Only A Fool...

Only A Fool...

by Coast Watcher

There’s an old adage: Be careful what you wish for, it might come true.

So it is with all those who fervently hoped Joe Biden would win the 2020 US presidential election. Although Trump is still contesting the result, it’s clear that Biden is now president-elect. It’s possible that Trump and the Republican Party are dragging their feet over conceding the election because contractual debts to their hired media outlets will be lower if they can hold out until January 1, 2021. Otherwise, the debt-ridden Republican Party will have to shell out over $100 million it owes.

As I pointed out as the election results began to come in, Trump set the bar so low, and yet Biden failed to clear it easily. Says it all. Even a record high voter turnout failed to produce the clear winner people expected. Nobody except his ardent fans could get excited about the so-called Democrats’ latest nominee. The man who said "Nothing fundamentally would change," to a bunch of wealthy donors and offered nothing but the qualification that he’s "not Trump" doesn’t exactly set the world alight with his dynamism. And yet those who had such a dreadful fear of Trump can’t intuit that his replacement isn’t someone who’ll care much more about them, either.

As his veep, Biden has chosen Kamala Harris, a person with an equally appalling record when it comes to law and order issues in her home state of California. It was Harris who turned a blind eye to police brutality while she was the state's Attorney General. She happily used  underpaid felon firefighters to combat the deadly wildfires that afflict California every year. These prisoners risk their lives, yet are not even allowed to use their hard-won experience to get a firefighting job when they leave jail.

(But of course, the Dems squeal like a stuck pig if anyone dares to criticize Harris because, "She’s a woman and a person of color!" Seemingly the act of being female and non-white automatically nominates you to sainthood in the DNC. And yet, when Tara Reade accused Harris' running mate of sexual assault, the neolib #MeToo crowd becomes sadly silent or rudely declares, "She's making it all up. Joe wouldn't touch any woman against her will." A sexual assault charge obviously doesn't deny male Dems a sainthood.)

Biden’s transition team is already loaded with people who shouldn’t be trusted anywhere near public office, including a raft of lobbyists. He has spoken openly of choosing Republicans for his cabinet. (Remember Republican John Kasich at the Dems' convention?) What more proof does anyone need to show that the duopoly is nothing more than two wings of the same bird?

This so-called "democratic" party still feels it’s entitled to every vote from anyone with any shade of left-leaning politics, yet the party itself occupies the same political territory the Republicans held in the 1950s. It may make nice by throwing a few crumbs to its supporters, such as forgiving a few thousand dollars’ worth of student debt and making the ACA more palatable, but expect any such concessions to be abandoned or clawed back in short order at the request of big moneyed donors.

Remember, Mitch McConnell is still squatting in the Senate like a poisonous toad, ready to negate any attempts the Biden administration makes to pass legislation. This is because although the parties are a cigarette paper’s thickness apart when it comes to ideology, and the Republican faction really doesn’t care about public opinion. Perhaps being obnoxious in this way is their true function within the larger duopoly? They're the convenient excuse Biden will give when nothing his faction has promised happens?

It’s a common perception that this is a term when the so-called Democrats have to get things right, to show that they do care about  ordinary Americans, or they might as well abandon any pretense  and officially merge with the Republican Party. At that time, when all the wished-for Biden administration’s grand schemes fall apart, I shall tell all who wept with relief at Biden's election, "Only a fool believes everything coming out of the mouths of the Democrats. It's time to stop fooling yourself."

As Nick Brana from the Movement for a People's Party says:

It's only been a week and a half since Joe Biden was declared the winner and he has already packed his transition team with more than 40 current or former lobbyists. His chief of staff, Ron Klain, is a former asbestos industry lobbyist. His leading cabinet picks include fossil fuel lobbyist Ernie Moniz as Energy Secretary, Booz Allen Hamilton board member Michele Flournoy as Secretary of Defense, and Republican venture capitalist Mitt Romney for Health and Human Services Secretary. Biden hasn't even been sworn in and Wall Street already runs his administration.

