N6 Don’t Just Vote Contingent

Call to Action and Why...

Elections in this country are the reddest of red herrings. Liberals have been so fixated on them as to forget most other means of applying power; losses in elections have demoralized and disempowered the Left in general. Anti-authoritarians, on the other hand, while claiming not to recognize the sovereignty of any officials, elected or not, have nonetheless developed their own mythology around voting, attributing to it the mystical power to "legitimize" authority figures thus elected. But it is not voting that gives power to politicians, just as it is not not-voting that could take it away from them; they have power because we place our power in their hands, because we fail to apply it deliberately ourselves.

Quite a bit of energy is squandered by liberals and radicals debating the old question of whether or not to vote; the answer, of course, is that it's the wrong question. For people to be able to focus on getting power back in their hands, the terms themselves have to be set anew. To sidestep the entire issue of voting, and instead focus all attention on the alternative ways to apply power, might save everyone a lot of wasted energy, and unlock the vast potential dormant in our communities, our relationships, ourselves.

So, this is an invitation to everyone outraged not just with the lesser-of-two-evils nature of presidential campaigns, but with the whole farcical architecture of concentrated power. After the election, we will take to the streets in a vibrant, impassioned march of protest against a second term for Bush OR a first term for Kerry; to call attention to the state of a so-called democracy driven by wealth and power by an elite few rather than by the participation and cooperation of all; in opposition to a system that ravages the Earth for the profit of a few, in the name of capitalism and free markets. If you feel your views are not represented in the monolithic two-party system, or in any party system, by any rulers; if you feel disgusted by what your leaders do every day in your name, before, during, and after an election; and if your sights are set on building healthy alternatives to rule by fear and force, then we hope you will join us in making resistance visible - no matter who wins.



Hit the Streets 12 NOON - SAT., NOV. 6th

Gather at Hollywood and Highland. March across on Hollywood Blvd, Final Rally at Sunset & La Brea Military Recruiting Station (This call was initially made by the International Action Center).

Look for "Our Dreams Will Never Fit Their Ballot Boxes" banner

Bring: banners, signs, noisemakers