The Revolution Continues blog is news, views, opinion and other expressions of hope from a leftist point-of-view. (We are not affiliated with any candidate, political party or organization. All are welcome.)
No doubt, it will be called the surveillance video of the century. Well, no one who is working class—or even upper middle class or whatever is the term for those who aren’t quite in the top one-percent of earners in the US—is going to forget it. If you have ever paid private health insurance premiums, co-pays, and deductibles, or filed for bankruptcy because of medical debt, or if you or your loved ones have ever been denied necessary health care by a private insurance company, then you will understand why so many are cheering over the gunning down of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a Manhattan sidewalk.
Thompson was a man already under suspicion of insider trading by the Department of Justice, a man who made well over $10 million yearly, a man whose estimated net worth was estimated at approximately $42.9 million as of February 16, 2024, according to Wallmine.com, and a man whose corporation, UnitedHealthcare, has become notorious for its 32% denial of claims, with a market cap of $561.15 billion, the world’s 16th most valuable company by market cap according to CompaniesMarketcap.com.
So, yeah, it couldn’t have happened to a “nicer” guy.
The internet is full of some of the best memes and quotes ever this week. The shooter is being called the “Adjuster” by some, since he acted as a “claims adjuster” of sorts. The upside of all this hullabaloo is that after a lull we’re once again seeing a familiar hashtag: #MedicareForAll
It doesn’t seem all that long ago that I was actively volunteering for a presidential candidate who touted Medicare For All...
To learn who this candidate was and more about the sickness of capitalism, please read the rest of this article by clicking on this Substack link: https://therevolutioncontinues.substack.com. There
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Subscribe to The Revolution Continues on Substack today! Power to the people!
I don't know about you, but I really hate telling folks, "I told you
so."
After penning last year's end-of-the-year article,2020: The Year That Wasn't, I held out some hopes for 2021. Surely I
thought we'd get a handle on this COVID-19 pandemic and turn a noticeable
corner sometime in 2021. We wouldn't be counting deaths worldwide in the
millions and the virus variants by the dozens. The drug manufacturers would gladly
share their vaccine formulas with our fellow human beings, and intelligent
people everywhere would willingly line up to receive a vaccination.
I even thought that we might--just might--see
some decent legislation or executive orders come out of the Biden White House. We desperately needed
leadership to force ICE and CBP to help asylum seekers reunite with their children rather than forcing them to "Remain in Mexico." We needed leadership to end blatant racism against Haitian immigrants. If we were lucky, the Squad would
push Biden "left" and pass Medicare For All to help Americans without
health care. Heck, he might even do as his promised on the campaign trail and
end the suffering of so many burdened with overwhelming student loan debt.
Instead, 2021 turned out to be just as candidate Joe Biden said it would, when he announced what his presidency would be like when compared to Trump's: Nothing would fundamentally change.
Ironic, isn't it? It's the only thing he's been right about so far.
I won't go on about how Americans still don't have universal health care,
in spite of living through a pandemic of biblical plague proportions. We don't
have universal basic income, either, in spite of record unemployment,
under-reported as usual especially for women, the young, and people of color. Student loan repayments will start up again in the new
year.Eviction moratoriums have ended.
The
Biden Administration has some serious problems with arithmetic, too. They early
on promised everyone a "$2000 check" but only paid out $1400 so far. Even
those of us who can't balance a checkbook can tell you those two numbers
aren't the same.
Nothing has fundamentally changed.
They said they'd stop the war in Afghanistan, and yet they passed a
record-breaking military budget this year. (Mercenaries and some American
military personnel will remain in Afghanistan, so it's war by another name.) We're
"updating" our nuclear arsenal, as if having more nuke power than necessary
to wipe out all life on the planet isn't enough. Trump's saber-rattling carries
on from 2020 in regards to China and then Russia and then China again and then
Russia again and then…
Worse yet, this mantra is the stinky
attitude one gets from the establishment and their billionaire pals. They're
fine with things not changing. They're not worried about millions more dying
from a preventable illness like COVID-19. They're happy to make sh*t-loads of money from trading in shares in Big Pharma and buying up the homes that have been
foreclosed on this year in order to force us to rent our previous abodes from landlords later.
And war and the environment? Hey, if drone bombing innocents and endlessly fracking oil
makes a profit, why would you ever stop? Am I right?
Nothing has fundamentally changed.
If there's one New Year's resolution I'd like to make--and work hard to
keep--it's this: Things will fundamentally change in 2022. They have to or else
we'll all wind up dead.