Democrats re-elected Chuck Schumer as Senate Minority Leader. Nancy Pelosi is poised to become Speaker of the House again. Biden's likely pick for DNC Chair is former Podesta Group lobbyist Jamie Harrison. It’s clear that Biden and the Democratic Party have learned nothing from this election, just like they learned nothing from 2016, and that working people are in for four more years of the same heartless neoliberalism that gave us Trump in the first place. Except this time it's happening in the middle of a pandemic and the worst recession since the Great Depression.

Even with this mounting evidence, some will still claim that the Democrats are our "friends"? I say with friends like these who needs enemies? Only a fool denies the reality of the evidence. Big Business lobbyists are considered friends to the Biden  administration--and he's not denying this to be the case (more examples in the links below). 

True progressives know who their real enemies are and wisely learn to trust themselves above all others.

 

BIO: Coast Watcher sees the writing on the wall. It ain't pretty. Lots of folks are going to be disappointed in Biden, but a whole lot more people are going to be hurt by his neoliberal austerity policies and coddling of the fossil fuel industry. The "Not-Trump" option forced upon the voters this past election isn't going to pay off for anyone but the billionaires, so it's time for all good patriots to sharpen their pitchforks and get ready to march in the streets until things turn in our favor.

Lee asks Biden simple questions like, "We're in a pandemic, so what about Medicare for All?" and "Why not stop fracking, Joe?" and "Aren't you for the Green New Deal?" and gives us the answers straight from the horse's (or is it donkey's?) mouth. https://youtu.be/apiR4k-S_6k

Related links: 

Biden's Pick for Secretary of State (Tony Blinken, a conservative warhawk who supposedly influenced Biden to support the Iraq War.)  https://youtu.be/kdZWpmPEOuw

Billionaire Charles Koch Congratulates Biden And Says He Wants To Work Together "On As Many Issues As Possible"

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/11/13/daily-202-charles-koch-congratulates-biden-says-he-wants-work-together-many-issues-possible

Biden Just Appointed His Climate Movement Liaison. It's a Fossil Fuel Ally

https://www.jacobinmag.com/2020/11/joe-biden-climate-fossil-fuel-industry-cedric-richmond

Are You Kidding Me? (Erin Brokovich addresses the horror of Biden's EPA transition pick -- a DuPont Chemicals consultant)

https://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/66303-focus--dear-joe-biden-are-you-kidding-me

 No Good Choice: How The Two-Party System Fails Voters

https://www.leftvoice.org/no-good-choices-how-the-two-party-system-fails-voters

The Last Thing the Economy Needs is Joe Biden's Austerity

https://jacobinmag.com/2020/11/joe-biden-austerity-coronavirus-fiscal-conservatism-deficit-reduction 

Marijuana Reform Omitted From Biden Transition Plan on Racial Equity Despite Campaign Pledges

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/marijuana-reform-omitted-from-biden-transition-plan-on-racial-equity-despite-campaign-pledges/

 "What Was Your Normal?": Black Activist Goes Viral After Rejecting CNN Commentator's Claim That Things Will Go Back To "Normal" Because Biden Won The Election 

https://atlantablackstar.com/2020/11/10/we-still-have-to-do-the-work-black-activist-challenges-cnn-commentators-claim-that-things-will-go-back-to-normal-because-biden-won-the-election/

*** 

You've gotta have 20/20 vision to see who's  in charge nowadays!

If you agree that we can't just sit back, fall asleep, and let the neolibs/neocons destroy our country, our lives, and the planet, then please consider making a donation to keep The Revolution Continues going.  Donate at the Paypal.me link below. Thank you and Power to the People!

http://paypal.me/camatthews 

***

The promises made by the Biden campaign drew support from public education advocates across the nation. From those promises, we identified five K-12 priorities that must be kept at the forefront. Whomever the President-elect chooses to lead the Department of Education must be committed to those priorities as well. Send your email to the Biden team and tell them pro-public education promises must be met.

Keep Your Promises

Nearly sixty pro-public education groups have signed onto our five priorities webpage. These include national organizations as well as local grassroots parent groups. Please visit that webpage by clicking on the image below.

Make sure you send your email to the Biden team today. If you are a member of an organization that would like to sign on as a partner, please email me at cburris@networkforpubliceducation.org

Thank you for all you do!

Carol Burris

Executive Director, Network for Public Education

 ***

Bank of America is continuing to fund the destruction of the Arctic Refuge. It must stop financing oil drilling, now!

