About Reclaim the Commons

RECLAIM THE COMMONS! Traditionally, THE COMMONS was cropland, grazing land, or forest that belonged to the community as a whole and benefited all. Now, THE COMMONS includes everything needed to support life on earth: air, water, shelter, food, energy, biodiversity – as well as our multi-cultural heritage. Corporations, aided by the governments they dominate, are seizing control of these basic rights, and privatizing them for the profit of a few. Yet, public control of the commons is essential for true democracy; for racial, economic, and social justice; and for a diverse and sustainable society. WE ARE RECLAIMING THE COMMONS!

RESIST BIOTECH! The biotechnology industry is a prime example of how global corporations are eroding democracy, threatening our health and environment, and concentrating control of our food and resources in the hands of a few profit-driven companies. With almost no public debate, over 100-million acres of genetically engineered (GE) crops are planted each year in the United States. That’s almost 70% of the world’s GE crops. Once released into the environment, these GE life forms can’t be recalled, and there’s no way to predict their effects on our bodies, eco-systems, and future. Gambling with the future of human and environmental health is gravely affecting FOOD SOVEREIGNTY throughout the world, dramatically increasing the risks of BIOWARFARE and further entrenching the health-for-profit system with the creation of BIOPHARMACEUTICALS that are ‘grown’ in GE plants and animals. Already these artificial life forms have contaminated seeds and crops that have been cultivated over thousands of years. And while our tax dollars subsidize corporations developing anti-aging drugs and biological weapons, these same companies deny affordable drugs to people in desperate need of medical relief.

RESIST THE G8! The G8, or Group of 8, is the seven wealthiest industrialized nations in the world plus Russia. They officially meet once a year to talk policies and have recently been met by fairly intense demonstrations. The policies of the G8, according to the UN, are responsible for the deaths of 10,000 children every day. The political heads of these countries -- the U.S., Canada, England, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Japan -- are pushing the agenda of corporate globalization at the cost of the welfare of the people they claim to represent. We take to the streets when the G8 meets to reject their worldview of profit at any cost, and to reclaim our commons of political space. Authentic democracy or corporate oligarchy? The choice is ours...