By the second day of the UN's Bali PrepComm, most delegates from the
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) oscillated between disgust and
depression. The "Chairman's Report"-the summary language that all the
world governments were trying to agree upon-was little more than a
neoliberal anti-environmental agenda. Naty Bernardino of the International
South Group Network called it "Rio minus 10." As the governmental
delegates were debating the language for the final declaration, an angry
UN official, thinking his microphone had been turned off, was overhead
lamenting, "What are we going to do about the United States?"


Within hours, creative NGO organizers had printed small paper strips that
we pinned to our shirts, repeating that same question. Even that tiny
protest was overruled by UN security. We were advised by UN staff that any
protests inside the Bali International Convention Center (BICC)
criticizing a specific government by name would not be
permitted-especially one particular government. At the daily NGO meeting
the next morning, we were warned by a high ranking UN official that there
was a rumor that t-shirts bearing the slogan "What are we going to do
about the United States?" would be appearing, and anyone wearing them on
the premises would be escorted out. Indeed, one of the organizers was able
to have such shirts printed overnight. Now, many delegates had flown to
Bali to advance very specific agendas, representing groups that had saved
for such a trip, and while wanting to wear the t-shirts in protest, were
afraid of risking expulsion. Yet forbidden fruit is always the sweetest.
Most NGOs, when told they weren't allowed to wear the t-shirts, decided
they just had to wear one. The question then was how to advance the
tactic-t-shirt civil disobedience? Our dynamic organizing committee
initiated by members of the women's caucus came up with a new tactical
wrinkle. We would wear the t-shirts into the Conference Center, but would
use masking tape to cover up the "United States" so the t-shirts now read:
"What are we going to do about —-?" Aesthetically and politically, the
masking of the t-shirts drew greater attention to our message: the U.S.
was running the show and our protest of its hegemony was being censored.
The life and death fight with the policies of the United States had taken
center stage at Bali.

Many groups had come to Bali to demand "water as a human right." The U.S.
refused; it argued that water is a commodity to be privatized.

The dilemmas facing us and the world are almost too painful to confront.

But don't forget the U.S. army, NATO and CIA are also helping
to turn the world into the dreaded "company store" of the Pullman railroad
empire in which the workers grew "another day older and deeper in debt."

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Dear Eric and Rhizome:

This is depressing news indeed. As a US citizen, I rarely feel very good
about things these days. I guess it's not what I expected things to be like
on my 33rd birthday.

Some of the time I think we are entering a new Dark Age of rightlessness,
poverty, allocated death, and universal inquisition. Sometimes I hope and
believe otherwise.

I think we need a miracle.

Max Herman
genius2000.net

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