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AFTER OCCUPY
What Next for the World?
By FRANK SYKES Trafford Publishing
Copyright © 2013 Frank Sykes
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4669-9179-8
CHAPTER 1
'OCCUPY' GLOBAL ACTION FOR JUSTICE
The cost of lack of interest in public affairs is to be ruled by evil men. Plato (BC 427-347)
Politics is the art of preventing people from taking part in affairs which properly concern them. Paul Valery (1871-1945)
Who controls the food supply controls the people. Who controls the energy can control whole continents. Who controls money can control the world. Attributed to Henry Kissinger (1923-)
1.1.1% Wealth and Control
The '1%', their predatory corporations—some larger than nations—and vested interests own and control the world's resources. Their unmerited wealth, gained often by unproductive speculation, allows them control of:
* world organisations, governments, politicians, public servants, the mainstream media, academia, and the '99%'; and
* the world's food, energy, and money.
1.2. Today's Crises
Today's crises are not the result of accident or miscalculation but of the pursuit of power, crimes against humanity, greed, and the mantra of 'neoliberalism.' (See chapter 2.)
The 1% have brought about:
* the global financial crisis (GFC) (chapter 3);
* the 'real' economy or fiscal crisis (chapter 4); and
* the environmental crisis (chapter 5).
1.3. Participatory Democracy and Justice
The continued global domination of the 1% will ensure continuing crises and the economic, social, cultural, and environmental collapse of nations and planet earth.
* Modern 'democracy' (Greek demokratia government by the people) is a sham. True democracy must be genuinely participatory at all levels of government. The 99% must demand global justice, constitutional and legislative change, and action to bring about:
* a financial and economic system that ensures sufficiency and equity for all;
* sustainability and minimum destruction of the environment; and
* a world of peace.
* Constitutional and legislative amendments to overcome the evil machinations of the 1% and for Participatory democracy must be voted on immediately by referendum or its equivalent.
* 'Occupy' must develop a political action program and become a leading part of a globally coordinated movement of activist groups, youth, and 'elders.'
* To ensure that it is not hijacked and derailed, Occupy must:
* develop a coordinated action agenda and leadership structure with other movements and within its own troops;
* continue to be morally and actively courageous;
* enlist the morally and actively courageous among the '1%' and their vested interests to assist in its cause; and
* become financially strong.
1.4. Resistance to Change
There will be massive resistance to any change: the closer the 99% and Occupy get to achieving their just goals, the more resistance there will be.
Occupy must be relentless in its demand for justice. United in its global billions, the 99% will succeed; divided, it will fail. For the sake of humanity, today's youth and future generations, and planet earth, it must succeed.
CHAPTER 2
SHAM DEMOCRACIES
2.1.1%: The Enemies of Democracy
The '1%,' their predatory corporations, and vested interests are the enemies of democracy and of international and national constitutions and laws. Their membership is said to include some 6,000 individuals who constitute a dominant global 'super class.' They are, in effect, a world government that controls world organisations, governments, financial institutions, other global corporations—and billions of the world's people.
The remaining 99% have been silenced by the 1% and their economic policies of neoliberalism.
2.1.1. Constitution (or Equivalent) and Legislation
* To bring about justice and lawful change, the 99% must first consider all existing relevant legislation, and where necessary, they must amend the constitution at every level of government:
* the requirements for constitutional amendment vary between nations, the level of government, and the subject matter; an international standard must be the goal;
* to ensure that action and legal proceedings against those suspected of fraud can get underway unhindered, it will be necessary to waive here any
(a) statutes of limitations;
(b) any laws of 'double jeopardy'; and
(c) the corporate veil.
2.1.2. The Neoliberalism Mantra
The 1% has foisted neoliberalism (aka economic rationalism) upon a silenced 99% through the financing of 'think tanks,' academia, educational institutions, and the mainstream media.
Its principles rely on the following myths:
* deregulation and minimal government intervention in markets;
* 'free' trade (aka trade liberalisation);
* privatisation of the people's assets; and
* the catastrophic, never-ending pursuit of economic 'growth.'
As a result, global financial, 'real economy' (fiscal), and environmental disasters are imminent.
2.1.3. Climate of Fear
Fear, threats, and indefinite imprisonment of citizens without trial are used to silence the 99%. Fear was used by the 1% to convince us that it was essential to bail out—with taxpayers' monies—the financiers who had brought about the 2008 GFC.
