This is a great scene from one of my all-time favorite movies - Matewan - which is about the struggle to build the United Mine Workers Union in the coal fields of Appalachia.
The lesson about organizing unity applies to our situation today as the oligarchy tries to pit worker against worker, race against race, religion against religion, and more.
As our state governments force major cutbacks in funding for education and social programs we need to increasingly build solidarity between peace activists, teachers, social service workers, and clients. Public service union workers who are fighting for their jobs and pensions can't do it on their own. We all need each other at this time. There won't be many tax increases to solve our fiscal problems. We are going to have to cut war spending and move those funds to help states that are in crisis.
In the end it is about leadership. Leaders of groups have a responsibility to aggressively protect the "interests" of their organization. Whether unions, peace groups or social service agencies, their first priority must be those that they serve. An accurate political analysis of the current climate across the nation (and around the globe) is that governments and the wealthy class are out to destroy unions and social progress. Thus it is leadership's responsibility to build coalition with any and all non-violent allies to help build a bulwark against the dismantling of the social fabric.
We are either going to paddle together or we are all going to drown. It's that simple.
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