<div class="gmail_quote">Manuel tried posting this but it bounced to Occupy London + Democracy Village lists. Hence forward. </div><div class="gmail_quote">--------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Manuel</b> <span dir="ltr"><a href="mailto:manuel@whiteflag.info" target="_blank">manuel@whiteflag.info</a></span><br>
<br>
Some considerations about our movement Arab Spring, Occupy, 15M:<br>
<br>
1. We all are very concerned about what is going on in Syria. Ceasefire<br>
has ended, horrible crimes will go on.<br>
It seems that the opposition to Assad regime put together again the<br>
interests of Al Qaeda and the CIA because the regime there is a close ally<br>
to Russia. Russia has there the only military base outside its territory.<br>
2. We see also what is going on in Egypt as an outcome of the Arab<br>
Spring. Elections have taken place and the two candidates for presidency<br>
are: one, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood and the other one the heir of<br>
the former president Mubarak and also a general. I remember you that the<br>
Muslim Brotherhood were outlawed when they killed the previous President<br>
Anwar El Sadat after he signed peace with Israel. Then they were supposed<br>
the authors of a number of tourists and Christian Copts killings in the<br>
nineties.<br>
3. We have seen what has happened in Libya as a result of the Arab<br>
Spring.<br>
4. We have seen also what has happened in Bahrain as a result of the<br>
Arab Spring too. There the mostly Shia demonstrators claiming against the<br>
Sunni power were quelled by Saudi troops trained by UK. In Bahrain, as<br>
opposite to Syria, is the EEUU who docks its fleet for the Pacific there.<br>
<br>
Our movement, 15M, Occupy, Arab Spring, here and there, everywhere claims<br>
for more democracy and against capitalism.<br>
<br>
Democracy, first of all, is a system successfully created in Greece upon<br>
slavery. And the same goes for Rome. Modern democracy is stable only in<br>
rich countries, where also immigrants without rights occupy the lowest part<br>
of society.<br>
<br>
In not so rich countries, democracy leads to religious parties taking power,<br>
as in the whole Arab world. In the nineties, when the FIS, Islamic Front of<br>
Salvation, won in Algeria by more than 90%, the West supported a military<br>
coup.<br>
<br>
In other countries, not so rich countries, democracy leads to semi<br>
dictatorial systems or populist regimes as in Latin America and maybe in<br>
Russia, Asia and Africa.<br>
Indeed, if democracy is “free” enough, poor people will use state power,<br>
through a party, to redistribute country wealth even if they need to<br>
expropriate from the rich people. This might be also our movement case<br>
claiming against capitalism….(I know pretty well that succor those in need<br>
is urgent....and I am for it too) but I do not think it is a way OUT.<br>
<br>
This is life….No need to add that “democracy is the lesser evil, etc.” Or,<br>
what we have is not "real democracy". I am talking about facing our problem<br>
(human related), not about making politics (state related). And in the same<br>
way, am using intelligence here, not ideology..<br>
<br>
Therefore “more” democracy might have some sense, but it is not the way out,<br>
nor it is fighting against capitalism because this is also the way to see<br>
things from inside of our state but disregarding the state context which has<br>
to compete (As China's case, a communist country, show us).<br>
We have to open our eyes as human, Egyptians, Germans, Americans, Syrians,<br>
Chinese, Spanish, Brazilians…. we are all the same because what is important<br>
is to be human, no nationals, as we can understand each other, work together<br>
and we can put ourselves in other people shoes –this is the key to a<br>
solution, our common sense. Common sense valid not for the 99% (it actually<br>
goes to 50% & 50%, especially if -state- violence is used) but for the 100%.<br>
<br>
Let’s face reality now. I am not especially familiar with Syria domestic<br>
problems, but I understand it that way: Every country has internal problems,<br>
divisions. That division might be a question of races, faiths, beliefs,<br>
clans, tribes, classes or just, what it is never missed rich and poor<br>
people. And of course, one of those parts (to be more stable the rich) is in<br>
power, while the others are in the “opposition” (usually as a result of a<br>
previous war) and therefore submitted to state power (force) controlled by<br>
the first one. I think in Syria a number of factors, I guess mainly the<br>
invasion to Iraq and other related developments, has facilitated border<br>
leaking and illegal weapons have been successfully introduced in the<br>
country, because in every state only the state is allowed to have them. This<br>
is all. There is not much to talk about who is right or who is wrong or to<br>
talk about justice (all that is ideology again). The thing is that there is<br>
already a FRONT there, same as happened in Libya and this is also a safe<br>
haven for foreign intervention/help. (Not so safe as Russia is there to<br>
check maybe, or not as safe as it was in Libya´s case)<br>
<br>
Now, what is the cause of human disaster? The cause of human disaster is<br>
that we live grouped in armed units called states, and we have to be this<br>
way to exist in front of the other states (there is not democracy there were<br>
an army requires a hierarchy. This is what is going on in Egypt now) This<br>
means that a part has to control on the army, other forces and is in power,<br>
while the other parts have to submit because for a country or armed unit to<br>
exist among the 200 armed units in the world it has do so, as other<br>
countries are also organized this way to compete or exist.<br>
<br>
