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Welcome to the Jungle
"What worries me is not the violence of the few, but the indifference of the many" -M.L. King
"The wild, cruel beast is not behind the bars of the cage. He is in front of it" -Axel Munthe
"You don't have to be satisfied with America as you find it. You can change it. I didn't like the way I found America some sixty years ago, and I've been trying to change it ever since."
- Upton Sinclair ('The Jungle')
T-SHIRTS
Come visit my store on CafePress!
NEW: "Our Man to the White House"... http://webspawner.com/users/elections2008
An Alternative Inaugural Presidential Address
"Just as no individual is above the law within countries, no nation can be above the law among countries. We believe that if we disregard the law of nations we're left with the Law of the Jungle, where the only constraint on violence is the power and ruthlessness of those who would employ it. Rest assured, in that world, we won't be the only ones to employ it." (more...http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0120-21.htm)
Well, if you believe our leaders are failing to do something brave and bold like that above, perhaps because they are the puppets of the VESTED INTERESTS, then it is people like you and me who have got to do something. The reality of the jungle is that THOSE WHO CAN CHANGE THE WORLD, WON'T; AND THOSE WHO WANT TO CHANGE THE WORLD, CAN'T.
Please see 'Help Wanted: International Climate Change Mitigation Seeks Leader'... "a familiar absence of leadership from those with the most power to mitigate climate change"
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5369
Humor as a defense and as a weapon
"I have found that the BEST way to destroy a silly viewpoint is to use satire- satire makes people laugh, and when you point out the silliness in a position in such a way as to make everyone laugh at it you have won the hearts and minds of the people... humor is a powerful defense and a devastating weapon... I believe it exists as a result of evolution... chimps have a sense of humor."
(http://www.habitablezone.com/community/messages/367954.html)
NEW: The International Jungle
http://webspawner.com/users/donquijote92
(These little tiny stories are part of a series in which I explain to my little daughter how things work)
HOW THE POLITICAL JUNGLE WORKS
Politics works like this: Big People of Big Country buy Big People of Little Country, who, by the way, will be elected in "democratic elections" thanks to big bucks; Big People of Big Country give big loans* to Little Country (of course, to buy "made in Big Country"); Big People of Little Country pocket a big chunk and invest it in the Big Country, without ever investing in real development (education, health, the environment, etc); Little People of Little Country work for ever to pay back what they never got; Big People of Little Country thank Big People of Big Country in big ceremony, and promise to repay the big debt; and Little People of Little Country get big promises, just like Little People of Big Country. And they lived happily ever after... (Moral: The Big Fish eats the Little Fish. Well, unless the Little Fish get organized...)
* Please see "Predatory lending" at... http://www.odiousdebts.org/odiousdebts/index.cfm?DSP=content&ContentID=17469
HOW THE LAW WORKS... FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE LION
One day the King of the Jungle, tired of being called AUTHORITARIAN, gathered the most cunning animals in the kingdom, chief among them the Foxes, and told them: "It's mighty unjust that I am not recognized for what I am. You know full well that the best of my SCRAPS, after you, go to the Little Animals... Well, I want you to write LAWS, so from now on it'll be them, and not me, who would rule over this God chosen kingdom..."
After a few months of hard deliberations (and a few "private parties" and "business trips") the Foxes (now turned politicians) returned with a long, long book of laws written in a language so hard to understand to the Little Animals that they thought it was old Greek. After translation, it started like this: "The animals with a mane will be treated like kings; the animals with paws and teeth will be above the Laws; and the animals who will represent the interests of the Little Animals, us, will be granted a raise in benefits and status... Of course, ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION will be considered ILLEGAL, and will result in the Lion eating the Little Animal..." (Moral: The trick is in the law.)
THE LAW OF THE JUNGLE
Once upon a time, in the deep jungle, lived a Lion and a Monkey... One day the Monkey, tired of the Lion always taking the LION'S SHARE, and seeing that such injustice represented a danger to all, demanded JUSTICE... The Lion, yawning and stretching, said, "You would have to have paws and sharp teeth..." Then the Monkey, who was very clever, devised a plan: He would go to the costume store, and look like a lion...
When the HUNGRY LION saw him, noticing that the new lion wasn't a match for him, and fearing COMPETITION, killed him on the spot --before the indifferent look of the little animals of the jungle... And that's how the Law of the Jungle was re-established one more time... (NOTE: Other monkeys survived him...)