Fundamental change won't necessarily come via the voting booth. Unless you're
open to voting for third party candidates, who boldly profess radical
ideas like ending wars for oil, instituting Medicare For All, and legislating free schooling from pre-K through college, then
I wouldn't worry too much about voting. Voting for the "lesser evil" or
"any red or blue will do" just creates more evil that our world doesn't want or need. Blindly accepting only two choices to vote for--choices blessed by billionaire capitalists--guarantees "nothing will
fundamentally change-ism" will continue.
Change could happen in the
streets, through online activism, by knocking on doors, or through a combination of
these activities and more. But somehow, change must come. We've got to change things fundamentally
this coming year of else there might not be a 2023 to look forward to in
another 365 days.
Be the change you dream of. Fundamentally. And we hope to see you again here next year. Stay safe!
Second Thought is an excellent podcast. This recent video focuses on how "Feel Good Stories" are used to distract us from the true horrors of our corrupt system. Watch and think about what you can do to bring about fundamental change. https://youtu.be/Sck8xNicy5o
End of the year pleading: Donate a buck or ten to help keep the lights on and the editor sane via this link http://paypal.me/camatthews Thank you.
***
Talking with family members who don’t agree with you over the holidays is hard. And sadly, immigration can be one of the topics that gets most heated.
We’ve all had those tense, uncomfortable conversations with loved
ones, and now there’s an extremely helpful resource to help shift
dinner-table conversations from confrontational to productive.
These conversations can be hard, but no one has to tackle them alone.
In this guide, there are five simple sections to help center a conversation about immigration in compassion and commonsense:
Tips for talking about hard topics
Common misconceptions about immigration and how to respond
Facts about what’s really happening
How to take action
Additional resources for further research
Ending family separation is a huge task, and it’s going to take a
collective effort, from huge mobilizations to individual conversations
with the people closest to us.
Every one of us has the tools to change the hearts
and minds of our family and friends, and each individual conversation is
a part of the larger national shift needed to ensure safety for
immigrant families and children.
We believe that to learn and grow, we need to be brave. We must end
detention and family separation for good – and it all starts with what
we’re talking about at home.
Thanks for all you do,
Tovia Siegel, Organizer
Families Belong Together
P.S. Let me know how any brave conversations go, and send over any suggestions to help improve the guide! Simply email me at info@familiesbelongtogether.org.
***
We’re
about to have a constitutional crisis. In the next few months, the
Supreme Court is going to overturn or undermine 50 years of precedent in
Roe v. Wade, and yet the leadership of the Democratic party seems to give it a big ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
Everyone
should be very, very alarmed that our current Supreme Court is an
existential threat to our rights and every progressive priority.
The
ultra conservatives Supreme Court Justices are nothing more than
right-wing politicians in robes—and the American people know that.
Recent polls show the Supreme Court is the most unpopular it’s been in
decades, and a majority of Americans no longer believe the justices are
deciding cases on the merits. The Court derives its legitimacy from the
people, and it’s clear that the American people no longer believe this
stolen Court is legitimate.
The
conservatives on the court have already told us that they’re not just
coming after our human right to abortion access and to determine our own
reproductive lives. They have their sights on Obergefell v. Hodges, immigration, and voting rights.
We
can stop them from literally destroying our democracy by adding 4 seats
to the Court by passing the Judiciary Act of 2021. This is the only
practical, proportional response to Republicans’ theft of the Court and
the only way to restore its balance and integrity.
In a near-future dystopian world, hope blossoms where mutual aid and democracy begins...
Zonta’s
world is turned upside down when Jake arrives at the commune to
investigate the disappearance of agents of the Authority. Can she
persuade him to switch sides before the Protectors (antifascist
fighters) take action?
It's almost like I've traveled in back in time and arrived in 1930s Italy or Germany. However, this time around the disintegration of society's morals has a distinctly American flavor to it. You can almost taste the apple pie and hot dogs mixed in with the bitter tears of those who are suffering.
Independent journalist Abby Martin's excellent video interview of Pulitzer Prize winner Chris Hedges summarizes the fear and dread that I--and many others--currently share whenever we scan the headlines. Anyone who has even a passing interest in history can readily see the pattern of fascism developing in the US and elsewhere. Is it just a coincidence that Brazil is under the control of strongman Jair Bolsonaro at the same time Trump is anointed king on Wall Street's throne (a.k.a. the Oval Office)?
