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Labor Politics: Final
Jun 28th
Part I: Whenever the working masses become oppressed, exploited and subjected to an overall lack of work, rebellion becomes the only avenue left through which they can exert energy. These rebellions are often short-lived [less than a decade] but they mirror the severity of the financial crisis at hand. The key factors that made the 1930s labor movement successful were: the significance of the depression, the political atmosphere and its players, and strikes.
Part I: The Depression
The economic depression of the 1930s was, to this day, the greatest the US has ever experienced. The average American during this time was still overly resistant to government handouts and as such the governments relief system was ill equipped to deal with the economic hardships of the masses. For those that were still working at meager wages, their struggle was internalized within the factory system, but for the average worker who was now without an income or job, productive effort and labor had to exert itself on another plane.
At first the poor and jobless resisted the thought of aide and internalized the pain and suffering of being a capable individual without work or a steady job. This sentiment was especially traumatizing when contextually, the average 30’s American was defined by his employment and the uni-polar power structure of the male dominated family. This singular paragon of power reliant upon the male breadwinner, not only left many families starving but also, robbed Americans of their dignity, respect and faith in government, an obstacle, which would require many years of economic stability to repair.
“Men and women haunted the employment offices, walked the streets, lined up for every job opening, and doubted themselves for not finding work… But as the depression worsened, as the work forces of entire factories were laid off, as whole neighborhoods in industrial towns were devastated, and as at least some political leaders began to acknowledge that a disaster had occurred, attitudes toward what had happened and why, and who was to blame, began to change among some of the unemployed.”
Part I: Politics & Political Mobilization
Prior to the economic depression the republicans enjoyed a long stint of political prowess and power largely due to eastern businessmen, who massively influenced and controlled not just the right but the left as well.
However, the depression creating ‘shifting currents’ in which new leaders were required to emerge [especially from the left], and FDR was the man who emerged. FDR’s election was the materialization of the disenchanted and disheartened “collective will”, flexing united muscle to put a candidate in office that was outside the traditional system of power that dominated pre-depression.
FDR was effective at marketing himself to the working class by promoting a system of “building from the bottom up, and putting faith in the forgotten man,” Piven and Cloward argue that this is the main reason FDR was elected. After his inauguration, FDR addressed congress laying out his plans for the “Civilian Conservation Corps, which was a public works program, and a massive program of federal emergency relief.
The Civilian Conservation Corps provided jobs at subsistence wages for a mere 250,000 men.” The idea behind FDR’s program wasn’t necessarily to create jobs, but rather, to stimulate the economy allowing the factories to re-open for employment etc. This plan in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Relief Act was very effective and helped to re-instill faith in government among the working classes.
Part I: Strikes
Labor rebellions in 1837, 1873, 1884, and 1893 exploded when unemployment hit catastrophically low levels, which resulted in collective organization and ultimately the restoration of jobs. Examples such as this one help to define the effectiveness of collective organization and the power that the powerless can attain through protest.
Looking at the 30s in particular, many small acts of defiance helped to bolster support for militancy. One of the most effective was that of “Rent Riots,” these were mass resistance movements against eviction. It is estimated that it helped to restore over 77,000 families to their homes in New York City alone.
Part I: Why Was The Labor Movement Successful?
The Labor Movement of the 1930s success can be synthesized in three ways scale, unison and grass roots success. As demonstrated in the Justice for Janitors movie, collective action can only be effective when multitudes of people act as one, in unison. Similar to Justice for Janitors, the Great Depression effected many lives and required an equivalent outcry, which stirred up the largest labor movement to date.
Yet, without grass roots victories Labor Movements become disenchanted quickly, which is why Rent Riots, Picketing, Unionization and recognition are the fuel required to promote any effective movement. Through these grass roots success a newly invigorated American public, found a means of sustenance and a platform through which their message could be heard.
Part II: Question: 1
With the formal recognition of the Workers Alliance of America 1936, the labor movement spurred on by the Great Depression solidified its victory. But with victory comes concessions and in this case the decline of the labor movement in the 1940s. Ultimately, bureaucratic absorption of key labor movement players and the over-institutionalization/organization of labor groups led to they’re fall from power.
Part II: Q1: Bureaucratic Absorption
With relief money flowing and victory in hand labor leaders sought to expand their vision of worker rights on a national level. Yet, while leaders played ball in Washington grass roots labor movements were losing momentum. Roosevelt’s reign brought about reinvigorated public support and through his relief systems, the government was able to take the helm of aide distribution once again.
However, once these movements failed the relief was cut off. Through the pursuit of more substantial reform on the national playing field, labor leaders inadvertently forfeited the ability to cause disruptions at a local level, which during the 30s was their primary basis of power. Grass Roots organizations could no longer influence on the local level (due to the pursuit of national reform) and recruitment numbers dwindled because of the inability of these organizations to produce results (e.g. Victories).
Since the labor movement was now a national organization, it was also now subjected to nationalized laws and required to play within the confines of socially acceptable governmental practices.
Part II: Q1: Institutionalization of Labor Organizations
Labor Unions post 30s started to institute national bylaws, which all local leaders had to abide by. These organizations shifted from working against the government in the 30s to working with the government in the 40s.
