We the people will not be silenced or cowed into submission by corporatists and corrupt politicians. We will continue to speak out about injustices and crimes against humanity. Our voices are strong and our vote this November...? Well, there are probably going to be some very surprised oligarchs. (Can't wait to see the looks on their faces.)
Peace, love and progressive thinking be with you always. --Cindy
Staying the Course
(And Justice for All)
(And Justice for All)
One man began to speak and millions started listening...
And we are still listening.
It's been another confusing week in the Berniverse, but perhaps it's an indication of things to come. In order to clean out the corruption, we have to first expose it. FBI Director Comey listed the activities of an "extremely careless" former Secretary of State who seems entirely lacking in judgment. That his judgment is now also called into question for not recommending charges be brought against her for her gross negligence in not keeping top secret emails secure further illuminates the depth of corruption pervading our government--
And our society. Two more black men were killed by police this past week simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, confronted by the wrong cops. According to The Young Turks, 136 Black lives have been taken by police action so far this year, and African-American teenagers are 21 times more likely to be shot by police than whites (data gathered from 2010-2012 FBI statistics). Only days later police officers were shot and killed in Dallas after a peaceful protest about the latest cop killings.
Corruption pervades the very fabric of our justice system, a system which metes out violence to fill its private prisons to make obscene profits for its stockholders... A system in the halls of Congress which openly doles out money from the gun lobby to our representatives without a thought to the lives taken by homicidal individuals carrying military assault weapons on our streets. A system without morals, without mercy, and without even the decency to acknowledge #BlackLivesMatter.
There were four Latino lives taken by police this past week according to TeleSUR with little or no mainstream media coverage as well. Our corporate media conglomerates see no profit in documenting non-white deaths. Profit is to be made solely by spinning endless drivel about the electability of a certain racist GOP candidate and his wall, a wall which symbolizes the perverse division between our actions and our humanity.
Can there be any doubt that (to quote George Orwell's Animal Farm) "Some animals are more equal than others" in our messed up society? Our thin veil of denial is gone. With Bernie's leadership, we know these harsh truths to be real, and we are empowered to speak out about them. We can protest these injustices in the streets of Philadelphia. We can bring about change by passing new laws and insisting our government enforces the good laws already on the books. Because we know that no one is above the law, and we will not rest until morality and common decency has been restored.
We are staying the course. We are standing by our chosen candidate, Bernie Sanders. We are not blindly accepting corruption. We are fighting for justice--justice for all and not only for "some."
See you in Philadelphia.
Some Are More Equal Than Others
by Bern Notice
You
know, there are moments when I really hate being right. This is one of
them. I hoped that I would be proven wrong and would have to eat my
words. Nothing would have made me happier than to say I was wrong about
Hillary Clinton not being indicted over the e-mail fiasco.
Unfortunately, I'm proven right again--much to my dismay.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/05/politics/fbi-director-doesnt-recommend-charges-against-hillary-clinton/index.html
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/07/05/fbi-recommends-no-charges-to-be-filed-against-clinton.html?intcmp=hpbt1
I'm certain that a number of Clinton supporters are dancing in the streets right now. Hillary herself is likely breathing a huge sigh of relief. While they may celebrate, they may not understand what the significance of this decision is.
Let's define a term.
Justice:
1
a : the maintenance or administration of what is just especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments
b : judge
c : the administration of law; especially : the establishment or determination of rights according to the rules of law or equity
2
a : the quality of being just, impartial, or fair
b (1) : the principle or ideal of just dealing or right action (2) : conformity to this principle or ideal : righteousness
c : the quality of conforming to law
3
: conformity to truth, fact, or reason : correctness
Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/justice
And let's reference a quote from the current version of the pledge of allegiance:
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
Source: http://www.ushistory.org/documents/pledge.htm
And the text on the front of the Supreme Court.
"Equal justice under law."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal_justice_under_law
The key to all of these references is applying justice equally, fairly and without prejudice. We have seen numerous times where the wealth and status of an individual has protected a person from repercussions that would be faced by an average citizen without the same means.
The Affluenza Teen:
http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/12/12/the-affluenza-defense-judge-rules-rich-kids-rich-kid-ness-makes-him-not-liable-for-deadly-drunk-driving-accident/
O.J. Simpson:
http://espn.go.com/espn/espn25/story?page=moments/11
These two have little in common outside of wealth and status. An average citizen would not be able to afford a robust defense that would get you an acquittal considering the evidence at hand.
This case is worse because it will never enter a courtroom. If this was an average citizen who had 1/100th of government related e-mails she had, classified or not, on a private server at their house, they would have been slam-dunked months ago. Instead, we have a highly influential politician who not only avoids facing jail time but avoids going into a courtroom.
I'll point back to the references I made at the
beginning of this post. The common theme in all three references is that
justice is supposed to be applied equally--to everyone! Yet because
some Clinton supporters (and others) treat elections like it's a
professional sports franchise, they are willing to grant a pass because
they think it works in their favor.
This shortsightedness sets a new precedent. First, any person who at any point has a spill of government information can point to the Clinton fiasco and argue for the case to be dismissed. They will say, "Clinton had tons more information than I did, and she got away with it. I should be excused." That removes the consequences for protecting any information. And you can bet that any smart lawyer will use that to their advantage.
Second, it reinforces the mindset of "Do as I say, not as I do." Politicians are supposed to be public servants, not lords and ladies immune from the consequences of violating laws. Not only that, but now they have the mentality that they can do so brazenly and in the open without consequence. Yet if you do the same thing, there will be hell to pay. Once again, America’s greatest export--the double standard.
On my profile, I have a paraphrased quote from George Carlin. It says, "It's a big club, and you ain't in it! Oligarchy!" It is not a random quote, but it is an accurate representation of the current state of affairs in our nation.
