The Political Trolls vs. Chris Hedges & Ron Paul
In Chris Hedges’ latest article posted at Truthdig, the Pulitzer Prize winning journalist issues a damning indictment of both Democrats and Republicans. Ridiculing politicians on both sides of the aisle as trolls (deformed corporate toll-masters not annoying internet users), Hedges writes:
Rick Perry and John Boehner overtly make war on Social Security. Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi say they would like to save Social Security but are sadly powerless before the decisions of a congressional super committee they helped form. The result, of course, is the same. We get to choose the rhetoric and manner in which we are deceived and disempowered. Nothing more.
Chris Hedges says that the trolls and their corporate overlords have won the battle for America and that there is only one recourse left for moral and ethical people who live in a reality-based world:
We cannot rely on the institutions that once made piecemeal and incremental reform possible. The only route left is to disconnect as thoroughly as possible from the consumer society and engage in acts of civil disobedience and obstruction. The more we sever ourselves from the addictions of fossil fuel and the consumer society, the more we begin to create a new paradigm for community…. We have to create monastic enclaves where we can retain and nurture the values being rapidly destroyed by the wider corporate culture and build the mechanisms of self-sufficiency that will allow us to survive.
It’s hard to argue with Chris Hedges’ analysis of corporate-run America and its attendant political structure (which by definition equals fascism). But one must question Hedges’ proposed solution being the only or best recourse available to those Americans who wish to dissent, challenge the status quo, and create a new paradigm for community life.
We would like to suggest to Chris Hedges and others that they spend a little more time thinking about the candidacy of Ron Paul, who has attracted millions of supporters (many of whom are liberal progressives) precisely because he is the only presidential candidate who is not a troll and wants to give Americans the liberty and freedom to create new paradigms of community, health care, education, social safety nets, etc.
Chris Hedges’ belief that the current fascist state would ALLOW significant numbers of Americans to create “monastic” enclaves (detached from consumer society) is a shaky one at best—especially when one considers how our civil liberties have been increasingly stripped over the past ten years. A Ron Paul presidency however would go a long way in reinstalling our freedoms as individuals, allowing such progressive enclaves to actually be possible.
This is an extremely important point that Chris Hedges (an avowed socialist) and liberal progressives do not seem to consider deeply enough. Simply because Ron Paul is a libertarian with a strong fealty to the Constitution, that does not mean he is an enemy to those who have more socialist political beliefs. A Ron Paul driven Executive branch would simply work toward handing responsibility for social programs to the States and local communities, who would be much more efficient and creative in implementing those programs the citizens want. We would again move in the direction of creating 50 laboratories of Constitution-driven democracy (where successful ideas and projects are adopted by others and abject failures spotlighted).
Will some State plans fall flat on their face? Sure. Will initiatives sometimes be unfair and stupid? Absolutely. But with a Federal Government that aggressively ensures the rights and freedoms of all citizens and an equally aggressive court system that protects the personal and property rights of individuals, State abuses can be minimized and a true (and much needed) renaissance in American life unleashed. That is how you defeat the trolls.
Please read our article Why Democrats Should Register Republican & Vote Ron Paul for additional reasons why to support Ron Paul.
