Squares are hip

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Individual civilians and their freedom and liberties are no longer at the top of the pyramid, having been replaced by a self serving political class using government functions and institutions to enlarge, entrench, and enrich itself.

Earmark abuse, favorable campaign finance laws, excessive political function benefits, bonuses and perks (through corporate contributions), bailing out banks, confiscating large amounts of public wealth and income via taxes and inflation, and a general low priority for the needs and desires of a country’s civilians.

Does dominance reproduce society?

After having produced a sperm and giving it to an agree-able “dominated”, a lot must happen before there is actual reproduction. The sperm isn’t given to “void” or an “empty vase”. The egg was already made a (relatively) long time ago. Also, it takes around 9 months and a lot of resources from the “dominated” to get to what is recognised as “labour” before the child appears.

Is it a boy or a girl?

The phenomenon of female infanticide is as old as many cultures, and has likely accounted for millions of gender-selective deaths throughout history. It is arguably the most brutal and destructive manifestation of the anti-female bias that pervades “patriarchal” societies. And it’s just not a simple lack of return of support matter. Governments and other actors can be just as guilty of mass killing by neglect or tacit encouragement, as by direct murder. To our realisation that power-over (dominance) impoverishes, we must also add that power kills.

And that’s not all

After birth infants need milk, food, protection and care. That is a lot of work and resources. And after that, a child needs guidance. Even more work. What works?

Power, in the first place, is simply that. The capacity-to-do, the ability to do things. Power to do is not a matter of individual determination. It is always part of a social flow of doing, even when it appears an individual act. It is always the result of the doing of others too.

In society, both males and females dream based on what is already there (the egg). We both conceive. And then we do-as-projection-beyond. We manifest our dreams. We both have the power to do. And we please each other if all goes well. We reproduce society.

Or not.

Egypt took to their squares

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And people all around the world stood and still stand with the People of Egypt & all Freedom Loving People.

Such a ‘powerful’ class and its subsequent stagnation such as Egypt has experienced in previous decades comes from a shift from a two party system to a one-party dominant system (the mega murderers) through the failure of a competitive second party to emerge, evolve or sustain itself.

Doing-as-projection-beyond is broken when some people arrogate to themselves the projection-beyond (conception) of the doing and command others to execute what they have conceived. Doing is broken as the ‘powerful’ conceive but do not execute, while the others execute but do not conceive. Doing is broken as the ‘powerful’ separate the done from the doers and appropriate it to themselves. The social flow is broken as the ‘powerful’ present themselves as the individual doers, while the rest simply disappear from sight. ~ Change the world without taking power

Update feb 17th: Protests spread throughout the Middle East, clashes reported in Libya, Iran, Yemen …

US Inequalities

A plurality voting system usually leads to a two-party system, a relationship described by Maurice Duverger and known as Duverger’s Law.

Rummel separated the United States from the other centi-kilo murderers listed in table 14.1 because of the special interest in this country and likely questions about its foreign democide during the course he teaches Americans in Hawaii.

On top of that, such two-party systems can easily drop back to the one-party dominant system (mega murderer state).

Secretly I am wishing they would go for a multi-party system, but probably still too much of the elite benefits to even want to know.

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Over the last 30 years, wage inequality in the United States has increased substantially, with overall levels of inequality closing in on unprecedented levels. This overall trend is complicated, however, by somewhat different patterns of change at the top and bottom of the wage distribution. ~ 20 Facts About U.S. Inequality that Everyone Should Know

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Italy and Berlusconi

Multi-party systems are systems in which more than two parties are represented and elected to public office. A multi-party system prevents the leadership of a single party from controlling a single legislative chamber without challenge.

