My friend, a descendant of immigrants who fled Deutschland before they would have been enslaved or liquidated, told me this election was the last goad. He’s seeking greener pastures in some foreign sovereignty, away from our Homeland. He assures me there are such sovereignties.
I was shocked to hear this from him, whose judgment I respect, which I had cynically debated with ardent Kerry campaigners. Until that moment, running off to Canada was a joke, told in self-pity by those who imagine a golden day in recent American history, when the people’s peaceable assembly made statesmen notice.
We, who missed the sixties to be born under the sign of Nixon’s disgrace, should not be so naïve. We joke about burning draft cards we have never been issued. We sing hippy show tunes about sunshine in the age of Aquarius, for satire. And, yes, we joke about crossing to the promised land of Canada, away from the blight of whichever fashionable American gripe ails us.
My friend, who would go to Europe instead of Canada, says, “America is becoming a garrison state, the financial and military center of the global corporate empire, characterized by a small wealthy elite and a mass of half-educated foot soldiers for crony capitalism and Christian fundamentalism.”
Why should he put up with this when Europeans are “creating a sensible postmodern liberal polity”? He distinguishes this European model from the “Putin-Bush model of crony capitalist/militarist authoritarianism with the trappings of democracy,” and, ultimately, despairs “that America could be pushed in the direction” of “the European model of post-national liberal cooperation.”
We agree this post-national model is the only hope for free and free-thinking humans, while reserving respect for American constitutionalism and the democratic mythos.
The “founding fathers” – leaders of a guerrilla insurrection – established something radically new in the Constitution of the United States of America, which most of us lack the historical understanding to appreciate, despite the childhood indoctrination. We, the American people, are too close to the revolution that document wrought on sovereignty to discern its immense artistry and significance in the world.
The failure of John Kerry’s campaign does not discharge our duty as enfranchised acolytes of the American democratic mythos, to preserve, or finally realize, the inalienable natural rights of free persons.
Canada and Mexico are not far enough away from the United Dominionist Theocratic Corporate Fascist States of America. They will be annexed to the Homeland before still more wars to pacify uppity regimes and engage as clients, suppliers, or subcontractors, all other states: American national security interests circle the globe.
Even were it realistic to naturalize elsewhere, renouncing U.S. citizenship (see http://harpers.org/ElectingToLeave.html), where could you really get away, and what good would that do you or your ideology?
Haven’t you read the al Qaeda talking points? Haven’t you read the Vision for the New American Century? In fact, no place is far enough. There is no sovereignty secure against the neoconservative hand directing the wheel of industrial capitalism.
In the face of this domestic and global threat, running for Canada is impotent political theater. Melodramatically, it cuts off your nose despite your face, abandoning the rest of us to the tyranny of the majority. It undermines all the zealous activism and political organization of the past four years just when the threat to our unique liberty is most pronounced.
Since Nixon, neoconservatives have been refining their messaging, consolidating their base. Through patient, subtle effort, they have corralled free assembly; denounced protestors as violent anarchists; discredited what “progressives” call the “mainstream” media, by branding it “liberal,” and derided novel, alternative channels of information by painting proponents as tinfoil hat-wearing conspiracy theorists or suspected prospective anti-corporate “eco-terrorists.”
Their foreign relations and domestic policies alike appear reactionary and short-sighted, if you overlook the decades of radio, and bulwarks built in local politics (see, e.g., http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1106-01.htm). Their social engineering would give Orwell and Huxley nightmares, and leave Goebbels gasping in admiration.
During these decades, we progressives have divided ourselves, stridently shouting over one another about our specialized, insular issues, competing for funding and mindshare. We have enjoyed and believed televisions.
Did you protest some facet of globalization? Did you participate in the largest peace protests in history, before the war even began? Did you go register voters in some battleground state? Are you going to give up now because you feel disappointed and betrayed?
Welcome to America. Is that all you’ve got?
Take heart!
The “moral divide” is propaganda (see, e.g., http://www.commondreams.org/views04/1105-29.htm), a feint in this domestic ideological contest, to dishearten and distract us from the ominously looming corporate military garrison state. Believing this theocratic myth – whether by running for Canada or by merely whining about the ignorance of Christians and “rurals” – will damage the cause of conscience in America.
This damage will arise, first, through “voter drain”: if you vote, and you do not seek to spread fiery American dominion across the face of the Earth, we need you to keep voting here. You must continue to educate yourself, talk to your neighbors, and participate intelligently in local politics.
Second, by railing imprecisely against the “religious” agenda, the urban atheist Bush detractor will stifle and alienate a significant proportion of the 46% of American voters already aligned against Bush, who also believe in God, and possibly the compassionate mission of Christ.
Finally, religion is too subtle for fine manipulation of the mob, though it will call one together quickly. Mobs are moved by force and fear, us and them, the claim to righteous violence. Oh, the devil is scary, but vengeance against the foreign devil’s threat is a more immediate prod. Christians forgive their enemies; nationalists and fanatics attack.
Comrades, we lost an election. We have not been routed; we have not been whipped bad enough to slink from the field in disgrace. We are still on the field! We must not be discouraged. We must not be divided. We must not despair but remain resolute, ever vigilant, dedicated to the American mythos of the people’s political involvement.
In the near term, field local candidates; organize to prevent the requisite number of state legislators from amending the constitution; continue to pressure the administration to stop killing Iraqis; insist our Congress-persons read the legislation they are authorizing; and, in two short years, we must wrest control of Congress away.
We must come together, to penetrate the alienating and polarizing spin of issues. We must realize and maintain a broad and cohesive peace movement.
Stay, please, and peaceably assemble. We – Americans of conscience – need you.
Exercise your franchise; agitate in your community; run for office; talk to and support your neighbors; remain alert to the promise and the shortcomings of this country, where we the people are uniquely responsible for our government, and so, for ourselves.
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Michael Provost (provost at gmail.com) is a fellow who practices writing while seeking licensure to practice law. He contemplates employment as analyst, alchemist, gadfly and knight errant.
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