Sign Now

Right now, Bank of America remains the only major American bank that has not refused to fund dangerous oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge. The Arctic Refuge's vast coastal lands, boreal forests, and alpine tundra are home to a diverse array of species including polar bears, musk oxen, Arctic foxes, and the iconic Porcupine Caribou Herd. It's also vital to Indigenous communities who have made their home on these sacred lands for thousands of years. Drilling in the Refuge is a violation of Indigenous rights and an assault on the irreplaceable wildlife that rely on these lands for survival. As we face the increasingly horrific impacts of climate change — unprecedented wildfires, hurricanes, droughts, and floods — we have to face the facts. We are causing climate change, and we need to be transitioning over to clean, sustainable energy sources in order to reverse this trend. That's why every other large American bank, including Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, and Morgan Stanley, has changed their lending policies to exclude new drilling in the Arctic. Now we need Bank of America to do the same. Tell Bank of America that fossil fuels are a bad investment and to stop funding the destruction of the Arctic Refuge. Thank you for all that you do,   Miranda B. The Care2 Petitions Team P.S. Any expansion in the production of climate-torching fossil fuels is simply outrageous and reckless — especially in a sacred place like the Arctic Refuge. It's time for Bank of America to turn off the funding tap for these dirty energy corporations!

 

What Did You Expect?

Our guest blogger asks the obvious question after the fiasco in DC this past week. No, it's not, "What happened?" or even "What now?" but it's a great question. See if you don't agree with Redd's question and answer.

What Did You Expect?
By Redd Phlagg

The amount of whining and groaning emanating from social media platforms this past week has been beyond measure.  Even when I stick my fingers in my ears and hum loudly I can still hear: “We need witnesses! Why aren’t they allowing witnesses to be called? You can’t have a trial without evidence or witnesses, can you?”

And the worse moan of all: “I thought we were going to get rid of Trump. I believed this impeachment stuff was really going to work. Checks and balances, right? Why doesn’t the system work the way it’s supposed to?”

Taking my fingers out of my ears, I will now reply to your cries of bewilderment. My dear children, the system is working the way it’s supposed to. It has protected one of its own—a rich, white, cisgender male who owns lots of property. The system was created to protect these individuals and not the community as a whole.  

The system is working perfectly as it was designed because it’s fooled you into thinking it was “fair” and “balanced” all along. Am I right? If it were a system of fairness and balance, then ten years ago we wouldn’t have had the Citizens United ruling that states in effect, “Money is speech,” because that would mean the poor have no voice whatsoever in the affairs of our governance, and a “fair” system wouldn’t allow that sort of thing to happen. But it did, and it still does.
 
We are a nation of property laws. Property owners have rights. The more property you own, the more rights you have to use and abuse it as you see fit. The more money you have, the more influence you have on those who make and defend the property laws. Thus, you can mold and bend the law to work in the way that’s in your best interests. 

What does the Trump trial in the Senate have to do with property and wealth? Everything! Those senators didn’t get elected without a lot of money to campaign on, most of which came from Super PACs and billionaire donors. Most of those billionaires inherited their wealth from their family’s property or business and then used that seed money to buy even more property/natural resources and businesses to become even wealthier and more powerful. 

After all, if  “Money is speech” then billionaires have the most powerful speech on earth. These billionaires (and their boot-licking supporters) want to keep things the way they are so they can continue to prosper financially and have things their way. To allow the system to become “fair” overnight in order to punish a wrong-doer such as Trump would mean they could be next. And they can’t have that.

We poor folks might actually expect a “fair system” of government to hold billionaires hiding behind corporation logos accountable for not telling us about the climate warming potential of burning fossil fuels or the radioactivity caused by drilling and fracking for oil and gas. We poor folks might tell these “citizens with rights” that it’s their responsibility to clean up their messes and stop polluting our lakes and rivers with animal factory effluence and chemicals because we drink the water and we live here. 

But we can’t tell them that—we’re speechless without vast sums of money, remember? And it wouldn’t matter much if we could speak anyway. The current system of laws tells property-owners they don’t have to listen to us whiny poor folks. We can’t threaten their right to use and abuse their “property” such as our lakes, rivers and streams as they wish unless we want to be thrown into jail—which essentially what Ohio House Bill 33 and similar laws in nineteen other states say. It says that by protesting “infrastructure” (as defined by the property-owners and our property laws) we can be deemed “terrorists” and thrown into jail for a very long time. 

