The Commons

In pre-industial England it was an accepted practice to designate a certain area of a village as a "commons." Here those of non-noble birth could relax, discuss topics of the day and otherwise entertain themselves in a public space. It belonged to them. This idea has continued in ideas like the public airways of broadcasting, public roads, parks and (potentially) the Internet. There are other "commons" consistent with the unalienable rights we share as humans. They include: access to clean air, access to potable water and access to information. Other potential commons issues: oil rigs or wind generators outside your beachfront property? Do we have rights to our few remaining virgin forests? The air we breathe? The situation we're in today in the U.S. points to less and less protection of common assets as privatization schemes continue to haunt we, the people. Healthcare and medicine should never have been privatized because of inherent conflicts of interest. We see those conflicts exert ever greater pressure on us as millions more in the country become uninsured. Water rights are the next big thing, with companies like Bechtel taking over municipal systems to "save money."

In Boliva, for example, "The protesters blocked roads and engaged in "fierce battles" with the police until the law on Potable Water and Sanitation, which authorized the privatization, was repealed and replaced by legislation that guaranteed life-long access to water resources for the roughly 15,000 peasant families in the region." And the fight there, as is the case everywhere, is far from over.

Recent decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court (see eminent domain for commercial interests, "person" rights for corporations), with their (bullshit) pro-corporate leanings, suggest we may have to be similarly outrageous here to protect our rights.

The other great thing about The Commons is the sense of shared stewardship. The Commons is a great metaphor for our ultimate connectedness. It reminds us we're all in this together. And that's an idea very much worth putting out there.

Please join us.
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