THE LAW OF THE JUNGLE II
After killing the monkey, the Lion --dressed in his best CAMOUFLAGE, the lie-- gathered all the little animals of the jungle and announced: "Today we have successfully eradicated one of the major threats to the peace and order of our jungle... Yes, an evil lion, envious of us, attacked without warning... Luckily, your sacrifice gave me strong paws and teeth... And yes, these mighty weapons were so useful to me that I finished him off without a sweat... Anyhow, now it turns out that some of his accomplices are trying to attack us... So get ready for more suffering and restrictions, if not for a catastrophe... But hey, there's a place for you in heaven..."
Meanwhile, one of the little animals --who out of need kept grazing all along-- asked another, "What did he say?" "I think he said something about a new lion," answered the other. To which the first animal replied, "Another one!?" (NOTE: We don't need lions or violent monkeys that become lions. The hope lies in the little animals. No Lion No Problem!)
***THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF FLYERS HAVE BEEN HANDED OUT --AND PEOPLE LOVE THEM!***
WORLD REVOLUTION
"The World Revolution is an idea for a new, global activist social movement for progressive social change. It aims to resolve in a definitive and comprehensive manner the major social problems of our world and our era. Major issue areas of the World Revolution include: peace, human rights, the environment, and world poverty." http://www.worldrevolution.org/
VIVA LA REVOLUCION!!!
You may have liked what you read above and decided to join in such an effort or any other effort to change the world --for the better, of course, because you want change that's NONVIOLENT AND DEMOCRATIC. Thus you are part of the solution and not part of the problem. However, if you wished for something truly different, appealing to the pleasures of life, in a shorter time frame, because you want to live it, then look no further and 'feel' and 'taste' our EPICUREAN REVOLUTION. Welcome to the 'BANANA REVOLUTION,' which attacks top-down politics by being irreverent of power, requiring the participation of the individual and proposing a simple yet satisfying lifestyle... WE ARE THE REVOLUTION; WE CAN HAVE THE GOOD LIFE, HERE AND NOW. Well, it's also very funny and sexy to make it more appetizing... http://webspawner.com/users/bananarevolution
This is also another view at Revolution very similar to ours...
http://www.dreamagic.com/bruce/gandw214.html
"Anarchism has been written off time and again by politically-minded people as a quaint historical anachronism, irrelevant as the century turns. But the politicians themselves are living out the final sentence of George Orwell's 'Animal Farm,' where the poor creatures out in the yard peered through the windows of the farmhouse, looking from pig to man and from man to pig, but found it impossible to say which was which.
In real life this leads to apathy and resignation as well as to the rise of demagogues and dictators. But if people had faith in their capacity to make decisions, it could be changed by an upsurge of popular self-organisation and inventiveness. Probably every generation has to learn this."
http://www.circlealpha.com/library/anarchism_future.html, http://webspawner.com/users/donquijote80 & Orwell's view at http://webspawner.com/users/donquijote86 (I OWE A LOT TO ORWELL, WHOM I CONSIDER A PROPHET)
"Whatever the Party holds to be truth is truth."
The book "1984 is one of the few that has remained timeless and will always be regarded as not only historical, but also prophetic."
http://www.angelfire.com/id/audreyspage/1984.html
"AT A TIME OF UNIVERSAL DECEIT, TELLING THE TRUTH IS A REVOLUTIONARY ACT" - G. Orwell
Notice the similarity between this... "You would have to have paws and sharp teeth..." and globalization... "That you are among the many losers instead of the few winners in the global economy. If you worked harder, became more ruthless and competitive, you too could join the ruling class." So the Law of the Jungle has made involuntary predators out of us... "If they can be convinced that the Law of the Jungle is the right and proper law to govern human activity, they will fight among themselves instead of against the economic jungle's powerful predators." (http://www.islandhosting.com/~contempo/library/mai/worldorder.html)
In reality though, ONLY THROUGH COOPERATION WE CAN SURVIVE...
I'm adding my own thoughts to some bits of information: "In a society where truth is so camouflaged and avoided," the li-on hunter (read lie hunter) is the most honest profession. If 'Satyagraha' (nonviolence) is 'the way of the truth,' then the lion's way is that of the 'lie and violence' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satyagraha). And why not simply go along with the lie? Because, "Violence...is invariably intertwined with the lie." -A.I. Solzhenitzyn
Perhaps that's what Gandhi meant by, "I like your Christ, but not your Christians." Meaning, "I don't like hypocrites."
