One of those irritating things about being an advocate for public life and public space is the horrifying regular appearance of people marching around in military uniforms. I was popping in to my office at 7th and Market and the streets were closed for the Veterans’ Day march. Normally I wouldn’t have thought too much beyond the usual spitting rage I harbor for the U.S. military and its corporate masters, but this was even worse: the three contingents that marched by while I pedaled in the opposite direction were all made up of high school ROTC or even 7th graders in uniforms…
Lots of talk lately about fascism, and there’s no denying the basic truth of that. But when it’s staring me in the face, I was really saddened. Rage? I should feel rage, but I mostly just look on at what I consider to be a growing herd of zombies marching to the cliff’s edge, apparently blind to what they’re approaching… of course there are those of all fundamentalist stripes who think Armageddon and rapture are desirable and inevitable… Did you hear about that Lt. outside Fallujah who characterized the “enemy” inside the city as “Satan”?
My goal for the next few weeks (years?) is to promote the concept of “ungovernability” and seek to unleash the creative ideas that can make this a movement for a good life rather than just merely resistance.
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