Organizers now wanted to “educate the poor” on how to cause “greater change” through lobbying Washington and major factories rather than local offices. The irony in goals like these was the complete castration of the movement’s power base – local, militant action. Which to a large extent, is why the Great Depression movement was so successful.
One of the major changes was the shift from collective local action to pressure the government and business to a system of dispute regulation, where unionized workers would submit claims to the company instead of protesting. These claims were received then small meetings ensued where “everyone talked over everyone else and nothing was achieved.”
It was this synergy of expansionism and over-organization that eventually led to the self-castration of the labor movement’s powerbase – the workers. Through the incorporation of labor leaders into politics and politics into labor organizations, the time of mass mobilization and power for the people was brought to an end and the pendulum of power began to swing in the other direction once again.
Part II: Question: 4
Prior to the start of “new unionism” in L.A. during the 1990s, undocumented migrant workers were not only hard if not impossible to unionize but also, unwanted by traditional labor unions. Yet, since the 1990s and the victory of the Justice for Janitors campaign, unionism amongst undocumented workers has increased drastically (1980s: 1,800 union members; 1990s: 225,000). This drastic increase in unionized workers is largely due to organizers focusing on education and grass roots trust as well as corporation visibility and worker persistence.
Part II: Q4: Education & Grass Roots Trust
Ignorance and trust are the two hardest barriers to breach when attempting to organize undocumented workers. But before an organizer can educate a worker on the extent of labor laws and its inclusion of the illegal workforce, they must first find a way to gain trust and legitimacy.
In Bread and Roses, Sam runs into this same obstacle, door-to-door petitioning is worthless without a foundation of trust and support on which to stand. For Sam he finds his “connector” in Maya, who not only helps him set up meetings with fellow non-union janitors but also acts as liaison and his trust base. Without Mayas constant pushing and belief in Sam, the Bread & Roses campaign could not have succeeded.
The key towards influencing migrant workers is that of trust, once you have their trust then you can educate on current laws, protections, aide and anti-exploitation tactics. Other components of post 90s organizing success has come from the ability of labor organizations to utilize people like Sam (young energy and idealism filled college students) to interface with disheartened and underrepresented workers. Plus increases to budgets, New Union Platforms having access to $20 Million per year for organizational purposes.
Part II: Q4: Visibility & Persistence
Gaining the trust and participation of non-unionized workers is only half the battle; the real challenge is in developing a viable and sustainable plan of action through which you can attack a corporation. In Boycott Forever 21, the women showcase an incredible degree of perseverance battling in the courts, on the streets, throughout the nation and around the globe for over three years before vindication finds them.
Much of the success in their campaign originates from not only great planning but also the sheer conviction and dedication the women hold in their hearts towards their cause. Through protesting in front of stores they manage to get local news media involved on a weekly basis and shed unwanted light on a corporation with an otherwise squeaky clean exterior.
The New Unionism approach has been successful in cities such as Los Angeles largely due to the linear pursuit of trust via connectors (Maya), education (labor laws), and the utilization of pain, frustration, and the oppression of workers to paint a vivid, media rich picture of the underbelly of American capitalism and its effects on those who work hard to attain the American dream.
The Educational Oxymoron… What’s Next?
Jun 19th
With the completion of my third year at university, a new fold in my life is making me look retrospectively and ask some tough questions about my educational experiences. What have I actually learned? Am I really preparing myself for the real world? Whats in a piece of paper? What am I going to do with the rest of my life? The typical questions that rattle around the mind of an imminent graduate.
The reality is the educational rat race is a linear pursuit towards a single piece of paper which claims that your ‘smart.’ The educational system which is (remedial at best) is a framework within which you must preform in order to add tangibility to the post-modern “American Dream.” In other words its a load of shit.
Coming from a conservative family I’ve grown up internalizing the inherent value of a meritocratic system and had to endure the long speeches about the ‘liberal preaching’ at University — not to mention its ‘brain washing ability.’ But I can now say with absolute certainty that if there is one thing my liberalized education has done to me, at the very least its the antithesis of becoming vehemently liberal.
The “open-mindedness” that is supposedly an internalized trait in the traditional liberal educational institution is total crap. Liberal or Conservative view points are just that — myopic and without scope. Each is just as close minded as the next and equally moronic. I find it utterly amusing listening to my classmates regurgitate liberal literature proclaiming individuality whilst they join the next college student in jumping off the proverbial bridge. THE IRONY!
I am quite sure my educational experience has been one of backwards mobility… I will leave this university more jaded, selfish and frustrated than when I entered on the wings of my conservative upbringing, which is impressive to say the least. The last four years of my education has made me a serious sceptic towards the ability of my generation to cope with the gargantuan problems that loom on the horizon. The environment is fucked, democracy is fucked, capitalism is fucked, international relations are fucked… everything is fucked or will be fucked….
So I’ve decided I am just going to go with the flow… I’ll vote for Freddy Frat-bro in 2012 and fill the rest of my life with Yeager Bombs, Haircuts, Muscle Milk and fist pumps… at least I would be networking.