If laws like HB33 don’t shut down the speechless, this will: the federal Environmental Protection Agency loosened its laws recently that protected our waterways in order to help the property owners to use and abuse their property. Face it, everything belongs to the billionaires because they say so. Their puppets in the White House, courts, and statehouses do as they’re told with no questions asked because they’re salivating at the chance to own a piece of that property alongside their billionaire friends.

We have the right to sit in silence and take it up the backside if we agree to continue living under this system. We have the right to sit and moan about how “unfair” it is for our elected representatives to not allow a trial to go forward in the Senate against a corrupt president. But there’s one thing we don’t have the right to, and that is, we don't have the right to act ignorant that this was going to be the outcome all along.

What did you expect? A democracy? Wake up, America! You’ve never lived in one!

A democracy is where everyone’s rights are equal—the rich, the poor, the black, the white, the male, the female, the gay, the straight, the young, the old… Under our current laws and system of government, billionaire property owners are definitely “more equal” than either you or me.

As long as the corrupt duopolists remain in power, we will have more of the same. It’s why both establishment parties keep protecting the system at all costs and won’t allow any third parties to have a say so in it because—heaven forbid!--these independent-minded people might just want to institute democratic reforms, such as ranked choice voting.

But now is not the time to sit and moan—now is the time for all good people to come to the aid of their fellow countrypersons, to save the planet from the impending climate emergency, and to stop wishing for a different or “fair” outcome from the same corrupt system. 

Doing the same things over and over again and expecting a different outcome… You do realize that’s the definition of insanity, don’t you? 

Act sane. Act differently. Think outside the box. Create a better world.

BIO: Redd Phlagg's crystal ball predicts the future. No one believed Redd's prognostication that Trump would serve out the full length of his term outside of a prison cell, but once again Redd has been proven right. It's tough being right all the time says Redd, especially when it comes to how the corrupt system will reward people like Trump and his cronies, but there you go. When you vote for the lesser of two evils, evil always wins.

Related articles:

Corporations Would Literally Kill You To Turn a Profit
https://jacobinmag.com/2020/01/corporations-profit-values-murder-culture-boeing

The United States is a Nation Under Minority Rule, a Perversion of Democracy
https://mavenroundtable.io/theintellectualist/news/the-united-states-is-a-nation-under-minority-rule-a-perversion-of-democracy

Dems Getting Republicans to Run as Dems (video): https://youtu.be/S2e4H03lXIY

***

Freedom of Speech Isn't Free!

It's getting tougher with each passing day to express and share an opinion that doesn't jive with the status quo. Anti-progressive algorithms actively block this site and others like it from being found in online Google searches or posting widely on Facebook. Hence, readers can't find us or share us like they have in the past.

So, please share this blog with others and encourage them to do the same. Thank you. And if you're able, a donation to the cause would be appreciated. You can use the link below to do so swiftly and painlessly.

http://paypal.me/camatthews

We'll keep speaking out and sharing progressive news and views until they lock us up, and it's great to know you have our backs. Thanks again for your help in these trying times. Power to the people!

***

We should be making it easier for workers to claim the Social Security benefits they’ve earned with every paycheck, not harder. So why has the Trump administration proposed a new rule that’s designed to rip benefits away from hundreds of thousands of Americans with disabilities?

That’s the Republican strategy. Uphold capitalistic greed at the expense of working people.

While Social Security is best known as a retirement program, disability and survivor’s benefits are equally essential. That’s why we’re rallying with our allies across the country to fight back against this proposed rule change and save the lives of thousands of Americans.

Stand with us to stop the Trump administration’s cruel policy before it’s implemented.

SUBMIT AN OFFICIAL COMMENT

We know what the effects of the Trump proposal would be, because Ronald Reagan implemented a very similar benefit cut back for over 200,000 Americans in the 1980s. 

The New York Times reported that during the Reagan administration “people with obvious physical and mental disabilities” lost their benefits “without having been interviewed” by the Social Security Administration. This led to the loss of 21,176 lives of people who relied on their Social Security benefits to survive.

