America as Prison

Maximum security on the inside, minimum security on the outside —Dispatch from "Free"

by

Fifth Estate # 364, Spring, 2004

Image, Free Jeff Luers, Free the Land posterRecently, I was talking politics and revolution with a friend and she said to me the last thing we need is 19-year-old boys fighting a revolution. I think she was referring to me at 19. Sure enough, I don’t feel as invincible now as I did then.

Still, that’s not the point she was making. Our society is not ready for a revolution. Women still get raped everyday, communities are still divided along racial lines, people still don’t care about one another. If revolution came right now and we actually won, ultimately, we would replace what we have now with capitalism, racism and patriarchy because we still haven’t overcome those ailments or come up with alternatives

How’s that for a slap of reality upside your head? Ever heard the expression “there’s always a few bad apples in every bunch”? What if, in all of humanity, there are only a few good apples?

If we can’t effectively address the issues of patriarchy and racism, if the streets remain just as violent and unsafe as they are now or worse – is it worth it?

We aren’t ready for change my friends, and we have to create it. It is time to pull out all the stops. Every day we must be educating, challenging, and fighting. We must form alliances. We must smash patriarchy and every form of oppression. We must stamp out racism in every form and we have to do it locally and fast.

To our geniuses out there, and you know who you are, lets get people off the grid. If we could get social centers and infoshops up and running on their own juice, we could set a great example. This spring, plant food in every available space, set up community meetings—bring folks together—forget politics, religion, and color and focus on what everyone has in common and what we can accomplish together.

Revolution is not about politics. It is not about smashing capitalism or anything else. Revolution is the celebration of life and freedom.

Write Free at:
Jeffrey Luers, #13797671, OSP, Salem, OR 97310 USA.

Donate to Free’s Legal Defense:

1. Online Donations see
http://www.freefreenow.org/appeal.html

2. Send a check or money order to: Free’s Defense Network, PO Box 3, Eugene, OR 97440

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