There is something very fishy (cultish) about all US activist groups – they will not discuss their goals, strategies or time frames. They waste billions of dollars on education that they have no reason to believe could ever achieve anything positive – and every reason to believe will cause damage to the causes that they claim to support.

It is limiting to think about the USA or national politics. It is better to not believe that the USA exists anymore. The USA is an empire of corporate, trade and, military alliances. This is what we fight and what should be addressed. We are engaged in a world war – what Chavez and many anti-globalization / Zapatista activists call the Fourth World War – 4WW. Six hundred million capitalists against the rest of the world's 6000 million – 6 billion.
– United-Students

Relevance & Economic Terrorism:
Fiascos of Free Trade and Activism
By United-Students (Arizona Affiliate)

 United-students@lycos.com

What in the world are activists trying to do?

Why do they fight trade agreements that they cannot stop, that are already done deals, and that distract activists from what they should be doing??? Like trying to explain their goals, strategies and tactics... oh and some kind of time frame.

When I talk to people and explain what is going on, they express the feeling that either these USA activists work for the CIA/FBI or else they just like to feel good, pretend to be cool or feel compelled to do something – even if it is negative!

Read the workshop outline produced by Ecosolidarity Andes ( http://arizona.indymedia.org/news/2004/11/23465.php) ,
if you want to know what is going on in South America and why fighting trade is so meaningless –

What’s the goal ?

The following presentation was our contribution to the workshop by Ecosolidarity Andes. (A Synopsis of the workshop is found at the end)


“For this we joined Mercosur, in order to liberate us of the North,”
proclaimed Hugo Chavez, Presidente de Venezuela



The Andean Trade Negotiations: Fiascos of Activism:

Relevance – Activism: WHO; WHAT; WHERE HOW??? Alternatives...

By Acula Ramer, United-Students



The USA movements for change, for Fair Trade or against hyper corporate capitalism (War, Sustainability...) have to come together soon to oppose the USA Empire. In order to understand why this needs to happen – and how it can be accomplished -- one must better understand the world.

It is limiting to think about the USA or national politics. It is better to not believe that the USA exists anymore. The USA is an empire of corporate, trade and, military alliances. This is what we fight and what should be addressed. We are engaged in a world war – what Chavez and many anti-globalization / Zapatista activists call the Fourth World War – 4WW. Six hundred million capitalists against the rest of the world's 6000 million – 6 billion.

Cheer up, it is our great fortune that what we face is a global war – a war without borders, fronts or rears ... a war of everything against everything. Because such a battle is possible to mobilize within and to win. Whereas, politics and activism are completely dead in the USA – and this is a permanent condition – a truth...

We can discuss this at another time – ad nauseum if you insist – but we feel that it is a waste of time to examine in detail just how big the victories of W. Bush have been – or will be. – The USA has been moving to the right for almost 30 years -- surely since Reagan's victory in 1980 politics has been dead in the USA – and all education has failed since then.

(For a look at the fascist John Kerry see:  http://americas.org/item_15926)

(Or for a peek at the psychosis known as the USA consider:
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- On that long-ago day of Alabama's great shame, Gov. George C. Wallace (D) stood in a schoolhouse door and declared that his state's constitution forbade black students to enroll at the University of Alabama.
He was correct...
If Wallace could be brought back to life today to reprise his 1963 moment of infamy outside Foster Auditorium, he would still be correct. Alabama voters made sure of that Nov. 2, refusing to approve a constitutional amendment to erase segregation-era wording requiring separate schools for "white and colored children" and to eliminate references to the poll taxes once imposed to disenfranchise blacks.”  http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1802&e=1&u=/washpost/20041128/ts_washpost/a16443_2004nov27)


A United-Students Thesis:

Our thesis is that only through extending our conceptions of politics – which is another word for Power – extending it beyond the imaginary borders of nations can we create a better world.

There is nothing political that any USA people can do. To work with a political party or vote in anything that the Democrats believe in is not positive. Go back to square one and build a base through aiding Andean children – or be creative and send us your ideas.

Nowhere could this perspective (the hopelessness of US politics) be more true than in the realm of free trade talks. The only USA politician in modern history to be consistently anti- NAFTA or trade was H. Ross Perot.

No one in the anti-globalization movement can produce a study on alternatives that is viable, reasoned and contains instructions on how to achieve it. This would have been important 25 years ago (UNCTAD was working on it) and such advice would still have been useful even 10 years ago. Now these protests have lost their purpose (whatever that was) and they are meaningless. In the US protests actually create a negative backlash that confirms in the average persons mind that these loud, dread head kids are trouble makers – which they are since they have no plan, strategy or goals that they can express (or that anyone in the US could relate to).

Goals: What is the Goal of activists at the ACTA or in opposing USA free trade agreements?
1.) Education – US people, radicals – How?; Where is the evidence or theory that education can work in the US – Seems to most of us that the election of W Bush puts the lie to that (or shows that lies have more power than truth).
2.)Stop AFTA - FTAA – WTO – How? What good would that accomplish? Maybe if the goal was to end corporate capitalism then the honesty might create some educational value – around the world if not in the US.
3.) Support people in the South (false psychology?) How? Seems these small efforts would only give them false hope and false solidarity. Better to just send them some of the money we waste traveling around on the protest road shows.