Modern Political Theory — Final
Jun 11th
Political Division Facing
Our Contemporary World
In a world dominated by western ideology, economic power, and political clout, saturation of international political diversity is at a minimum. Counties are no longer individual entities but rather extensions of their GDP, political alignment and proximity to global hegemons. This myopic version of international diversity is perpetuated through turbulence among western hegemons and developing nations along the fault lines of divergent political ideology and global class struggle.
The majority [if not all] of international conflict is due to dissimilarity in fundamental political ideologies. In the context of east versus west, Islamized countries such as Iran are in constant conflict with democratic western philosophy. Since the ousting of the Shah in 1979 and the institution of a theocratic government led by the Ayatollah, Iran has been at odds with the western world.
In Good & Evil, Nietzsche writes that “good is merely a concept of social stratification which nobility employed in order to further segregate society,”[1] this same line of thinking can be applied to the concept of the first and third worlds. The United States or the ‘nobility’ have labeled Iran or the ‘peasant’ as the ‘third world,’ introducing a black and white paradigm, to which the entire world must now adhere, or face the socio-economic consequences. Not only does this system promote a uni-polar world where global hegemony reigns supreme, but also, sets in stone the western democratic model as ‘good’ and the eastern theocratic system as ‘bad’ – in other words it creates a template with which like minded countries must choose the lesser of two evils.
It is through this brand of international policy that the global hegemons hold developing nations at gunpoint. “When a consciousness sees another consciousness, it does not recognize it, but rather, recognizes itself in it.”[2] World leaders vindicate Hegel’s point to the extreme. A system of governance is graded on how similar or dissimilar it is to the democratic, capitalist system of the west, not through its own merits. In order for smaller countries to gain the aide, support and recognition required they must appease western paragons of power, and through this recognition the west retains its international status and continues to subjugate the third world.
The issue is one of interpretation and spin, not fact. In Weber’s Science as a Vocation, he states that one of the major differences between Germany and the United States [in the educational system] is one of values. “In the US students lack respect for the system and instead prioritize the individual, his research, and his accomplishments above his teaching style.”[3] This case study can be applied to how the United States, and the west as a whole, deals with developing nations and their governments. This trend of alienation and non-recognition in regards to grass roots political movements act as a proverbial boomerang – the west throws it away with only instant gratification in mind just for it to come back years later and hit them when they least expect it. In the 1950s when the Iranians went through their peoples nationalist revolution with Mohammed Mussedeq at the forefront, a leader of western teachings who wanted democracy, autonomy and an increase in the standard of living for his people. The United States refused to deal with him and preemptively ended his political career choosing instead to re-instate the Pahlavi dynasty with Reza Shahs son, Muhammad Reza Shah at the helm. The consequences of this action still reverberate on the international political playing fields of modern day. With the rise of a vehemently anti-west Islamic state in every respect, the United States has single handedly locked itself out from one of the top five petrol and natural gas powers in the world.
The irony surrounding situations similar to that of Iran saturate the history of global hegemons, ultimately resulting in their demise. The west, unwavering in its stance against the spread of militant Islam, communism, and anything non-democratic lack the wherewithal and foresight to see the hypocrisy in their own ways. Instead they choose to parade around under the false pretense of sharing global rights, freedoms, and ‘free’ democratic process with the oppressed peoples of the world. But what is democracy doing differently than other political systems. In the Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx says that one of the primary concerns of the Communist way of life is to “spread, settle, and establish connections to societies everywhere,”[4] isn’t that exactly what western style democracy is trying to do? This quirk of faith only builds when you consider some of the illegitimate regimes the United States in particular chooses to back. The military despot Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, the pugnacious prime minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu and the list goes on. It’s no large stretch to see why anti-western sentiment is growing at such voracious rates in the backwaters of the world.
The growing rift between east and west due to variation in political ideology, economic system and the bad blood of the past continues to elucidate the state of world power stratification. With the decline of classical imperialism the west had to reinvent itself in order to continue the subjugation of the east, the method, neo-imperialism brought to you on the wings of capitalism. Through this optic of economic dominance the west has maintained the global class structure for centuries.
In a global community run by coalitions such as the European Union, the bares to entry for young nations are vast and completely dependent on your relationships with political power houses and the state of your economy. Alliances are no longer forged in blood but rather in mutual trade agreements. As Marx said, “the move towards capitalism has robbed nations of their identities.”[5] This ‘lack of identity’ that Marx alludes to is the east versus west, master versus slave relationship strata, in which the east must give something to the west in order to get something, which in this case is recognition.
The move from quality to economic quantity is and has been, a western staple for quite some time at the domestic as well as international levels. In Science as a Vocation, Weber talks about the shift in academia towards education as a ‘business.’ Despite all of the negatives that revolve around it Weber sadly concludes, “Germany is moving closer towards a style of education similar to that of the United States”[6] where as Marx would say, “cash is king.” This academic model can be directly applied to the shift in global class struggle and its economic coefficient. Despite the pros of foreign systems, in order to remain competitive and relevant in the global higherarchial system some cons of the western world must be absorbed. The fallout of this however is that minor detriments to the United States with its booming economy can lead to catastrophic economic failure in a smaller model where every penny counts. In other words, the rigidity of the global economic system isn’t malleable enough to accommodate most developing nations.
