I picked up Howard Zinn’s A Power Governments Cannot Suppress
last night. So far it is a powerful reminder of how people working together can have a strong impact on government. Sure, Howard Zinn is a radical, but he is also fearless. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the book.
As I started reading the book I couldn’t help but think about my prior participation in non-violent campaigns aiming to create policy change. It is good to reflect on who they were effective and how they fell short; it is especially good having had some distance from the emotions of the event.
Yesterday while I was browsing the books in the ‘Current Events’ isle, I noticed that every single book seemed to be about how/why America is in deep shit. Both ’sides of the isle’ were filled with doom and gloom and FUD. I wanted something positive. I wanted something that provides hope.
If you have ever witnessed 30,000 people taking to the streets in a city to demand change, you can’t help but believe it will happen again. In the opening chapter of this book Howard Zinn writes, "Our history runs deep with stories of people who stand up, speak out, dig in, organize, connect, form networks of resistance, and alter the course of history". Reading that makes me proud to be a part of this great country.
Comming Soon: Thoughts on the impact of Web2.0 on larger power structures (governmental and not).
