Our Nativist Insanity

The anti-immigrant drum beat has been constant and growing in the last few years. Led by demagogues such as Lou Dobbs and Tom Tancredo, nativist groups and politicians have consistently dehumanized and spread lies about immigrants, both documented and undocumented. They have portrayed immigrants as uneducated animals who come to America to steal our jobs, destroy our culture and kill our children. Almost every Republican presidential candidate has jumped on the nativist band wagon, each promising to do more to harass and deport illegal immigrants. Many of them have even gone as far as taking extremely isolationist positions that are antithetical to the notion of globalized capitalism that is promoted by the economists and businesses that make up the base of the Republican Party. However, the nativist and often borderline racist positions taken by these demagogues are often deluded and always bad ideas for America.

America's strength throughout its history has been built on the back of the (often exploitative) labor of its immigrants. From the Irish, to the Italians, to today's Hispanic immigrants (not to mention the forced immigration of millions of African slaves), immigrants have always been the force that has driven the American economy. Now anti-immigrant activists have made an assertion that flies in the face of history, economics and reality: that immigrants hurt our economy.

One of the most common assertions is that undocumented immigrants do not pay taxes. This statement, while not completely false, is a misrepresentation of reality. Undocumented immigrants do not pay income tax (a problem that could be very simply solved by legalizing them), but this is a much smaller issue than it seems. First of all, many illegal immigrant families do not make enough money to have to pay federal income tax, and secondly they pay all other kinds of taxes. Undocumented immigrants pay sales tax on everything they buy, pay property tax on any property that they own and often pay money into a false social security account, money that they will not be able to get back when they retire. When Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan testified to the Congress, he calculated that undocumented workers contribute far more than their fair share to the economy, paying more than $70 billion in taxes and using about $43 billion in services. This donation of $27 billion to the government does not include the other positive impacts of immigrants on the economy, including the jobs they create when they start their own businesses and sales of consumer goods to undocumented immigrants. The idea that immigrants "take away jobs" is a complete misnomer. The number of jobs in the economy is always changing, and the economic growth caused by immigrants makes up for the jobs that they have taken.

Another claim thrown around by ill-informed nativists, especially Lou Dobbs, is that undocumented immigrants make up a huge proportion (about 1/3) of criminals. This statement is patently false. In reality, according to the Department of Justice, noncitizens (both legal and illegal) make up 20 percent of federal inmates. However, even this number does not represent reality, because immigration violations themselves are a federal offense. In state prisons, where people are sent for violent crimes such as murder and rape, only 4.6 percent of inmates are noncitizens. Overall, noncitizens make up 6.4 percent of the state and federal prison population, and 6.9 percent of the total population. Immigrants make up far less than their fair share of inmates. They come to this country because they want to work and build a better life, not to commit crimes and cheat their way to the top. Undocumented workers also have an additional reason not to commit crimes: the fear of deportation. So if immigrants actually help our economy and are not rabid criminals, then why have they stirred up so much anger in America?

They are destroying American culture! How they are doing this I could never figure out. Almost all Hispanic immigrants are Catholics, and willing to work hard to succeed. These are the very values that Americans are said to value most. As far as different customs go, some of the best things in America have come from our immigrant populations. From Pizza, to Pad Thai to Tacos, the food we enjoy most comes from other parts of the world. These immigrants even learn English very quickly. The New York Times has reported that 88 percent of second and 94 percent of third generation Hispanic immigrants speak perfect English, even without it being the official language. However, even if these facts were not true, the Tancredo "deport 'em all" position is completely unrealistic.

It would cost more than $200 billion to round up and deport every illegal immigrant, and that does not take into consideration the cost to the American economy. It would mean stepping up cruel raids that destroy immigrant families, and often leave children orphaned. In addition, a wall along the Mexican border would not only send the wrong message to the world, but would be incredibly expensive and ineffective in stopping the flow of undocumented immigrants, as long as the US labor market demands cheap labor, people will come to take those jobs.