(SPANISH)
"Lo que me preocupa no es la violencia de una minoria, sino la indiferencia de una mayoria" -M.L. King
(Estas pequenisimas historias son parte de una serie en la cual explico a mi pequena hija como funcionan las cosas)
COMO FUNCIONA LA JUNGLA POLITICA
La politica funciona asi: La Gente Grande del Pais Grande compra a la Gente Grande del Pais Pequeno, que, casualmente, sera elegida en "elecciones democraticas" gracias al cash; la Gente Grande del Pais Grande da grandes prestamos al Pais Pequeno (por supuesto, para comprar en el Pais Grande); la Gente Grande del Pais Pequeno se embolsa una buena tajada y la invierte en el Pais Grande, nunca invirtiendo en el verdadero desarrollo (educacion, salud, el medio ambiente, etc); la Gente Pequena del Pais Pequeno trabaja para siempre para pagar lo que nunca recibio; la Gente Grande del Pais Pequeno da las gracias en gran ceremonia a la Gente Grande del Pais Grande en nombre del Pais Pequeno, y promete pagar la gran deuda; y la Gente Pequena del Pais Pequeno recibe grandes promesas, exactamente igual que la Gente Pequena del Pais Grande. Y para siempre fueron felices... (Moraleja: El pez grande se come al chico. Bueno, a menos que los chicos se organicen...)
COMO FUNCIONA LA LEY... PARA BENEFICIO DEL LEON
Un dia el Rey de la Selva, cansado de que lo llamaran AUTORITARIO, reunio a los animales mas astutos del reino, principalmente a los Zorros, y les dijo: "Es muy injusto que no me conozcan por lo que soy. Ustedes saben muy bien que lo mejor de mis SOBRAS, despues de ustedes, va a parar a los Pequenos Animales... Bien, quiero que escriban LEYES, de manera que de ahora en adelante seran ellas, y no yo, las que regiran en este reino escogido por Dios..."
Despues de varios meses de deliberaciones muy duras (y de algunas "fiestecitas privadas" y "viajes de negocio") los Zorros (ahora convertidos en politicos) regresaron con un largo, largo mamotreto legal escrito en una lengua tan dificil de entender para los animalitos que estos pensaron que era griego antiguo. Despues de traducirlo, comenzaba asi: "Los animales con melena seran tratados como reyes; los animales con garras y colmillos estaran por encima de la Ley; y los animales que representaran los intereses de los Pequenos Animales, nosotros, recibiran un aumento de beneficios y prestigio... Por supuesto, TODA FORMA DE DISCRIMINACION sera considerada ILEGAL, y resultara en que el Leon se coma al Pequeno Animal..." (Moraleja: El que hace la ley hace la trampa.)
LA LEY DE LA SELVA
Erase una vez, en lo mas profundo de la jungla, vivian un Leon y un Mono... Un dia el Mono, cansado de que el Leon siempre se llevase la PARTE LEONINA, y viendo que tal injusticia ponia en peligro a todos, demando JUSTICIA... El Leon, bostezando y estirandose, le dijo, "Tendrias que tener garras y colmillos afilados..." Entonces el Mono, que era muy habilidoso, diseno un plan: Iria a la tienda de disfraces, y pareceria un leon...
Cuando el LEON HAMBRIENTO lo vio, dandose cuenta de que el nuevo leon no se le comparaba en fuerza, y temiendo a la COMPETENCIA, lo mato en el acto --ante la mirada indiferente de los animalitos de la selva... Y asi fue como la Ley de la Selva fue restablecida una vez mas... (NOTA: Otros monos le sobrevivieron...)
LA LEY DE LA SELVA II
Despues de haber matado al mono, el Leon --vestido en su mejor CAMUFLAJE, la mentira-- reunio a todos los animalitos de la selva y anuncio: "Hoy hemos erradicado exitosamente una de las mayores amenazas para la paz y el orden de nuestra jungla... Si, un leon malvado, envidioso de nosotros, nos ataco sin previo aviso... Felizmente, vuestro sacrificio me dio garras y colmillos fuertes... Y si, estas formidables armas me fueron tan utiles que lo liquide en un dos por tres... Bueno, ahora resulta que otros de sus complices quieren atacarnos... Por lo tanto, preparense para mas sufrimientos y restricciones, cuando no para una catastrofe... Pero bueno, hay un lugar para ustedes en el cielo..."
Mientrastanto, uno de los animalitos --que por necesidad se mantuvo pastando todo el tiempo-- le pregunto a otro, "Que dijo?" "Yo creo que dijo algo de un nuevo leon", respondio el otro. A lo cual el primero contesto, "Otro mas!?" (NOTA: No necesitamos leones o monos violentos que se convierten en leones. La esperanza esta en los animalitos. No Leon No Problema!)
Welcome to the Jungle II
Nonviolence
Economic Democracy
Law of the jungle (article)
What's the solution to Terrorism?
A Solution: Coming Out of the Jungle!
Send E-Mail to: comandante.banana@yahoo.com
Copyright © 2008 Orlando Fernandez. All Rights Reserved