CONSTITUTION ADOPTED; MOVEMENT FOR A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY (MDS) IS RE-BORN

international | miscellaneous | press release

Saturday October 17, 2009 15:43

by mds - Movement for a Democratic Society

A global movement for radical democracy

Activists ratify Constitution, launch agenda, begin organization anew.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 16 2009

CONSTITUTION ADOPTED; MOVEMENT FOR A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY (MDS) IS BORN

Contact: Bob Meola,, bobmeola@mindspring.com
Devra Morice, devra.mor@gmail.com
Alan Haber, megiddo@umich.edu
Elaine Brower, mermaid423@aol.com

http://mdsconvention2009.com/

OCTOBER 16, 2009 -- A diverse coalition of community-based activists
committed to the creation of an egalitarian, directly democratic, and
mult-generational
movement, voted to ratifty their draft Constitution thereby officially
becoming known
as Movement for a Democratic Society (MDS). The MDS Constitution is an
adaptation of the SDS Constitution circa 1962-1967 updated to account for
the political sensibilities and realities of modern times.
It sets forth the following Preamble:

"Movement for a Democratic Society is a global association of people
on the left. It seeks to create a sustained community of educational
and political concern and actions: one bringing together liberals and
radicals, activists and scholars, students, faculty and workers in all
trades. It maintains a vision of a democratic society, where at all
levels the people have control of the decisions which affect them
and the resources on which they are dependent. It seeks a relevance
through the continual focus on realities and on the programs necessary
to effect change at the most basic levels of economic, political, and
social organization. It feels the urgency to put forth a radical,
democratic program counter-posed to authoritarian movements."

Following the ratification, the new organization resolved to build
upon it's unique standing as a multi-issue, multi-tendency formation
committed to direct action. It's initial energies will go toward opposing
the ongoing occupation in Iraq, the expanding wars in Afghanistan-Pakistan, and
any future war with Iran. MDS calls for Universal Single Payer Healthcare,
seizing the rally cry "Healthcare Not Warfare".
Among it's first campaigns - Boycott Whole Foods Market and solidarity
with the workers at the recently closed Stella D'Oro plant in the Bronx, NY.
John Mackey, Whole Foods CEO, uses his money to actively oppose
single payer health insurance and the company has a history of union busting
practices. Lance Inc. recently purchased the Stella D'Oro brand name and
immediately announced plans to move production to a non-union plant in Ohio.

Speaking on the re-birth of Movement for a Democratic Society, Alan Haber, first
president of SDS and an organizer in the current MDS effort said, "we had an
altogether positive meeting in Ann Arbor, and the experiment of a
number of groups
meeting simultaneously in different parts of the country - NYC,
Berkeley, with links in
Chicago, Springfield MA, San Diego - on a similar agenda is an important
step torward movement building. The organization form, which we took
the initiative
in promoting, has the potential of encouraging and linking action
groups and making
more visible the Movement for a Democratic Society. Hopefully the form will
facilitate the action. Truth is in doing. Congratulations to those who took on
to do it! Now it is about keeping on, keeping on, and being open and
inviting, and
willing to improve. MDS, Movement for a Democratic Society, is a
modality through
which the multitudes can mobilize, and therein, the empire will have
met it's match".

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CONSTITUTION ADOPTED; MOVEMENT FOR A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY (MDS) IS RE-BORN