Hegel’s diagnosis of the self-consciousness and master-slave relations can shed light on the state of global class struggle at the national level. “Self-consciousness is in it for itself, in that it exists for another consciousnesses acknowledgement.”[7] Similar to self-consciousness countries outside of the traditional global hegemon political structure seeks recognition in order to become part of club, but this comes at a cost. In order to be recognized by the west the ‘undeveloped’ ‘third world’ country must adhere to the role of ‘slave’ in the master-slave dynamic. This can manifest itself in the form of favorable trade agreements, semi-autonomous swaths of land for military bases etc.
The paradox in this power system Hegel articulates is that even though “the master is a consciousness that exists only for itself, it must be recognized by those it subjugates in order to prove its own existence.”[8] This distinction is made clear in 1st 3rd world wealth extrapolation. The west with all of its power doesn’t require the wealth of the east but, once it has assimilated a country into its economic system, the new country must continue to play ball by the hegemons rules in order to reify its higherarchial positioning. In this way the slave has more relative freedom from the master because it requires nothing from the master in order to perform its duties, it is a non-reliant entity.
The reverse Robin Hood system of the west in which, wealth is extrapolated from the pawns into the hands of hegemons isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, but there are ways in which both the west and east can improve that could be mutually beneficial.
Slowly but surely the world is moving away from the uni-polar power structure of western hegemony towards a multi-polar, more diverse political strata. This change is largely due to the increasing scarcity of finite resources such as coal, petrol and natural gas. Recognizing this, the west would do well to start moving in the direction of global cooperation, regardless of political ideology, economic standing or falling outs of the past. Cross-nation development of energy sharing, conservation, and efficient production should be the focus of modern super powers where the course of global power rushes not through military and economic might but rather, petrol pipelines. Only through the true democratic process as it was originally intended, a revitalized view of east v. west political ideology, and true acceptance of international diversity can the west continue its stint at the top of the political system.
[1] Good & Evil, Nietzsche, Essay 1, Section 2
[2] Self-Conscious, Hegel, Section 179
[3] Science as a Vocation, Weber
[4] The Communist Manifesto, Marx & Engels, Chapters 1 & 2
[5] The Communist Manifesto, Marx & Engels, Chapter 2
[6] Science as a Vocation, Weber
[7] Self-Consciousness, Hegel, Section 178
[8] Self-Consciousness, Hegel, Section 190
Geo-Strategic Importance of Egypt
May 25th
#1: Suez Canal
The Suez Canal is arguably the most important factor contributing to the geo-strategic significance of Egypt. Before its creation the only way to traverse the continent was to travel around the cape of Agulhas; which, in addition to increased travel times, also exposes freighters to piracy (Somalia) which has become an increasing issue over the past decade. In regards to the volume, the Suez Canal handles 10% of the worlds [sea bound] trade annually. That 10% of trade includes more than 2/3′s of Europe’s oil supplies (more even with the recent turmoil in Georgia). Egyptian domestic policy also stresses the importance of the canal due to the contribution of $350-450M annually.
#2: Foreign Investment & Mubarak Regime
As oppressive and backwards as the Mubarak regime might be his “liberal” economic policies have spurred confidence from western investors which is crucial to the viability of the Egyptian economy. The economic viability of Egypt is of great importance to the world as a whole especially since its one of a very select few who recognize Israel (Egypt – Israel peace treaty). With the presidential elections looming, and the Egyptian public protesting — its no stretch to imagine how investors are feeling, worried.
Outside of the private sector, Egypt is one of the major recipients of US foreign aid receiving $455M in economic assistance in 2007. Yet, instability of the government has had a direct effect with regard to aid.In 2009 alone the US cut $200M from their Egyptian economic aid package to $200M. The potential consequences for Egypt could be dire.
#3: Moving towards a multi-polar world
Globally speaking we have been moving further away from the uni-polar model/global hegemony, towards a multi-polar world where leaders will emerge as representatives of mutli-country coalitions. Egypt being the historical center of Pan-Arabism in the days of Nasser could be an integral piece to the puzzle of middle eastern solidarity/peace. Although the thought of a United Arab Nation has long since gone by the wayside the intrinsic power infused within it visa-vi the Nasser days still resonates with the Arab people… it just needs the right man. That man is not Gamal Mubarak or ElBaradei — he is a man yet to be determined… a second coming of Nasser if you will.
I hate to be a subscriber to the “great man” theory but Egypt is in dire need of leadership it can be proud of and can unite the waring factions that have become so pervasive in the past century.
IN SUMMARY
Egypt might not have an over abundance of oil, but it’s a very strategically important country. It contains the Suez Canal, a choke point of international trade for Asia and the West as well as the Middle East. It has historically wielded significant influence within the Islamic world, though recent decades have seen it eclispsed by Saudi Arabia and Iran. In addition to its well known border with Israel, it also borders on Sudan and Libya, and has the potential to play a major role for good or ill in both of those countries’ futures. See this u.s. State Dept. profile.
