AlternativeRadio

The history of the U.S. is one of settler colonialism. The state was established on the basis of white male supremacy, slavery, land theft and genocide. “From sea to shining sea” the Native nations were decimated and dispossessed. The survivors herded into concentration camps. The genocidal policy reached its peak under President Andrew Jackson. Its ruthlessness was best articulated by Army general Thomas Jesup, who, in 1836, wrote: “The country can be rid of them only by exterminating them.” Native people are still here. Today, there is growing support for their movements such as the campaign to abolish Columbus Day and replace it with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The Dakota Access Pipeline resistance led by the Standing Rock Sioux was joined by many non-Native allies. The action, though unsuccessful, captured the imagination of people everywhere. The struggle for indigenous rights continues.

The United States has a long history of intervening in the internal affairs of Latin American and Caribbean countries. From Cuba to Chile, from Grenada to Panama, the U.S. has invaded, occupied, staged coups, carried out assassinations, and imposed sanctions. Today, Washington has oil-rich Venezuela in its gunsights. It has deployed an armada of warships, including the world’s biggest aircraft carrier, near Venezuela. It’s blowing boats out of the water, which legal experts call extra-judicial killings. It’s threatening Caracas with regime change. The White House justifies its saber-rattling rhetoric and aggressive military actions by calling Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro a “narco-trafficker.” As Noam Chomsky has often said, to best understand U.S. foreign policy, use the mafia model. Very simply, if you obey the master, you’re safe. Step out of line? Look out.

The media like to present themselves as objective, balanced, and free from any bias or agenda. Reality suggests something quite different. The media function as weapons of mass distraction. Much of what passes as news is, sometimes subtle, sometimes crude, propaganda. The media are large conglomerates that serve to mobilize support for the special interests that dominate state and corporate power. In democratic societies, populations are not controlled by force. Rather, they are subject to more refined forms of ideological manipulation. Emotionally potent oversimplifications and necessary illusions are created and repeated endlessly. Embedded ideas, such as Washington’s right to intervene anywhere in the world, go unexamined and unchallenged. Consent is manufactured. The public, reduced to being spectators, is marginalized.

In a world increasingly shaped by far-right policies, corporate greed, and growing authoritarianism, it makes sense to feel afraid about what the future may hold. Building strong relationships with our friends, families, and neighbors provides a foundation for mutual aid and collective strength. It’s through these connections that we can counter the isolating and exploitative systems imposed by predatory capitalism. When we build communities, we aren’t just reacting to oppression; we are actively creating the world we wish to live in. Community-building undermines the atomization demanded by autocratic regimes. It is both a shield against harm and a seed for a better tomorrow. Community is resistance. We see the forms it takes in Florida and elsewhere.

We are at a dangerous moment in human history. Philosopher and thinker David Korten says, “We stand at a crossroads between two possible futures. In one future, we continue on the path of separation and likely bring the human chapter of creation’s journey to an untimely end. In the other future, we find our rightful place as responsible, loving members of the Earth community in an ecological civilization, helping to guide creation’s journey into a future of harmony and new possibilities.” The choice could not be more profound. It is, in a real sense, a test of what it truly means to be human.