And, while Reagan was eventually forced to reverse his attack on Social Security after massive public outcry, the Trump administration is bringing back this cruel policy with no regard for history or human life.

The Trump administration proposal would require millions of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries to re-prove their eligibility for benefits as often as every six months—far more frequently than is currently the case.

Join CPD Action and allies like Social Security Works, the AFL-CIO, Demand Progress and more to fight back against the Trump administration’s brazen cruelty. Submit an official comment to the Social Security Administration to oppose the proposed rule change that will result in hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries losing their earned Social Security benefits.

We must stop Trump’s plan. The Social Security Administration is collecting comments on the proposal until January 31, at midnight. Click here to submit your official comment now.

Thank you for fighting back against attempts to undermine and destroy our Social Security system.

In solidarity, 

Jennifer Epps-Addison
Network President & Co-Executive Director, CPDA

*** 

We’re only a month into 2020 and it’s already been a crazy year. Between Trump almost taking us into a war with Iran, deploying Easy Fire Nukes, and circumventing diplomacy with nuclear-armed countries in favor of antagonistic threats — all while he has his finger on the nuclear red button — our small but mighty team is just as busy as ever. We can’t stress enough that activists like you are what keeps us going and why we will be successful in the fight to prevent nuclear violence. Here are your monthly actions to help win that fight.

Your action steps on No First Use:
Our main priority in 2020 is driving momentum toward No First Use legislation in Congress. There’s some easy steps you can take to show your representatives that you support No First Use and want them to as well.

1) Sign the petition for No First Use;
2) Share the petition with a friend;

3) Click to tweet in support of No First Use!

How you can prevent war with Iran:

On January 3, the U.S. killed the top Iranian commander, Qasem Soleimani, in a drone strike, representing a major escalation of a crisis manufactured by Trump. Then, Iran predictably retaliated against the U.S. by launching missile strikes at Iraqi bases housing American forces. While it’s good news that we have avoided a war thus far, our work is not yet over. Here’s what you can do to prevent an Iraq 2.0:

1) Sign and send the petition to call on Congress to not allow the U.S. to enter into a war with Iran;
2) Share the petition with a friend;
3) Follow our friends at the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), who are doing incredible frontline work to fight for the rights of Iranian-Americans and stop a war with Iran;
4) Click to tweet in support of #NoWarWithIran!

Uplifting the voices of impacted communities:
New year, same focus on centering the voices of frontline communities.
Rachel Traczyk, Fellowship Associate and former BombSquad fellow, has been focused on uplifting the forgotten stories of those directly impacted by nuclear weapons testing. In November, she visited the Trinity test site to bear witness to the damage done to the people and the planet by the first nuclear test to ever occur. Rachel also wrote this piece in Inkstick Media on the story of Cecilia Romero, a New Mexican Downwinder.

We will win through intersectional organizing:
We again joined the Women’s March as partners to raise our voices against war, nuclear weapons, and the patriarchy. Partnerships Manager Yasmeen Silva represented Beyond the Bomb at the Poor People’s Campaign day of action in Washington, D.C. this week to challenge the interlocking injustices of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, the war economy and the distorted moral narrative of religious nationalism. And don’t forget to join us for the Mass Poor People’s Assembly & Moral March on Washington June 20, 2020!

2020 is going to be a big year:

A reimagined anti-nuclear movement for the 21st century — led by young people and giving voice to those most impacted by nuclear violence — is rising. We need your help more than ever this year to fight for justice and raise awareness of the dangers of the undemocratic nuclear system.

This is why we’re starting off 2020 with a Make Love Not War campaign during the month of February! As we get closer to the 2020 election, we need to make sure every candidate and representative knows we’re putting our #FutureFirst, and breaking up with nuclear weapons. Stay tuned next week to see how you can get involved!

Donate to Beyond the Bomb

In solidarity,
The Beyond the Bomb team

 

The Special Relationship

More observations this week from an American Progressive Abroad. But first, a Brit-at-Large takes a closer look at the US and the UK and what is commonly called...