On the military front, Egypt currently has a large and well equipped army, thanks to over $38 billion of u.s. military aid it has received as a result of the 1978 Camp David Accordthat brought peace with Israel and converted Egypt from a Soviet client state to a u.s.ally. This equipment includes locally-produced M-1 tanks, as well as F-16 fighter planes, Hawkeye awacs radars, mlrs rocket launchers, Patriot and Stinger missiles, etc. French, British, Chinese, and even North Korean weapons can also be found in Egypt’s armed forces.
How will that army and equipment be used in future? To enhance regional and global security, or to damage it? That depends in part on the wisdom of our choices.
Why not to shop at “The Shack”
Mar 29th
The phrase underpaid and overworked comes to mind when I think over the year and a half I spent working for Radioshack in Eugene, Oregon. The result of this is an uneducated, disenfranchised and scared core of workers, most of which are just college students trying to pay their bills.
Luckily I was offered a job at The Shutterbug [a local owned & operated camera company] and was able to shed the excess stress and work attributed with Radioshack and move on to better things — but these accounts are important to reveal to potential customers who could easily spend they’re buck elsewhere. The general consensus from my co-workers was of a similar nature; poor middle management at the district managerial level coupled with unreal corporate expectations with poor compensation. These mixed together are a recipe for disaster.
#1: Service Plans
Every RS employe must maintain at the minimum a 20% attachment rate of RSSP [Radioshack Service Plan] so when you hear that pitch, 9/10 times its disingenuous. In fact, the only time I would ever purchase an RSSP plan would be with a pair of headphones but even then you have to call the 1(800) number and wait for 30 minutes before you get any form of service.
The kicker in all of this is that even though there is a ton of pressure on attachments the employe who does the work literally has zero incentive outside of potentially loosing their job. Out of every 30 or so service plans (depending on what you sell them on) your only going to make in the ballpark of $11-$21 which is virtually nothing considering an RSSP attach is 100% profit.
#2 Plan-O-Grams
Radioshack on average releases 3-5 new planograms’ a month in an attempt to keep the store feeling fresh and new — yet there is a drawback to this, if only a few people are say ‘hard workers’ they get the short end of the stick doing stock and construction work whilst the ‘unable’ or ‘lazy’ workers do the majority of selling. So for those of us that had to spend the extra late nights, even during finals week, in order to build a stupid headphone section or flip a store on their own, I commend you because for minimum wage your simply overworking yourself.
#3 Management
This brings me to my next point — management [in particular at the district level]. In my life I have worked many jobs but never have I ever been mishandled as poorly as I was at Radioshack. It all started when our senior manager of 30 some years was fired and our MIT [manager in training] was promoted to manager (despite the rule that stipulates that no MIT can manage the store he trained in). In addition to the infringement of the rules everyone in my store knew that the MIT was worthless to us as a co-worker, let alone a manager — and get this HES THE HIGHEST PAID IN THE DISTRICT.
Not only is this a major slap in the face to those of us who have to endure his horrid jokes and atrocious customer service (often saying things to the affect of “people in wheel chairs should have to park in the back of the parking lot so they have incentive to stop faking.” this was said whilst the customer was in store keep in mind) but also to the tenured managers who have been working for the company for years. Does this sound like a healthy work environment to you?
After this manager was promoted not only did he continue his lack luster ‘attempts’ at work but he also started to exude overconfidence in his own abilities and almost overnight transformed into a stereotypical dictator — contact with employes long since gone. I had been working part-time [minimum of 20hrs/week] for a year at this point when suddenly I was only receiving 6 hours a week. I took the issue up with my manager immediately saying that I had to pay bills and I didn’t understand why I wasn’t getting the hours I had been for the 12months prior — his response…. nothing. After hearing that he would ‘fix’ it for 2 weeks straight I went home and wrote an email to my district manager — which by the way is supposed to be confidential and illuminated the situation saying that I really need the hours and am willing to work other stores yada yada yada — I still to this day haven’t gotten a response. But heres what he did… printed out my email, walked into our store, sat in the back with my manager, let him read my confidential email, and then proceeded to laugh and do nothing about it. THANKS ALOT RADIOSHACK I WASN’T AWARE THAT AN EMPLOYE WHO HAS BEEN WORKING FOR A COMPANY FOR OVER A YEAR WITH LEGITIMATE CONCERNS COULD BE DISCARDED ON LITERALLY ZERO GROUNDS THAT EASILY.
In addition to this my district manager also got two employes [young women ages 19 and 21] whom he knew personally hired at our store with no pervious retail sales experience. These girls proceeded to work hard but not execute with no repercussions and after work… guess where they’d go to hang out? Yup — with our DM… In fact they’ve even told me they played beer pong with him… probably something you don’t want to say out loud when you consider that DM’s should have ZERO FRATERNIZATION WITH EMPLOYES — ESPECIALLY WHEN ALCOHOL AND MINORS ARE CONCERNED.
Conclusion Consumer
The Shutterbug ended up recruiting me right around the mishap with the email and luckily myself and a good co-worker got out of the system but this story is on the net for a reason… remember when you go into “The Shack” that the good people are few, far between & drastically underpaid. They are constantly harassed by secret shoppers, unreal expectations and poor management. So rather than spend that dollar at Radioshack go some place else preferably a mom and pop who actually take care of their employes [The Shutterbug] and always question the motives of overworked RSSP hungry RS employes.