However, if despite all this we are still committed to stopping the "Browning of America," the racist term used to describe the recent wave of Hispanic immigrants, there are much better ways to go about it than building walls. Immigrants have always come to America to escape crushing poverty in their home countries, but the poverty of Latin America is different from European poverty of a century ago, because it is caused in large part by US involvement. The US government has had a part, whether direct or indirect, in overthrowing the governments of 9 Latin American governments during the 20th century. The chaos and civil unrest caused by these coups have contributed to the poverty and lack of economic growth experienced by these countries. In addition, US free trade agreements such as NAFTA have increased poverty and inequality in Latin America in order to increase profits of American and international corporations. This, combined with other US economic practices such as corn subsidies, increase the numbers of poor and unemployed people in Latin America, who see America as a place where they can escape poverty and build a better life.

One fact that is constantly forgotten in the immigration debate is that immigrants are human beings like any other. Everyone has dreams, aspirations and families, no matter which country they come from or what language they speak. All people should have the right to migrate to provide for themselves and their families, and they should not be stopped by the lines in the sand that we call borders.

White Plains High School Environmental Month

1/9/2008
White Plains, New York

Climate Change is the defining issue of the 21st century. How effectively we are able to combat it will determine the nothing less than the future of the human race. In addition to the warming of the Earth, our environment is being degraded in numerous other ways. Overuse of finite resources by logging, fishing and human consumption is also a major threat to human civilization.

It is with these pressing issues in mind that the White Plains High School Chapter of Students for a Democratic Society and Advocates for the Earth have declared January Environmental Month at White Plains High School. It will a month of educational events for students and agitation for changes to our school to make it more sustainable and environmentally friendly. The members of White Plains High School SDS and Advocates for the Earth have put together a 10 Point Program for School Sustainability, which includes the following changes:

1. Turn down the heat.
2. Fix sinks and water fountains so that they do not run continuously.
3. Turn off the computers and vending machines at night.
4. Fluorescent energy efficient light bulbs.
5. Use recycled paper products in the bathrooms and copy rooms.
6. Replace Styrofoam trays with reusable or recyclable ones.
7. More organic, local and vegetable based food in the cafeteria.
8. Stop school buses from idling before the end of the school day.
9. Eliminate harmful pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers from lawn care products.
10. Put together a long term plan for completely sustainable and carbon neutral school.

We believe that these 10 ideas can be easily implemented in the school, and will, in the long run, save the school district money. We believe it is admirable that the school distract has taken steps to transform Post Road and Mamaroneck Avenue elementary schools into Green Schools, and we want that program implemented district wide.

In addition to initiating change to the school's energy consumption and recycling practices, SDS will provide current and useful information to our student body about these important issues. We will raise funds with which to buy additional recycling bins for the school building, which presently are in short supply. These purchases will include new recycling containers that will be clearly marked for bottles and cans. We will soon hold a competition to see which grade can collect the most bottles and cans for recycling. Dr. Elan Gandsman, the recently retired director of Yale's Environmental and Radiation Safety Program, will read selections from his forthcoming book on global warming and discuss these concerns during lunch period in the high school’s library on Tuesday, January 15^th. A showing of Al Gore's documentary film, An Inconvenient Truth is scheduled for Tuesday, January 15th at 7 PM.. The movie screening will be free and open to the public.

We hope that this month can be a launching point for a sustained environmental campaign both inside our high school and across Westchester and the nation. The time for action against climate change is now. If we continue to bicker and propose ineffective solutions, we will be facing the consequences of a rapidly imploding environment in the very near future. Since the national government is not willing to do what it is needed, our local communities must take the initiative in fighting climate change.


White Plains High School Students for a Democratic Society
Advocates for the Earth
Jonathon Booth
914 522 0822
jonathon.booth@gmail.com

From the time we are born we are taught that we are one of two things. We are boys or we are girls, and there is no in between. Our most basic identity comes with many expectations. These expectations vary slightly across cultural and economic lines, but many stay the same. Boys are supposed to be strong, tall and enterprising. They are supposed to wear blue, play with action figures, never cry, and be sexually dominant and expressed. Girls are supposed to be weak, domestic and skinny. They're supposed to wear pink, play with Barbies, be polite, emotional, and sexually submissive and repressed. These expectations are created by the gender binary system and lead to a culture of patriarchy, where men control and oppress all other people in society. Besides the obvious oppression of women by this system, any man that does not fulfill the expectations of manliness, whether by choice or because he is gay or transsexual, is also a victim of violence and derision.

