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“If we know how much passive violence we perpetrate against one another we will understand why there is so much physical violence plaguing societies and the world,”
-- Mohandas "Mahatma" Gandhi RESOURCES & LINKS
Note: Inclusion of a person or organization here does not mean BOMA agrees with everything they do or say. Further, not every word of every site listed here has been reviewed; if you find a sentiment, view, or ideology which seems especially or pointedly at odds with the twin BOMA values of a cooperative society, and the primacy of the love ethic, please contact us.
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The Love Ethic Keys To Good Health
Philosophy: Learning and Doing Society for Philosophical Inquiry
Critical Thinking A Field Guide to Critical Thinking Critical Thinking Resource Page Wikepedia: Critical Thinking (Overview with many links) Games & Toys Family Pastimes Games
Religion & Spirituality
Redefining Work WHYWORK.ORG
Political Theory & Analysis Political Compass
Address Mental Health Issues & Assist the Mentally Ill Radical Psychology Network (RadPsyNet)
"The Radical Psychology Network seeks like-minded psychologists and others to help create a society better able to meet human needs and bring about social justice. We want to change society's unacceptable status quo and bring about a better world. ... And we want to change the status quo of psychology, too. We challenge psychology's traditional focus on minor reform, because enhancing human welfare demands fundamental social change instead. Moreover, psychology itself has too often oppressed people rather than liberated them."
"Critical psychology is an effort to challenge forces within mainstream psychology that help sustain unjust political, economic, and other societal structures. ... One of the most difficult things to confront is the belief of most psychologists that their work is entirely apolitical -- they're just trying to help people. In fact, although they are trying to help people, their work often embraces assumptions they haven't fully considered."
Mental Disability Rights International Promote & Preserve a Robust Public Domain Preserve Our Natural Environment Radio Interview with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Read this interview and say "Wow." Promote Harmony Among, and Coordinate the Activities of, Nations Labor Organizations International Workers of the World (IWW) International Labor Organization Properly Constrain the Commercial Sphere The Center For Commercial Free Public Education Campaign For A Commercial-Free Childhood Deliver Unreported or Under-Reported News TomPaine.com Gregory Palast - Investigative Journalist News & Reporting General Reference Sources Protect Yourself From Spying & Surveillance by the Government or Others Ensure Integrity and Accountability of Governmental Institutions & Processes, ("Protecting Health, Safety, & Democracy" - Founded by Ralph Nader) Center For Public Integrity
Center For Responsive Politics
Thoughtful Promotion of the Counterculture and its Values Radio Unnamable with Bob Fass
Explore and Advance Human Freedom Collaborate With Others Creatively to Make A Better World Bergonia - A Very Different Country
Organizations for Nonviolent Conflict Resolution Fellowship of Reconciliation
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ADVANCED RESOURCES & LINKS These are considered "advanced" resources because they tend to use terminology and concepts, such as "socialism," "working class," "ruling class," and "class struggle," which can be misleading. In examining these resources, please note that these organizations consider themselves "socialist." By this is meant, however, genuine socialism, which is to say as-yet untried democratic socialism, not autocratic socialism as existed in the former USSR, and exists in China, Cuba, North Korea, Venezuela, and elsewhere, today. We list these resources because, they though do not adhere exactly to the BOMA program and terminology, they do advocate their own version of a peaceful, democratic, cooperative society, referring to such a society as "democratic socialism" or "libertarian socialism." Additionally, they offer a similar critique of capitalism as BOMA. Specifically, those seeking an analysis and deconstruction of capitalism from the standpoint of advocacy of its replacement, must look almost solely to what are considered "socialist" resources; there simply are few, if any, others. All-in-all, then, BOMA asserts that such material can be a useful, interesting, and challenging learning resource, while remaining conscious of the limitations, or at least differences, in perspective usually contained in such resources, and noting that One Human Family, itself, is not a "socialist" organization as commonly understood, as explained here. Many of the resources in this section support, or refer to, the "industrial union" program of American thinker, revolutionary, and Columbia University professor Daniel De Leon. He conceived, and tirelessly argued for, a particular blueprint or mechanism underpinning a cooperative society: the "industrial union" program. Some consider this program the best blueprint for, and mechanism to, assist a cooperative society as it comes into being, and then to form the basis of its actual operation. The BOMA program has some intersection with the De Leonist program, but diverges in key respects. For example, there is no emphasis on the critical principle of "agape," (ah GAH pay), also called the love ethic, in the De Leonist program. The De Leonist program is also considered a "socialist" program, in the fully democratic and peaceful sense described, above. After the Cooperative, love-centered program of BOMA, the De Leonist program is probably the best available for building a cooperative society. Real World Experience Before reviewing our BOMA information on, or engaging, the organizations, below, please read a brief chronicle of my experiences in the Cooperative movement. My narratives include many of the organizations, below.
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Create A Cooperative Society
BOMA has begun a formal comparison of its program and perspective with that of the WSM. There is a WSM companion party or branch,WSP, in the United States.
The individuals in PFANS advocate a modified form of the classical De Leonist program: they have added the notion of community representation. PFANS has finally established a real web presence. Best of luck to the organization with its new website!
This long-standing group maintains a general advocacy for a cooperative society (i.e. "democratic socialism"). The organization is "multi-tendency," which means there are different sub-groups within the group, each having their own specific views on relevant political issues. All sub-groups presumably agree, however, on the need to transition to a cooperative system.