The Special Relationship

by Coast Watcher

It’s probably a coincidence that the two major Anglo-Saxon countries on Earth are undergoing a crisis at the moment. The United States is suffering from the Republican regime of Donald Trump and his Tea-bagger cronies. Social programs are being gutted or wound up across the board, leaving millions in the lurch. Jeff Sessions had Medicare and Medicaid firmly in his sights until his sacking right after the mid-term elections. The propaganda supporting government rape of the welfare systems is well under way. 

Even recent gains by the Democratic party in the House won’t suffice to pry the cold, dead grip of capitalism from control of the country. The party itself is firmly in the pocket of Big Business. In Ohio, the outgoing GOP-dominated state house is rushing through bills limiting abortions after six weeks and a Stand Your Ground gun rights legislation, both of which have caused so much death and misery in other states that have adopted them.

In Britain, the post-Brexit vote is causing all kinds of ructions in the country as Theresa May’s Conservative government grapples with finding a way of leaving the EU gracefully. The recent deal negotiated with the EU has left the country in turmoil and the deal comes in for severe criticism. Several prominent ministers and Members of Parliament have filed motions of no confidence in the Prime Minister with the chairman of the Conservative party. It looks like her tenure in No. 10 Downing Street will soon be at an end. 

Motions of no confidence in the Prime Minister usually force a general election. With the mood in Britain swinging firmly behind the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn, the whole Conservative government may soon be retired.

The American system of checks and balances was set up to prevent any one branch of government from becoming too powerful. It has failed. Big Business is in control. The British Parliamentary system has survived far worse crises than Brexit and will survive far more yet and still be responsive to the voter rather than Big Business—especially with a Labour government in charge.

Perhaps it’s time America abandoned its flawed experiment in democracy and returned to the parliamentary system of government the Founding Fathers rejected two hundred and forty two years ago.

BIO: Coast Watcher regularly compares and contrasts the systems of government and politicians in both the US and the UK and finds the current lot wanting. It's time for a change. Political revolution, anyone?

And now, the word on the street in everyday England...

Don't Many Americans Like Mr. Trump?

by C. A. Matthews 

"Don't many Americans like Mr. Trump?"

This question was asked by a friend's mother. She was sincere in her query, and after being in England for a week I can well understand her confusion.

Watching glimpses of the BBC and other British political television programs this past week, I see there's no reason why our friend's mum could realize just how unpopular Donald Trump is in the US or anywhere else in the world. I hate to break this to you, but British news sources are every bit as controlled (and the narrative carefully tweaked to support the status quo) as American media networks are.

Case in point: Prime Minister Theresa May and her own party's upcoming vote of no confidence in her leadership abilities. It sounds rather dire for Mrs. May, doesn't it? On a regional political news show, however, it was made to sound that the possibility of a general election being called wasn't that big of a deal. The P.M. would easily win again. Everyone in East Anglia (a Conservative stronghold) loves Theresa May and the Tory message on Brexit it appears. You would never know that there were dissenting viewpoints in the UK by watching their mainstream news programs.

Another example of how the Trump narrative has been spun by British media is coverage of the Trump Baby Blimp event from this past summer. Our friend and his mother both hadn't heard about the blimp. Sure, it flew over the skies of London and not near their small town (120 miles east of London), and they were probably busy with work and other activities, but still... The Trump Baby Blimp obviously didn't warrant a lot of press coverage in Theresa May's  Conservative stronghold, did it?

The lesson to be learned here is that censorship and media manipulation of public opinion is a  worldwide phenomenon. Many ordinary people are kept in the dark on purpose by the mass media. Outright lies to make the public think right-wing politicians are more popular and in tune with the majority than they are in reality is the order of the day. Corporate propaganda reigns supreme.

One last thing--I haven't heard any mention of Jeremy Corbyn on a newscast so far. Even with the small amount of telly I've watched I should have heard his name  at least once this past week, right? But if we've learned anything since 2016 in the US, it's this: If you don't mention your opposition then they simply don't exist, and how can voters support a person who doesn't exist?

Sound familiar, Berners?

My takeaway from all this is that we can't afford to sit back and wish for a big name newsreader to tell us what we need to know, when we need to know it. A free and fair mainstream media simply doesn't exist. So, why should we continue supporting the corrupt system that is?

Support as many independent journalists as you can while your ISP allows it. Get the facts minus the propaganda. The planet you save may well be your own.