One of the most important things to realize about the gender binary system, is that it is based less in scientific fact than western religious tradition. Obviously there are some basic differences between men and women (women give birth), but there are many people who identify as neither as a man or a woman. Some of these genderqueer people were born intersex, but doctors choose a gender for the baby (generally by which surgery is easier). When the doctor chooses the wrong gender, the person must grow up as a woman in a mans body or vise versa. These transgender people are ignored by most of mainstream culture and the media, and are often face violence and discrimination in their daily lives because they do not fit inside the gender binary system.

The gender binary system naturally leads to a system of patriarchy, in which every other group of people are oppressed by straight men. This oppression shows itself in a number of ways, from the lower pay women receive, to the stereotypically flamboyant gay man seen in the media, but the worst and most important expressions of patriarchy is violence. The violence faced by gay men and women was showcased in the Laramie Project, a play about the violent murder of Matthew Shepherd, who was beaten to death by two homophobic bigots and left to die on a fence in Wyoming in 1998. Sadly, the murder of Matthew Shepherd is only one among many. Gay and transsexual men and women face violence and bigotry on a daily basis in every party of the country. In addition to the violence faced by gays and transsexuals, women also face an inordinate amount of violence all around the world.

In almost every culture, women are victims of violence and derision. They are often made second class citizens and denied even the basic human rights given to men. In many third world countries, the truly horrific practice of female genital mutilation is common practice. Genital mutilation is a vicious procedure, often performed with a sharp rock or rusty metal instrument, that often kills women, going beyond its goal of merely maiming them for life. Third world women also face the risk of another disgusting form of exploitation, sex slavery. Hundreds of thousands of women from Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia are sex trafficked every year. They are often promised high paying office jobs in Western Europe, and then during their transport to this fantasy job they are drugged and awake in brothels in Western cities. These women are victims not only of the horror of forced prostitution but also are faced with daily beatings, especially if they try to escape their enslavement. To compound the misery of these women, even if they do manage to escape, they are often deported back to their native country because they (obviously) did not enter the country to which they were brought legally. Many of these women cannot even build a normal life in their home country because they are rejected by their native culture for having worked as a prostitute.

However, the exploitation of women is not limited to some third world backwater. In the United States almost a third of women report being abused by a husband or boyfriend during her lifetime, and there are more than a half million cases of domestic violence every year. In 2004, almost 100,000 women reported being raped. The actual number is much higher, but many women are afraid or embarrassed to report their rape to the police. These terrible numbers do not come out of a vacuum. The culture of patriarchy, in the US and around the world, teaches men to treat women as objects, good for sex, cooking, cleaning and not much else. This attitude manifests itself in rape, sexual slavery and physical violence. From an early age men are taught that they are inherently different, and inherently superior, to everyone else, but patriarchy, and the resulting oppression, have deeper roots in the gender binary system.

Gender Binary is one of the most pervasive social structures in our society. Almost everyone subscribes to the belief that there are only men and women, and that they are irreparably different. This belief is enforced by the media, corporations, and the school system. The Media consistently not only recognizes gender, but pits the two genders against each other, whether in sitcoms or game shows. Corporations target many of their products at men or women. For example, cologne is for men, and perfume is for women; a man would never think of going out and buying perfume. However, perfume and cologne are the same thing: smelly sprays meant to cover the natural human scent. Young children in elementary school consistently get in trouble for acting the wrong gender. Young boys are punished for acting like girls by playing house or playing with dolls and not action figures. Though this may help them avoid trouble in the short term, in the long term it just reinforces the gender binary system that is the root cause of the problems mentioned above. The worst part of the gender binary system is that it functions as a positive feedback loop. The fact that the vast majority of people identify as male or female causes society to organize itself around these identities, which further reinforces the gender binary system in people's minds, causing it to become even more ingrained in society. The problem of gender binary is often ignored, even by feminists and gay activists, who prefer to believe something along the lines of "men need to be nicer to other people." However, the problem of patriarchy has its roots in a system that sets men and women apart, and allows men to believe that they are inherently different and superior. If we were able to eliminate the gender binary system, patriarchy would fall with it.

