Letter to Dan La Botz – Socialist Candidate for Senate in Ohio

Letter to Dan La Botz – Socialist Candidate for Senate in Ohio
07/24/2010


Dan,

Good idea to try to build solidarity among neighborhoods. Being a Veteran of Eugene politics, I know that is easier said than done. It is an insidious control that the Business People exhibit over the governments. In Eugene, they have an organization, Downtown Eugene, Inc. (DEI is the Latin word for God?), I call them what they are Downtown Economic Imperialists and their tentacles spread along the arteries to the malls and strip malls of this unsustainable, inequitable, hedonistic sprawled mess. They make a mockery out of City Council and work directly with City Management to further their Capitalist "growth" agenda. They (landlords are well represented) dominate the Neighborhood Associations. Workers and potential workers are apathetic, partially because they are viewed and treated and act like consumers of alcohol, tobacco, and festivities, and partially because anyone who is legitimately concerned with the welfare of their Neighborhood residents learns quickly that they are a tiny, virtually non-existent, minority to be ignored.

It is a large, sometimes seemingly insurmountable education and organizing task. If we could get the neighborhood residents to understand that there is a vision beyond the Capitalist trickle-down and we could appeal to all peoples' concern for the progeny, then perhaps with great solidarity we could change the ways and means by which resources are allocated to and within communities (and within and among economic sectors). That is our calling. If we can be true to that and work diligently then it is not impossible for us to succeed. Two large assumptions are in play here. One, that people still have legitimate hopes for the youth and children, and secondly that people want to work and they want to work hard, given the potential to realize a living wage, equity, and a quality of life including bona fide prospects for their offspring.

It's a tall order.


In Peace, Friendship, Community, Cooperation, and Solidarity,

Mike Morin

With Respect to Transition Cascadia

Don't get me wrong, I concur completely with the bioregional concept and approach. That is why I have tried on Transition Oregon to start a group called Transition Willamette Valley Watershed.

However, I think it equally as important that we take the communal and inter-community approach. Thus you could see my unsuccessful, to date, attempts to organize a Transition Jefferson/Westside and a Transition Eugene/Springfield and Vicinity groups.

Eugene is a bourgeois super-sprawled atro city. If it were its own bioregion and not associated with the farther Northern reaches of Cascadia, I would suggest that it be called the State of Treesgon. The colors of the U of O Ducks are gone green and fool's gold. If I were Emperor of Eugene, I would be Michael of
Ro(ad)mania. The great majority here almost never leave their cars, thus there is a very alienated atomized unfriendly lack of community here associated with the non-existence of village centers and the endless zoned residential sprawls with drive-to and drive-thru malls. Napoleon Blownapart.

Having seen Salem, Corvallis, Portland, and areas between and my knowledge of the history of the built environment, I'm guessing that all metropolitan areas within Cascadia suffer the same PLAGUE.

In Peace, Friendship, Community, Cooperation, and Solidarity,

Mike Morin
Eugene

Pandora's Box (Without the Hope?)

Things are moving slowly, way too slowly, with respect to efforts to organize in the Eugene/Springfield & Vicinity Region.

Two members, thus far, and very little in the way of real solid interest expressed to me thus far.

Too many special interests, too many diversions, too many special interests, too many myths, too many special interests, too much diffusion and libertarianism and anarchy and entropy, too many special interests, and too many egos.

We live in a genocidal, ecocidal, automobile culture that can't or won't get the message, or just don't care that they are suicidal, as not so well.

So, I'm frustrated.

In response to your note: we can barter with our neighbors, if we know them and each has something to contribute. I'm not a fan of local currencies, and we have left the gold and silver standards far behind.

The key is to dissolve the Federal Government except to have direct access to the Treasury, at least until we have the time to move to a world currency.

Right now, we have pandering businessess: of the businesses, by the businesses, for the businesses and a servile TO business and oppressive FOR business system of Governments that are: of the Businesses and Governments, by the Businesses and Governments, for the Businesses and Governments.

Our tall order is to replace this with a system that is an economic democracy of the people, by the people, for the people.

At this moment, I'm not feeling very hopeful.


Mike Morin

For Springfield-Eugene & Oregon Residents

A potentially very useful site that will help us organize in Oregon:

http://www.transitionoregon.ning.com/


and in the Eugene-Springfield area:


www.transitionoregon.ning.com/groups


MM