Only if we see it, we can look and find a way OUT of this misery. And this<br>
way out is a call for the human community, which is achieved through global<br>
common and total disarmament (process), as armies are against each other,<br>
together it will be easy to disarm. In this way, humans will live and to<br>
work together as EQUALS because hierarchy is no longer needed. While we<br>
still need each other as we cannot survive each one on our own.<br>
<br>
This is: we are free, no violence nobody is enforcing nobody, but it does<br>
not mean chaos, but on the contrary, unity, human community, because we all<br>
actually live spiritually and materially together.<br>
<br>
(I have tried to tell you many times that if we are not living spiritually<br>
and materially together already is because we are prevented by the simple<br>
existence of the weapon in nature which has conditioned our agenda or<br>
history generating the armed units as our way of organizing. I insist once<br>
more; think about a weapon as experiencing its existence –not as an idea)<br>
<br>
I hope our movement can play the role as cell and light of the human<br>
community and I am calling for you to work on that purpose.<br>
<br>
Best wishes.<br>
Manuel<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
-----Original Message-----<br>
From: <a href="mailto:squares-bounces@lists.takethesquare.net" target="_blank">squares-bounces@lists.takethesquare.net</a><br>
[mailto:<a href="mailto:squares-bounces@lists.takethesquare.net" target="_blank">squares-bounces@lists.takethesquare.net</a>] On Behalf Of<br>
<a href="mailto:marknbarrett@googlemail.com" target="_blank">marknbarrett@googlemail.com</a><br>
Sent: viernes, 01 de junio de 2012 23:44<br>
To: <a href="mailto:peoplesassemblies@googlegroups.com" target="_blank">peoplesassemblies@googlegroups.com</a>; occupylondon;<br>
<a href="mailto:squares@lists.takethesquare.net" target="_blank">squares@lists.takethesquare.net</a>; <a href="mailto:democracyvillage@googlegroups.com" target="_blank">democracyvillage@googlegroups.com</a><br>
Subject: [Squares] Cairo Open Letter<br>
<br>
Received at PAN this evening, am in process of getting more info on it -<br>
<br>
Hello,<br>
<br>
I would like to pass along an open letter sent by Comrades from Cairo, which<br>
explains the counter-revolutionary strategies at work in Egypt's upcoming<br>
presidential runoff:<br>
<br>
Egypt’s elections under military rule: Join our resistance to the<br>
counter-revolution<br>
<br>
To you at whose side we struggle,<br>
>From the beginning of the Egyptian revolution, the powers that be have<br>
launched a vicious counter-revolution to contain our struggle and subsume it<br>
by drowning the people’s voices in a process of meaningless, piecemeal<br>
political reforms. This process aimed at deflecting the path of revolution<br>
and the Egyptian people’s demands for "bread, freedom and social justice."<br>
<br>
Only 18 days into our revolution, and since we forced Mubarak out of power,<br>
the discourse of the political classes and the infrastructure of the elites,<br>
including both state and private media, continues to privilege discussions<br>
of rotating Ministers, cabinet reshuffles, referendums, committees,<br>
constitutions and most glaringly, parliamentary and now presidential<br>
elections.<br>
<br>
Our choice from the very beginning was to reject in their entirety the<br>
regime's attempts to drag the people’s revolution into a farcical dialogue<br>
with the counter-revolution shrouded in the discourse of a "democratic<br>
process" which neither promotes the demands of the revolution nor represents<br>
any substantial, real democracy. Thus our revolution continues, and must<br>
continue.<br>
<br>
Egyptians now find themselves in a vulnerable moment. Official political<br>
discourse would have the world believe that the technologies of democracy<br>
presently spell a choice between ‘two evils’. These are: Ahmed Shafiq, who<br>
guarantees the consolidation of the outgoing regime and its return with a<br>
vengeance, openly promising a criminal assault on the revolution under the<br>
fascist spectres of ‘security’ and ‘stability’, and the false promise of<br>
protection for religious minorities (against whom the regime systematically<br>
stages assault and isolation as part of its fear-mongering campaigns); and<br>
Mohamed Morsi, the candidate of the Muslim Brotherhood whom we are expected<br>
to imagine might ‘save’ us from the ‘old regime’ through the myths of<br>
cultural renaissance - all while consolidating its financial stronghold and<br>
the regional capitalist hegemony that fosters and depends on it for a<br>
climate of rampant exploitation of Egypt’s people and their resources. This<br>
consolidation, we are certain, will be accompanied by the subsequent<br>
marshalling of the military apparatus to protect the emboldened ruling class<br>
of the Muslim Brotherhood from the wrath and revolt of its victims: the<br>
multitude whom the leaders of the organization have historically fought by<br>
condemning and outlawing our struggles for livelihood, dignity and equality.<br>
<br>
According to election officials, most voters themselves (75%) have chosen<br>
neither Shafiq nor Morsi in the first round of elections. We refuse to<br>
recognize the choice of “lesser of two evils” when these evils masquerade in<br>
equal measure for the same regime. We believe there is another choice. And<br>
in times where perceived common sense is as far from the truth as can be, we<br>
find the need to speak out once again.<br>
<br>
We perceive the affair of presidential elections in Egypt as an attempt by<br>
the as yet prevailing military junta and its counter-revolutionary forces to<br>
garner international legitimacy to cement the existing regime and deliver<br>
more lethal blows to the Egyptian revolution. We ask you to join us in<br>
