We need help in distribution.  One of our major distributors has to stop doing it,  He distributes in West Hollywood,  a bit Downtown Los Angeles,  Long Beach and even out to Palm Springs and San Diego.  He is putting together  a list.  We also need help in the Silverlake and Hollywood area. Give us a call.  Thanks Mike.

Violence

 By John Johnson

‘Violence has been part of this planet from the beginning. Violence has been part of humanity from the beginning. Exploiting violence and the fear of it has been how the few have ruled over the many since the beginning. The history of mankind is often written in the wars we’ve had.

We have killed or made homeless five million in Iraq and Afghanistan over the last two decades.  We now have killer robots that strike specks on radar.

I was a pacifist for about six months in the Sixties but discovered when I was hit by a cop at peaceful demonstration that I wanted to hit him back. Luckily I didn’t. In fact I’ve never hit anyone.

In the Sixties some of our groups were attacked by right wing folks. One of our offices was attacked by gun tooting right wing Cubans who threatened to shoot the people there. The they set the place on fire.  Everyone barely made it out. After that some of us got shotguns. In a couple years things calmed down. But I still hold the option to be able to defend a friend or myself from a violent attack.

One reason violence and the use of guns have greatly increased over the past decades is that there hasn’t been an ongoing peace movement. Instead there has been a growing violent subculture. Mass entertainment is filled with violence. Revenge films are among the most popular. Wars, our wars, civil wars, government oppressions are on the rise. The NRA has blocked all laws against any kind of gun regulations, mainly because they represent the manufactures who bribe legislators.

Then, its seems, on a regular basis, young normal appearing guys in their early twenties, maybe loners,  arm themselves in military style and massacre a bunch of strangers.

And yes, we admire those weapons manufacturers and their supporters with their hand wringing pronouncements of sympathy after a shooting incident. I’m sure the victims appreciate that.

The elites want us fighting amongst ourselves. They encouraged gangs and drugs in the gettos and barrios so that they wouldn’t have to deal with the Black Panthers or Brown Berets, or the “Hippies,” among others. Bernardine Dohrn is still mentioned, while she’s been a lawyer for the past 35 years. False enemies are constructed. It use to be the “Reds,” today its Arabs, Muslims, gays, immigrants, women needing abortion or even sex, public workers and labor unions. Meanwhile, about 90,000 of the wealthiest have stowed away over twenty trillions of dollars in off shore tax havens. Ever wonder why we don’t have many social services?

Speaking of violence, I got into a bad accident while Bo and I were distributing Change Links in the Los Feliz area last month. My SUV flipped over onto the driver side. Luckily my window was open and I only got some rocks in my hair. I wasn’t injured but I am still shaken up by it. Bo got a bad case of whiplash and is stiff and suffering, having difficulty receiving timely care from the VA. I had to buy another car with my very limited funds, some donations from online pleas and the insurance company payout. There could be more expenses before this episode is over.

Violence is not only physical. It is economic. As the elites continue to steal and to squirrel away most of the resources from the common pool, these resources become scarce for the rest of us.  Food, housing, healthcare and just basic safty

Violence is also the suppression of diverse information and opinion. The one percent has no interest in sustaining the vital communication flow among the ninety-nine percent. Quite the opposite. It remains up to us and our supporters.

We are grateful for the one-time emergency donations, but we need reliable ongoing contributions   if we are ever to get back to normal here.