I don’t know what to say to you any more. It is all about money isn’t it? Is it good that Libya is collapsing? Is the West sorry to be losing an evil ally or happy to see the people of Libya breaking their bonds and reaching out for this elusive quality that we call Democracy? All is ambivalence. In the years to come we will no doubt hear of feckless attempts by agents on all sides to effect outcomes for better or worse. One can only hope their attempts to do so come to nought and all that occurs is the result of people taking control of their own lives and learning to hear each other and build institutions that work for the common good. I suspect banks the world over want only stability at whatever the cost to people on the ground. They stand forever neutral to the damage done to individuals and families and communities. All that ever matters is the bottom line. Unless you can see the human face of your actions, the lost home, the unfed, the uneducated, the unclothed, the struggles faced by the individual who once upon a time would sit across from you sharing his or her dreams for a better life and would look to you for advice we are all lost. Even if we loathe it this is a planet founded or foundering, leaking lifeboats of cash. Not knowing what else to do I join the desperate, stampede once in a while ducking into a doorway where I’ve seen a shortcut to reward. Briefly afloat on an all too temporary cash infusion I reward myself with a moment of contemplation, a luxury I use to make a stab at Art. A small window is leapt through and the result is a small artwork fit in to a respite from anxiety. Surely life is more than wealth accumulation? This brings us neatly back to my contention that Art is worth more than Money, my mantra. Miserable in their wealth where do the rich turn but to culture, culture being growth of a meaningful sort.
Yours sincerely,
Kristian Witherkay, muckraker.*
* My favorite current technique is to take mounds of paint and scrape and drag them across surfaces until the result satisfies on a deep and elemental level.
In January the Supreme Court opened the door wider than ever to corporate interests by allowing them to donate pretty much whatever they wish to influence elections however they choose. Show me a politician who can take the money and then ignore the bidding of these massive corporations. This was a distressing day for this tattered democracy. On the upside there are people out there struggling to do something about it. I received this request from Jessica Sharp and enclose the links she provided.
Hello!
My name is Jessica Sharp and I'm involved in a new movement to rein in corporate influence over our elections. Corporate persons have enjoyed tremendous influence over our democratic process for decades, but the 1/21/10 Supreme Court decision opened a new door. It's time for the madness to stop and to re-introduce sanity into our electoral process! I've been working with a few different groups, some national and some MD-based where I live, to do this.
One of the groups I'm working with on a national scale is Free Speech for People. This documentary I'm sending was produced by them about our rally in MD. It was released on Wed, 3/3 and was featured on michaelmoore.comand huffingtonpost.com almost immediately! That being said, our movement is non-partisan. Conservatives, liberals and independents are all equally disgusted with corporate influence on our elections.
Since the news cycle is so fast, it has now been rotated away from the homepages of those sites and into the archives. I am trying to keep it in the public consciousness so we can continue to spread the word and recruit concerned citizens to our cause. Since it is a professionally produced video, it really gives some clout to the movement. Could you please link this to your blog? I've been reading Art and the Bouncy Banker and I really like what you have to say. I will offer 3 possible sites:
www.freespeechforpeople.org/making
http://michaelmoore.com/words/must-read/jessica-sharp-why-she-got-involved-fight-campaign-finance-reform
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/harry-hanbury/new-populist-heroine-spar_b_483706.html
Thank you so much! I really hope you will consider it!
Jessica Sharp