resisting the logic of this process that seeks to further entrench the<br>
counter-revolution.<br>
<br>
Our struggle does not exist in isolation from yours. What is revolution, but<br>
the immediate and uncompromising rejection of the status quo: of militarized<br>
power, exploitation, class stratification, and relentless police<br>
violence—just to name a few of the most basic and cancerous features of<br>
society in the present moment. These structural realities are not unique to<br>
Egypt or the Egyptian revolution. In both the South and the North<br>
communities resist what we are meant to accept without questioning, rising<br>
up against the narrow realist perspective that tells us that democracy is<br>
merely choosing the lesser of ‘two evils’, and that the election of either<br>
represents a choice in government rather than what it is: an affirmation of<br>
the only government that exists - that of unbridled, repressive and<br>
dehumanizing capitalist relations. We stand in solidarity with the masses of<br>
precarious and endangered people who have chosen to defend their being from<br>
an aggressive global system that is in crisis; indeed, a sputtering system<br>
that, in its twilight hours, reaches for unprecedented levels of<br>
surveillance, militarization and violence to quell our insurrections.<br>
<br>
We must make clear that despite the fact of the international political<br>
establishment’s praise of the ‘democratic’ nature of the first round of the<br>
Egyptian presidential elections, we strongly and categorically reject the<br>
outcome of these elections for they do not represent the desires of the<br>
Egyptian people that fought in the January 25th Revolution.<br>
<br>
Furthermore, we categorically reject the elections themselves in principle,<br>
for the following reasons:<br>
<br>
1- Even by the standards of the deceased and irrelevant systems of<br>
representation that once existed in the Global North, no ‘free and fair<br>
elections’ can take place under the supervision of a power-hungry military<br>
junta, vying relentlessly for continued political domination and the<br>
protection of their vast economic empire, so relentlessly, indeed, that no<br>
constitution exists to define the powers of any presidency. How can we<br>
tolerate a military dictatorship’s supervision of any political process when<br>
thousands of Egyptians continue to languish in the dungeons of military<br>
prison after undergoing arbitrary arrest, campaigns of systematic torture,<br>
and exceptional military tribunals.<br>
<br>
2- The abuse of law in favor of the power mongering of the ruling military<br>
generals: in order to run the junta's preferred candidate, former Prime<br>
Minister Ahmed Shafiq, the Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission has<br>
simply and blatantly disregarded the law of political exclusion recently<br>
passed in order to ban the candidacy of any members of Mubarak’s regime from<br>
running in the presidential elections.<br>
<br>
3- The absurdity of unlimited power concentrated in the hands of an<br>
electoral commission made up of central figures from the Mubarak era who are<br>
meant to supervise a ‘democratic’ process.<br>
<br>
4- The vague programs marketed by the most strongly backed candidates fly in<br>
the face of the values and object of the revolution, the very reason why we<br>
are even having these elections today and the cause for which over a<br>
thousand martyrs gave their lives: "bread, freedom and social justice."<br>
If these elections take place and are internationally recognized the regime<br>
will have received the world’s stamp of approval to make void everything the<br>
revolution stands for. If these elections are to pass while we remain<br>
silent, we believe the coming regime will license itself to hunt us down,<br>
lock us up and torture us in an attempt to quell all forms of resistance to<br>
its very raison d'être.<br>
<br>
We continue on our revolutionary path committed to resisting military rule<br>
and putting an end to military tribunals for civilians and the release of<br>
all detainees in military prisons. We continue to struggle in the workplace,<br>
in schools and universities and with popular committees in our<br>
neighborhoods. But our fight is as much against the governments and systems<br>
supporting the regime that suppresses us. We are determined to audit loan<br>
agreements that did and continue to occur between international financial<br>
institutions or foreign governments with a regime that claims to represent<br>
us while thriving from exploiting and repressing us. We call on you to join<br>
us in our struggle against the reinforcements of the counter-revolution. How<br>
will you stand in solidarity with us? If we are under attack, you are also<br>
under attack for our battle is a global one against the forces that seek our<br>
obedience and suppression.<br>
<br>
We stand with the ongoing revolution, a revolution that will only be<br>
realized by the strength, community and persistence of the people; not<br>
through a poisonous referendum for military rule.<br>
<br>
Comrades from Cairo<br>
<br>
Sent from phone<br>
_______________________________________________<br>
<br>
n-1 working group:<br>
<a href="https://n-1.cc/pg/groups/104127/take-the-square-international/" target="_blank">https://n-1.cc/pg/groups/104127/take-the-square-international/</a><br>
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</div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Apathy is Dead ! <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/solarider/5254770064/#/photos/solarider/5254770064/lightbox/" target="_blank">http://www.flickr.com/photos/solarider/5254770064/#/photos/solarider/5254770064/lightbox/</a><br>
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