Post-Election Thoughts and a BIG thank you to Miguel Ortega!

Well the smoke hasn’t quite cleared, but the results are in for the Democratic Primary Election where the incumbents and “Duh Machine” were victorious once again (although the pendejos had to work for it this time, no?).  While I am sure this one electoral defeat in the local movement for transparency and accountability is a disappointment to some  of the volunteers and activists who worked tirelessly for a change in the city council, we all stand together, neither broken nor bowed.  Those that supported the campaign — both directly and indirectly — will remain a fierce (and loyal?) opposition to the ongoing corruption at city hall.  As the dust settles, concerned citizens will continue to expose the city government’s arrogant and destructive behavior and fight even harder against the current status quo. What will undoubtedly be an increased arrogance by their win will be met with increased resistance by the community.

Those who know me, know that I primarily take my political inspiration from the Irish movement for national unification, but that has never been referenced or a focus in Bog News.  While those conditions in that small island are drastically different than what we face in Tucson, there are some historic lessons of inspiration which I think can be learned from those happenings “across the pond.”  

For over 800 years the Irish fought British colonialism and did so against the greatest of odds.  The Brits tried everything to thwart the native population’s quest for independence:  brutal military occupation, banning of the Irish language and culture, the use of informers to ferment divisions, and a forced famine that killed millions and exiled more.  But as the great rebel writer Brendan Behan once said:

“They took away our land, our language, and our religion; but they could never harness our tongues.”

While there had been significant risings and rebellions in past Irish history, one of the most significant occurred in 1916 with what was known as the “Easter Rebellion” when 1,200 Irish rebels took over important sections of Dublin and other areas of the country, and declared an independent Irish Republic separate from foreign domination.  The response by the British crown was the savage bombardment and destruction of the Irish capital by English warships and the deployment of an overwhelming force of English army squadrons to wipe out all resistance. 

The result was the killing of 260 civilians, 126 U.K. military personnel, and 82 Irish rebels.  More than 2,600 people were wounded (mostly civilians) including about 40 children.  The overwhelming majority of those killed and wounded were caused by the British Army.  Many unarmed civilians were shot by the Brits out of revenge or frustration, leaving the rebels to eventually surrender “in order to prevent the further slaughter of Dublin citizens.”

A total of 3,430 men and 79 women were arrested.  A secret court martial was convened without the rebels being allowed a defense (later ruled to be illegal) after which 90 were sentenced to death. 14 of those those who signed the proclamation declaring an Irish Republic were executed by firing squad.  This included the great Irish labor leader James Connolly (who had to be propped up in a chair, due to his wounds, in order to be shot) and Patrick Pearse, poet and Irish language and cultural teacher.  1,836 men were sent to internment camps where they were held without trial.  Ireland — and England — would never be the same.

What is particularly important, and a lesson I think we can all learn from, is what happened after the failed Easter Rising.  The Irish revolution was all but declared by the establishment to be as dead as their executed leaders.  While many Irish did not initially support the fight for an independent Republic at the time of the Rising, they soon  became very sympathetic to the cause after the bloody defeat and the repression that followed.  This led to the quick rise of the radical Irish republican party known as Sinn Fein (I am a proud member), and which led to their landslide victory only a year later where the party won 73 out of 105 seats in Parliament.  In response, the British then dissolved the Parliament.  Today, Sinn Fein is the largest party in both the Republic of Ireland and (the British dominated) Northern Ireland.  The unification of the country — once considered an absurd utopian dream — has never been more popular and seems to be on the verge of happening soon when a referendum is called as part of the Good Friday peace agreement.  What seemed like a terrible defeat turned into substantial victory.

Sinn Fein was successful because they based their politics over many decades on grassroots organizing on what people were concerned with the most: housing, police reform, civil rights, combating drug addiction, and other working class issues.  There is much to learn from their efforts.

To read Irish history, and to see the great advances in the movement for a free and independent country, should give those who struggle for change here at home great hope, even in seemingly desperate times like these.  We are not confronting the largest empire in the world like the Irish did: we are confronting our own system of corruption that at times seems impenetrable, but I have no doubt can be beat if we stay united and principled and if we learn from our victories and defeats.  When the going gets tough not only do the tough get going, but those easily intimidated by power or itching for special favors from Duh Machine eventually reveal themselves not to be the friends that they pretend to be, but more bootlickers for the bureaucracy.  As the Irish saying goes: 

“May those who love us, love us. 

And those that don’t love us, 

May God turn their hearts.

And if He doesn’t turn their hearts, 

May he turn their ankles, 

So we’ll know them by their limping.”

In every movement it is crucial to know who our real friends are (“champaign for my real friends, real pain for my sham friends!”) and who are our real adversaries, and the Ortega campaign certainly helped us know that.  We also learned just how viciously intimidating our adversaries can be to honest people who only want transparency, which is why so many people helped us in secret, folks who were legitimately afraid of retribution from Duh Machine, but still helped anyway.  These people who took great risk to do what is right give all of us much hope and encouragement. 

Sadly, it’s become more clear than ever that a meek and cowered press cannot be relied upon to provide accurate information and why WE MUST CREATE OUR OWN MEDIA TO COUNTER THE LIES (bigger and better than Bog News, please!).  We need to develop deeper and more creative methods of communication as it is clear the education of the masses is anathema to those in power and they will spend unlimited funds to try and keep us stupid.  Like City Hall, reporters need to be confronted when they spread lies or false innuendo (like the Ortega campaign was involved with a right-wing PAC) or when they refuse to acknowledge the truth.

The Ortega campaign also revealed the totally corrupt nature of Tucson’s election system, which uses a “Clean Elections” process that is anything but clean, and where the flooding of outside funding can quickly hamper any grassroots efforts at reform.  When the final financial reports are in, they will show that Miguel Ortega’s campaign was overwhelmingly out-spent many times over, especially by outside PACs that used questionable tactics.  (There couldn’t possibly have been any coordination there, right?)

Finally, the story of the attempted undemocratic subversion of union support for Ortega’s campaign is a story that has yet to be told — but will be.  Local labor stalwarts will never be forgotten for their courage.  It is exactly what the American labor movement needs: courage and independence from any political machine.  The same appreciation should be given to council member Steve Kozachik, Senator Sally Ann Gonzales, Alma and Consuelo Hernandez, and many more people who stood strong for the community.  People will not forget those who stood up to Duh Machine — nor those who selfishly worked against our community.

There are many lessons to be learned, mistakes that need to be rectified, but the fact is that Tucson’s grassroots movement for political accountability has only gotten stronger and more united.  The campaign forced the bureaucracy to finally answer phone calls, fix pot holes, and be responsive in ways they hadn’t for the past 3-1/2 years.  Can you imagine how much worse it would be if there were no opposition to them in this election?  They already think they’re untouchable elite gods.  They no longer think that as much.

For an old veteran like me, I found the Ortega campaign inspiring to watch.  It seemed to be a fantastic bonding of diverse people, many who have never worked together before, but who have now developed special bonds and connections that would never have happened if Miguel Ortega had not taken on the thankless task of confronting the rotten status quo that dominates our local politics.  Miguel — and his wonderful family — deserve a hell of a lot of credit from all neighborhood activists, union members, and concerned citizens for helping to wake up more people and teaching everybody how to fight better for the next round.

And the next round is certainly coming… 

(… for they will “never harness our tongues…”)

YourBogman, Scott Egan