Earth Charter Celebrates Interdependence
Citizens arise and come to Unity! From September 21st to 23rd, in concert
with the Common Ground Fair, we will join minds and forces to reclaim
democratic control --- political control, media control, control over our
communities and childrenls futures. In three days of brainstorms and boogie,
the New Chautauqua will feature five passionate populist legends. Ronnie
"Alliance for Democracy" Dugger, Richard "Taking Care of Business" Grossman,
Doris "Granny D" Haddock, David "When Corporations Rule the World" Korten,
and Jim Hightower himself, will all focus on the corporate usurpation of
our land, and plot with us to take it back. The Raging Grannies, Innana,
and Reverend Billy of the Stop Shopping Choir will also lend a rousing hand.
But the real force will be with us, the activist participants, who must
choose a winning strategy for the showdown to soon come. And it is coming.
In 2002 Mainers will face a perfect corporate storm with gales of Big
Disinformation converging from at least four directions. Big Pharma will be
blasting liberal candidates like Chellie Pingree and Tom Allen. Big Paper
will again blow millions to sink a Jonathan Carter Green Governor run.
Mainels Ethical Purchasing Law, passed last session, will summon waves of
WTO and NAFTA goons, all foaming and slamming Mainersl legal right to shun
child labor lords and sweatshop owners. Finally, the legislaturels research
panel on Mainels first-in-the-nation universal health care plan seems likely
to erupt next March with a "Go for it!" report and push for a start date in
2003. This will doubtless trigger a media tsunami from the national health
and insurance giants that will flood the state airwaves for months.
We have a choice. Activists can either hunker down and try to shelter a few
of our hard-won gains or we can rise up, say enough is enough, and finally
evict corporations from our politics for good. The many Maine groups behind
this Chautauqua embrace the defiant course, and will be there holding
briefings, strategy sessions and inter-group workshops on how best to pull
it off.
If you are sick and tired of hunkering, this may be the uprising for you.
Schedule: Friday eve: Grossman, Hightower, Dugger, Korten & great music; Sat
AM: workshops on countercoup tech (AV, electoral, direct action, etc.); Sat
PM: issue workshops (corporate rule vs. health, peace, labor, ecology, etc);
Sat eve: Granny D, Carolyn Chute, Rev. Billy of the Stop Shopping Choir; Sun
PM: intergroup brainstorms on a shared strategy for 2002.
Volunteers wanted! For more information, see www.newchautauqua.net, or call
the organizing office at 967-2390.
Back to Peace Talk Index, Autumn, 2001