A tiny ray of hope
Submitted by econoclast on Sun, 11/06/2016 - 2:50pm
A bright shining light in this, the most bizarre of the 16 presidential elections I have voted in (there is nothing as an even distant second-place, not Tricky Dick, not Teflon Ronnie, not Junior Bush, nada), is the presence of Iceland's Pirate Party and their articulate leader Birgitta Jonsdottir. Watch Amy Goodman's interview with her from beginning to end:
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/truthdigger_of_the_week_icelands_pir...
And become a pirate!
Comments
Very hopeful!
Thanks!
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo
Been one
for a while now. Hold fast, matey's! She'll blow a gale soon!
peace
Ya got to be a Spirit, cain't be no Ghost. . .
Explain Bldg #7. . . still waiting. . .
If you’ve ever wondered whether you would have complied in 1930’s Germany,
Now you know. . .
sign at protest march
Pirate Party? Aaaaaargh Matey.
Well someone had to say it.
After this abomination of an election, perhaps we can turn the Green Party into our version of the Pirate Party if they do well enough. We have to do something. Comey has not grown a spine and the FBI may be in for a purge. Neither major party is any good. Wikileaks has not gotten much traction because of the news media blackouts. We seem to be pretty much back to the 1930s in our uphill battle against the wealth machine.
I have spent a few hours listening to Woody Guthrie and to some IWW songs. I can't see much difference in our situation and people in the late 19th and early 20th centuries except that we don't have a lot of time thanks to the war machine and climate change both bearing down on us. Woody and the Wobblies had time at least.
Shiver me timbers! Thanks Econoclast for showing us we aren't alone.
-Greed is not a virtue.
-Socialism: the radical idea of sharing.
-Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.
John F. Kennedy, In a speech at the White House, 1962
Let's make the Greens the U.S. Pirate party.
Social movements do not start out as massive undertakings. They begin slowly, from the bottom, with small numbers. If the movement has an appealing message it gradually gains more adherents. This is why voting for Jill Stein (Green) is so important. The green movement has to be incrementally broadened and strengthened. This is why why we should vote for Stein. As I have pointed out elsewhere, our pitifully small Progressive numbers (in proportion to the whole) will make no difference in the Presidential election. The duopoly, at the least optimistic estimate will get 95% of the vote--and at the most optimistic will get 90% of the vote. We need to strengthen the Green party by adding our voices to theirs. Being a small organization, their ideology hasn't yet ossified. There is plenty of malleability there. Although I like their platform, others may not. But in a nascent stage, it is relatively easier to affect the political direction of an emerging political party. So this year maybe they get 5%. In two years, maybe 7%. In four years, who knows how many (if we still have "elections")? I don't know where the tipping point is, but there surely is one--if we persist. Let us turn our disgust into persistence--keep on the path of a better day.
The US Pirate Party
..... is, and always will be, the US Pirate Party. It exists, just as it started in Iceland; it's starting up here.
Do check the link out!
"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar
"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides
thank you for the link.
I didn't read the platform yet. After the "election", I will look into it.
Pirate Party is Clearly Marketable. Especially in America.
We're rule breakers.
The history of Privateers vs Big Corporate could totally be leveraged, socially, which seems to be a problem in confronting the media onslaught of Big Corporate & the Oligarchs via the corporate media. I think the framing is quite strong and well placed to challenge moneyed interests and corporate friendly government.
"Pirate Party" vs Corrupt Reps & Dems
"Pirate Radio" vs RW Radio and Corporate Radio
"Pirate Tube" vs TV and TV News
"A Privateer" vs small business
These could be strong alternative institutions and frames for change.
I think the intellectual property position of the Pirate Party could be quite strong as well. People are sick and tired of getting kicked off YT for having some music playing in the background.
I thought this as soon as I read the piece on the Pirate Party of Iceland's recent success. Even thought about putting an essay together. And when the idea was floated here of creating a new party I thought,"If it's the Pirate Party, I'm IN!"
“Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” ~ Sun Tzu
registering Pirate
When I DemExited, I tried to register Pirate via the Colorado Secretary of State's website. Unfortunately, the "party affiliation" field is controlled by a drop-down menu, not a writable field; and the Pirate Party isn't there in the dropdown.
So I must appear in person to do it on paper.
Nonetheless, I plan on doing just that. We really need a working Pirate Party in this country!
Arrrrr!
"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar
"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides