Ann Wright On: Beyond Camp Casey
Dedicated to Wallace J. Nichols (http://www.wallacejnichols.org/wallacejnichols/About_J..html), a member of TOSCA’s coalition, and all citizens with head and heart in a healthy place
by Richard Martin Oxman

“I will not allow Obama and Company to kill any more children in Pakistan or anywhere.” — The author’s nine-year-old son http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VM-Hdn7h7tU#GU5U2spHI_4

“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.” — Arundhati Roy

“I’m a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of will.” — Antonio Gramsci

SPECIAL NOTE ADDED AT 10pm following the talk at Capitola Book Cafe: Judging from my brief contact with people as we were leaving, some readers might do well to jump directly to http://oxtogrind.org/archive/364… once you get the flavor of what’s below. Maybe. Others may want to telephone me to discuss questions rather than plow through my prose. I’d like the kind WILPF people to pass the word/this link to colleagues tomorrow night; that should do. There is no need for announcements right now, just inspired one-on-one contact. Everyone should make special note of the fact that this project will not incorporate what you are familiar with in activist circles. By design. So… concerns about, say, massive marches are not necessary. Marches, petitions, voting along traditional lines, etc. represent obsolete (as sole or primary) paradigms for change. Again, I’d appreciate Susan Dixon being encouraged to look at www.marcelsgeo.blogspot.com because of her background in geography, etc. In closing, I’m obliged to point out that not too long ago — at Capitola Book Cafe — Mike (M*A*S*H*) Farrell gave a book talk, and although he arrived with a well-known reputation for anti-death penalty/human rights work… he somehow managed to reconcile applauding Obama’s sociopath McChrystal and genocidal Holbrooke, dismissing Chomsky’s definitive characterization of Obama as a war criminal http://www.chomsky.info/articles/20090521.htm. No one can pull that off. People are going to have to let go of tainted attachments. And I look forward to having everyone contacting me respecting http://www.counterpunch.org/sharon10202009.html. ASAP. On a more positive note, I ask the reader to imagine the following; Ann Wright being in a position to speak vigrously, creatively, repeatedly to many more people than, say, Amy Goodman does about Gaza, internal U.S. military horrors, whistleblowers, etc. …without having to abide by the parameters currently imposed on alternative outlets. Such will require something as yet untapped in you. But it can — and must — be done as soon as possible.

We will end our abominations abroad. And at home.

Not just with our breath-of-fresh-air Ann Wright. Ann and eleven other unaffiliated, non-politician citizens serving together as Governor of California — for the first time in history — in lieu of a single self-serving careerist.

If Ann moves to California, she can perhaps be our working figurehead candidate; we will have to run a single individual for the gubernatorial seat. If not, she can still serve as part of our citizen coalition even from a distance, all else being equal. Only our Guv and Lieutenant Governor candidate will have to spend time in Sacramento, although the dozen souls will make decisions together on an equal basis.

But wait. Perhaps I’m moving too fast here. Maybe I should give you a little background.

Our Party — the TOSCA Party (as in Taking Over the State of California) or the Parecon Party (as per Michael Albert’s video* http://www.zcommunications.org/zvideo/3114) or The Sick Party Must End Party (as you know it must) — will actually not be registered. Our candidate will be a write-in candidate (along the lines of http://oxtogrind.org/archive/364). And we will put the whole kit and kaboodle into office with no dependence on mainstream media outlets, and virtually a zero budget.

*I offer this footage here primarily to answer last night’s nationwide screening of the BBC’s OCCUPATION, which has a central character repeat “That’s the way the world is.” in rationalizing personal rape and pillage abroad… defending our market economy as it stands. If the link doesn’t work, I’ll help you navigate the site to reach it… for ZNet is currently fund raising, and their links aren’t consistently functioning along the usual lines at present. Note that I give another ZNet source below too.

This is not an idea which floated in from outer space. Howard Zinn and Michael Parenti (U.S.), Gustavo Esteva (Mexico), Henry Giroux (Canada), Marie Trigona (Argentina), Devinder Sharma (India), Afshin Rattansi (Iran), Jennifer Loewenstein (Gaza/U.S.) and many other high profile figures worldwide have joined hands in solidarity on this project (as per the short list which appears at http://oxtogrind.org/archive/336). Jodie Evans, co-founder of Code Pink, and Cindy Sheehan have also given their imprimaturs, but TOSCA needs the enthusiastic embrace of grassroots support. And that’s where you come in.

Progressive people, people concerned with pressing issues who haven’t turned totally cynical, who haven’t fallen completely apart at the foot of Resignation should consider joining hands with us.

“Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.” — Edgar Allan Poe

To do what?

