Episode 1: The Trigger for Systemic Change and a Path to Home Rule
There is an uplifting solution to the growing restrictions upon our liberties, providing a different global reset from the one touted by mainstream media. This is a grassroots countermove that peacefully brings about systemic change by focusing on the trigger that catalyzes society’s reset for the common good.
We are at the fork in the road, yet the only road mainstream-media fosters is the Corporate Rule highway, with further control by a self-elected elite few. It is this road that leads to fascism and technocracy, and to a low-consciousness society filled with fear, deception, manipulation, surveillance, and control. Corporate Rule provides the foundation for suppression of the masses and a dark future.
The other road is not well-known and leads to prosperity and well-being for both the people and the environment. This “Great Reset” functions at a much higher consciousness where transparency, community, personal wellbeing, a strong economy and a vibrant local environment set the stage for liberty and a bright future.
What makes these roads visible and also what developed, sustains, and can transform Corporate Rule is a SYSTEMS ISSUE.
Take a step back and look at our societal systems: medical, food, judicial, education, business exchange, military, media, monetary …. These systems shape modern society and impact the well-being of residents, channel energy and determine the flow of money and power, much like the circuitry of a computer operating system.
Government is the overriding system that controls all systems. It also has a key access point, where grassroots have the advantage over big money …on a local level.
This primary access point within the overriding system is through county, city and town governments. The counties (boroughs) are a self-sufficient legal entity that forms the base of the government hierarchy. The degree of county home rule varies from state to state. This is where people live, work and are most affected by government. Grassroots civic engagement has the edge. The state and federal layers are dependent upon the base; however, the county is not dependent on the upper layers, but can function as a self-sufficient system.
Other nations use names for local governance like parishes, boroughs or municipalities. Local government is where the “rubber meets the road.” They are the implementers, and the government layer closest to the residents. By electing a majority of Progressive seats for the county, the community will see positive near-term results. The county is the overriding local government. So, it is important to know the origins of counties and the power they hold.
American county governments are historically rooted in the English shire. Shires were governmental units created in the ninth century by the kingdom of England to serve as local administrative arms of the crown. The shires were renamed “counties” after the Norman Conquest in 1066, but retained their function.
For most of U.S. history, the core function of county government was to fulfill administrative mandates and carry out local tasks. These included functions such as: assessing and collecting property taxes, registering voters, administering elections, providing law enforcement, prosecuting criminals, administering a jail, recording deeds and other legal records, and maintaining roads. Highly populated counties have additional government functions, such as the administration of mass transportation, airports, water supply, sewage disposal, hospitals, building and housing codes, public housing, stadiums, recreation and cultural programs, libraries, and consumer protection. Counties have also played a major administrative role in welfare programs, and in state-mandated environmental programs. This manages much of the commons. In the United States, there are 3,242 counties and county equivalents.
Local campaign victories are the easiest to achieve, and the most impactful to your daily life. It also allows a networked approach with other counties, to support state and federal candidates who support the Common Good.
You can protest issues. However, those actions rarely lead to systemic change. You can raise a banner for a cleaner environment, or for women’s rights, but you are protesting to those who are already in power. If they are part of a corrupt system, they will not be motivated to support your cause. Why not divert the energy used to protest into electing a candidate who will support the community and environment?
Within county, city and town governance are concentrations of power where the trigger point of the system lies.
The primary trigger is the “majority” of the County Board of Supervisors (the governing Council in local government). Also of importance are the mayor, the sheriff, and the prosecuting attorney.
A majority of the local governing council ranges from 2 to 5 as these boards usually consists of 3 to 9 members. It is imperative to have a “majority” of the governing councils dedicated to progressive values of serving the people and environment, instead of corporate profits.
This is the objective that can shift the base to serve the common good. It is where we can create a protective shield from the tyranny occurring on a global level.
A local approach has many advantages. Issues affecting your community can often stir up emotion and the need for a resolution where progressive candidates can develop their platform. It is where mainstream media have the least influence on local issues. Local independent sources of information are more easily geared for the local scene. It is the most accessible entry point, is where you live and impacts you directly.
Getting a majority of progressives is best served by some version of a political action committee. It is not difficult to form, and can be started by a small, dedicated group. Each county, city or town should have a non-partisan, independently run organization that develops, selects, and campaigns for these progressive candidates. This mechanism supports collaboration among county progressives and is bipartisan, independent, and owned and directed by its local community.
When these local efforts are united with statewide counties, state elections are influenced. When enough states elect Federal Congress representation that serves the common good, federal legislation can be changed. This enhanced network can even result in a progressive White House! It is all fueled by the base of the pyramid, where the initial change effort needs to concentrate.
Through local control, a shield can be made through governance that protects residents from the encroaching tyranny many are experiencing in various parts of the world. A great example and template is Maui County Hawaii a cluster of three inhabited islands Lana’i, Moloka’i, and Maui, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean; There are 168,000 residents and an average daily influx of 60,000 tourists. This tourist-based economy provides a $860 million county budget.
Corporate Rule lasted for 125 years ending in 2018, it started with the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893 by the U.S. Marines and wealthy plantation owners. Five corporations ruled Hawaii and made indentured servants of residents. Their strategies of control included developing and fueling divisiveness, owning monopolies, preventing gatherings, and stifling communications. These tactics are employed down the corporate road still being used today -- only amplified and more threatening due to the application of technology and global reach.
On Maui, 9 County Council members are elected every two years. The Maui Pono Network’s goal was to elect five; we accomplished that in 2018. The progressive changes began with the tax structure, County Charter, resolved environmental issues, and changed priorities and budgets. Offshore corporate interests were nervous as they saw their control waning. In the 2020 general election, although we were outspent forty-three times by offshore Super PACs, yet progressives won 14 of 16 candidates and Charter amendments. The community narrative was, in fact, integral to success.
The local narrative can overpower mainstream media; it connects to home and local issues and so can stir strong emotions. It addresses real issues and needs within the community and informs about representatives who serve the people. This local narrative can connect much more deeply than mainstream media. That means utilizing local blogs, podcasts, social media, and local TV and radio. Here in Maui, we have Akaku TV, Mana’o Radio, Maui Times newspaper, and the Maui Pono Network information hub. A local fact based-progressive communication platform is an important countermeasure.
Anyone committed to progressive change can get involved in moving their local community onto a different path. Realize that the state and federal government are dependent upon the county, and yet the county is not dependent upon them. This is about organizing at the base and empowering local governances to serve the people and the environment. This is about a different focus from the mainstream media, which paints deceptive images and narratives while censoring facts to disguise nefarious acts.
This is a different reset for the people, environment and the Common Good
Listen in on Podcast 2 The Main Battle to Reclaim Democracy ..Beliefs
Got to ReclaimDemocracyProject.org for more free podcasts, resources, books and services.