 ***

A great place to find news you won't hear on the mainstream media--Beanstock's World Political Awakening Video Weekend. This past week's pick of the best of indie podcasts and videos was fantastic. Watch and learn a lot:

https://beanstocksworld.wordpress.com/2018/11/18/political-awakening-video-weekend-11-17-2018-21-videos/

***

From Rainforest Action Network:

You’ve heard for years that the Keystone XL pipeline would be a disaster for our climate… but do you know WHY we’ve fought it SO hard, for so long? I want to share some of the backstory with you here today.

So without further ado, allow me to present the 8 reasons.

Why We Fight KXL:

 

1. Climate Impact: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) just released a devastating new report revealing that if we don’t keep warming to 1.5 degrees, the consequences will be absolutely devastating for our future. In fact, it’s clear that we have to ACT NOW in order to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, and we have to keep ALL fossil fuels in the ground to achieve that. KXL would be responsible for as much carbon pollution as 37.7 million cars or 51 coal-fired power plants. 

Take Action Now!

 
2. Tribal Opposition: The KXL would cut directly through tribal lands, without their permission, and potential spills could devastate their water supplies, food sources and destroy sacred sites.

3. Social Impact: In tribal communities on the border of this project, Indigenous women have been murdered or gone missing. The tribes have had to start “safe house” campaigns in opposition of “man camps” by KXL workers.


4. Health Impacts: First Nation communities that live near tar sands mines and production sites have seen an increase in cancer, poor air quality and long term damage to fish, game and water quality.

5. Forest Destruction: Tar sands mining has directly impacted the Boreal Forest. Forest loss caused by tar sands development is projected to exceed 1,150,000 hectares over the next few decades. Studies show that disrupted habitat for endangered species will be at least 10 times that amount.

6. The Location: The Keystone Pipeline is supposed to bring tar sands oil down from Alberta, Canada all the way through the middle of America to Steele City, NE. That would connect Canadian tar sands all the way to the Gulf Coast. If KXL is completed, it would carry 830,000 barrels of tar sands to refineries each day.

7. Leaks & Spills: It’s not a question of if… The only question is WHEN will the pipeline leak, and how devastating will it be for Indigenous communities? TransCanada’s pipeline oil spill in 2017 was TWICE AS LARGE as originally believed. It spilled ANOTHER 9,700 barrels in South Dakota in April 2018.

8. Agriculture:  Farmers along the pipeline route fear that the irreplaceable underground water their livelihoods depend on would be contaminated by oil spills.

If these 8 reasons aren’t enough, try this one: the future of the KXL pipeline has a direct impact on YOUR quality of life and that of all of your loved ones.

 Please act now…. Before it’s too late.

In solidarity,
Ruth Breech
Senior Climate Campaigner
Rainforest Action Network

***

From the Sierra Club:

The climate alarms are getting louder, and the fires burning across my home state of California are the latest sign that we can’t wait for a new Congress and White House to face reality.

In order to stop the worst impacts of climate change, major corporations have to own their climate responsibility and make urgent changes. And no company has more money and influence to push for climate action than the largest investor in the world: BlackRock.

Send a message now: tell BlackRock to align their investments and practices with a climate-safe world!

Most people don't know what asset managers like BlackRock are, but they have quietly become the largest owners of the global economy and have enormous influence behind the scenes. The world's biggest asset manager, BlackRock, manages $6.4 trillion in assets and is one of the largest shareholders in most major companies. 

That also means that BlackRock is the largest investor in companies that are driving the climate crisis. In fact, BlackRock is the number one investor in new coal plant production, one of the largest investors in oil and gas, and the top US investor in companies destroying the world’s rainforests. BlackRock is also a top shareholder of many of the big banks that finance the development of new dirty fuels and pipelines.

Rather than using that leverage to push for strong climate action, BlackRock has let most of these companies off the hook. BlackRock lags behind some of its peers by refusing to divest or vote against the directors of the worst polluters,¹ by voting against shareholder proposals for climate action, and by offering no transparency into its own shareholder engagement practices.²

BlackRock has a big climate problem, but they also have a big opportunity to fix it. Their CEO, Larry Fink, says that he wants to be a climate leader and has been vocal about the need for greater corporate social responsibility.³ In his own words: “Every company must not only deliver financial performance, but also show how it makes a positive contribution to society.”

