Recall how we got into the current fiscal catastrophe: via capitalism. And remember it was capitalism, in the 14th century, that made women unemployed, since housework was non-paid labor.



Since that time, capitalism has used the backs of women to grow, but it's never thought of utilizing women's minds or their inherent reverence for life to keep it balanced. It's been a man's world, out-of-balance, tilted towards death.

The financial collapse across the world and the looming planet meltdown are direct results of this out-of-balance world that men have designed, produced and starred in

Capitalism may be the culprit: its blatant disregard for human rights, values, and life--the important things that women don't so easily forget--is obvious. But capitalism is merely the vehicle employed by men to continue their exploitation of the world and its resources.

The ultimate propaganda piece: "There's no alternative to capitalism; it's all we got" is now seen as ludicrous. As if our human nature, our destiny, is forever wedded to war and misery for most of the earth's population, while a few privileged prop their feet on foot stools with ivory-trimmed legs imported from the Congo.

But while capitalism is down for the count, the fix is in to bring it back, to prop it up again, to get people spending and buying like crazy again, just as women are constantly being asked to prop men up, to reassure their flagging egos and their failing potency.

But this time the planet itself is on the ropes. If we simply restore the economy, without radical and fundamental change, it will cause irreparable damage to planet Earth. The dismal state of capitalism is tied to the insane business of consumerism, and there's a direct line from them to the global meltdown.

Men alone cannot be relied on to make these changes. This should be obvious to anyone by now who's still awake.

This time women, who have been out of the picture for the past 10,000 year--and what a time it's been--this time women must come to the table.

If they don't, the table will be under water.

At the beginning of "civilization," 10,000 years ago, if women had been part of the decision-making process (as they had been for the previous 400,000 years during the hunter-gatherer period), we probably wouldn't have gotten off on the wrong foot.

A war foot(ing). And war has been one of the dominant activities of men ever since.

Women were left out of the loop at the beginning and it became second nature to think of that situation as normal. Just as it became second nature to think of women as having a "second nature," one below that of men.

Patriarchy, the foundation of the major religions of the world, holds that women are beneath men. They are to be subjugated, under his thumb.

Women need to speak up. Point out the false promises of civilization, of capitalism and the false premise of Patriarchy. They've all led to disaster.

Women can use this momentary fissure in our carefully stitched-together story to demonstrate the connection between the false fantasies of capitalism and the equally false fantasies of male dominance and superiority.

We've closeted women long enough. They need to emerge from the shadows, take center stage, and speak about a Culture of Life. This is what they alone know so well. And they've been missing in action for 10,000 years. During that time we've had a culture of violence, fear and death.

If it doesn't end, we will.