To put aside the peripheral differences we surely have, and focus on taking emergency action together. Action which will NOT be taken at Copenhagen (as per http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/22909) or in the realm of the Middle East. Action which will address matters that range from AFRICOM to our local groundwater, air quality and organic food supply. The gamut of pressing essentials… as you define that.

But action which follows a new paradigm, the old models (petitions, marches, telemarketing and the like) having limited effect, as we now know. Neither incarcerated whistleblowers, tortured innocents nor starving/bombed children can afford our utilizing only (or primarily) paradigms of the past. Vigils and conferences may have their place, but — as Arundhati Roy underscores — we all need an unprecedented feral howl in protest, to induce lasting change. Nothing less will ever address our Our Horrid Momentum… which Dave Lindorff barely touches with http://www.counterpunch.org/lindorff10202009.html. [Pause.] Again, there’s tons more… locally. I’m not just recoiling in horror at what’s… out there.

We can no longer afford to move at an arthritic snail’s pace, and so we look to giving ourselves a HUGE MEGAPHONE with which to help the public to self-educate. That’d be the Guv’s office. [Supplemented by other means... to be discussed with you in person, upon request.]

An informed public can do wonders on their own without having to be dependent on gangster politicians. And a Governor with head and heart in a healthy place can move UNILATERALLY on several fronts immediately (as per http://oxtogrind.org/archive/311), having not just an historic impact on life in California overnight, but creating a watershed in history worldwide. Making, say, trips to Gaza less dangerous, or… unnecessary. [See the link above.]

“If what he has seen could be conveyed to all Americans, this ugly war in Iraq would quickly come to an end.” — Howard Zinn, talking about Dahr Jamail, but… using words which might easily be applied to the images/info provided by Ann Wright et al. about other areas.

The ripples from what we do in California can resonate in the wilds, in homes of abuse, and in every nook and cranny that concerns you.

But you must be highly creative, and act in solidarity. It will work against our mutual purposes to have the likes of Dahr Jamail, Ann Wright and all the blessed souls on book tours to have the lion’s share of their heartbeats glued to a schedule, with only piecemeal (direct) actions here and there (Glorious as they are!)… sans a single overriding, unifying action involving every (possible) “progressive” on the planet.

Ann’s new book with Susan Dixon urges whistleblowers to come forth. I’m all for that, of course, as much as Daniel Ellsberg is… and you, I’m sure. And I’d be honored to be part of an Underground Railroad serving people who put the fat mouth on abominations, those who go AWOL et al. The point is, however, that one proper Guv could accomplish virtually overnight what 40,000 whistleblowers could ever hope to achieve. Needs to. We have plenty of scandalous documentation already. And — in case you don’t know it — the powers that be are inches away from silencing all of our Jamails and Wrights… and us. Just like they did with resisters in WWI and WWII. [See me about the "exception" of Vietnam, if you like.] If you’re shaking your head at this juncture, you definitely should see me.

Ann Wright is not absolutely necessary to make something gorgeous happen, of course. That said, I pray to God that you will see fit to encourage her participation in TOSCA, all else being equal. That YOU will see that we must try something new. Something. And move expeditiously.

In the sixties we used to shout “Right on!” at times to show approval. I’d love to hear — all these years of frustration later — a word of approval from Ann Wright… as our write-in candidate. Perhaps she’d simply like to recommend someone. Perhaps you would.

Please contact Richard at tosca.2010@yahoo.com ASAP. Or telephone 831-688-8038 at your earliest convenience. He lives in the lovely Vienna Woods area of Aptos, and looks forward to having a meeting of concerned citizens immediately. We must move beyond talks, articles and films. Beyond the FALSE HOPE which we derive from disingenuous public servants. Only one meeting would be necessary.

Special note: This is an archived site with segments which no longer function at all. Even the articles present a problem to the uninitiated reader for each piece was created for a specific audience (as the above was created for Ann Wright’s audience at the October 19th Capitola Book Cafe talk). Without an understanding of the purpose in each case, reading the work can be puzzling or even off-putting. That said, I wouldn’t hesitate to have readers of this article glance at some of my background at http://oxtogrind.org/archive/378, or to look at what kind of activist scene my family and I were involved in around the time Ann was about two-years-old (as per the Peekskill Riots at http://oxtogrind.org/archive/402). For credibility. Finally, I want to underscore that we will be greatly aligned with both Peace and Freedom Party and Green Party agendas. [I'd love to be invited to explain how we're going to apply Arundhati Roy's notion of the requisite feral howl to this whole shebang... between now and the time that the next book tour comes to our troubled town.] Don’t let “the odds” stop you. Don’t worry ’bout what others won’t do. Do embrace the spirit of those who insisted upon their vision… like the imperfect, but beautiful women who put together the Seneca Falls seed… in the face of truly daunting opposition.