The Battle

He's back...

The Revolution Continues would be amiss not to mention that Senator Bernie Sanders has officially announced his candidacy for the office of president of the United States of America. Since we are the original "Bernie Blog" (started a few months before a commercial site stole our name) we do keep an eye on the doings of the independent senator from Vermont. 

We've changed our name and transitioned since those exciting early days of following Bernie's campaign to covering the issues that effect everyone--from climate change to health care, from warfare to social justice concerns, from income inequality to student loan debt. Even so, we can't forget our roots. We wish Bernie well in his battle against the forces of darkness, that is, the corporate-owned-and-operated Democratic Party.  

(Somewhere out there, blog co-founder Barb McMillan is smiling down on Bernie and his friends from heaven. I wish you could have lived to see him run again, Barb!)

We hope--and expect--to hear more from "Berners"  in the near future. Please submit your blog posts via email at thebernieblog2016@gmail.com Remember, this is a workplace friendly blog and not an outlet for character assassination. You have Twitter and Facebook and other social media platforms for those kinds of things. We're looking for progressive insights and ideas that can be shared with human beings both here in the US and around the world. 

We hope to hear from you soon. Until then, take care of yourselves and Feel the Bern. Always.

A Battle for the Hearts and Minds of Voters 
is taking place...

The powers-that-be and the haters of net neutrality have made it even more difficult to access this blog site. If you landed here in one piece, consider yourself fortunate. Do us a favor and share the blog link with others. Better yet, share  http://therevolutioncontinues.com with your friends and acquaintances on social media platforms. That URL doesn't seem to be blocked by firewalls--yet. If you have any programming or web site experience and are willing to help The Revolution Continues find a better location on the internet to preach its progressive message, please contact us at the above email. Thank you.

And now it's time to reflect on the toll that activism can take on a person fighting hard for that future to believe in that Bernie Sanders spoke so eloquently about in 2016.

The Battle

by C. A. Matthews

It's Special Election Day in Toledo. The results of this ballot to determine if the Lake Erie Bill of Rights has become part of the city charter won't be known for a few hours yet, so this is why this particular blog post isn't entitled "The Ballot." It's not the only reason, as you'll soon learn.

photo by Stefania Czech

The Battle I'm referencing isn't the two year knockdown, dragged-out struggle to get LEBOR onto the ballot. It's not even a general reference to how difficult it is to be an activist in this day and age when most are content to keep their eyes glued to their phone screens and their minds entertained with state-produced propaganda while filling their bellies with GMOed junk food. It's related to both of these things, but it's more than that. Much more.

My friend and fellow progressive commentator Chris, a.k.a. Vegematic, discusses The Battle openly and honestly in his recent video:
https://youtu.be/uoiJwlun7NY
 

The Battle is more than just activist burn-out or ennui. It's the battle we as human beings have with ourselves when we face a crisis in our existence on this plane and seriously consider  the question, "Is it better for all the causes I hold dear to end it now?" 

Life isn't giving us any indications that all our hard work and prayers to build a better future are going to pan out. Do we continue to draw breath in hopes that the agony of facing The Battle will end some day? We are taught to serve and to work hard without complaint. We reason that perhaps it is simply ourselves who are defective when this impossible task strangles us. We view our meager efforts as getting in the way of others' success. It's selfish and cruel to thwart others' chance at a satisfactory ending. Why are we standing in their way of happiness?

The Battle isn't something that comes and goes--it is constant and always lurking beneath the surface of many sunny faces. Too many. 

To those who have been blessed with the ability to always see the bright side of life, The Battle seems a distant fight, one that they're not particularly eager to enter into with their comrades-in-arms. "Focus on the task at hand and things will work themselves out," they'll lecture, even while knowing that things don't always work out, and there are potentially lethal consequences for not taking their friends' battles seriously.

photo by Anthony Curi

In 2019, the forces of darkness seem more real to activists than ever before. We can't afford to let up in our fights against fascism, racism, sexism, ageism, fill-in-the-blanks-ism. We need all hands on deck and all soldiers on the field. 

We're facing a world war of late-stage capitalism that steals the bread from the mouth of innocents and allows them to die without remorse. We're facing a sick society bent on preventing health care for millions in the United States of America while dropping bombs on millions more in the Middle East. 

Lies mailed to voters by lobbyists

We can't just stop the fight right now with so much at stake to take care of our own walking wounded, can we? But we can and we must. If we don't, then for what purpose do we labor to build a utopia for all to grow and thrive in? There will be blessed few to dwell in it.

Please keep these thoughts in mind the next time you interact with your fellow activists. Tell them how much you appreciate their efforts. Better yet, show them how much you appreciate their efforts. A hug, a kiss, a pat on the back, a dinner and a hot shower--demonstrate that you are glad they are still here, on this physical plane of existence, standing with you. Let them know that you are there for them in the same struggles, both on the streets and in the soul.

It takes so little to be kind, and that kindness can be so beneficial. It can be the seed that grows and spreads the revolution of rising consciousness… that all human beings are to be simply loved and cherished, and even now the creation is anxiously waiting to blossom into the fullness of its purpose.

