to make this world a better place to live you have had to confront the violence orchestrated by a government which boasts to the world of being the greatest bastion of democracy--- a lie peddled around the world and to young people in our schools now being consumed in this violence of our government's own making.
Get the military recruiters promoting "God, Guns and Guts" out of our public schools, stop the distribution of racist hate literature and bring in an army of well-trained compassionate social workers as the very first step in bringing an end to the violence in our public schools... and stop the well-heeled elites including bankers, real estate investors, greedy doctors and employers on the school boards to stop intimidating and harassing teachers who teach the truth.