Threats, legal action, and incarceration have been used against many, including the whistleblowers Bradley Manning and Julian Assange and members of the Occupy movement. Financial blockade has been used against WikiLeaks.
* Whistleblowers must be protected by law:
* leaks of 'secret' information from public-sector bureaucrats and others have been essential in keeping governments accountable and the 99% protected and informed;
* free legal assistance must be provided to whistleblowers; their lawyers and the people must have access to them (habeas corpus), including by means of 24/7 camera surveillance if imprisoned;
* organisations such as Anonymous and WikiLeaks must be adequately funded; and
* bureaucrats who ignore information for which governments should be held accountable must be penalised as culpable, anti-democratic conspirators.
2.1.4. The Surveillance State: National Security and Domestic Spying
Every nation must protect itself and its people. Global and national security systems are essential. They go under a variety of names, and presumably, many are unknown.
When used for domestic spying on a state's own citizens, they are used outside their main purpose. For example, the US National Security Agency (NSA) and its related agencies have recorded some 20 trillion communications of ordinary Americans.
* Under every nation's constitution and law:
* the 99% must be fully informed and given the opportunity to approve by vote the framework, cost, and powers of a government's national security and domestic spying programs;
* at minimum, the programs must comply with international agreements on data protection and privacy; and
* any use of private agencies and corporations must be approved by vote.
* The 99% should combat the illegal use of the 'surveillance state' by:
* becoming aware of their rights when interacting with government agencies; and
* anonymously communicating on the internet.
2.1.5. Dominance of Information Flows
Information dominance—one aspect of 'full-spectrum dominance'—is a stated policy of the United States. Propaganda, lies, misinformation, cover-ups, spin, secrecy, and information overload are part of the process that allows the 1%, their corporations, and vested interests to sideline the will of the majority and pursue their agendas undetected.
* Political propaganda by TV, radio, media releases, film (e.g., Operation Hollywood), and 'information advertisements' are used to influence opinion. The people must be given the right to decide the use of public money for partisan government propaganda.
* If politicians in their campaigns and public servants are found guilty of political lies, misinformation, cover-ups, and spin, they should be brought to account. Lies must be an indictable offence, and perpetrators' taxpayer-funded superannuation and other payments stopped.
* The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a fundamental breach of international law. The perpetrators must be brought to account:
* both the United Kingdom and Australia are parties to the UN International Criminal Court (ICC) statute—thus Tony Blair, John Howard, and their administrations must be prosecuted in the ICC;
* the United States has not ratified the statute; however, eminent US legal experts have argued that George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and their administration could be indicted for murder.
* In the matter of the torture of prisoners, the people must be:
* provided with full information on the framework and methods used where any form of physical or psychological torture has been applied; and
* given the right to vote on all relevant legislation.
A list of 13 officials in the George W. Bush administration who made possible the torture and rendition of US political prisoners and the CIA's secret sites is available. All must be brought to justice.
* The Middle East is the subject of massive secrecy and deception, including exaggerated security threats. It has been argued that it is in Israel's best interest for the Middle East, including Israel, to be made free of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. This could set a pattern for similar measures to be applied throughout the world.
2.1.6. Social Engineering and Political Correctness
'Social engineering' and 'political correctness,' as used by the 1%, involve:
* political denigration and manipulation of the media and public arenas to vilify and silence those holding differing opinions; and
* buzzwords and terms such as anti-Semitic, discrimination (often prohibiting rightful differentiation), inevitable, national interest and security, homophobia and other phobias, progress, racist and terrorist.
The term anti-Semitic has allowed the United States and Israel to do as they wish and continue the Palestinian holocaust.
* There may be little that can be done about the use of political denigration and buzzwords, other than ignoring them or legislating against their misuse.
2.2. Participatory Democracy
Intermittent elections have degenerated into farcical political circuit breakers to placate the people. They do not ensure genuine participatory democracy.
* It is the duty of the 99% to immediately take action to regain rightful democratic control from their governments and insist on:
* an immediate review of existing constitutions and legislation to ensure that strategic political decisions are made by vote of the people or their local community representative at all levels of government—national, state/provincial and local;
* being fully informed in a timely and succinct manner;
* the prohibition of campaign funding of candidates and other political donations by corporations, and limiting those made by individuals to a legislated amount; and
* the people having the power to remove from office all elected and public officials e.g. by impeachment or a 'recall election'.
