Rise Of The Proletariat In America

Blogs and chat rooms have
become the screen through which ideas, both good and bad, are sifted. Both the

brilliance and the idiocy of participants is riveting.

The specter of nearly-octogenarians James Baker and Lee
Hamilton releasing the findings of the Iraq Study Commission raises stark
contrast between the ruling class in America and a rising cacophony of a
proletariat finding its voice through the Internet. Blogs and chat rooms have
become the screen through which ideas, both good and bad, are sifted. Both the
brilliance and the idiocy of participants is riveting.

The model to which Congress, the White House and the two
major political parties cling rests on two inviolable principles – that nation
states alone hold the power to broker peace or war and that the world can be
divided into groups of good and evil.

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Even the much-debated Patriot Act fails to silence the nhum of ideas, good and bad, bubbling from laptops in remote corners of the nearth.

The change is evident not only in the seats of political npower but in other entrenched institutions as well. Examples:

The education establishment lumbers on in the face of ndeclining enrollment. Meanwhile, distance learning fights for credibility in a nworld that accredits on the grounds of teacher/student ratios, test scores, dorm nrooms and libraries.

The Christian Right, arguably the most self-conscious nwing of the Christian church, continues to export its dogma through an aging nleadership in desperate search of the next pop-Christian wave. Meanwhile, as nevangelical gays and lesbians come out of the closet, Christianity as an ethic nrather than the life raft it was intended to be seeks its redemption through nnationalism and theocracy. God, apparently, needs a lobbyist in order to be nheard.

Big business, coasting on inertia, lobbies heavily nagainst startups and upstarts, while its manufacturing plants thrive, not in nAmerica, but in the third world. Meanwhile, economic development gurus spend nbillions attempting to attract businesses that could operate successfully out of na phone booth, while entrepreneurs make millions in their basements.”,1]
);
//–>The lesson of 9/11, however, is that the ill-conceived
"War on Terrorism" is not merely a war against nation states and their despotic
leaders but a war for the hearts and minds of the dispossessed, not only in
America but now worldwide. Lies, obfuscation and spin, so effective in the past,
are unasked nearly as fast as they are created in the back rooms of power and in
the caves of Pakistan.

Even the much-debated Patriot Act fails to silence the
hum of ideas, good and bad, bubbling from laptops in remote corners of the
earth.

The change is evident not only in the seats of political
power but in other entrenched institutions as well. Examples:

The education establishment lumbers on in the face of
declining enrollment. Meanwhile, distance learning fights for credibility in a
world that accredits on the grounds of teacher/student ratios, test scores, dorm
rooms and libraries.

The Christian Right, arguably the most self-conscious
wing of the Christian church, continues to export its dogma through an aging
leadership in desperate search of the next pop-Christian wave. Meanwhile, as
evangelical gays and lesbians come out of the closet, Christianity as an ethic
rather than the life raft it was intended to be seeks its redemption through
nationalism and theocracy. God, apparently, needs a lobbyist in order to be
heard.

Big business, coasting on inertia, lobbies heavily
against startups and upstarts, while its manufacturing plants thrive, not in
America, but in the third world. Meanwhile, economic development gurus spend
billions attempting to attract businesses that could operate successfully out of
a phone booth, while entrepreneurs make millions in their basements.

<!–
D(["mb","

The passenger airline industry wings its way to nobsolescence in a world where teleconferencing and video cams already are "the nnext best thing to being there."

Journalism, the once-honored tradition of the collective nwisdom of editorial boards deciding what to feed a hungry public and when, finds nitself swamped by that same public with no patience for order and control of ninformation.

While the traditional publishing industry monitors ntemperature and humidity of warehouses full of the obsolete books of a select ngroup of authors, Print-on-Demand gives voice to kitchen-table writers to whom nideas are more important than the sale of books.

I welcome the encroaching change, though I admit that I nhave no idea where it will lead in the chaos that is bound to ensue.

What I see ahead is the end of the eternal power shift nfrom one nation state to another and the ultimate streamlining of government and nits offspring.

I see a class of previously-unheralded geniuses creating njobs and building virtual empires from their laptops.

“,1]
);
//–>

The passenger airline industry wings its way to
obsolescence in a world where teleconferencing and video cams already are "the
next best thing to being there."

Journalism, the once-honored tradition of the collective
wisdom of editorial boards deciding what to feed a hungry public and when, finds
itself swamped by that same public with no patience for order and control of
information.

While the traditional publishing industry monitors
temperature and humidity of warehouses full of the obsolete books of a select
group of authors, Print-on-Demand gives voice to kitchen-table writers to whom
ideas are more important than the sale of books.

I welcome the encroaching change, though I admit that I
have no idea where it will lead in the chaos that is bound to ensue.

What I see ahead is the end of the eternal power shift
from one nation state to another and the ultimate streamlining of government and
its offspring.

<!–
D(["mb","I see education moving from a collection of degrees to a nhealthy balance between information and experience.

I see writers and journalists rising from nowhere and neverywhere, testing their ideas in a cruel and skeptical marketplace of thought. n

I see the Christian Church rejecting its gurus and nrenewing faith in its truth in the face of competing ideologies and npractices.

The downside is admittedly frightening, calling for nfirewalls and safeguards against the kind of evil that lurks within every one of nus. The nature of the emerging power structure from such a world can only be nimagined. The threat of anarchy looms large. Despite the risks, change is nclearly on the horizon, like it or not.

So we thank James Baker and Lee Hamilton for their ndedication and contribution to what has in the past made America great. But, n"you’ve got to know when to hold ’em and know when to fold ’em."

In due respect to Kenny Rogers and Johnny Cash, nthere may not be "time enough for countin when the dealin’s done.

“,1]
);
//–>

I see a class of previously-unheralded geniuses creating
jobs and building virtual empires from their laptops.

I see education moving from a collection of degrees to a
healthy balance between information and experience.

I see writers and journalists rising from nowhere and
everywhere, testing their ideas in a cruel and skeptical marketplace of thought.

I see the Christian Church rejecting its gurus and
renewing faith in its truth in the face of competing ideologies and
practices.

The downside is admittedly frightening, calling for
firewalls and safeguards against the kind of evil that lurks within every one of
us. The nature of the emerging power structure from such a world can only be
imagined. The threat of anarchy looms large. Despite the risks, change is
clearly on the horizon, like it or not.

So we thank James Baker and Lee Hamilton for their
dedication and contribution to what has in the past made America great. But,
"you've got to know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em."

In due respect to Kenny Rogers and Johnny Cash,
there may not be "time enough for countin when the dealin's done."

Rise of the Proletariat in America