Conclusion Corporation
RADIOSHACK!!! Get your shit together… not only are you promoting an unhealthy work environment but your disheveled sales staff is interface with your customer in that environment — if in your mission statement it says “customers should feel unwelcome, harassed by commissioned sales people, and coned into plans that are unnecessary and a poor value” then your doing a great job. However, if you actually wish to provide a level of customer service and a postivew work environment that supersedes your competition I suggest you make some serious changes… HINT: maybe you should look at the district level.
Vanguard of the Soul, & The Pursuit of ‘Law’
Mar 8th
Humans are an unrestrained bundle of emotion, intellect and passion. Where “the law” has become centralized in the pursuit of ones-self. However, its important to take note from a story such as the Parable of the Law, where the man becomes obsessed with the pursuit rather than fully committing to his convictions and finding the answers which he sought.
In the Parable of the Law, upon learning the pathway was obscured by the gatekeeper, the man became falsely contented in playing the passive waiting game. “The doorkeeper says, ‘if you are so drawn to it, just try to go despite my veto. But take note: I am powerful.”[1] The man now finds himself at a crossroad, should he pursue his desire of finding the law or should he become subservient to the social constructs that bind him to abide by law. To borrow from Nietzsche, the countryman is stuck within his first innocence and needs to overcome his own inherent disbelief in himself and his mission before he can spar with the moral vanguard of his soul. The gatekeeper isn’t so much a physical force but rather a manifestation of the man himself acting as the barrier through which he must shred all doubt and self-overcome the naïveté of first innocence.
The critical error for anyone who is trying to move foreword be it physically or metaphorically, is to take neither left nor right at a fork in life. In the case of the countryman, “the law, he thinks, should surely be accessible at all times by everyone, but as he now takes a closer look at the doorkeeper… he decides it better to wait for permission to enter.”[2] This is the undoing of him, for when he looks at himself in the mirror he sees a hollow quest and a shallow man; how could he, a man of small stature, ever defeat the large gatekeeper? The man forgot the purpose of his mission, and that he didn’t go searching for the law to have his way impeded, he went in search of himself.
Fighting from the womb, we wage a physical war that rages against the confines of our own conceptual reality. Knowing that the pursuit of rebellion amidst the status quo could mean the loss of ourselves, we subconsciously risked everything for a chance at something. In doing so, we traded in our physical rebellion for the tools to pursue our own mission of self-discovery. In order for the countryman to ever attain access to the law he has to be willing to climb to the top of his inner societal scaffolding and pull the lynchpin that binds his whole world together. In the unraveling of himself the gatekeepers of his subconscious no longer exist, for he has proven his iron clad will is what guides his own destiny. On the immortal crossroad of our own mortality, we must make a decision to either fully pursue ourselves or slip into the unconscious monotony of complacency.
On the battlefield of the soul, coin cant compel nor can it console. “The man, who has furnished himself with many things for his journey, sacrifice all he has, however valuable to bribe the doorkeeper.”[3] It is impossible to circumvent the mental rigors of inner enlightenment through the use of materialistic mechanisms. “The doorkeeper accepts everything, but always with the remark: ‘I am only taking it to keep you from thinking you have omitted anything.”[4]
As the droplets of our life rip and ripple through the placid depths of our innermost thought, with age one can see the greatest triumphs and failures that have defined the meaning of life. The countryman “curses his bad luck, in his early years boldly and loudly, later as he grows old, he only grumbles to himself,”[5] for he sees the catastrophic failure and inability to escape the opaque materialism that has consumed and robbed him of his dreams and youth. To the man who wishes everything yet reinvented nothing, the gatekeeper is the one thing that stops him on his quest of self-gratification. But to those who wish to outreach a hand towards what could be, and risk everything for a chance at something. The gatekeeper is the internal champion of everything embodied in the struggle towards self-enlightenment, and without him there would be no one holding the door of our innermost truths for us to walk through.
[1] Franz Kafka, A Country Doctor, Before the Law (p. 148)
[2] Franz Kafka, A Country Doctor, Before the Law (p. 148)
[3] Franz Kafka, A Country Doctor, Before the Law (p. 149)
[4] Franz Kafka, A Country Doctor, Before the Law (p. 149)
[5] Franz Kafka, A Country Doctor, Before the Law (p. 149)
AIPAC Wants YOU!
Jan 30th
I was re-reading my last post about ‘peace in the middle east’ and in doing so I realized that in order to attempt peace across the ocean we need to open our eyes on the home front — and moreover who is really at the helm of our government.
A Brief History…
AIPAC was founded in the 1950’s by Isaiah L. “Si” Kenen, and was originally known as the American Zionist Committee for Public Affairs. The AIPAC we know today was formed due to alleged “friction” between the Eisenhower administration and the AZCPA. In Kenen’s book, describing the early history of AIPAC, Kenen wrote that AIPAC’s Executive Committee decided to change their name to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee “to enlarge constituency and support.”
