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Dear Friends,
<br>
<br>
I have annoyed friends and family many times with my opinions about the
urgency of the Green Party as an alternative to the feckness Democrats
for communities of color in cities like Los Angeles. Don't take my word
for it. See below a brief video and my unofficial transcription of Prof.
Cornel West's reply to a taunt by journalist Tavis Smiley on CSPAN that
"we ain't got nowhere to go." West speaks in his unique blend of
Ivy-League scholar and country preacher on the "brokenness" of the
two-party system much more eloquently than I.
<br>
<br>
Alex Walker<br>
LA Greens
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<strong>Posted on California Greening, April 19, 2011</strong><br>
<a href="http://cagreening.blogspot.com/2011/04/cornel-west-on-brokeness-of-2-party.html">
<strong>Cornel West on The 'Brokeness' of the 2-Party System</strong></a><br>
<a href="http://cagreening.blogspot.com/2011/04/cornel-west-on-brokeness-of-2-party.html">
<img src="http://alexcathy.com/images_greening/cornel_west.jpg">
</a>
<br>
Cornel West with Tavis Smiley on C-Span
<br>
January 2011
<br>
<a href="http://cagreening.blogspot.com/2011/04/cornel-west-on-brokeness-of-2-party.html">
http://cagreening.blogspot.com/2011/04/cornel-west-on-brokeness-of-2-party.html
</a>
<br>
<br>
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<div><strong>TAVIS SMILEY:</strong> "We ain't got nowhere to go. What you gonna do, Doc?"<font size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
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<div><strong>CORNEL WEST:</strong> "Bear witness, brother. That's all you can do in your life: tell the truth and fight for justice."</div>
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<div><strong><font size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"></font></font>TAVIS SMILEY:</strong> "How would you know who to vote for?
?"</div>
<div><strong><font size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
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<div><strong><font size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"></font></font>CORNEL WEST:</strong> "Well ... it depends ... we got two
years now. You see, the thing is now is this. It is very clear that the
two-party system is part of the brokenness that we're talking about.
We've got both parties that are dominated by the same interests --
corporate big banking. You've got ordinary citizens -- different
political, ideological, racial groups feeling relatively powerless.
Relatively impotent. Now, that can be the makings of a crypto-fascism if
we don't begin to come to terms with it.</div>
<div>But on the other hand it also means ... the Tea Party, brothers and
sisters, they're going to become more and more upset with the
Establishment in the Republican Party because the business interests and
their populist interests will begin to be more and more in tension.</div>
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<div><font size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"></font></font>And at the same time, Barack Obama, masterful, eloquent, charismatic
... in his language. In his policies ... you can't bring in Geithner
and Summers and claim that you're building on the legacy of Martin King.</div>
<div>Martin died for sanitation workers. He died because he sided with
poor babies in Vietnam against American occupation. He was
anti-militarism. He was anti-imperialism. He was against the American
empire in terms of its presence around the world undercutting what he
thought to be certain principles. But all Martin could do was bear
witness. That's why when he died 75% of Americans were against him. 55%
of Black people were against him. 'Cause he was too ... loving. When you
love poor people that much, when you love working people that much,
that makes you the freest man in the country or the freest woman in the
country. But you are also the biggest threat to both the Republican and
Democratic parties.</div>
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