http://www.iisg.nl/collections/goldman/images/a5-488.jpghttp://www.iisg.nl/collections/goldman/images/b2-37.jpg

Emma Goldman (1869-1940) stands as a major figure in the history of American radicalism and feminism. A well-known and influential anarchist of her day, Goldman was an early advocate of free speech, birth control, women’s equality and independence, and workers’ rights. Her public stance against military conscription led to an eighteen-month imprisonment before the First World War, followed by her deportation from the U.S. in 1919. For the rest of her life she continued to participate in the social and political movements of her time, from the Russian Revolution to the Spanish Civil War.

As an orator Emma Goldman was fiery and brilliant, drawing crowds of thousands to hear her speak. She is known for her extraordinary energy and appetite for life. Many of us associate her with the quote: "If I can’t dance, it’s not my revolution." ...

more - http://www.persimmontree.org/articles/Issue13/articles/EmmaGoldman_ReflectionsOnAging.php

"If I can’t dance, it’s not my revolution."
on the other hand, a revolution is not a dinner party.

A little anarchist food for thought


Emma Goldman 1909

A New Declaration of Independence

First published: in Mother Earth, Vol.IV, no.5, July 1909.]

When, in the course of human development, existing institutions prove inadequate to the needs of man, when they serve merely to enslave, rob, and oppress mankind, the people have the eternal right to rebel against, and overthrow, these institutions.

The mere fact that these forces – inimical to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness – are legalized by statute laws, sanctified by divine rights, and enforced by political power, in no way justifies their continued existence.

We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all human beings, irrespective of race, color, or sex, are born with the equal right to share at the table of life; that to secure this right, there must be established among men economic, social, and political freedom; we hold further that government exists but to maintain special privilege and property rights; that it coerces man into submission and therefore robs him of dignity, self-respect, and life.

The history of the American kings of capital and authority is the history of repeated crimes, injustice, oppression, outrage, and abuse, all aiming at the suppression of individual liberties and the exploitation of the people. A vast country, rich enough to supply all her children with all possible comforts, and insure well-being to all, is in the hands of a few, while the nameless millions are at the mercy of ruthless wealth gatherers, unscrupulous lawmakers, and corrupt politicians. Sturdy sons of America are forced to tramp the country in a fruitless search for bread, and many of her daughters are driven into the street, while thousands of tender children are daily sacrificed on the altar of Mammon. The reign of these kings is holding mankind in slavery, perpetuating poverty and disease, maintaining crime and corruption; it is fettering the spirit of liberty, throttling the voice of justice, and degrading and oppressing humanity. It is engaged in continual war and slaughter, devastating the country and destroying the best and finest qualities of man; it nurtures superstition and ignorance, sows prejudice and strife, and turns the human family into a camp of Ishmaelites.

We, therefore, the liberty-loving men and women, realizing the great injustice and brutality of this state of affairs, earnestly and boldly do hereby declare, That each and every individual is and ought to be free to own himself and to enjoy the full fruit of his labor; that man is absolved from all allegiance to the kings of authority and capital; that he has, by the very fact of his being, free access to the land and all means of production, and entire liberty of disposing of the fruits of his efforts; that each and every individual has the unquestionable and unabridgeable right of free and voluntary association with other equally sovereign individuals for economic, political, social, and all other purposes, and that to achieve this end man must emancipate himself from the sacredness of property, the respect for man-made law, the fear of the Church, the cowardice of public opinion, the stupid arrogance of national, racial, religious, and sex superiority, and from the narrow puritanical conception of human life. And for the support of this Declaration, and with a firm reliance on the harmonious blending of man's social and individual tendencies, the lovers of liberty joyfully consecrate their uncompromising devotion, their energy and intelligence, their solidarity and their lives.

This Declaration was written at the Request of a certain newspaper, which subsequently refused to publish it, though the article was already in composition.

The quote is from "Living my Life" (her autobiography) - here is the context:

"At the dances I was one of the most untiring and gayest. One evening a cousin of Sasha, a young boy, took me aside. With a grave face, as if he were about to announce the death of a dear comrade, he whispered to me that it did not behoove an agitator to dance. Certainly not with such reckless abandon, anyway. It was undignified for one who was on the way to become a force in the anarchist movement. My frivolity would only hurt the Cause. I grew furious at the impudent interference of the boy. I told him to mind his own business. I was tired of having the Cause constantly thrown into my face. I did not believe that a Cause which stood for a beautiful ideal, for anarchism, for release and freedom from convention and prejudice, should demand the denial of life and joy. I insisted that our Cause could not expect me to become a nun and that the movement would not be turned into a cloister. If it meant that, I did not want it. "I want freedom, the right to self-expression, everybody's right to beautiful, radiant things." Anarchism meant that to me, and I would live it in spite of the whole world — prisons, persecution, everything. Yes, even in spite of the condemnation of my own closest comrades I would live my beautiful ideal. (p. 56) "

I happen to love her spirit.

The quote is from "Living my Life" (her autobiography) - here is the context:

"At the dances I was one of the most untiring and gayest. One evening a cousin of Sasha, a young boy, took me aside. With a grave face, as if he were about to announce the death of a dear comrade, he whispered to me that it did not behoove an agitator to dance. Certainly not with such reckless abandon, anyway. It was undignified for one who was on the way to become a force in the anarchist movement. My frivolity would only hurt the Cause. I grew furious at the impudent interference of the boy. I told him to mind his own business. I was tired of having the Cause constantly thrown into my face. I did not believe that a Cause which stood for a beautiful ideal, for anarchism, for release and freedom from convention and prejudice, should demand the denial of life and joy. I insisted that our Cause could not expect me to become a nun and that the movement would not be turned into a cloister. If it meant that, I did not want it. "I want freedom, the right to self-expression, everybody's right to beautiful, radiant things." Anarchism meant that to me, and I would live it in spite of the whole world — prisons, persecution, everything. Yes, even in spite of the condemnation of my own closest comrades I would live my beautiful ideal. (p. 56) "

I happen to love her spirit.

Hey TBF, your initials stand for The Bell Forum. I think that makes you an official ambassador. So I'm going to have to take you aside and whisper that it doesn't behoove an ambassador to dance -- at least not with reckless abandon :D

I happen to love her spirit.

I think that would please her. And just so you know, folks always ask me not to dance (because I am not the best of dancers). But I dance anyway...

Hey TBF, your initials stand for The Bell Forum. I think that makes you an official ambassador. So I'm going to have to take you aside and whisper that it doesn't behoove an ambassador to dance -- at least not with reckless abandon :D

Nope, my initials stand for "Texas Bo Fan". The first on-line forum I ever joined was to talk about Bo Bice on American Idol several years ago (true story). Then I got sucked into the political thread there when Obama was running for office ... I will gladly confine my dancing to his concerts, they are my favorite place to be. You can stop laughing now :)

Nope, my initials stand for "Texas Bo Fan". The first on-line forum I ever joined was to talk about Bo Bice on American Idol several years ago (true story). Then I got sucked into the political thread there when Obama was running for office ... I will gladly confine my dancing to his concerts, they are my favorite place to be. You can stop laughing now :)

TBF? The Bell Forum? That's way cool. I agree with Kid Madame Ambassadrice.