MUMIA TO J20: 'Build a revolutionary movement!' /FROM DEATH ROW
As the U.S. presidency changes hands, many, perhaps millions, feel in their guts that American democracy is in peril. Many feel that they are witnessing the inauguration of a great naked thievery, and that their election was stolen from them.
I can understand those feelings. I really can. But it may surprise you to know that I don’t agree. For the truth is, both major presidential candidates were millionaires and despite what they said, both were auditioning for jobs for the rulers. And the rulers, the mega-rich, have never had much use for democracy.
American history is the struggle for democracy, one that is far from finished as Florida taught us. It is struggle between planters and landless, between property and poverty, between rich and poor, between capital and labor.
Don’t tell me about so called “Founding Fathers.” These were, for the most part, men of means, who talked about human liberty and equality while they held thousands of dark bodies in human bondage. They didn’t care about no democracy. They cared about property. And as in Florida, American democracy depends on having the fewest people possible participate.
Hey, we talk a lot about democracy. How about this? How many of you think you voted for president? Well truth is, most of you didn’t. Over one hundred million people voted in the election, but unless you’re a member of the Electoral College, unless you are one of the 238 people, you didn’t vote for president. To paraphrase Tina Turner, “What’s democracy gotta do with it? Answer: not a damn thing.”
What happened on November 7th was a creation of a political dynasty. Today you’ll see the coronation of George II. The King of Death, whose White House throne is made of bones. What’s democracy gotta do with it? If this system, this government, really cared about democracy, why would they make voting like an obstacle course? If democracy was prized, then voting would be the easiest thing in the world instead of a frustrating headache. Again what’s democracy gotta do with it?
English playwright, Tom Stopperd once wrote, “It’s not the voting that’s democracy, it’s the counting.” That says it all, doesn’t it?
It’s past time to build a people’s movement, a worker’s movement, a radical and a revolutionary movement that changes this sad state of affairs. Let us begin. Now.
Ona Move
Long Live John Africa
From death Row, this is Mumia Abu-Jamal
Text © copyright 2001 by Mumia Abu-Jamal.
All rights reserved.
Reprinted by permission of the author.Share this page with a friend
International Action Center
39 West 14th Street, Room 206
New York, NY 10011
email: mailto:iacenter@action-mail.org
En Espanol: iac-cai@action-mail.org
Web: http://www.iacenter.org
Support Mumia Abu-Jamal: http://www.millions4mumia.org/
phone: 212 633-6646
fax: 212 633-2889
Make a donation to the IAC and its projects
The International Action Center
Home ActionAlerts Press