Italy uses such a multi-party system. Berlusconi clearly belongs to a political class using government functions and institutions to enlarge, entrench, and enrich itself and a general low priority for the needs and desires of a country’s civilians. But, he has not been in power constantly, as Marco Riccioni informs me:

Berlusconi has been head of government from 1994 to 1995, from 2001 to 2006 and from 2008 till now. Center left governments have been in charge from 1996 to 2001 and from 2006 to 2008, while from 1995 to 1996 a center left + Northern League government was in place. So in the period from 1994 2010 (16 years) Berlusconi was in power for 8 years, while the other 8 went to center left.

The garbage crisis in Naples started in 2007 while Berlusconi was the opposition leader. Berlusconi accused the center left government of mismanaging the issue, promised to solve the garbage crisis, won the elections but failed to deliver.

It started end 2007. It is now 2011. Millions of women took to the squares in Italy on Feb 13.

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Berlusconi can be challenged and removed, but he can also come back after that. He has already gathered ample funds and is entrenched enough to do that.

When a single dominant party is enlarged, entrenched, and enriched enough, it may look like a multi-party system, but functions as a one man show. And to our realisation that dominance impoverishes and kills, we must add that it doesn’t solve real problems civilians experience either.

It’s So Hip To Be Square

Here, There and Everywhere! Everything is a part of everything else. An idea who’s time has come. Speak your truth. Keep taking it to the squares. Again and again.

Political confusion and chaos

It looks to me like some meta-power game is playing out. And though it’s outcome seems open-ended, the logics of power is likely to change. Boundaries, rules and (legal) distinctions between (global and local) business and states, civil movements, organisations, governments and societies, all need re-negotiation. Some structures will get away with refactoring, but most will have to reframe for that.

What other systems might work better?

“The feminine values are the fountain of bliss. Know the masculine, keep to the feminine.” ~ Lao Tzu, (c. 604-531 B.C.)

Maybe we can get inspiration from ancient ways to creatively come up with transforming ideas that work better in local contexts and contemporary times. Together.

Try a Medicine wheel ~ used to address the issues and problems of society and its success was due to the respect given to the balance between the sexes: the way to keep order and peace was to have equal representation between women and men.

Or a Nordic wheel ~ for each “chakra like” perspective on an issue or problem there’s three rune perspectives, a male, female and their union, and perspectives can be represented by people.

And there’s many more such ancient round tables from all kinds of cultures still around that we are allowed to steal from. It is our inheritance, the egg, featuring the oldest creative commons license.

Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it. — Siddhārtha Gautama Buddha

Related Articles

• “Head of Arab League Calls for Multi-Party Democracy in Egypt” and related posts (pomed.org)
• Leading Tunisian Islamist wants democracy (reuters.com)
• Coopting The Opposition (andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com)
• Arab League head wants Egypt multi-party democracy (reuters.com)
• Is the Sudanese regime’s star rising? | Simon Tisdall (guardian.co.uk)
• Egypt: Anything is possible (thehill.com)
• Italy: Bad Day for Sultan Berlusconi as Millions of Women Demand He Resign (boingboing.net)
• Berlusconi Indicted: Italian Prime Minister To Stand Trial On Teen Prostitution Charges (huffingtonpost.com)
• Mass Protests in Italy Against Berlusconi (blogfromitaly.com)
• Protests spread throughout Mideast, clashes reported in Libya, Iran (mdn.mainichi.jp)
• HuffPost TV: Arianna Talks The Two-Party System At IQ2 (huffingtonpost.com)
• US geologist loses appeal in China (guardian.co.uk)
• Post-Mubarak, Egypt protesters now pushing army (sfgate.com)
• Bahrain protests: Girl, 2, feared among 4 dead in riot police crackdown (dailymail.co.uk)
• Robert Koehler: Discovering Fire (huffingtonpost.com)
• Arianna Huffington: Debating the Two-Party System (huffingtonpost.com)
• ‘Victory march’ tests Egypt’s military rulers (msnbc.msn.com)
• Revolutions of a Lifetime at Home and Abroad (fatherhoodchannel.com)