Activism

On November 1st, in Montpelier, the capital of Vermont, one hundred activists gathered to protest against General Dynamics, a weapons manufacturer operating in the state. Speaking to the crowd in front of the statehouse, VT-based filmmaker Eugene Jarecki talked about the presidential election and activism. "There's a moment of real crossroads here," he said. "But it's a crossroad for all of us not to be happy and go to bed but for all of us to be absolutely unrelenting and dissatisfied until real change happens."

Whether Barack Obama or John McCain wins the election, war profiteer and military contractor General Dynamics will be well represented in the next administration. That was one of the messages from a group of peace economy activists speaking at a radical bookshop in Montpelier, Vermont on Monday; John McCain has a General Dynamics lobbyist, Rob Chamberlin, working for his campaign. And that "voice for change" Barack Obama? According to the NY Times, James S. Crown, a board member of General Dynamics, is on Obama's national finance committee. With these kinds of connections, General Dynamics' war profiteering will likely continue well into the next presidency - but not if a group of Vermont peace activists gets its way.

Beyond Elections is a documentary that takes us across the Americas to attempt to answer one of the most important questions of our time: What is Democracy? Freedom, equality, participation? Everyone has his or her own definition. Across the world, 120 countries now have at least the minimum trappings of democracy-the freedom to vote for all citizens. But for many, this is just the beginning not the end.  Watch and discuss this timely and inspiring film on Thursday, October 16 at 7PM at Burlington College in Burlington, Vermont.