The gender binary system is such a basic part of our culture that it cannot be eliminated by legislation, only through a cultural change in the view of gender. Gender should be similarly viewed to the Kinsey view of sexuality. Kinsey's scale goes from 0 to 6. A 0 means that the person is completely heterosexual and 6 means that a person is completely homosexual. Most people fall somewhere in between. A gender spectrum would be based on the same notion, that there are people who identify fully as men or as women, but many people, such as effeminate men, fall somewhere in between. Since such a system would not divide the population into two distinct and completely separate groups, it would make it impossible for one group (men) to take power and authority over the entire spectrum. The spectrum would also eliminate repressive gender roles and allow all people to act and live in a way that fulfills what they want to do with their lives, without having to be beholden to a set of societal expectations.

Though the elimination of the gender binary system, and with it the repressive system of patriarchy is a seemingly impossible goal, any concrete steps taken to end patriarchy and eliminate gender is a step in the right direction. Every straight man who learns to cook or be a nurse, every gay man who physically stands up for himself, every woman who takes on a leadership role is helping to combat gender roles and stereotypes and helping to build a more equal society and world.

Anarchism as a Movement

A communist once told me what he saw as the problem with Anarchism. He said that it was a one time and out thing; one action and run away; one protest, then a year of sitting and drinking. Now, I don't agree with him completely (and just about anything is better than waving red flags, talking about Marx, and selling Worker's Weekly), but he does have a point. As important as affinity groups and direct actions are, it is also necessary to build a movement because true power lies in numbers. Imagine if 10% of Americans were active anarchists. Radical events and Community organizations, such as free markets, free health clinics, and Food Not Bombs could have a presence in every city and town and be noticed and recognized nationally. These grass roots programs could grow beyond the community level and change larger national and international policies. To build this we must first bring people to anarchism.

For those of you who don't know or have forgotten, Emma Goldman defines anarchism as "The philosophy of a new social order based on liberty unrestricted by man-made law; the theory that all forms of government rest on violence, and are therefore wrong and harmful, as well as unnecessary." Anarchists want to build a world free from any form of hierarchy and oppression. Whether that oppression takes the form of Man over women, the rich over the poor, the boss over the worker, God over Man or the government over the people. In every society that is or pretends to be democratic, the government claims to be the the people. When the Venezuelan government nationalizes a corporation, it says, "The people have taken back control", but that is a lie. The government is not the people, the government is the government and it will serve its own interest no matter what is best for the population. Anarchists want a peaceful world where people live in freedom, voluntarily help each other and work together because it is right, not because they are obligated to do so by culture, government or creed. Unlike other radical movements, Anarchists do not sit around theorizing about politics. We work everyday to build the society we want. Though the anarchist movement is currently quite strong, there are many easy things that could be done to make it stronger, more effective, and more influential.

Let's face it, most Americans know nothing about Anarchism. The only image they may have is chaos represented by bomb throwers and violent masked protesters. They know nothing of anarchist groups, beliefs, or history. They are caught up in the political binary system. They see their political beliefs as a choice between Republican and Democrat, and find it very difficult to think outside of that box. As Vonnegut said at his cynical best, "If you want to take my guns away from me, and you’re all for murdering fetuses, and love it when homosexuals marry each other, and want to give them kitchen appliances at their showers, and you’re for the poor, you’re a liberal. If you are against those perversions and for the rich, you’re a conservative." We need to make it clear to large numbers of people that there are other options. The one good thing about the lack of public knowledge about anarchism is the lack of negative public opinion. This contrasts with the public opinion about communists, who are still viewed as the enemy. Anarchists must defend the beliefs of indigenous people, not Stalin and Mao. Keeping this is mind, our major movement building goal must be to get anarchist ideas into the public mind. This sounds like an insurmountable task, the capitalists do control the media and the money, but with current technology and mass media it is easier than it seems.

