Date: Tue, 07 Aug 2001 17:35:47 -0100
Subject: Re: What is Empire about?


Eric wrote:

For many Americans, the electorial process already lacks legitimacy and
the attempts at privatization are seen for what they are - attempts by
elites to create a gated republic, which limit liberty to those who can
afford it. This gilded gated age is already running into problems
because despite its ownship of the media, its control of the government
and its pinhold on the economy, the multitudes still elude it and cannot
be completely controlled.

These tendencies of the transcendental, of constitued power, need to be
understood, however, in order to continue to find ways to resist them.
N&H provide us a model. The question is - "Does this model work?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Perhaps its not yet a "model",  more like a new chick, beginning to peck
through the
shell.  What will emerge?

In today's Science section of the NY Times, Dennis Overbye tells of a
meeting of
our Nation's experts of different disciplines, and their struggle (and
failure) to define "information", and "complexity".  They need a vocabulary.
Here we are in the middle of the Information Revolution and they can't agree
on what Information "is".

By contrast, author's N&H use a vocabulary a large readership seems to
accept,
but it is, nevertheless, a puzzle for this reader.

In his TV interview, Hardt was enthusiastic about the communism of St.
Francis. Accounts I've read about  St. Francis' activities describe
participation in the multitude, with the multitude, in a manner remniscient
of Christianity's founders.  Quite different from other monastic orders who
seem to have been as severely regimented as modern
or postmodern workers.

We believe in the texts that describe Christ and disciples wandering through
the land, communing with multitudes who fed sheltered them.

At the end their book, N&H speak of global citizenship, and
re-appropriation.

Will expatriates take back the Garden of Eden?

It is ironic that mammals, fish and fowl of endangered species are deemed to
have some sort of "rights" to a life-supporting environment, and a
fertilized human egg has, or, according to some persons, should have, a
"human right" to live, but only those who pay  the purchase price and pay
assessed taxes have a right to land.

In the Old Testament, God asserts the land is His, and don't forget it.

Around the Globe, the largest populations are found on the land that is
least valuable,
mainly in China, India, and their Asian neighbors.

In an attempt to get more facts on populations and wealth, I put together
attached
summary.

The huge migrations noted in "Empire" are very important, and if global
citizenship could be realized, it would be a partial remedy, but I am
reminded that the migration of capital is the real determinant of global
economies.

Corporate capital is almost biological in its thrust to reproduce.  It
migrates to countries where the  risk/return ratio is most advantageous.  As
such, it is guaranteed to be the enemy of the local.

Whilst I admire the N&H vision of multitudinous diversity, cordiality and
fellowship, the essence of "place" is local, and small scale
owner-worker-capitalists
are more likely to re-invest their surplus in their own communities rather
than ship it to
Mexico and China.

Attachment shows that a small percentage of the nation-states has most of
the Global
population and most its wealth.

regards,
Hugh