CDR invitation/web site

1998-08-22

Jan Slakov

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!

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             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:
        •••@••.•••

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