2.3. Strategic Decisions
A properly informed 99% is more than capable of making strategic political decisions.
* In addition to other matters raised in this document, the people must be enabled to exercise their democratic right to vote on strategic decisions on the following matters:
1. War and The Judiciary (2.4)
2. World Organisations (2.5)
3. The Public Sector (2.6)
4. Corporations and Lobbyists (2.7 and 2.8)
5. Global and National Banking Systems and Financial Institutions (Chapter 3)
6. Government Revenue and Expenditure (Chapter 4)
7. Environmental Matters (Chapter 5)
2.3.1. Constitutional and Legislative Framework
* In cases where the accommodation or delegation by the elected government for the people to make strategic decisions is not legally possible, there must be constitutional change to make it so at every level of government.
* Citizen-initiated Referenda (CIRs) must be allowed to enable a public vote on matters such as:
* the making of constitutional changes;
* a 'voters' veto' to block laws passed by Parliaments or their equivalent; and
* the making of new laws by voters.
* The plebiscite process on the passing of strategic decisions which are not the subject of a referendum must be made possible at every level of government. To be effective, when the people's wish is established, it must be binding on government.
* The right of any person or organisation to petition Parliament or its equivalent to take or not to take a particular course of public policy must be unimpeded.
* An elected 'citizen jury' can be the prime information and opinion source on a given constitutional or legislative matter. The 'juries' would then be a platform for participatory democracy, where the electorate makes the final decision by vote.
* Electronic democracy ('eDemocracy') is the most efficient means of empowering citizens or their local nominees to participate in the democratic process. Modern electronic and communication 'smart' technologies must be immediately developed to ensure that the 99%:
* receive reliable, timely and succinct information;
* can participate in debate on strategic decisions; and
* as already successfully introduced throughout the world, have their votes accurately recorded by electronic voting.
* Video conferencing, virtual classrooms and internet communities as a forum for debate must be financed by government.
2.3.2. People Fully Informed
* It is the duty of taxpayer-funded politicians and public servants to timely and comprehensively inform the people of all matters relating to their strategic decisions.
* The bases for decision-making must be provided in one-page summaries in point form for the people's decision. Full detail must be available if requested. Inappropriate complexity of information provided should be taken as fraudulent or evidence of lack of understanding by the presenters of the 'information'
2.4. War and the Judiciary
* War ultimately treats the 99% as 'canon fodder'. The initiation of any form of war, including the 'war on terror', unmanned aerial vehicles, land and underwater drones, and 'special services' attacks must comply with international agreements and be the subject of national vote by a properly informed people.
* Appointment of the judiciary at all levels and decisions on mandatory sentencing must be made by the people.
2.5. World Organisations
2.5.1. General
* There must be true democratic decision-making processes globally.
* There must be a revamp of all international bodies and institutions, and review of:
* their structure and cost;
* all rights of veto, such as in the UN Security Council;
* the 'one-dollar-one-vote' principle, which favours the richest countries;
* international legislation; and
* agreements between any international organisation and nations.
* World organisation heads, senior officials and regulators must be appointed by vote of the people.
2.5.2. Corporate Influence
The undemocratic influence of global corporations and their lobbyists on the UN and its agencies, on the EU and other international organisations has been detrimental to international policy making and development strategies.
The UN '3 Sisters' (the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank) have an overwhelming influence on international affairs. They undermine nations by favouring global corporations on matters such as tied loans to nations, privatisation of people's assets and trade liberalisation:
* corporate lobbying has demanded unfair loans and trade rules which have undermined the fight against poverty, hindered rather than helped poor countries, and has allowed corporations to violate environmental, social and human rights and labour standards; and
* public-private partnerships support corporations in opening up markets and in facilitating access to governments.
* By means of cooperation between all nations and the strategic decision-making available to their people:
* the WTO, IMF and World Bank must be reconstituted or replaced; and
* the influence of corporations and their lobbyists on all international organisations must be strictly regulated.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from AFTER OCCUPY by FRANK SYKES. Copyright © 2013 Frank Sykes. Excerpted by permission of Trafford Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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