The current President of AIPAC is David Victor, from Detroit, Michigan. AIPAC, as an independent, not-for-profit entity, is entirely funded through contributions from its members (more on this later).
AIPAC’s Goals…
AIPAC lobbies for financial aid from the United States to Israel, helping to procure up to three billion in aid yearly. This is substantial when you realize that Israel is now “the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. foreign aid since World War II.” In addition, the result of AIPAC’s ‘effective’ lobbying includes numerous exceptional provisions that are not available to other American allies. Some of these include: providing aid as “all grant cash transfers, not designated for particular projects, and… transferred as a lump sum in the first month of the fiscal year, instead of in periodic increments. Israel is also allowed to spend about one quarter of the military aid for the procurement of defense articles and services, including R&D, in Israel rather than in the United States.”
[Congressional Research Service]
The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, which is highly critical of American support for Israel, has estimated total aid since 1949 at approximately $108 billion. If thats not scary to you it should be — its your money!
AIPAC’s aims also include pressuring the Palestinian Authority to adhere to its commitments to fight terrorism and incitement against the state of Israel, strengthening “bilateral relations” through shared intelligence and foreign military and economic aid to Israel, condemning the actions of the Iranian government in pursuing nuclear status and questioning the HOlocaust, and levying financial restrictions in order to hinder Iran’s nuclear development.
Who Supports AIPAC?
Pretty much everyone who’s in power because theres two options when it comes to AIPAC in the political area, play ball or brace yourself for a substantial political bashing. On a more factual note — AIPAC has widespread support both inside and outside of Congress. Within congress you will find support with the majority of members in both the Democratic & Republican parties. “AIPAC’s 2002 annual conference included 50 senators, 190 representatives, and more than a dozen senior administration officials.” [American Prospect]
In addition, many political leaders have addressed AIPAC conferences, including Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama & Bill Clinton, Vice Presidents Dick Cheney and Joe Biden, House Minority Whip Eric Cantor and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Other influential peoples include John Kerry, Joe Lieberman, John McCain, as well as current and former members of the leadership of both parties in Congress, and current/former Prime Ministers of Israel.
Power Structure…
AIPAC’s power structure is similar to that of a major corporation in many ways — there are Presidents, Executive Committee members, Executive directors, Board members, & Officers. Where it gets interesting is when you start to look at who some of these members are and the political or economical clout they hold in the U.S. system.
Some notable members include:
Neal M. Sher, (former executive director of AIPAC), who was the former head of the Office of Special Investigations.
Thomas Dine (Executive Director AIPAC 1980-1993), worked as a foreign policy staff member in the U.S. Senate (70-80), was a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and held three fellowships at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government as well as serving in the American Embassy in New Delhi, India.
Morris “Morrie” J. Amitay (Executive Director AIPAC), worked for one year in the U.S House of Representatives and five years as a legislative aide in the U.S. Senate, where he “took a lead role in organizing congressional initiatives affecting Israel.”
Steve Grossman (President AIPAC), was the President of Grossman Marketing Group, a family-owned marketing company and acted as Chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic Party and was nominated National Chairman of the Democratic National Committee (97-99’).
Daniel Abraham (Board Member AIPAC), frequently included in Forbes 400 list of the 400 wealthiest Americans, and is notable for his introduction of the Slim-Fast beverage in the late 70s. Has a net worth of 1.4B dollars. Abraham has been a long time donor to the Democratic Party as well as the Clinton Foundation, giving $1.5M to the party and ranked as the number one contributor of soft money t the national parties in 2000. He also wrote the book “Peace is Possible,” with a foreword by President Bill Clinton.
Rudy Boshwitz (Board Member AIPAC), former Independent-Republican U.S. Senator from Minnesota. Served in the Senate from December of 1978 to 1991.
And the list goes on and on….
Are there any Critics?
The answer is — Yes, but not many. The best-known critical work on AIPAC is The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy written by University of Chicago professor John Mearsheimer and Harvard University Kennedy 
School of Government professor Stephen Walt. In the working paper and resulting book they accuse AIPAC of being “the most powerful and best known” component of a larger pro-Israel lobby that distorts American foreign policy. They write:
“AIPAC’s success is due to its ability to reward legislators and congressional candidates who support its agenda, and to punish those who challenge it. … AIPAC makes sure that its friends get strong financial support from the myriad pro-Israel PACs. Those seen as hostile to Israel, on the other hand, can be sure that AIPAC will direct campaign contributions to their political opponents. … The bottom line is that AIPAC, which is a de facto agent for a foreign government, has a stranglehold on the U.S. Congress. Open debate about U.S. policy towards Israel does not occur there, even though that policy has important consequences for the entire world.”
This is a sentiment shared with the New York Times, who described AIPAC on July of 87‘ as “a major force in shaping United States policy in the Middle East.” And in 97‘ Fortune magazine, who named AIPAC the second-most powerful influence group in Washington, D.C.
But the list of AIPAC dissenters is a short one — and with good reason. They’ve got a hit list a mile long and have no qualms about ostracizing you politically or socially. They’ve been known to fund campaigns against anyone who won’t play ball.
Whats the point?
