Where there is a
sufficient social movement of self-reliant communities, there can
be political change.
There must be political change. 
Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr.
(April 7, 1938 - ) was elected to the office of Governor of
California in 1974, succeeding Ronald Reagan, who served two terms
after defeating Brown's father, Pat Brown. Jerry Brown's liberalism
and eschewance of the traditional political scene struck a chord
with California's increasingly disaffected youth.
We have to deal with
where we are. We have to create cooperatives, we have to create
intentional communities, we have to work for local cooperation
where we are.
He opposed the Vietnam War and
the death penalty, he rented an apartment in Sacramento rather than
live in the governor's mansion, and he insisted he be driven in a
compact sedan, and not the limos that carried previous
governors.
During Brown's 8 years as
governor, he secured federal protection of Northern California's
wild and scenic rivers, established the first agricultural labor
relations law in the country and appointed the first black, female
and Latino judges to the California Supreme Court. He also famously
increased funding for the California Arts Commission by
1300%.
Prisons don't
rehabilitate, they don't punish, they don't protect, so what the
hell do they do?
Brown campaigned for the
presidency in 1980 on a promise to "protect the Earth, serve the
people, and explore the universe." Specifically, he opposed nuclear
power, supported the Balanced Budget Amendment, and wanted to
increase funding for the space program.
The reason that
everybody likes planning is that nobody has to do anything.
Brown's campaign fizzled after a
poor showing in the important New Hampshire primary. He would run
again in 1992, surprising many with victories in several primaries,
but ultimately losing the Democratic nomination to Arkansas
governor Bill Clinton.
Brown was later elected Mayor of
the California city Oakland, and in 2004 was elected Attorney
General of the state of California. In 2010, Brown successfully won the governorship of California, a position he still holds.
Inaction may be the
biggest form of action.