The Internet has made it extremely easy to reach millions of people. The Internet makes it simple to make information available to everyone; the only difficulty is getting them to see it. One way of doing this is to put links everywhere you can. Sign your emails, blog posts and comments with links to the Anarchy Archives, Infoshop.org or Indymedia. This can help in a number of ways. Obviously it increases the amount of people who click on the links and view the sites, but more importantly search engines rank sites based on how many other web pages link to them, if we increase the links to our sites, they will show up more often on Google. You can also start your own website that promotes anarchism or presents the news from an anarchist perspective, these websites could be especially effective if they were local. Wikipedia can also be very useful for movement building. We could link articles such as "Freedom" and "Community" to the articles on Anarchism, as well as adding links other anarchist websites. The more people read, the more they know; the more they understand, the more they are willing to do.

In addition to these legal means, there are many extralegal tactics that could be used effectively on the Internet. It is well known that some of the best hackers are radicals, and they could be essential to the movement. It is possible to place articles on major news sites. Imagine if the CNN.com had a story about the achievements and history of Anarchism; if the New York Times had an editorial promoting Anarchism as the best alternative before an election. Also hacking tactics could be used to crash the servers of oppressive websites, or redirect traffic to anarchist sites.

Television, though it is to be avoided by every thinking person, can be very useful for our effort. During actions such as the Cascadia Free State in 1996, and the WTO protests in Seattle of 1999, many anarchists got television time and were able to speak and spread their ideas in a relatively uncensored way. The Eugene anarchists even got their own 60 Minutes episode. The problem is that many of these actions alienate many people, who have been taught from birth that the only moral form of violence is government violence. Now there is obviously a place for violent actions (as long as they are pertinent and effective), but looking at it from a movement building stand point, actions such as hunger strikes and lock-downs in front of the offices of corporations such as Monsanto could be very effective. Fifty anarchists camped out in front of Monsanto's corporate headquarters would be hard for the news media to ignore, and the protesters would be given air time to speak. It is hard even for Fox News to portray a group of hunger striking activists as dangerous criminals that need to be locked up. As campaigns like this progress, and people get a taste of the freedom and ideas of Anarchism, many will be drawn to it. The huge groundswell of support for Ron Paul, despite his radical ideas, shows that many people are ready for a radical change, we just need to bring them to a set of ideals that, unlike Ron Paul's libertarianism, will not lead to corporate control of every facet of our lives. Many of the people who would be drawn to Anarchism are already liberal, but many would be disaffected people who hate politics and want to live in a completely different world.

We must also promote the anarchist life style (show people what living in an anarchist world would be like). Setting up free states and autonomous zones would do a great deal to gain media attention and public support. If there were large groups of anarchists living peacefully and effectively outside of government control, corporations or landlords, it would add a great deal of popular appeal to the idea of anarchism itself, as it would show that anarchism can be practical and effective. It would also have the effect of causing Anarchists, to stand for something positive, not just stand against the current state of affairs. Today, most of the left defines itself as anti-war, anti-globalization, anti-Bush, anti-whatever, but it fails to stand for anything on a strong enough ideological foundation to support movement. Anarchists should stand for the creation of a new world, where people can live freely and autonomously, without the oppressive forces of capitalism and the state.

Also, we should aim to get more well known anarchists and radicals such as Noam Chomsky, Derrick Jensen and Howard Zinn on to television along with younger radicals, who are actively building anarchist organizations. In the 60's and 70's it was common to see the likes of Abbie Hoffman, Bobby Seale and Malcolm X on late night talk shows promoting and defending their ideas, being seen by millions of Americans. Shows such as Real Time with Bill Maher and Countdown with Keith Olbermann would be happy to have some true radicals on their shows to show that different political beliefs exist. If a young anarchist were to start an organization started to create noticable change, it would be easy for him or her to get into the mainstream media and promote anarchist beliefs.

Free independent publications and pamphlets such as the Indypendant and the New York Rat are very important in building a movement. Even in this age of digital technology, the printed word still has power. It is necessary to have a publication that not only relates an anarchist perspective on the news, but also includes more general essays and discussions about anarchism, and answers the question "Why Anarchism?". Before the American Revolution, the best selling book, except for the Bible, was Thomas Paine's Common Sense. It was read by about 1/5 of Colonial America. This radical pamphlet was one of the major reasons why the Patriots were able to gain support for the American Revolution. If we could distribute a pamphlet or video to a large part of the public, it could have a similar effect: causing our ranks to grow and real change to occur. The 9/11 Conspiracy movement has done a great job of this. Their various documentaries have been viewed by millions of people, and they have appeared in the mainstream media; giving them the opportunity to defend their (largely unsupported) views. If anarchists can get their views out into the public in that way, it will do a great deal to educate and generate conversation about anarchism as not only an idea, but a possibility.

