In the late 80's Noam Chomsky conducted a series of interviews which was eventually compiled into a book called What Uncle Sam Really Wants. In it, Chomsky wrote about the Domino Theory used to explain our reasons for going to war in Vietnam. However, Chomsky's take of it, was to call it The Threat of a Good Example.

Chomsky said, "The weaker and poorer a country is, the more dangerous it is as an example. If a tiny, poor country like Grenada can succeed in bringing about a better life for its people, some other place that has more resources will ask, "why not us?"

That seems to be the question being asked across the globe right now. When the Bush administration stupidly put all their eggs in the basket that is Iraq, Central and South America, piece by piece, became economically independent from the United States. Today, as Oliver Stone noted in his film, South of the Border, virtually all of South America has now shifted from a resource for investors to plunder to democratic socialist states that put their resources into helping their own people.

The same is happening in the Middle East and North Africa. There have been protests in Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Lebanon, Mauritania, Morocco, Northern Cyprus, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Western Sahara, and Yemen. And protests could be coming to Qatar later this month.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010%E2%80%932011_Middle_East_and_North_Africa_protests

While these protests certainly aren't monolithic, it should be noted that several of these nations are allies with the United States. Meaning that their dictators serve to protect investors from their own people. What this is an indication of is that US power is in rapid decline.

The same thing is happening in Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, and New Jersey. It is a revolt by the people against the investor class who wrecked the economy, robbing the taxpayers blind by demanding bail outs, are now looking for even more, by trying to gut the US government, and pocket the spoils.

Stupidly, their greed seems to have blinded their sense of self-preservation, as that very government has served as a protection racket to their schemes for the last 60 some years.

When I was first getting my training in activism, a former member of the SDS told me that during a protest on a college campus, they were beaten by security guards, and the protest was disbanded. But what the guards didn't know was the level of organizing that had been going on behind the schenes. The next day, the protesters came back, except this time their numbers had doubled. That is how you win as an activist. You organize your movement to a degree that when they retaliate, they lose.

Governor Walker could learn something from that. What the 18 day protests that overthrew a dictator in Egypt proved to Americans, particularly to activists, was that the only thing you need to do to win is to not give up. The threat of a good example. And with every move in retaliation these Governors make, it's strengthens the resolve of working people to not give up.

A week ago, 61% of the American People were on the side of some of the most demonized people in this country: government workers. This week it's at 77%. Walker's response is that he'll start laying workers off. As Snow said, brilliant political move...if you want to lose.  

Keep it up, Republicans. Please.

-- Modified on 3/6/2011 2:38:39 PM