Dear RN list, Aug. 22 After the Bear River retreat/workshop the web site has needed updating. We also wanted to issue an "invitation" to activists in particular and people in general to seize the opportunity inherent in the crisis we are facing. The web site address is: http://cyberjournal.org/. It includes the invitation below as the home page, as well as the work Richard has done so far on his _Globalization and the Revolutionary Imperative_ book, links to the cyberlibrary, other useful web sites, etc. All the best, Jan P.S. I cannot send this message out without sending congratulations to Richard especially, for doing the lion's share of the work, but also to the other CDR (Citizens for a Democratic Renaissance) members, including me :-); the invitation went through quite a few revisions. Proof, if we ever needed it, that democracy is not easy! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ INVITATION to Help Achieve a Livable World Citizens for a Democratic Renaissance (CDR) We are an informal group of activists who have been considering the question: "How Can We Achieve a Livable World?" We recognize that humanity, indeed the entire Earth, faces a dire crisis. The reckless pursuit of ever greater profits and never ending "growth" is poisoning our environment and ourselves, and is corrupting our political systems. It is depleting forests, fisheries, and topsoils, while communities and economies are being destabilized, social structures are breaking down, and more and more people worldwide are falling into poverty and hopelessness. Corporate globalization represents a transfer of decision-making power from nations, which have some semblance of popular representation, to corporate-dominated global institutions which are concerned only with increasing "growth" still further. Globalization institutionalizes the worst excesses of the over-development paradigm, and it robs nations of their sovereign right to reverse the process. The policies of globalization are a threat to the Earth, and the political power of its non-representative bureaucracies (such as the IMF and the WTO) are a threat to democracy. This then is the crisis: corporate globalization is threatening all of us -- our quality of life and even our very survival -- and it is threatening our power as free peoples to do anything about it. In every crisis there is both danger and opportunity. The danger of globalization is causing people to resist worldwide -- from grass-roots environmental activists, to the indigenous people of Chiapas, to the dockworkers in Australia and Liverpool, to the peasant movements in Brazil and India, to the anti-MAI campaigners in Canada, to those fighting corporate power in Eastern Europe, and so many more. The opportunity offered by this crisis is for these various resistance efforts to coalesce into a single grass-roots global movement -- a movement aimed at bringing sanity to economic arrangements and to international affairs, a movement to lay claim to our democratic institutions and to reassert sovereignty over giant corporations. Imagine a sustainable, democratic world... a just and non-violent world based on local self-determination, a world where cultures and the Earth are respected, as well as the individual. In this world, technologies and economic arrangements would be regarded as tools to be used and shared wisely, not powers beyond human control. If you can imagine this kind of world, then you can envision a "Democratic Renaissance", a new historic era, a time of re-connecting to the Earth and to what is best in ourselves and our societies. Democratic self-governance begins with the very effort to bring it about -- as we recognize the interconnectedness of our diverse struggles, and seek ways to work together in solidarity and with compassion for a better world. We of CDR want to do our small part to help build this spirit of solidarity, to help create the global movement. As individuals we are active in local and global organizations, we publish articles on and off the net, and are working on a book on globalization and democracy. As "CDR", we believe that hope and empowerment can come from learning of the many efforts of others. Perhaps you are also struggling to bring justice and sustainability to a world in crisis. Let us know about your work and we will try to help you connect to others who are working for the same goal -- a democratic renaissance, a better world. You can write to us directly at "•••@••.•••", or visit our website at "http://cyberjournal.org". Or you write to us at: CDR, c/o Jan Slakov PO Box 35, Weymouth, NS Canada B0W 3T0 We also invite you to join either or both of our moderated email lists... "Renaissance Network", hosted by Jan Slakov and Richard Moore, is a "chat room" for activists, a "community forum" for the movement. You can give it a try by sending a blank message to: •••@••.••• "Cyberjounral", hosted by Richard Moore, offers news, analysis, and discussion related to globalization, corporate power, and movement strategy. You can join by sending a blank message to: •••@••.••• ------------------------------------------------------------------------