While discussing bigger issues, we must not forget the smaller scale. On the personal level it is important to be admired and liked by the people in your life. As an anarchist, you are not just a single person; you are a representative of the movement. Thus, if people don't like you and think you're a bad person, it reflects badly on the movement. When people hear about any issue they relate it to their personal experience. If an issue involves anarchists, they think of an anarchist they know, and if they think about how good and nice a person he or she was, it will make them see the issue and the anarchist movement in a more positive light. We should try to act with malice toward none and with charity towards all, doing our best to live by the values we preach. No one likes a hypocrite.

One of the most important problems with the current anarchist community is that it's a largely white, middle class, punk movement. We must recognize this, and instead of complaining about it, work to change it. Refusal to openly acknowledge this problem only makes it worse. The demographic make up of the movement alienates many minorities and average people because it makes them see anarchism as unsuitable for them. All too often, anarchists pay lip service to diversity and racial equality while living and working in largely white communities, as anyone who has ever attended an Anarchist event can attest to. We need to include all people whose interests are supported by anarchism. The urban and especially the rural poor are natural anarchists, government and corporations have no positive impact on their lives. We must reach out to minorities and the poor through a variety of methods, especially though music and community outreach. There are tons of anarchist punk bands, but we should aim to promote and support radical rappers and reggaetón artists, such as the Foundation Movement, because they appeal to a demographic that is very different than the current anarchist community. It is also very likely that as people become radicalized politically, they will also reject much of mainstream consumption culture, bringing their values more into line with the anarchist community.

In the late 60s, Lyndon B. Johnson was considering further escalation in Vietnam, but he decided against it when J. Edgar Hoover told him that if the war was expanded, he could not guarantee domestic security. Though many of the recommendations in this essay may seem overly optimistic, they can all make a positive impact and increase the power of the anarchist movement, helping to build a society where the government cannot launch wars and pursue violent imperialist policies due to massive resistance at home. Our main focus for the future must be to build a larger movement, to build a better society. We have to make sure that we stand for things, not just against the status quo. Although we will not be a majority in the near future, it is very possible for Anarchists to become a minority large enough to positively affect the country and help to dethrone the current rulers of our society. And of course, if you have any other ideas for expanding the anarchist movement, take initiative and make your ideas reality!

An appeal to Direct Action.

In November there was another election, and it turned out as all have before: one party won, one party lost, and nothing changed. The Democrats have already gone back on their campaign promises to clean up Washington and to institute real change. Not that the Republicans would have done any better. They would have continued to push imperialism, "family values," and other policies specially designed to cause as much death and destruction for as many people as possible. It is obvious that the true interests of the people cannot be accomplished simply by voting for corporate controlled politicians every year. In the words of Emma Goldman, "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." History has shown that true social change can only be achieved by people's movements go beyond simply voting, and employ direct action.

Every sucessful major social movement has used direct action. Gandhi did not force the British out of India by waiting until the next election. He used non-violent direct action and civil disobedience to cause unrest in India to the point where the British could not continue their imperialist occupation. Direct action has also always had a place in American history. From the Boston Tea Party, to Henry David Thoreau's refusal to pay taxes as a protest against the Mexican-American war and slavery, the American spirit of individualism has always pushed people towards direct resistance of oppression. Direct action in America reached its peak during the civil rights movement and social struggles of the 60's. Martin Luther King did not sit back and wait for times to change. He did not wait for the government to grant freedom to his people. He did not let moderates put a time table on his people's freedom. He stood up and demanded freedom. He organized direct actions such as sit ins and boycotts that challenged racist laws and business practices. Direct action was also used by the anti-Vietnam War movement. Young radicals burnt their draft cards, blocked recruitment centers and took over colleges. All to directly stop the war, and to get their voices heard in a way that a traditional march or rally never could.

