>From: Derek Tattersall <•••@••.•••>
DT:
>The best way to bring about "Non Governmental Government", is getting
>people to govern themselves at a local level; getting
>people at the local level to start thinking about where their food is
>coming from, how it is grown, and what the alternatives are. The biggest
>blow to agribusiness or any non-sustainable business is to hit them where
>they hurt the most - at the cash register. And best way to circumvent a
>police-state future is to get rid of the state by ending the legitimacy
>of professional politicians.
BE:
YES!
People can and are taking over and governing themselves. Not as
much in terms of making laws and havin g congresses but in the terms of
DOING. In all parts of the world GROs (GrassRoots Organizations sometimes
called NGOs) are being formed by local citizens to solve their own problems
with their own resources.
In the Industrial countries Food C0-0ps, LETS, Worker Ownership,
Co-Housing, Homeschooling, EcoVillages, Grmeen Banks, Citizen Patrols, Time
Dollars, Local Scrips and a host of other social innovation are empowering
people at the grassroots and promoting local community self-reliance.
Civic Society (we-the-people) are becoming recognized as the first
leg of governance. It is the purpose of both governmnt and corporations.
We now know that "the market" is a powerful tool for creating and
delivering matrial goods and services, but is severely limnited in proving
health, education, environmntal protection, human rights, equity, justice
and other social needs.
The problem today is not envision the future, but making it happen
by DOING more ourselves. Is there a way to use cyberspace to move beyond
the limited form of democracy we've had since 1776? In that "first phase of
democracy" we were limited by communication that took days or weeks, and by
the lack of experience in people power. Today we have nanosecond
communication and a long history of "representative democracy." Can we
develop a "second phase of democracy" by just DOING more of what people are
already DOING? Can we develop programs of mutual aid among communities
world wide? Can we self-organize and system of direct democracy?
I think we can and we are.
***********************
Bill Ellis
TRANET
PO BOX 137
Rangeley ME 04970-0137 USA
(207)864-3784
URL: http://www.nonviolence.org/tranet/
***********************