Please note that, unlike BOMA, the SP advocates many "reform" positions along with their call for a transition to a cooperative society. For example, it officially advocates abortion rights, unrestricted immigration rights, bilingual education, and no official language for America. BOMA is neutral on all such issues; we see them as issues that persons of differing minds can agree or disagree on; issues subject to good-faith disagreement. Our view is that the sole role and purpose of a Cooperative organization such as One Human Family is to educate about, and advocate for, a Cooperative system and the transition, thereto. It is to educate as to the role that capitalism plays in the generation and maintenance of the social and personal dilemmas embodied in the kinds of problems cited above. Other assumed roles can confuse matters, place focus where it does not belong, and alienate people, especially those with more conservative social views. This group is widely seen, though not by BOMA, as lacking credibility in the vigor of its revolutionary intent. In other words, it is seen as concerned principally with the work of reform, not revolution. World in Common (WiC)
The Participatory Economics Project (ParEcon)
Participatory Economics (Parecon for short) is a type of economy proposed as an alternative to contemporary capitalism. ... The underlying values are equity, solidarity, diversity, and participatory self management. The main institutions are workers and consumers councils utilizing self managed decision making, balanced job complexes, remuneration according to effort and sacrifice, and participatory planning.
"...project for direct political democracy, economic democracy (beyond the confines of the market economy and state planning), as well as democracy in the social realm and ecological democracy. In short, Inclusive Democracy is a form of social organisation which re-integrates society with economy, polity and nature."
Also see their link for the book by Takis Fotopoulos: "Towards An Inclusive Democracy." Also espouses the political philosophy of "De Leonism." The SLP, a historic organization now moribund, can still be recommended for its generally excellent educational and reading materials. However, persons interested in actually joining an organization working toward a cooperative society are pointed more enthusiastically elsewhere, as this organization has a longstanding reputation for rigid and autocratic behavior (which is likely a key reason it has become moribund).
Note to the SLP: BOMA takes no pleasure in the above negative sentiment, and would be pleased to discuss its genesis, and potential resolution. Site devoted to the political program and philosophy of Daniel De Leon, and the idea generally of a cooperative society. The wide-ranging and superbly organized discussion forum is a principal draw of this site, although forum moderation is inadequate, allowing forum member "Dave Searles" to sometimes post messages that are needlessly contrarian, and sometimes overtly, and apparently deliberately, derogatory, mocking, insulting, or incendiary. DeLeonism.org is a superb revolutionary resource, but watch for this individual.
Update: Much excellent detailed discussion had taken place in the DeLeonism.org discussion forum, but the forum has been removed, transitioned into the greatly inferior Yahoo! forum; the latter, for example, being much harder to navigate to locate a given subject area. I've exhorted the site owner to re-instate his forum, but it doesn't appear to be happening. Daniel De Leon Online
BOOK: Seretan, Glen, L. Daniel DeLeon - The Odyssey of an American
Marxist.
BOOK, ONLINE: Knabb, Ken. The Joy of Revolution.
Amazingly rich, varied, creative, and interesting extended discussion and description of a truly free society. Somewhat
advanced, and therefore challenging. This organization seems devoted to reforming the money-and-profit system, not transforming it. However, its original founding documents (available at its website) speak of the goal of "common ownership" of the resources required to live and manage society.
VLADIMER ILYICH LENIN, MAO TSE-TUNG, & CHE GUEVARA
Vladimer Ilyich Lenin While esteemed by some for his theory of monopoly capitalism, it appears equally true that Lenin advocated murder as a political and perhaps personal tool, possessed a view of humanity informed by hatred, and advocated a "vanguardist" understanding of the new society, that calls for an elite party to control everything and everyone. Thus, he is eschewed by BOMA.
Present BOMA commentary on Lenin is here. Mao Tse-Tung Reevaluating China's Democide to be 73,000,000
Blog entry by a scholar on the unbelievable number of people whose murder can be directly attributed to the actions of Mao Tse-Tung: slightly under 77,000,000. That's seventy-seven million.
Mao: the ugly reality behind an icon
Christian Science Monitor review of the new book Mao: The Unknown Story by Jung Changand Jon Halliday.
What were Mao's greatest crimes against humanity
Japanese Message Board.
Media Eulogies Downplay Mao's Crimes
Extensive discussion, as stated.
Chinese Government's 1981 Statement On Mao's Crimes
Not in English, but there is what appears to be a summary in English at the beginning of the document.
Che Guevara The legacy of this Argentinian revolutionary is mixed and troubling. He appears to have genuinely desired a better life for the oppressed and exploited in South America and elsewhere, and devoted his life and blood to the achievement of this goal. Moreover, he was educated, and an intellectual, capable of displaying sensitivity of thought; he even speaks of the role of love in the revolutionary process. Yet, warfare and violence seemed to be his consistent and principal methods of choice to bring about revolution. Moreover, it is not clear that Che Guevara advocated a system of genuine democratic socialism.
Wikipedia states: "In 2005, after musician Carlos Santana wore a Che shirt to the Academy Awards Ceremony, Cuban-born musician Paquito D'Rivera wrote an open letter castigating Santana for supporting "The Butcher of the Cabaña." The Cabaña is the name of a prison where Guevara oversaw the execution of many dissidents, including D'Rivera's own cousin, who, according to D'Rivera, was imprisoned there for being a Christian...."
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~ Advocating Economic & Personal Change ~ One Human Family
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