Since the end of the Vietnam war, direct action, and activism in general, has declined in America. This is largely due to the expansion of mass media, which is now pervasive through all of society. This media limits the realm of thought and encourages people to obey the government as well as societal norms. Anyone who tries to break the mold is either portrayed as a terrorist or as a lone crazy to be derided and not taken seriously. The mass media is willfully blind to the fact that our current situation lends itself more to effective direct action than almost any other period in history. We live in a time of corporate control and dominance over almost every area of our lives, but corporations are prime targets for direct action. A corporation is its own entity, and though it may effect the lives of millions of people, those people have no say in company policy. Since a corporation is concerned with profit above all else, if a group is able to make a certain business practice, whether it is virtual slave labor in the third world or excessive pollution at home, unprofitable, the corporation will be forced to discontinue that practice.

Often direct action is demonized and considered ineffective, which if done correctly it need not be. There are a few important points that must be kept in mind when planning or performing a direct action. The most important of these is that a direct action must be relevant to the societal ill it seeks to correct. For example burning a car to protest the killing of 500 animals per day by Huntington Life Science will have no positive effect and, in fact, will only bias public opinion in favor of HLS because they would be seen as a victim. On the other hand, organizing protests and boycotts against the suppliers and customers of HLS will cut into the bottom line, and force HLS to modify their business practices or force them out of business entirely. By using these tactics, Stop Huntington Animal Cruelty has put HLS hundreds of million dollars in debt, and succeeded in getting it removed from the New York Stock Exchange. If the direct action is going to attract media coverage, it is important to make sure that the media coverage is in the best possible light, which can be accomplished through press releases and media interviews. Finally, if you are planning a riskier action that could get you arrested, make sure that you know and trust the people you are working with becuse as many activists of hte past have discovered, the government will go to any length to protect corporations and to promote "order" over justice.

Right now at White Plains High School a new club is being formed. This club is called Students for a Democratic Society, or SDS. It will be dedicated to constructive direct action to challenge corporate and government power and build a better world for us all. Everyone is welcome at the meetings, students and teachers alike, as long as they are willing to work together in a non hierarchical way and to fight for true democratic values.

Though many people are disillusioned with the American political system, and are tired of choosing between two rich white Christian men, the solution is not to ignore or boycott the election process, but instead to vote for lesser of two evils, but then spend the other 364 days of the year voting with your actions. Which througout history has proved to be the only way to affect meaningful change in society.

The Last Refuge of Scoundrels

Everyday it seems we are told by government officials that the current War on Terror is a battle for civilization itself, much akin to World War II. The purpose of these flawed analogies is to raise nationalist sentiment in the United States, thus building up support for the War on Terror and any other actions the government deems necessary to protect America. Patriotism is quite different from nationalism, though they are often used interchangeably. Charles de Gaulle described the difference as, "Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first." The Bush administration wishes to instill the purest form of nationalism in the American people. They want us to believe that we are always right. That as Americans we are superior to all other peoples. That we have a God given right to invade, exploit and otherwise use them for our own benefit.

In the period immediately after the 9/11 attacks the patriotic, nationalist sentiment in America was exploited by the administration. At that time, anyone who spoke out against the president was considered a traitor and a supporter of terrorists. If the senate was not caught up in nationalistic fervor (and had actually read the bill) more would have opposed the PATRIOT Act's vast expansion of executive power. As it was, however, Russ Feingold was the only senator to vote against it. This nationalistic desire to support the president has also led to our current quagmire in Iraq. In the run up to the war, the Congress and the media fell back into line with the president. They did not ask questions and accepted intelligence that turned out to be false. If politicians and the media were more willing to challenge the administration we may not now be stuck in an increasingly violent Iraq and the Taliban would not be taking control of large parts of Afghanistan.

Nationalism is directly connected to militarism. A society that believes itself to be superior feels a need to arm itself to prove its strength. Often when nations arm themselves they claim they do so to promote peace. By this logic, the most peaceful person is the one who goes about heavily armed. However, experience proves armed individuals are eager to try out their strength. The same is true of governments. Truly peaceful countries do not waste time and resources on war preparations. They choose to focus their energies on improving the quality of life of their people. The American government currently spends 470 billion dollars on maintaining the armed forces in peacetime; wars are extra-budgetary. The armed forces include a vast arsenal of nuclear weapons that have absolutely no practical purpose. They also contain highly mechanized forces that have again and again proved worthless against guerrilla insurgencies. The American military was built to fight World War II, not our current struggles in Iraq and Afghanistan. There, our multi-billion dollar stealth bombers are completely useless.

