Calling All Robin Hoods and Maid Marions: Gather Your Merry Men and Women
By John Perkins
August 12, 2011 "Information Clearing House" --- Like Robin Hood, we live in a time of turmoil. The feudal lords once again are exploiting We the People, and chaos has ensued. It is time for change. There is no other choice. There is no more option to transform gradually over time. We MUST instigate rapid change now or go down in the chaos.
The budget debacle in Washington DC is just another symptom of the chaos that, like the chaos of cancer, has invaded our body of social/political/economic institutions. The rioting in England and all the turmoil in Europe and the Middle East are other symptoms. As are the facts that 1) elected officials in the "the world's great democracy" (the U.S.) no longer write the laws, but instead cede that responsibility over to lobbyists who work for the corporations that finance political campaigns, 2) the "mainstream" media fails to report the real news or stand up for the rights of We the People because it is owned by those corporations; 3) we will never have a balanced budget as long as we spend trillions of dollars to defend corporate exploitation in countries across the planet while denying basic services to our own people; and 4) we will not live up to the moral and philosophical principles we claim to endorse as long as we purchase products made by sweatshop slaves, blame other cultures and religions for our problems, accept as normal the outrageous corruption exemplified by a revolving door where politicians, heads of watch-dog agencies, and corporate executives are one and the same, and incarcerate people like Bradley Manning for exposing our dark underbelly.
Let's admit that our rulers – like the feudal lords in Robin Hood's England – have created a terrible situation. Our system of government and our form of predatory capitalism do not work, unless you happen to be a billionaire. Unfortunately, there are far too many billionaires in the world today who hold the power. They are the modern version of Prince John – and the politicians who protect them are the Sheriffs of Nottingham.
So where is Robin Hood? Where is Maid Marion? Where are all those Merry Men and Women who defied feudal lords in those glorious days we like to relive in our fantasies?
They are right here. In front of you. Look in the mirror. You are Robin Hood. You are Maid Marion. You are a leader!
It is time to gather the Merry Men and Women – your networks and communities – and spread the word. Today we do not need real bows and arrows, we do not need swords or weapons of destruction. Modern feudal lords control us with advertisements, propaganda, and materialistic seductions. They send in their hack TV commentators and newspaper pundits, rather than sheriffs armed with cross-bows.
We must defeat them on this new field of battle. It is a field of consciousness, not blood. The bow I personally choose is the computer keyboard and the lecture podium. My arrows are words – both written and spoken.
The budget debacle is the match that the Sheriff of Nottingham touched to the thatching on our roofs. My house is burning; so I'm grabbing keyboard and words and heading for Nottingham.
Please join me. Gather your own Merry Men and Women. Write your own letters and emails. Organize consumer protests. Wave placards. Give speeches. Run for election. Take action in whatever way your deepest passions direct you. Just don't sit still.
We MUST act! But not violently. Doing it with love, compassion, and cooperation is the way out of this chaos. Today Robin Hood looks more like Martin Luther King Jr. than Errol Flynn!
Time to stop reading Robin Hood as a fantasy and instead to live that dream. The dream of waking up, taking responsibility and actions that will create a new story. And make no mistake about it: this is a true and honest story, one of integrity, and one our grandchildren will want to tell to their grandchildren.
See also - How the U.S. Uses Globalization to Cheat Poor Countries Out of Trillions
John Perkins, from 1971 to 1981 he worked for the international consulting firm of Chas T. Main where he was a self-described "economic hit man." He is the author of "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man." - Please see his website - http://www.johnperkins.org :
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