Organizing Notes

Bruce Gagnon is coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space. He offers his own reflections on organizing and the state of America's declining empire....

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Location: Brunswick, ME, United States

The collapsing US military & economic empire is making Washington & NATO even more dangerous. US could not beat the Taliban but thinks it can take on China-Russia-Iran...a sign of psychopathology for sure. We must all do more to help stop this western corporate arrogance that puts the future generations lives in despair. @BruceKGagnon

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

In Toronto for Peace Confab


Mary Beth and I arrived in Toronto, Canada last night after a hard 12-hour drive from Maine.  The first part - on the country back roads through the scenic mountains and fields of western Maine, New Hampshire and northern Vermont were lovely.  The early parts of Canada, the rolling fields of corn and hay were also quite precious.  Once we hit the super highway west to Ontario the drive turned to drudgery.  But we made it safe and sound and found the youth hostel where conference members are staying.

This morning we attend the two-day conference made up of members of the Canadian, US and Mexican Peace Councils.  (Activists also here from Cuba, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Brazil, and Greece.) I will talk about the sad but very real subject of Pentagon 'Full spectrum dominance' and the implications for world peace - which as you can imagine are quite horrid.

Full spectrum dominance means controlling 'conflict' at every level - on the ground, the oceans, the air and in space.  The US Space Command says it will be the 'Master of Space' and utilize space-directed warfare to control the planet below on behalf of corporate globalization.

The pirates have gone high-tech and intend to use this technology for their benefit.  The aerospace industry brags that 'Star Wars' will be the largest industrial project in human history costing big $$$$$$.  They intend to pay for it by cutting 'entitlement programs' which officially in the US are Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and what is left of the welfare program after Bill Clinton got finished with it.

We've got our work cut out for us but I am encouraged by the recent protests in South Korea opposing US deployments of THAAD 'missile defense' systems.  In a very conservative community in the center of the country, the melon growing farmers of Seongju pelted their Prime Minister with eggs and water bottles and held his car up for six hours in utter disgust with the government's slavish subservience to the US military agenda.

This example of outraged citizen action shows that things can change rather quickly when people feel their very existence is at stake.

As an organizer it is my job to keep working the fertile soil and to help people make this transition from fear into action.  My hope is that this conference in Toronto brings us a step closer to a real global movement for peace.

Bruce

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