As we enter the 21st century we need to ask ourselves if we want to continue living in a world controlled by the forces of profit and nationalism or if we want to build a global society in which every human matters. Today we live in a world where men kill each other over arbitrary lines in the sand. Where millions live in virtual slavery to produce consumer products for the West. Where the skies are full of smog and the oceans full of chemicals. Where no one, save the last few indigenous peoples, is truly free. But we have the power to create a global society free of exploitation, hatred, and greed. The first step is to rid ourselves of nationalism. We must realize that wrong is wrong, no matter who does it. Only then can we begin to build a better world. Only then can we be truly free.

Legalize it!

At this point in the 21st century it is necessary and pragmatic for the government to stop their legislation of pleasure and sin. Just as laws forbidding sodomy have become a thing of the past so should the restrictions on drugs fade away into the sunset. The American government currently spends $50 billion dollars every year fighting the War on Drugs. A war that has had absolutely no positive effect. The rates of drug use have remained relatively steady even as more and more people are arrested and thrown in jail simply for drug possession. The most sensible, effective drug policy complete legalization.

The main societal problems caused by drugs are tied to their illegal status. Since drugs are illegal they are expensive to obtain and highly profitable to sell. This high profit market draws in many youths looking to make a quick buck. Since drug dealing is very profitable it eventually becomes over saturated, forcing the dealers to engage in violent turf wars to control the best dealing areas. If drugs were legalized and available at stores such as CVS, the illegal occupation of drug dealing, and the violence and crime that comes with it, would be completely eliminated. Why would anyone pay more for illegal drugs if the same drugs were available for less in a clean, safe, supermarket?

If drugs were produced by pharmaceutical companies instead of in basements, they would be much safer to use. Since the government could regulate a legal drug market they could enforce purity and safety standards. This would safe thousands of lives every year. It would not only stop people from making dangerous drugs such as crystal meth themselves, but it would also stop the rampant cutting and lacing (in which the drug is diluted with other substances, which often are more addictive and dangerous than the drug itself). By enforcing stringent purity standards the government could eliminate many of the main dangers of drug use.

Many argue that the legalization of drugs would cause a huge increase in drug use. This argument is illogical because it assumes that the only reason people do not do drugs is because they are illegal. They ignore the fact that two of the most dangerous and addictive drugs, alcohol and cigarettes, are legal. There are many people who choose not to use these substances even though they are legal. They avoid them because they are aware of the deleterious effects of alcohol and cigarette use. The same holds true for illegal drugs, most people avoid heroin, not because it is illegal, but because it is incredible addictive and dangerous. If heroin were legalized, millions of Americans would not go out shoot up. It is also obvious that the current illegal status of drugs does not prevent or deter determined people from using them. Someone who really wants to use drugs will find a way acquire and use them whether or not they are illegal. However, if the drugs were legal, drug users could more easily acquire the drugs, for a lower price, and have easier access to rehab clinics.

One of the most inhumane parts of the war on drugs is the persecution of third world farmers, whose only way to escape from poverty is to grow crops that are made into illegal drugs. The US government has rashly used chemicals similar to Agent Orange to destroy huge fields of marijuana plants in areas such as Columbia. Needless to say this policy is incredibly harmful, both to the environment and the people living in the area. This destruction is not only immoral but unnecessary. If drugs were legalized in America, major pharmaceutical companies could buy the raw materials such as poppy and coca plants, and make them into drugs to be sold legally. This would cut out the illegal drug smuggling market, and would bring a large economic boost to both America, and the countries that poorer countries that grow the drugs; it's a win-win situation.

Instead of wasting billions of dollars each year fighting an unwinnable war on drugs, the US should legalize drugs, which would not only give a improve the safety of drugs and the American economy, but would also free up billions of dollars to rehabilitate drug addicts. We must realize that there is nothing wrong with responsible drug use, it is addiction that is a problem. By forbidding pleasure and choosing jail time over rehabilitation, our current drug policy is wrong headed and immoral. Legalizing drugs is the only logical and ethical solution to the drug problem.