Right now, that's mostly talk -- but if enough of us raise our voices, BlackRock will have to square its actions with its leader’s words. It’s time for BlackRock and Larry Fink to put their money and power where their mouth is. 

Send a message to BlackRock now: be a true leader in the fight against climate change!

Thanks for all you do,
Ben Cushing
Beyond Dirty Fuels Campaign Representative
Sierra Club

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Sources:
[1] Ben Chapman, The Independent. Legal & General gets tough on companies not doing enough to tackle climate change. June 11, 2018.
[2] Kimberly Gladman, 50/50 Climate Project. Asset Manager Climate Scorecard 2018.
[3] Andrew Ross Sorkin, The New York Times. BlackRock’s Message: Contribute to Society, or Risk Losing Our Support. January 15, 2018.

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It's high time we ended this special relationship our government has with corporations...

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***

As families across the country prepare to gather with loved ones for the Thanksgiving holiday, lawmakers in Washington are preparing for the post-election ‘lame duck’ session, which could bring opportunities to protect and strengthen Medicare.

This and every Thanksgiving, we are thankful for Medicare. Tell your lawmakers why you are too, and ask them to prioritize Medicare, older adults and people with disabilities during the lame duck session by:

• Passing the Beneficiary Enrollment Notification and Eligibility Simplification (BENES) Act (S.1909; H.R. 2575), which would improve the Medicare Part B enrollment process; and
   
• Opposing any attempts to raise prescription drug costs for people with Medicare, including efforts to roll back recent Part D reforms.

Take Action

• Call your Members of Congress: Dial the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected with your Representative and Senators. Use these talking points to help guide your conversation or to leave a message.
   
• Amplify your Voice: Please share this alert widely and let others know why you’re thankful for Medicare, Medicaid, and the ACA.
   
• Learn More: Click here to read a summary of these issues from the Medicare Rights Center, and click here for insight from the Center for Medicare Advocacy on what to expect in the lame duck session and beyond.  ***

• 

  On Friday, Donald Trump announced that he’ll nominate Andrew Wheeler, acting head of the Environmental Protection Agency since Scott Pruitt was fired, to serve formally as the administrator. The main difference between “acting head” and “head” is critical for activists like you and me: Wheeler will need Senate confirmation.

  
  

  
  

  Tell your Senator: Vote NO on Wheeler's confirmation!

  
  

  
  

  What you need to know about Andrew Wheeler:

  
  

  • Wheeler spent most of the last decade at a DC lobbying firm representing the coal industry, including Robert Murray of Murray Energy, an old school coal baron who's consulting with Trump to save the coal industry, never mind the planet.
  • Prior to that, Wheeler worked for the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee under Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), a notorious climate denier.
  • Wheeler is shrewder than his predecessor Scott Pruitt -- he’ll avoid scandals involving mattresses, lotions, and soundproof booths -- but equally dedicated to dismantling the EPA’s entire regulatory system. And that makes him more dangerous than Pruitt.
  •  

  
  

  Here’s an example of Wheeler’s calculations. He’s trying to undo the mercury rule, the rule that required coal plants to add mercury “scrubbers” to their smokestacks. This rollback is so indefensible that even the coal-fired electric utilities have asked him not to undo this rule -- they’ve already spent the money and installed the scrubbers, so they can’t even claim that the regulation will cost them. And the rule has what EPA-folk call “ancillary benefits,” like public health. We fear he wants to undo the mercury rule to set a precedent that ancillary benefits shouldn’t be counted. In other words, public health won't ever matter one bit in Wheeler’s world. Just profits.

  
  

  
  

  We must stop Wheeler. And that means mobilizing climate hawks even before he's formally nominated.

  
  

  
  

  Even some Republican Senators, like the coal-fired electric utilities, are uneasy with a wholehearted embrace of mercury poisoning.

  
  

  Will you sign the petition today?

  
  

  
  

  Your fellow climate hawk,
  
  RL Miller

  
  

  Reference

  
  

  “The President's Coal Warrior,” Rolling Stone
  https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/andrew-wheeler-epa-fossil-fuel-agenda-755332/