Real Americans Stand Up

Real Americans have always stood up to bigots. The question is will the rest of us stand up now?

Time for Strings Cutting

"So long as the oligarchy divides Americans – split off people of color from working-class whites, stoke racial resentments, describe human beings as illegal aliens, launch wars on crime and immigrants, stoke fears of communists and socialists – it doesn’t have to worry that a majority will stop them from looting the nation."

"Divide-and-conquer allows the oligarchy free rein. It makes the rest of us puppets, fighting each other on a made-up stage."

"Trump is the puppet master." - Robert Reich

Personally, I prefer no strings attached. Thank you very much.

Here's the story

America’s Real Divide Isn’t Left vs. Right. It’s Democracy vs. Oligarchy.
Robert Reich
9 July 2019

I keep hearing that the Democratic party has moved “left” and that some Democratic candidates may be “too far left”.

But in this era of unprecedented concentration of wealth and political power at the top, I can’t help wondering what it means to be “left”.

A half-century ago, when America had a large and growing middle class, those on the “left” sought stronger social safety nets and more public investment in schools, roads and research. Those on the “right” sought greater reliance on the free market.

But as wealth and power have concentrated at the top, everyone else – whether on the old right or the old left – has become disempowered and less secure.

Safety nets have unraveled, public investments have waned and the free market has been taken over by crony capitalism and corporate welfare cheats. Washington and state capitals are overwhelmed by money coming from the super-rich, Wall Street and big corporations.

So why do we continue to hear and use the same old “right” and “left” labels?

I suspect it’s because the emerging oligarchy feels safer if Americans are split along the old political battle lines. That way, Americans won’t notice they’re being shafted.

In reality, the biggest divide in America today runs between oligarchy and democracy. When oligarchs fill the coffers of political candidates, they neuter democracy.

The oligarchs know politicians won’t bite the hands that feed them. So as long as they control the money, they can be confident there will be no meaningful response to stagnant pay, climate change, military bloat or the soaring costs of health insurance, pharmaceuticals, college and housing.

There will be no substantial tax increases on the wealthy. There will be no antitrust enforcement to puncture the power of giant corporations. No meaningful regulation of Wall Street’s addiction to gambling with other peoples’ money. No end to corporate subsides. CEO pay will continue to skyrocket. Wall Street hedge fund and private equity managers will continue to make off like bandits.

So long as the oligarchy divides Americans – split off people of color from working-class whites, stoke racial resentments, describe human beings as illegal aliens, launch wars on crime and immigrants, stoke fears of communists and socialists – it doesn’t have to worry that a majority will stop them from looting the nation.

Divide-and-conquer allows the oligarchy free rein. It makes the rest of us puppets, fighting each other on a made-up stage.

Trump is the puppet master.

He has been at it for years, long before he ran for president. He knows how to pit native-born Americans against immigrants, the working class against the poor, whites against blacks and Latinos.

He is well-versed in getting evangelicals and secularists steamed up about abortion, equal marriage rights, out-of-wedlock births, access to contraception, transgender bathrooms.

He knows how to stir up fears of brown-skinned people from “shitholes” streaming across the border to murder and rape, and stoke anger about black athletes who don’t stand for the national anthem.

He’s a master at fueling anxieties about so-called communists, socialists and the left taking over America.

He can make the white working class believe they’ve been losing good jobs and wages because of a cabal of Democrats, “deep state” bureaucrats and Hillary Clinton.

From the start, Trump’s deal with the oligarchy has been simple: he’ll stoke tribalism so most Americans won’t see CEOs getting exorbitant pay while they’re slicing the pay of average workers, won’t pay attention to Wall Street demanding short-term results over long-term jobs, and won’t notice a boardroom culture that tolerates financial conflicts of interest, insider trading and the outright bribery of public officials through unlimited campaign “donations”.

The only way to overcome the oligarchy and Trump’s divide-and-conquer strategy is for the rest of us to join together and win America back.

That means creating a multi-racial, multi-ethnic coalition of working-class, poor and middle-class Americans who will fight for democracy and oppose oligarchy.

White, black and Latino; union and non-union; evangelical and secular; immigrant and native-born – all focused on ending big money in politics, stopping corporate welfare and crony capitalism, busting up monopolies and stopping voter suppression.

This agenda is neither “right” nor “left.” It is the bedrock for everything else America must do.

One Voter, One Vote Takes Body Blow

Instead of turning the cleansing light of day on our disgusting partisan politics original sin – gerrymandering - the Robert’s Supreme Court has decided to breathe new life into that creepy-crawly-snaky-thing and allow it to continue hijacking our elections.

So much for the head court man’s promise to protect and defend the Constitution. He must have crossed his fingers when saying, “…I will administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich…”.

