Oh, to be Iceland
Did you know- and if you rely upon our pathetic national media, you most likely didn’t- that there is a nation that actually said, in essence, hell no we’re not paying off the banks? That actually pointed fingers at the thieves and arrested them? That marched in the streets until they re-wrote their constitution?
Pressenza Reikjavik, 3/28/11 Last week 9 people were arrested in London and Reykjavik for their possible responsibility for Iceland’s financial collapse in 2008, a deep crisis which developed into an unprecedented public reaction that is changing the country’s direction.
In this country, the banks elect our leaders. They elect the President, Congress, anywhere that there is a human near a government checkbook, they funnel cash to them. In return for being funded via usury and unregulated financial “devices”, our ruling class keeps the elites in their gated communities safe from the restless rabble, safe from even the most modest of regulatory agencies, and bail them out when they go bust at the craps table…I mean Wall Street. Our nation limps along in endless recession, but somehow, corporate profits are surging, the stock market looks pink, and the rich keep getting richer.
Now, Iceland is a vastly smaller nation than America, of course. Yet somehow they manage universal healthcare, legalized gay marriage, and generate nearly all their energy from renewable sources. They clearly have a will that is either not evident in this country- or more likely, squashed by our national discourse of nonsense. Now, Iceland has its share of nonsensical beliefs as well, such as the folks there who still believe in elves. However, probably not in as large numbers as your fellow citizens who believe in angels.
America of course will never become the common-sense nirvana that is Iceland- we’re too big, for one. And dim-witted, for another. But we can start down the path with a few simple steps.
First, never again vote for a candidate who takes contributions from the banking and energy industries. Never. They are all, top to bottom, crooks. Its just the nature of the system. Their interests are not, and never have been, yours.
Second, stop the endless- and corporately funded fraudulent- debate over climate change. The science is against you, so take your “The Greens only want to kill capitalism!” gibberish and go put sandbags around the nuke plant in North Dakota. You know, something useful.
Finally, everywhere you go, teach people to ignore our fascist, corporate media. Turn off Fox, CNN, all of them, anywhere you find them. Read independent media. Read about the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative, and imagine such a thing in this country.
Oh, to be Iceland.
