--I think between all the nutball racists overachieving about death threats against Obama and all the people of all stripes who want to bask in the wonder of Obama's inauguration, regime change, people power, the triumph of the pragmatic center, and all the sundry themes people are trying to project on the occasion, the actual inauguration itself it likely to be one hell of a surreal festivity. If I could think of some way to concoct a reason to be in DC for the occasion, I would certainly jump on it, but I am not working very hard at the possibility.
--Someone I know is just back from a board meeting at a fascinating religious lobby group. She reports that Obama was unique compared to other freshman politicians. The organization would normally take the initiative and make contact with all newly elected members of Congress when they come to town. Obama's office on the other hand contacted, supposedly all the civil society organizations in the city and asked them who they are and what they do. I did not really probe the limitations of "all," but I could see why my friend was impressed. More to the point, this is one of the organizations that says, don't just send Obama to DC and abandon him to the ways of ruin; keep up the pressure. Do not let the media or the commentariat set the agenda. This is definitely a point of view I can relate to.
--I like the idea of celebrating / agitating in my own community and will be looking for, though probably not helping much to foment such in Seattle.
But this is just my opinion
DC
On Wed, Nov 26, 2008 at 10:22 AM, Nick Robinson <ndrobinson at gmail.com>wrote:
> Curious what LBO folks think about this.
>
> http://hopefrompeople.com/
>
> An open letter to those seeking to build a world from below, in which
> many worlds are possible
>
> We call on all anarchists, horizontalists, autonomists,
> anti-capitalists, anti-authoritarians, and others organizing a world
> from below to bring our best creative spirits to the project of a
> "Celebrate People's History and Build Popular Power" bloc on January
> 20, 2009, in Washington, DC—or in your hometown, if you can't make it.
>
> As people striving toward a nonhierarchical society, yes, we can—and
> should—be rigorously critical of Barack Obama. It goes without saying
> that we want a world without presidents; we want worlds of our own
> constituting via directly democratic structures, not states. But not
> all heads of state are alike, and if we fail to recognize both the
> historical meaning and power of this particular moment, we will ensure
> our own irrelevance.
>
> We can—and should—also be in critical solidarity with people who have
> been violently marginalized, who see in the Obama campaign the
> possibility of their own agency. The inauguration affords a unique
> space for us to stand with a diverse group of activists inspired by
> Obama, many new to political organizing, even as we maintain our views
> on the limits of change from above.
>
> Perhaps, as people working to build a world from below without
> electoralism or statecraft, we also need to listen on January 20. It
> is neither the time nor the place to critique hope or excitement on
> the part of people who have engaged in grassroots struggles in so many
> ways and won a substantial victory. The inauguration marks a watershed
> event in the often cruel history of these United States, and the whole
> world will be watching, hoping that we've done just a little to
> grapple with the legacy of slavery, lynching, segregation,
> displacement, and racism in general, both of the personal and
> institutional varieties.
>
> There'll be a true rainbow coalition on the streets of DC, made up of
> exactly those people who the libertarian Left has always aligned
> itself with and always should: those who are not radicals but who have
> been exploited, oppressed, and relegated to powerlessness. So instead
> of breaking things, if we're serious about building visionary social
> movements, doing meaningful anti-racism work, and honoring those who
> have resisted and dreamed before us, we should break bread with those
> millions globally who will feel moved by Obama's inauguration—many of
> whom were also moved enough to participate politically (well beyond
> voting) for the first time in this election.
>
> With our bloc—using banners, photos, artwork, zines, theater pieces,
> posters, armbands, and other visual expressions—let's illustrate the
> many moments when people on this continent and across the world
> aspired to better approximations of freedom, via their own forms of
> collective organizations and mutual aid. Let's create and display
> images of social movements, cultures of resistance, and especially our
> experiments to institute the new society in the shell of the old: from
> popular assemblies to self-managed workplaces, from freedom schools to
> free clinics, from autonomous villages to reappropriated land, and
> much more. And let's remember all those many moments throughout
> history when we took to the streets, factories, schools, and
> neighborhoods; when we built movements ranging from abolition and
> civil rights to the American Indian Movement and the Black Panthers,
> from Zapatismo to Ya Basta!, from No One Is Illegal to anti-capitalist
> mobilizations, from Argentina's factory occupations to Oaxaca's
> federated assemblies; and when we reclaimed the commons and, in the
> process, ourselves.
>
> For if we aspire one day to live in a world without borders and
> prisons, without states or capitalism—or presidents for that matter—we
> must stand in solidarity on January 20 with those most impacted by
> hierarchy and institutional oppression. Then, in the days beyond,
> we'll join with millions of others in demanding fulfillment of, as
> Obama put it on election night, the possibility of change, as we
> support the growth of social movements toward a free and directly
> democratic society.
> Points of Unity:
>
> – We believe that human freedom and happiness would be best guaranteed
> by a society based on principles of self-organization, voluntary
> association, egalitarianism, and mutual aid. And thus, we reject all
> forms of social relations premised on systemic violence and hierarchy,
> such as the state, capitalism, and white supremacy.
>
> – On January 20, we will actively seek to cooperate with as well as
> support anyone who is working to create a more liberatory world, and
> in fact, to learn from them and each other.
>
> – We will gather as a bloc, unmasked and with open arms, respecting
> the celebratory spirit of the day—presence rather than protest—and
> will encourage others who want to honor social struggles from below to
> join us.
>
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>