Perversions of Justice: Indigenous Peoples and Anglo-American Law

My Comment: This a lengthy transcript in which I posted the last four paragraphs. Questions posed by the audience are also included in the link. Well worth the effort.


Perversions of Justice

Indigenous Peoples and Angloamerican Law

by Ward Churchill. Published by City Lights Books, San Francisco, March 2003

Talk by Ward Churchill to mark the book release, 22 February 2003

Speaking at First Congregational Church of Oakland, California

Recording, transcription and editing by Penny Schoner and David Ratcliffe

There are many ways and means short of that specific action, that can be taken to accomplish what it is that must be accomplished. But one way you cannot possibly conceive of accomplishing what it is that must be done, is to have the sanction of the state in whatever it is that you do. Law serves order. If you are orderly you are part of the order, the new world order. You are actually doing more harm than good because you are allowing them to use you in your sterile, compliant protests to make the false point that this is a liberal democracy that allows you to have the expression of your point of view.

In the terms that a criminal state defines legality you cannot possibly, in the name of humanity, afford to be in a legal posture. You have to be a criminal in order to be lawful, ultimately. As the Rolling Stones put it, "Every cop is a criminal. Every sinner a saint." Or as Dylan put it, "To live outside the law you must be honest."

But if you live inside the law that condones the kind of things we've been talking about here, you are anything but honest. Even if you're only lying to yourself in the process of lying to everyone else, you are part of a genocidal machine. And ultimately, ultimately, if you don't wake up, and engage your critical consciousness and on the basis of that consciousness engage in the kind of activity that is consequential, you will have to pay the price of what it is you are complicit in.

I don't think any of us want to be that person and subject to those consequences. Therefore, irrespective of our backgrounds and the specificity of our interests, we have a commonality of purpose and a common interest and on that commonality of purpose and interest we actually can make a difference. But it is not by going along with the rules. It's going to have to be on the basis of defying them. Let's go for it.

http://www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/WC022203.html