Photo from the Real Democracy Now! movement in Madrid
Photo from the Real Democracy Now! movement in Madrid
Photo from the Real Democracy Now! movement in Madrid
Manifesto of the Real Democracy Now (¡Democracia Real YA!) movement
Here's the English translation of a Manifesto issued by the movement of unemployed young people and other citizens that is rocking Spain at present. Its points could apply to the U.S.A. and elsewhere, in my view.
Manifesto
We are ordinary people. We are like you: people, who get up every morning to study, work or find a job, people who have family and friends. People, who work hard every day to provide a better future for those around us.
Some of us consider ourselves progressive, others conservative. Some of us are believers, some not. Some of us have clearly defined ideologies, others are apolitical, but we are all concerned and angry about the political, economic, and social outlook which we see around us: corruption among politicians, businessmen, bankers, leaving us helpless, without a voice.
This situation has become normal, a daily suffering, without hope. But if we join forces, we can change it. It’s time to change things, time to build a better society together. Therefore, we strongly argue that:
The priorities of any advanced society must be equality, progress, solidarity, freedom of culture, sustainability and development, welfare and people’s happiness.
These are inalienable truths that we should abide by in our society: the right to housing, employment, culture, health, education, political participation, free personal development, and consumer rights for a healthy and happy life.
The current status of our government and economic system does not take care of these rights, and in many ways is an obstacle to human progress.
Democracy belongs to the people (demos = people, krátos = government) which means that government is made of every one of us. However, in Spain most of the political class does not even listen to us. Politicians should be bringing our voice to the institutions, facilitating the political participation of citizens through direct channels that provide the greatest benefit to the wider society, not to get rich and prosper at our expense, attending only to the dictatorship of major economic powers and holding them in power through a bipartidism headed by the immovable acronym PP & PSOE.
Lust for power and its accumulation in only a few; create inequality, tension and injustice, which leads to violence, which we reject. The obsolete and unnatural economic model fuels the social machinery in a growing spiral that consumes itself by enriching a few and sends into poverty the rest. Until the collapse.
The will and purpose of the current system is the accumulation of money, not regarding efficiency and the welfare of society. Wasting resources, destroying the planet, creating unemployment and unhappy consumers.
Citizens are the gears of a machine designed to enrich a minority which does not regard our needs. We are anonymous, but without us none of this would exist, because we move the world.
If as a society we learn to not trust our future to an abstract economy, which never returns benefits for the most, we can eliminate the abuse that we are all suffering.
We need an ethical revolution. Instead of placing money above human beings, we shall put it back to our service. We are people, not products. I am not a product of what I buy, why I buy and who I buy from.
For all of the above, I am outraged.
I think I can change it.
I think I can help.
I know that together we can.I think I can help.
I know that together we can.
* * * * * *
http://democraciarealya.es/
Here's the English translation of a Manifesto issued by the movement of unemployed young people and other citizens that is rocking Spain at present. Its points could apply to the U.S.A. and elsewhere, in my view.
Manifesto
We are ordinary people. We are like you: people, who get up every morning to study, work or find a job, people who have family and friends. People, who work hard every day to provide a better future for those around us.
Some of us consider ourselves progressive, others conservative. Some of us are believers, some not. Some of us have clearly defined ideologies, others are apolitical, but we are all concerned and angry about the political, economic, and social outlook which we see around us: corruption among politicians, businessmen, bankers, leaving us helpless, without a voice.
This situation has become normal, a daily suffering, without hope. But if we join forces, we can change it. It’s time to change things, time to build a better society together. Therefore, we strongly argue that:
The priorities of any advanced society must be equality, progress, solidarity, freedom of culture, sustainability and development, welfare and people’s happiness.
These are inalienable truths that we should abide by in our society: the right to housing, employment, culture, health, education, political participation, free personal development, and consumer rights for a healthy and happy life.
The current status of our government and economic system does not take care of these rights, and in many ways is an obstacle to human progress.
