Published in Intrepid Report on October 24, 2012
By Larry Pinkney
“Never be deceived that the rich will allow you to vote away their wealth.”
—Lucy Parsons“Tell no lies, claim no easy victories.”
—Amilcar Cabral
Voting in general—and in particular, voting for the Democrats and Republicans, especially on the federal level—in this corporate-controlled, Patriot Act, NDAA, ‘Kill List,’ de facto police- state, is akin to choosing how one wants to die; when in fact, we should be demanding systemic change and deciding how we want to live!
If ballot box voting could genuinely change this corrupt political system it would be illegal. Instead, voting is used as a control and manipulation mechanism—against everyday Black, White, Brown, Red, and Yellow people in this nation—who are expected to repeatedly participate in their own political decapitation in the name of a fake democracy and a fake process.
Saying that those who do not vote at the ballot box do not have the right to complain is akin to saying that those who refuse to ‘choose’ how they wish to die, by extension, have no right to live. Such is the essence of the fallacious argument and systemic trap laid, propagated, and perpetuated by the corporate-owned Democrat and Republican parties in this nation. Indeed, the very integrity itself of the voting process in the United States is made null and void by, among other things, the fraudulent Electoral College and the undeniable hegemony of the U.S. corporate elite. At this point in time in U.S. history, voting gives the cover of legitimacy to the corporate-owned political gangsters who run this nation, be they Democrat or Republican.
Think about it. Do you want to die by suffocation, hanging, or firing squad, for these are, in reality, the euphemistic ‘choices’ that systemic voting gives you? These ‘choices’ are in fact no choices at all for those of us who are desirous of life.
It is time for the everyday people of this nation to regain our humanity by struggling for our collective self-determination, as an integral part of Mother Earth’s human family. Participating in the veneer of voting, especially as it pertains to the Democrats and Republicans, is a pathological exercise in both insanity and futility as it relates to much-needed, fundamental systemic change.
The ill-gotten wealth of the bloated, avaricious, U.S. and global corporate elite will never be changed through the systemic voting process. This relatively small national and international corporate elite not only owns the corporate-stream propaganda media and politicians, but in so doing, owns the political system itself. As Lucy Parsons noted many years ago, “Never be deceived that the rich will allow you to vote away their wealth.” We must consciously and actively free our minds and think outside of this corrupt and controlled systemic box, and act accordingly. Moreover, always remember the words of Rosa Luxemburg when she said, “Those who do not move, do not notice their chains.” We ourselves are the only ones who can “notice” and break free from our systemic “chains.” We, the people!
We must be honest with ourselves. We must stop lying to and deceiving ourselves. Amilcar Cabral was absolutely correct when he said that we should, “Tell no lies, [and] claim no easy victories.” First and foremost however, we must “tell no lies” to ourselves and each other. Then, we can creatively make giant leaps in this difficult, long, and protracted everyday people’s struggle in this nation. We must do this in conjunction with our everyday sisters and brothers throughout our precious Mother Earth.
The obfuscating rhetoric of the pontificating politicians, media pundits, and other systemic gatekeepers and operatives is, when you really think about it, complex and shallow; but our collective struggle is, out of principled necessity, simple and deep. This is why ultimately, we, the everyday people—will succeed.
What do systemic ‘elections’ really mean in this nation? They are actually selections, not ‘elections,’ and they mean the continuation of our political, social, and economic bondage—and nothing less. What if they gave a war and nobody came? Indeed, what if they gave another fake systemic so-called ‘election’ and nobody participated?! It’s time for the power of everyday ordinary people to take hold of this nation. At least, think about it.
We must redefine the very meaning of voting in this fraudulent, corporate-owned, ‘democracy,’ with a view towards creatively and collectively bringing about real systemic change, that is powered by the consciousness and needs of everyday people of all colors. In the immortal words of Joe Hill, “Don’t mourn. Organize!” Be creative in your thinking and in your actions.
Each one, reach one. Each one, teach one. Onward, then, my sisters and brothers. Onward!
Larry Pinkney is a veteran of the Black Panther Party, the former Minister of Interior of the Republic of New Africa, a former political prisoner and the only American to have successfully self-authored his civil/political rights case to the United Nations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In connection with his political organizing activities, Pinkney was interviewed in 1988 on the nationally televised PBS News Hour, formerly known as The MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour, and more recently on the nationally syndicated Alex Jones Show. Pinkney is a former university instructor of political science and international relations, and his writings have been published in various places, including The Boston Globe, San Francisco BayView newspaper, Black Commentator, Intrepid Report, Global Research (Canada), LINKE ZEITUNG (Germany), 107 Cowgate (Ireland and Scotland), and Mayihlome News (Azania/South Africa). He is in the archives of Dr. Huey P. Newton (Stanford University, CA), cofounder of the Black Panther Party. For more about Larry Pinkney see the book, Saying No to Power: Autobiography of a 20th Century Activist and Thinker, by William Mandel [Introduction by Howard Zinn]. (Click here to read excerpts from the book.)
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