by Coast Watcher
The Sixties saw a number of real advances in social programs in the United States. From voting reform to the introduction of Medicare and Medicaid, the US government under Kennedy, and later Johnson, actually took notice of the preamble to the Constitution, “To promote the general welfare.”
After those heady days of peace and love came the backlash from the Right--although backlash is probably too violent a term for something that returned by stealth. Capitalistic politicians colluding with and funded by Big Business began to roll back the reforms wherever they could, allowing laws and regulations that protected ordinary citizens to lapse quietly. It paved the way for the ruthless exploitation of the ordinary people we see today.
There’s a school of thought which holds that the American so-called "Left" took its foot off the pedal once the reforms were achieved, that they coasted through the Seventies and into the Eighties thinking the work was done instead of ruthlessly eradicating the last vestiges of capitalism from the United States. It begs the argument that perhaps the "Left" in the guise of the Democratic Party never really was interested in supporting the working classes over the capitalist wealth hoarders in the first place.
Bill Clinton's "Third Way" Democratic Party has become the norm in the twenty-first century, and any progressive members left in its ranks have been pushed aside or completely out. One only has to look at the 2016 primary season and how the rigged elections kept Bernie Sanders from taking the Democratic nomination to see how well a progressive candidate is allowed to do when the corporate-owned leaders of the party get their way. The fascist and petulant president currently in the White House refuses to sign off the budget unless he gets his border wall and threatens to maintain the shut down for months or years if necessary. Federal workers are on unpaid furlough, many are working without pay, and a great number of workers are suffering. One federal worker stated he is unable to buy vital insulin to treat his diabetes. There are many more like him in government service. How many more will suffer or die from this unnecessary furlough?
Leader of the opposition party La France Insoumise, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, tweeted that the arrest of Mr. Drouet was an "abuse of power." Macron is facing such a backlash over his rich-friendly policies it’s questionable whether he’ll retain power for much longer. It’s even possible France will undergo another revolution.
From January 5, 2019:
You’d have to look hard at the American mainstream media, though, to see if anything’s happening other than what the establishment wants us to know. They’d have us believe the Gilet Jaune movement is dying down, when all accounts on social media show it’s gaining strength in France and spreading to other countries across Europe. Yellow Vests have appeared on the streets of Belgium, Holland, England, Portugal, Ireland, Sweden and Poland.
Yellow Vests have been spotted in Canada as well and have appeared on American streets in several cities--including Grand Rapids, Michigan. It’s an indicator that the working people of the world are beginning to rise against the unbridled capitalism that has infected our lives for too long.
Let's ensure that this time the rich will have nowhere in the world they can hide. Vive le révolution!
Related articles and videos:
https://popularresistance.org/yellow-vest-movement-in-us/
https://www.connexionfrance.com/French-news/Gilets-jaunes-leader-Eric-Drouet-arrested-as-protesters-face-fines-for-assembling-at-roundabouts
https://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/54320-super-rich-trump-says-he-can-relate-to-federal-workers-who-cant-pay-bills-due-to-his-shutdown
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1062382/portugal-protest-yellow-vest-france-macron-paris-riot
https://youtu.be/KsY1uEMudFc
https://youtu.be/GQuU5Lf3idc
Stay informed about what's happening in France: https://www.instagram.com/giletjaune2018/
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Power to the Working People!
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***
While our federal government remains in a state of inaction, we’re organizing to build power among those 140 million poor and impacted people across 40 states where thousands are organizing hearings, canvassing and returning to their state capitols to deliver the demands of this Campaign.
We are not going to Capitol Hill on January 7, but in January and February, we are going to our state capitols. Join us and take action by attending a hearing, rally or demand delivery in your state.
To see the times and locations for these events as well as others that may be happening near you, check out our events page.
This shutdown is a distraction from the concerns of millions of people around stable jobs, health care, housing, water, the fact that it’s been more than 2,000 days since the Voting Rights Act was gutted and so much more. We refuse to be distracted.
We are mobilizing thousands of people everywhere from Virginia to Tennessee to California to demand that millions of poor people be prioritized in the political agenda.
Fight back against the policy violence affecting our communities. Find an event near you and sign up now >>
Forward together, not one step back,
The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival
***
Not only do Arctic peoples and wildlife need to brave an uncertain future as the region warms and sea ice recedes, but now Trump is giving oil companies a free reign to drill in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
This incredibly reckless decision means that a company called SAExploration (SAE) and its 90,000-pound “thumper trucks” have been green-lighted to seek out and test for oil in one of the world’s most important and untouched ecosystems. Polar bears, caribou herds, and the tundra itself could be devastated. The food sources and health of the Gwich'in people could be compromised.
Tell SAExploration: Stay out of the Arctic Refuge!
I want to be clear: this beautiful landscape cannot withstand SAE’s testing or Trump’s decision to drill especially as climate change is already drastically changing the area.
SAE’s giant trucks will send shock waves deep into the tundra threatening the Refuge’s delicate ecosystem.
If we can stop SAE’s destructive footprints in its search for oil, I know we can stop the drilling that would follow and even greater destruction.
Your voice is needed to save the Arctic. Add your name to stop SAExploration now.
The latest reports on carbon emissions and climate impacts are increasingly grim, but breaking through the gloom is our collective power. That’s why we’ve teamed up with organizations across the United States. Our coalition needs 100,000 voices like yours to speak out for the Arctic.
Stand up for Alaska’s Arctic Refuge now.
Together, I know we can defeat Big Oil, protect the Arctic, and take climate action,
This incredibly reckless decision means that a company called SAExploration (SAE) and its 90,000-pound “thumper trucks” have been green-lighted to seek out and test for oil in one of the world’s most important and untouched ecosystems. Polar bears, caribou herds, and the tundra itself could be devastated. The food sources and health of the Gwich'in people could be compromised.
Tell SAExploration: Stay out of the Arctic Refuge!
I want to be clear: this beautiful landscape cannot withstand SAE’s testing or Trump’s decision to drill especially as climate change is already drastically changing the area.
SAE’s giant trucks will send shock waves deep into the tundra threatening the Refuge’s delicate ecosystem.
If we can stop SAE’s destructive footprints in its search for oil, I know we can stop the drilling that would follow and even greater destruction.
Your voice is needed to save the Arctic. Add your name to stop SAExploration now.
The latest reports on carbon emissions and climate impacts are increasingly grim, but breaking through the gloom is our collective power. That’s why we’ve teamed up with organizations across the United States. Our coalition needs 100,000 voices like yours to speak out for the Arctic.
Stand up for Alaska’s Arctic Refuge now.
Together, I know we can defeat Big Oil, protect the Arctic, and take climate action,
Janet Redman
Climate Campaign Director, Greenpeace USA
P.S.
To avoid the worst impacts of climate change, we need to keep the
world’s remaining fossil fuels in the ground. We only have 10 years to
do it to avoid complete climate catastrophe. That means moving away from
coal, oil, and natural gas, and keeping drilling out of places like
Alaska’s Arctic Wildlife Refuge. I will say it again -- the path to a
sustainable future for people, wildlife, and the climate does not
include fossil fuels. Help protect the Arctic and the climate now by stopping SAExploration from doing any seismic tests for oil.
Greenpeace
never takes a dime from corporations or governments. Everything we do
is thanks to the generous support of people like you!
***
From Lee Camp:
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