The Brian Dickerson, The Detroit Free Press, has the whole story here:

Supreme Court justices tell Michigan's Democratic voters to drop dead, Brian Dickerson, Detroit Free Press, 27 June 2019. 

Oh, here’s one more election rigging thing. This one was outed in 2016.

It's about how Mr. Fetid Zombie man himself, Karl Rove, was stymied by Anonymous, the Internet’s “sometimes guardian angel”.

Did Anonymous stop Karl Rove from Stealing Ohio again?

Thom Hartmann Program
Published on Nov 16, 2012

Thom Hartmann discusses an article that says the hacker group, Anonymous may have been involved in stopping GOP mastermind Karl Rove from stealing the election in Ohio this year.

Ah... I didn't Know That!

This just in from the I Didn't Know That Department... Americans really want a better life!

Yes, it appears we do want our government to work in our interests!

Oh My! What if this info gets out?

Life could suddenly become livable.

It's possible we could actually, really resolve a thing or two. How radical is that?

Robert Reich: America is More Radical Than You Think

Smarter & Wiser This Time

“I always get to where I’m going by walking away from where I have been.”Art credit: www.panmacmillan.com

I’m looking for a miracle this morning. I'm prayin’ that we’ll be smarter this time than to be deceived by the same people that fed us all B.S. last time. That’s when we launched the biggest blunder in U.S. history - the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

All along I thought nothing could top the War in Vietnam on the Premier Blunder of All Time Hit Parade. I was wrong. How dumb to think that we couldn't top the stupidity of the Vietnam War.

In 2002 / 2003, I hope you remember, thousands fruitlessly protested in the streets against going to war. We chanted and cried to no avail. The U.S. neocons were determined to murder hundreds of thousands of innocent people – ours and theirs – for the glory of the U.S. empire, I reckon.

So we did it. We went to war.

Have we forgotten that the reasons the administration gave for going to war were proven to be bogus? They lied so they could murder, pillage, destroy and create wealth for a select few.

I know that sounds harsh. Back then, we all so dearly prayed that our leaders were justified and acted honorably in our behalf.

Sadly, they did not.

You know, as I do, that their blunder has drained trillions of dollars of our national treasure. And, yet, it is still not over. It will never really be over. Our grandchildren will be paying for this insane adventure for the rest of their lives.

Still, that’s just money. Worse, in my mind, is the depravity of it all.

And they are doing it all once again. In Mr. Bolton’s demented mind it’s well past time to take out the Iranians. It’s their turn to feel Uncle Sam’s righteous wrath. But maybe this time our allies are standing up to his neocon bluster.

We, the people of the United States, should know better by now.

This time we must out the psychopaths for their insanity.

It’s time we show that we have learned a thing or two and to be smarter and wiser. This time, let's... get to where we're going by walking away from where we have been.

Fleetwood Mac - Little Lies - 1987

Whose Socialism? Yours or the Corporations?

Way back in the 1936 at Madison Square Garden, Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt said:

FDR was right then.

Likewise, Bernie Sanders is right today. During his speech at George Washington University, 12 June 2019, he said,

“While President Trump and his fellow oligarchs attack us for our support of democratic socialism, they don’t really oppose all forms of socialism,” Sanders said. “They may hate democratic socialism because it benefits working people, but they absolutely love corporate socialism that enriches Trump and other billionaires.”

In 1944, FDR proposed an economic bill of rights but died a year later and was never able to fulfill that vision. Our job, 75 years later, is to complete what Roosevelt started.

That is why today, I am proposing a 21st Century Economic Bill of Rights. #DemocraticSocialism. pic.twitter.com/VvEUjIyoNk

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) June 12, 2019

It is time to guarantee our second Bill of Rights. If we do not... we will have none at all.

Can You See God?

Eight Inc. envisions rebuilding the Notre-Dame's roof
and spire just how it was – except using glass(Credit: Eight Inc.)

Perhaps some day you'll travel to Paris, France and visit Notre-Dame.

You'll walk inside, sit down, look up and see God. Yes, right through the glass roof.

Here's the story...

Apple Store designer envisions rebuilding Notre-Dame using glass, Adam Williams, newatlas.com, 10 June 2019.

Following the blaze that damaged the iconic Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, the French Prime Minister announced plans for an architecture competition and a modern redesign. We've since reported on one interesting proposal from Vincent Callebaut Architectures and now comes another, courtesy of Eight Inc., which envisions rebuilding the spire and roof using glass.

Eight Inc. proposes to restore the Notre-Dame's roof and spire back to its previous condition but using glass. All the decorative flourishes including statues would be recreated, and it would be illuminated at night, lending it a really striking appearance. According to Dezeen, the firm, which designed the original Apple Stores, proposes to make use of structural glass to allow it to be built without supports ruining the transparent effect.

-more-

I Can See Clearly Now - Johnny Nash - 1972