By PETER MOLENAAR
Acquaintances from the Occupy Movement of the Great Recession were, by chance, encountered recently at the Pow Wow Grounds Coffee shop on Franklin Avenue. Anita and Troy are a Dakota mother and son. As it happened, Anita would offer her take on my May Alley piece: “Seven Generations”.
In Anita”'s view, ”˜seven generations”' invokes a prophecy more so than a moral premise. Pointing to her son, a medical student, she declared: “Here is the seventh generation!” Such is the nature of the first of our two prophecies.
Note: We are now seven generations removed from the concentration camp at Fort Snelling.
And then”¦ I would climb the slope from Powderhorn Lake to the northeast plateau of the park. The annual May Day Festival had assembled various sponsors to booths at this site. Indeed, the Libertarian Party had reserved a space which was occupied by two giant “mountain man” types, so, an animated lecture was bound to commence.
I asked: “What is the main contradiction within the capitalist system?” They replied, in essence: Duh”¦ we don”'t know! I continued: It is the contradiction between the highly socialized mode of production, on the one hand, and the private appropriation of production, on the other. “The whole bloody world capitalist order is destined to collapse,” I declared. The big fellows nodded and made eye contact as we gently bumped fists.
Meanwhile”¦ My Teamsters union is supporting the Workplace Democracy Act (S. 2810/H.R. 5728) which would make it easier to form unions. This measure would further uphold democracy by repealing “right to work” laws which allow scab workers to avoid paying union dues.
But”¦ The money power has usurped almost every democratic institution, high and low.
Come the revolution”¦ Our people”'s government will not function apart from vigorous consultations with elected councils of industrial workers. Then in due time with the exploiters removed, these councils will evolve as the “rule of the whole people”. Such is the nature of the second prophecy.
Workers and Oppressed People Unite! Equally so, our future”'s government will consult the elected councils of historically oppressed peoples. Such is the nature of our two prophecies combined.