Oligarchy starts small and stays in the shadows out of fear because they know that if the people wake up it's all over. Over time, it grows from being fertilized by indifference and apathy. Now it is completely out of hand. There is no fear. They do what they will because they think that people are too stupid to do anything about it.
Make no mistake, this is not about left versus right. This isn't about bathrooms or parties or faith or any other wedge issue that they use to divide us. It's about "The Oligarchs" versus "Everyone Else". Working class citizens need to look beyond party labels. We need to be aware and make others aware of what is staring us right in the face.
You can't have a free and civilized nation without equal justice. It is the bedrock of a free society. Right now, justice is in a coma and in critical condition. Unless we force drastic change and soon, it will be dead.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/05/politics/fbi-director-doesnt-recommend-charges-against-hillary-clinton/index.html
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/07/05/fbi-recommends-no-charges-to-be-filed-against-clinton.html?intcmp=hpbt1
I'm certain that a number of Clinton supporters are dancing in the streets right now. Hillary herself is likely breathing a huge sigh of relief. While they may celebrate, they may not understand what the significance of this decision is.
Let's define a term.
Justice:
1
a : the maintenance or administration of what is just especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments
b : judge
c : the administration of law; especially : the establishment or determination of rights according to the rules of law or equity
2
a : the quality of being just, impartial, or fair
b (1) : the principle or ideal of just dealing or right action (2) : conformity to this principle or ideal : righteousness
c : the quality of conforming to law
3
: conformity to truth, fact, or reason : correctness
Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/justice
And let's reference a quote from the current version of the pledge of allegiance:
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
Source: http://www.ushistory.org/documents/pledge.htm
And the text on the front of the Supreme Court.
"Equal justice under law."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal_justice_under_law
The key to all of these references is applying justice equally, fairly and without prejudice. We have seen numerous times where the wealth and status of an individual has protected a person from repercussions that would be faced by an average citizen without the same means.
The Affluenza Teen:
http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/12/12/the-affluenza-defense-judge-rules-rich-kids-rich-kid-ness-makes-him-not-liable-for-deadly-drunk-driving-accident/
O.J. Simpson:
http://espn.go.com/espn/espn25/story?page=moments/11
These two have little in common outside of wealth and status. An average citizen would not be able to afford a robust defense that would get you an acquittal considering the evidence at hand.
This case is worse because it will never enter a courtroom. If this was an average citizen who had 1/100th of government related e-mails she had, classified or not, on a private server at their house, they would have been slam-dunked months ago. Instead, we have a highly influential politician who not only avoids facing jail time but avoids going into a courtroom.
I'll point back to the references I made at the
beginning of this post. The common theme in all three references is that
justice is supposed to be applied equally--to everyone! Yet because
some Clinton supporters (and others) treat elections like it's a
professional sports franchise, they are willing to grant a pass because
they think it works in their favor.This shortsightedness sets a new precedent. First, any person who at any point has a spill of government information can point to the Clinton fiasco and argue for the case to be dismissed. They will say, "Clinton had tons more information than I did, and she got away with it. I should be excused." That removes the consequences for protecting any information. And you can bet that any smart lawyer will use that to their advantage.
Second, it reinforces the mindset of "Do as I say, not as I do." Politicians are supposed to be public servants, not lords and ladies immune from the consequences of violating laws. Not only that, but now they have the mentality that they can do so brazenly and in the open without consequence. Yet if you do the same thing, there will be hell to pay. Once again, America’s greatest export--the double standard.
On my profile, I have a paraphrased quote from George Carlin. It says, "It's a big club, and you ain't in it! Oligarchy!" It is not a random quote, but it is an accurate representation of the current state of affairs in our nation.
Oligarchy starts small and stays in the shadows out of fear because they know that if the people wake up it's all over. Over time, it grows from being fertilized by indifference and apathy. Now it is completely out of hand. There is no fear. They do what they will because they think that people are too stupid to do anything about it.
Make no mistake, this is not about left versus right. This isn't about bathrooms or parties or faith or any other wedge issue that they use to divide us. It's about "The Oligarchs" versus "Everyone Else". Working class citizens need to look beyond party labels. We need to be aware and make others aware of what is staring us right in the face.
You can't have a free and civilized nation without equal justice. It is the bedrock of a free society. Right now, justice is in a coma and in critical condition. Unless we force drastic change and soon, it will be dead.
by Christine Orchard
And I see this in Bernie. I have been a Democratic voter for 40 years and shared this important choice and action on our part. But I am also aware that change can be slow but with dedication and hope-- and work--it can be done.
***
Others see another option for us to vote for Bernie:My change.org petition asks those that would vote for Bernie should he run on the Green Party ticket, to sign the petition. I need to reach 100 signatures before I can promote the post on change.org -- so I'm just trying to get it out there. Here is the link to my petition:
Bernie Sanders: I will vote for Bernie if he runs as the Green Party candidate!
***
I came across this "open letter" online that pretty much says what's on a lot of our minds...
We'll see you in Philly!
Do you hear the people singing in the streets? You will in the City of Brotherly Love. Enjoy the video below and sing along. We the people are strong. Feel the Bern!
I'm seeing a LOT of pro-$hillary propaganda online aimed at discouraging and disheartening Bernie's supporters. There's even stupid talk of him endorsing her tomorrow, which has some of his followers in a near-panic.
ReplyDeletePeople, understand this: Bernie Sanders is a man of honor and integrity. He will NOT endorse a known criminal for President. He is in this to the end of the convention and beyond in whatever form his campaign will take, which may not necessarily be part of the Clinton Party - sorry, Democratic Party - push for the White House. It's not over until it's over, when Bernie Sanders will be our next President.