Its simple really — the fact that AIPAC has its hands in almost every monetary & political cookie jar in the U.S. should be, at the very least, frightening; & the continuation of settlement building, bloodshed, and perpetuation of the Zionist agenda, on our tab, should make your blood boil. Israel is the foreign policy blunder from which we have never recovered, and has dictated our policy in the Mid East for decades (in the wrong direction I might add).
However, this isn’t about the 3+ billion dollars in aid we
give to them yearly, thats merely a fraction of the fear that AIPAC should illicit from Americans. The real problem is corruption on the domestic political playing field. The fact that AIPAC has been federally investigated for buying U.S. intelligence, and planting spies in our agencies to further their anti-arab agenda is atrocious. Not to mention AIPAC has been top dog in the lobbying game of buying Congressmen as well as other politically influential individuals, and as such, has become a scary political power monopoly.
Yet, its not just our men and women of Congress that sell out to the anachronistic and jaded ideals of Israel — but our corporations as well. Starbucks, Huggies, and Slimfast all give considerable amounts of money to AIPAC, just to name a few.
Is there a solution?
This goes back to my earlier post about how to create peace in the Middle East; in order to fight this war on “terror” “effectively” we need to focus on the home front first. That means standing by our Constitution with a matched tenacity akin to that of our forefathers. We the people of the United States of America need to stand together as a united, well-informed, and organized group against the tides of not only domestic political corruption but also, international corruption. That means no more occupied territories, no more militaristic menacing, and no more economic wrist slaps to nations that seek international autonomy. For it is not only our Constitutional right to rise up against a puppet government, but our duty as American citizens. Couldn’t the world be a better place with a little less corruption and a little more co-operation?
What it takes to be a Rebel
Jan 30th
This was an essay I wrote for my Rebellion and Revolution class at the UO.
What it takes to be a Rebel
In the broadest sense of the word, everyone is a rebel. Whether you’re the man who scoffs at the sky in silent rebuke against ones circumstance, or the teenager filled with angst desperately choking on stale air within a vacuum-sealed nuclear family. Yet, we don’t call everyone a rebel – what exactly does it take? As Camus would say, “a rebel is someone who says no.,” but it goes much deeper than that. In fact, there are two types of rebels just as there are two types of people, those “rebels” or people who define themselves through their rebellion or occupation and those whose rebellion acts as the catalyst towards self-discovery & self-fulfillment. The question one must ask – which is real rebellion.
You can spit into the sky to spite gravity but you will always end up wearing your rebellion. The metaphysical rebel, who chooses to become paralyzed by the universe in constant conquest for irrational autonomy will live a life of intangible triumphs. It is easy to be the dung beetle that, struck with the shock of life, lies in bed watching his frail legs dangle in the air; his silent rebellion unspoken looking towards the heavens. This is a rebel whose life is defined by his rebellion – where his very existence is in constant conflict with a ubiquitous foe.
Being a metaphysical rebel in a predominantly nihilistic society has lost all viability. “Real” rebellion lies within the challenging confines of this life and your ability to play the game in order to shift the path for those that follow in your wake. This can be demonstrated in the Great Person theory. Where ones individual rebellion lights an alternate route for those whose minds have become enslaved in the materialistic monotony of modern society. Real rebels such as Muhammad Mussedeq, who led a nationalist revolution in Iran during the 50s, are the archetypal figures that people seeking self-discovery should emulate. Mussedeq played the complex & convoluted political games of the mid east, and played them well in order to spite, for all intensive purposes, the universe in the form of the western world. He did this standing face to face with his own mortality, knowing that this act of rebellion would surely bring about his destruction; yet, he followed through regardless of the pure despair, which filled the moment, in order to carve a path for individuals that might seek, as he did, a better world. This is rebellion.
The true rebel, is not concerned or paralyzed with the insurmountable challenges of life & the universe, but rather, he is inspired and awestruck. There is an audacious tenacity which he, and he alone posses that gives birth to phrases which universities are founded upon; “mens agitat molem” or minds move mountains. While the metaphysical rebel lies on his back tasting the bittersweet air, corrupted internally by the things he wishes to reject. A real rebel gobbles the bitterness of the world and takes joy in spiting back carbon. A genuine rebel lives his life not for want of change or defined by his rebellion, but for the self-purity of the pursuit of challenges no one else will mount.
There is something to be said for rebellion and its association in context to the spacio-temporal world. Rimbaud said, “truly, I have wept too much! The Dawns are heartbreaking. Every moon is atrocious and every sun bitter.” Which by the definition of a “true” rebel could be seen as defeatist. However, at age nineteen Rimbaud was doing something akin to moving mountains with progressive ideas. It would be far too easy to discredit him as someone who was paralyzed and numb to the world and as such, not a true rebel. However, it is in the inverted light of conformity that we find Arthur Rimbaud. Rather than become stiff with the rigidity of the world, he exposed it for what it was. Laying down a path of intellectual rebellion through which others could explore, find and puncture the boundaries of they’re own conditioned psyche.
In the end, rebellion is not an occupation. Rebellion is one mans journey to measure himself against the entirety of existence. Not to languish in the agony of overwhelming odds but to overcome his preconditioned ideas of what’s attainable.
