"When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle." ~ 
Any world is an illusion, but within illusion, another world, a better world, seems possible. In the material world, the one we think is real, the divide between the 'left' and 'right' is an artificial one. This divide serves to keep us separate from each other and prevents us from seeing clearly that we in fact have shared interests and a common enemy. A better way to approach economy, politics, culture and society would be to take note of the ways in which our societies are divided horizontally: the interests of the few (the elite) and the many (ordinary people). The elite wants to oppress and exploit the rest of us. In a material sense, they are our enemy. They are working to establish a One World Company, aka a totalitarian New World Order. World government is the last thing ordinary people need. We need free and open communities with equal rights for everyone and a profound respect for the many differences between us. We want freedom rather than security. We want peace, not war. Above all else, we want truth, dignity and justice. ~ The Editor
XML FeedsLeft and Right Against the Empire
David Spero
When President Obama made his first post-election visit to San Francisco, two groups of protesters met him in Union Square. About 500 activists (the “Left”) carried signs, sang songs and chanted for an end to the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, for environmental action and Medicare for all.
Sharing space with us were about 250 “tea-baggers” (the “Right”) carrying anti-Obama signs. Their main issues were lower taxes and opposition to “government intervention” in health care.
Despite sharp disagreement on health care and the “stimulus”, we agreed on much. Everyone I spoke to was against the wars (although they “supported the troops”) and against the corporate bailouts, and for civil liberties. Why must we see each other as opponents rather than potential allies? In a society run by corporate elites who trample the values of both progressives and traditional conservatives, couldn’t we align Left and Right against the national security state and bankster capitalism?
Scott Horton thinks we can and should. Horton is host of Antiwar Radio, a show heard on KAOS Radio in Austin, Texas and streaming on Antiwar.com. “The left-right political spectrum is the name of our dilemma,” he says. “To end the wars and restore our Bill of Rights we have to find common grounds, not get distracted and tear each other’s eyes out over less important cultural and economic differences.”
It seems clear the left-right divide is serving the rulers. In response to the question, “Where is all the protest,” a Common Dreams reader posted: “There are plenty of folks objecting. They are simply being dismissed by the left as “mobs” and “Nazi’s”, with the right dismissing the others as communists, socialists and liberals.”