The ballot boxes will always be with us, and those human beings who fight alongside us to protect our right to the ballot box should always take precedence over petty politics. Give each and every one of your comrades in the struggle the recognition and appreciation they deserve today!

***

 From Friends of the Earth:

The Trump Administration could expose the Grand Canyon area to a massive increase in uranium mining. 

Opening this iconic landscape to mining would lead to its destruction. It would cause devastating water pollution. And it would increase the risk of cancer and other public health issues for local Indigenous communities. 

With the help of Friends of the Earth members like you, we’ve protected our public lands from the greed of the Trump Administration and fossil fuel industry. We need you with us again. 

Take action now: Tell your member of Congress to permanently ban uranium mining near the Grand Canyon!

Since 2012, mining in the area near the Grand Canyon has been prohibited under a twenty year ban. However, the Trump Administration included uranium on a list of 35 minerals it considered ‘critical’ for national security, which could overrule the ban. 

Contaminated water from an abandoned uranium mine on the south rim is already poisoning a creek deep within the canyon, and another mine on the north rim, reopened in 2009, is housing more than two million gallons of contaminated groundwater. 

What’s more, recent water tests show that 15 springs and 5 wells within the Grand Canyon’s watershed contain dissolved uranium concentrations which exceed the standards for safe drinking water. But now, the Trump Administration could reverse the temporary 2012 uranium prohibitions.

It is time for Congress to step in and stop any giveaway to the mining industry for the purpose of building more nuclear warheads and propping up the nuclear energy industry, at the expense of public health and the environment. We need your help to make the ban on uranium mining near the Grand Canyon permanent. Can we count on your support? 

Send your message: Tell Congress to protect the Grand Canyon from the mining industry!

Trump’s vision for our environment is clear. He thinks our public lands are first and foremost meant to be exploited for the benefit of his coal, oil, and uranium industry friends.

With the help of Friends of the Earth members like you, we’ve been leading the fight to keep fossil fuels in the ground on our public lands for years. With your support, we helped build a nationwide movement to preserve these places for future generations.

We can’t let Trump hand over these places to the extractive industry. We need your help to fight back!

Help send 40,000 comments: Tell Congress to defend the Grand Canyon from uranium mines. 

Standing with you,
Nicole Ghio,
Senior fossil fuels program manager,
Friends of the Earth

***

From Credo: We will never give up fighting for net neutrality – and Republicans know it. When Trump's FCC repealed open internet rules, our movement filed lawsuits, pressured Congress and passed state net neutrality laws. Public support for net neutrality has only grown. So instead of trying to beat us, now they want to trick us. Three Republicans in the House of Representatives announced they will be introducing three so-called "net neutrality" bills. These bills would give telecom companies huge loopholes so they can continue discriminatory practices that are bad for consumers.1 Passing them could make it impossible for the FCC to enforce real net neutrality in the future. Fake net neutrality is not net neutrality. But Democrats could easily cave unless we speak up. Our elected officials need to hear that we won't accept anything less than the real open internet rules that Trump's FCC repealed. We need to kill these bills to make room for strong net neutrality legislation that actually protects the open internet for everyone.  Tell Congress: Reject fake net neutrality. Click here to sign the petition. These bills aren't real net neutrality.2 Although they would prohibit certain kinds of anti-competitive practices by broadband providers, they won't restore all the rules we need to protect our rights online. 1 As technology keeps changing, we need the FCC to keep up. By narrowing the definition of net neutrality, these bills would prevent the FCC from adapting to open internet issues of the future.3 By declaring that the internet is not a public utility, the bills would also limit the FCC's ability to protect privacy, ensure universal service, enforce truth in billing and guarantee disability access.4 Democrats in the House of Representatives have said they want a bipartisan net neutrality bill, which means they are open to compromising with Republicans.5 But we cannot compromise on the core principles that keep the internet open and free. Now that Democrats control the House, we have a real opportunity to push Congress to pass meaningful net neutrality legislation and direct the FCC to do its job. But if these bills gain momentum, we could lose that opportunity, maybe forever. Tell Congress: Reject fake net neutrality. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/GOP-net-neutrality?t=9&akid=31706%2E9999572%2E3oTLSZ Thanks for fighting back, Brandy Doyle, Campaign Manager CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: References: Kieren McCarthy, "It's OK, everyone – Congress's smart-cookie Republicans have the answer to America's net neutrality quandary," The Register, Feb. 8, 2019. Klint Finley, "Republicans in Congress are talking net neutrality, at least," Wired, Feb. 7, 2019. John Eggerton, "GOP House Members Offer Trio of Net Neutrality Bills," Multichannel News, Feb. 7, 2019. Shiva Stella, "Public Knowledge Opposes Net Neutrality Bills Weakening FCC’s Authority to Protect Consumers," Public Knowledge, Feb. 7, 2019. Harper Neidig, "House members hint at bipartisan net neutrality bill," The Hill, Feb. 7, 2019.