Democracy belongs to the people (demos = people, krátos = government) which means that government is made of every one of us. However, in Spain most of the political class does not even listen to us. Politicians should be bringing our voice to the institutions, facilitating the political participation of citizens through direct channels that provide the greatest benefit to the wider society, not to get rich and prosper at our expense, attending only to the dictatorship of major economic powers and holding them in power through a bipartidism headed by the immovable acronym PP & PSOE.
Lust for power and its accumulation in only a few; create inequality, tension and injustice, which leads to violence, which we reject. The obsolete and unnatural economic model fuels the social machinery in a growing spiral that consumes itself by enriching a few and sends into poverty the rest. Until the collapse.
The will and purpose of the current system is the accumulation of money, not regarding efficiency and the welfare of society. Wasting resources, destroying the planet, creating unemployment and unhappy consumers.
Citizens are the gears of a machine designed to enrich a minority which does not regard our needs. We are anonymous, but without us none of this would exist, because we move the world.
If as a society we learn to not trust our future to an abstract economy, which never returns benefits for the most, we can eliminate the abuse that we are all suffering.
We need an ethical revolution. Instead of placing money above human beings, we shall put it back to our service. We are people, not products. I am not a product of what I buy, why I buy and who I buy from.
For all of the above, I am outraged.
I think I can change it.
I think I can help.
I know that together we can.I think I can help.
I know that together we can.
* * * * * *
http://democraciarealya.es/
Nuclear power plant troubles in Japan: three perspectives
A plausible analysis of the immediate predicament at the Japanese nuclear power plants is this (from the LA Times):
“Backup generators powering the pumps at the first five disabled reactors failed almost immediately after the earthquake, apparently inactivated by exposure to seawater from the tsunami that swept through the seaside plants. The facilities had to rely on backup batteries that last up to eight hours until additional batteries and generators could be brought in.
Although the company has released no details about the sixth reactor, it appears the diesel generators there worked for a couple of days before they too finally gave out.”
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-japan-quake-sixth-reactor-20110313,0,3146984.story
A broader overview comes from academics like Charles Perrow who study “normal accidents.” A series of unexpected technical or natural mishaps along with human misjudgments lead to a cascade of events leading to catastrophe. Better engineering and planning can help avoid such outcomes, but never completely.
In my view, Aeschylus described the basic situation 2,500 years ago. In “Prometheus Bound,” Prometheus explains his crime against the gods:
Prometheus: I caused mortals to cease foreseeing doom.
Chorus: What curse did you provide them with against that sickness?
Prometheus: I placed in them blind hopes.
Chorus: That was the great gift you gave to men.
Prometheus: Besides this, I gave them fire.
Chorus: And do creatures of a day now possess bright-faced fire?
Prometheus: Yes, and from it they shall learn many crafts.
Chorus: These are the charges on which –
Prometheus: Zeus tortures me and gives me no respite.
A plausible analysis of the immediate predicament at the Japanese nuclear power plants is this (from the LA Times):
“Backup generators powering the pumps at the first five disabled reactors failed almost immediately after the earthquake, apparently inactivated by exposure to seawater from the tsunami that swept through the seaside plants. The facilities had to rely on backup batteries that last up to eight hours until additional batteries and generators could be brought in.
Although the company has released no details about the sixth reactor, it appears the diesel generators there worked for a couple of days before they too finally gave out.”
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-japan-quake-sixth-reactor-20110313,0,3146984.story
A broader overview comes from academics like Charles Perrow who study “normal accidents.” A series of unexpected technical or natural mishaps along with human misjudgments lead to a cascade of events leading to catastrophe. Better engineering and planning can help avoid such outcomes, but never completely.
In my view, Aeschylus described the basic situation 2,500 years ago. In “Prometheus Bound,” Prometheus explains his crime against the gods:
Prometheus: I caused mortals to cease foreseeing doom.
Chorus: What curse did you provide them with against that sickness?
Prometheus: I placed in them blind hopes.
Chorus: That was the great gift you gave to men.
Prometheus: Besides this, I gave them fire.
Chorus: And do creatures of a day now possess bright-faced fire?
Prometheus: Yes, and from it they shall learn many crafts.
Chorus: These are the charges on which –
Prometheus: Zeus tortures me and gives me no respite.