What strategy will the anti-free trade protesters use? Now and later... We maintain that if any of these groups are honest, then they will quickly admit that they have no meaningful goals and that their strategies of education or mobilization cannot overcome the strong right wing drift of US political culture. To apply outdated techniques of organizing or resisting against such a force is to make yourself and your power meaningless and impotent. FACT: There is nothing people in the USA can do to stop USA imperialism from within the USA. – unless you are considering armed struggle, secession (moving masses of people to Vermont or Oregon?) or being able to mobilize millions of protesters who want to be beaten and imprisoned.

… Or so our/your logic and frankness would suggest. But we have a new idea – a thesis – that could re-invigorate and make powerful the movement for change in North America. We posit that everyone should cease working politically at any level in the USA – that they should refrain from all currently known forms of activism in the USA ( ecological, social or cultural) and instead put all of their energy, skills and finances into groups in South America – specifically groups in the Andes and in Venezuela.

Yes, the only activity of any real value to changing the world – to defeating capitalism and militarism – is to form a fundraising group.

USA people give almost 2 billion a year to environmental and social change groups, in the last year people gave the democratic party over 1 billion in dollars or assistance. – Imagine if just 10 percent of this money went to actually building resistance in South America – 300 million dollars !!!

Why cannot people in the USA do anything political to help people in the Andes?

Besides the fact that the USA has a very non-participative system of quasi-democratic republicanism, the following factors are important:

1. Large countries make lousy democracies; 2. The US Democratic party has been a willingly corrupt partner to the Republicans and corporate America; 3. (Probably the most important) Activists and educators in the US have misled the public and presented a dumbed-down version of what is wrong with the world/country and what needs to be done/sacrificed/endured. These factors have confused the electorate and left them ripe for the propaganda of the right. Awareness has declined and the lack of focus and solutions from the left and activists has turned off many people to involvement. This decline has affected environmental, social justice, anti-war and globalization campaigns and activists training. The debate on these issues and the need to change strategies and speak clearly have been suppressed or lacking. Many have warned that creating many single issue campaigns alienates the public and youth who want simple answers.

As we mentioned: The only way to aid the south is to send $ to a few small or medium sized civil society groups in a few key places – Why? Aren't there more and bigger groups? – No!
Well there are, but instead of sending your pay pal dollars to Venezuela’s government or an indigenous or campesino coalition in Bolivia, Peru or Ecuador, we feel that is better (attracts more donations, expands options, and limits US counter-propaganda) to target medium sized young groups involved in a variety of radical projects. As we get bigger (more money) we hope to fund more groups in more regions and activities.

You might think that we are being extreme to say that there is nothing you can do in the USA to aid the Andean Region (or anywhere) through politics or education. Think about it… If people get together in cities across the USA and focus on something that produces effects and signs of progress – like raising millions for important groups in the Andes, then they will both create a positive and growing movement in the USA and build up Andean groups too.

This success would encourage more people to get involved and in the process they would learn about struggle, about the real issues facing those who want change and about the struggle in Latin America. The movement in both regions will grow and people will see what money and cooperation can do.

Videos, articles for publication and visits back and forth can build stronger ties and spread the word and inspire even more organizing, more donations and more tangible results.

Instead of growing frustrated with the defeats that are inevitable in the USA – the failure to change anything – and even the reality that protest here – and lobbying can actually backfire and encourage the right wing or the ignorant voters to fight change more – activists can feel good and have victories. These People to People – or Pueblo a People campaigns can be proud and positive and real.

Move beyond political stalemate and make a real difference – Forget politics as you knew it – Do the politics of building global/hemispheric resistance. Forget politics, lobbying – forget all environmental, social justice and organizing in the USA – it will never work – never change anything soon – and it causes more problems than it solves.

Our group United-Students has decided to separate our activities. United Students will continue to speak out and tour the country trying to convince people to stop wasting their time on every kind of activism and politics. Andes Circle will focus its efforts on fundraising and indentifying groups that can make the best use of funding.

Summary Questions:
1. How are US politics relevant to the world’s problems or the threats of Empire?

2. How long do we have to achieve results or decide which strategies are effective?

3. What goals and strategies are meaningful and effective?

4. What weapons (forces) are available (people, ideas, hardware)?

5. What historical or theoretical examples support your conclusions (answers) ?

Some heavy reading, especially with the comment below... (well above this one I imagine).

However, I don't quite understand, having supported the challenge against Chavez - who we all believe to be the good guy - how we come to be petitioning him to stop the eviction of tile factory workers.

Which bit of background am I missing here?

Chavez is the good guy - he is in Venezueal doing well - though the USA is trying hard to kill him - and US Activists do nothing - The Zenonnworkers in Argentina are cool - bu the social movements in Argentina are week or dead - thanks to all sides stupidity (anarchists, autnonm,ous - and left/unions) and Kirchner - who acts and tlaks like a nice lefty - is a scum bag - reag Petras to find out about that or see - www.rebelion.org

The first comment was posted to hit on Kein who is a big muth chick - like to tell whole Latin American countries what to do - she knocke d Chazez at the last Brazilian social forum...

read - think read - DO SOMETHING