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American Revolution Revisited [1]
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Date: 2022-09-08
Let’s all celebrate American Democracy Day this year!
We need to remember some aspects of history that we rarely think about.
The Declaration of Independence, as adopted by the Continental Congress on July 2, 1776, was specifically addressed to George III of England, blaming him directly for all of the ills the Colonies suffered. Members of that Congress argued against offending the people of England, and any friends America might have in the British Parliament. Not mentioned is the real villain of the story: The British East India Trading Company, on whose behalf all of the abuses occurred.
In our times, America fields its military might in defense of the interests of huge, unaccountable corporate entities (and their majority shareholders, who are similarly unaccountable). What George III did them, our government does today. Americans fought a revolution in response, which worked with help from France and with the British forces having to cross an ocean to get here. A revolution of this type is not an option for us today.
We need a different kind of revolution, one that affects the true authors of our problems. People often cite the Boston Tea Party as a model for action, but fail to draw the correct lessons from it. Yes, it struck directly at the East India Trading Company, which was appropriate. (Yes, it also broke many laws and seemed to try to shift blame to Natives.) But destruction of some goods was only enough to annoy the huge corporation, and provoked retaliation. How do you hurt huge corporations enough to scare them, without breaking laws or taking unnecessary risks to life, limb, etc.?
A national strike. France has them fairly often, and still functions fairly well. Their companies remain competitive, and the owners of those companies know that the workers cannot be taken for granted. Of course, to send a meaningful message to America’s oligarchs, a national strike would have to last a while.
I propose a brief shot across the bow; take Election Day off, as a nation, to get out the vote and show that it can be done.
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