Is it a coincidence that "Liberal Saviour" Justin Trudeau of Canada turned out to be as big (if not bigger) a supporter of dirty tar sands oil pipelines than either Obama or Trump? Is it any coincidence that whistleblowers such as Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden are hounded, imprisoned and tortured for simply telling the truth about what's really happening in the world? Is it coincidental that recently revealed reports prove Big Oil giant Exxon kept its global warming fears to itself? Just another coincidence that chemical companies like Monsanto and opioid manufacturers like Purdue Pharma kept knowledge of severe cancer risks and addiction potential of their products to themselves?
I think not. Those who are truly in control don't believe in coincidence--they believe in taking opportunities and in the power of accumulating massive amounts of wealth. They believe in exercising the power of the militarized police state to get whatever resources they want and locking up any dissenters and shutting them up for good. We might not be invading Poland, but we are annexing the Sudetenland--or at least the modern day version of it in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Bolivia, Venezuela...
The pattern once seen cannot be unseen. Every headline, every news story--national, international or local--seen through the blood-tinted glasses of fascism screams at us. They point the finger back at us and ask, "Why are you allowing this evil to grow? What steps are you taking to stop it?"
How can a local news story demonstrate fascism you ask? From my own experience, one story instantly comes to mind, the fight to pass the Lake Erie Bill of Rights. It's a story about saving the environment by passing a bill to stop the polluting of the drinking water supply not just for one city, but for upward of 11 million souls. With very little money or power, the people fought hard to get the measure on the ballot, and they finally did. And it passed!
But those with unlimited funds and access to both state and federal legislators and agencies have used a corrupt judiciary to thwart this citizens' initiative at every possible turn. Both state and federal Environmental Protection Agencies refuse to outlaw the indiscriminate dumping of animal factory farm (CAFO) manure and fertilizers, along with other toxic industrial wastes, into Lake Erie's watershed because it might cut into the vast profits of Big Ag/Big Oil corporations.
Our government's objectives are quite clear. Money is everything. Human health and safety are not. The ruin of the local environment or the entire planet doesn't matter. Mussolini labeled fascism "corporatism" for very good reasons.
The almighty petro-dollar is placed on a pedestal to be worshiped and glorified by all. Is it any wonder we lock up little children stolen from their families seeking asylum without a thought? Private adoption agencies, such as the one Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has an interest in, see a huge money-making potential here. Is it any wonder we create for-profit prisons? Locking up our poor neighbors of color on overblown charges of marijuana use guarantees jails full of free slave labor. Is it any wonder we are chipping away at the civil rights of LGBTQ persons and forcing women into back alleys for abortion care? And what about the Patriot Act that was recently and quietly extended again? Protecting the people's civil rights just gets in the way of the profit machine, don't you know...
I've stated more questions than answers, but the pattern of the questions will reveal the answer to you. Fascism explains it all. So, now that I've opened your eyes to this malevolent pattern of behavior rampaging throughout our society, what will you do? Will you continue to ignore it and cooperate with it?
Immorality is easily enshrined in legality. Don't ever confuse the word "moral" with "legal."
Be moral. Act justly. Fight back. After all, it could be you or your loved one who is marched off to the gas chambers some day. Don't think history doesn't repeat itself. It can and it is.
Apache Leader begins spiritual journey home to protect Sacred Land from Extraction
On Thanksgiving Day (and National Day of Mourning,) former chair of
the San Carlos Apache, Wendsler Nosie Sr, left their reservation and began his return to the Apache holy site of Oak Flat (Chi'chil Bildagoteel) in Arizona.
Oak Flat is under threat of destruction by Resolution Copper, a joint
venture owned in part by Rio Tinto, one of the largest metal and mining
companies in the world. Wendsler, with the blessings of the Apache Stronghold,
has decided that he will not leave the sacred site until it is
protected, and his tribe's Constitutional and moral rights to religious
freedom are respected, even if it means losing his life. National
Co-Chair and President of Repairers of the Breach, Rev. Dr. Barber,
along with Rev. John Mendez, Rev. Dr. Robin Tanner, and Ms. Yara Allen
were present as he started this journey home.
In the Apache tradition, the waters at Oak Flat are the source of all
life. Generations of Apache have come to pray for thousands of years at
this most holy site. After years of unsuccessful negotiations and a
corruption scandal that landed an Arizona Congressman in prison,
Resolution Copper was given the rights to mine Oak Flat as part of a
last-minute rider that then-Senator John McCain added to the 2014
Defense Spending Bill. To process the copper ore, the proposed
extraction would use 6.5 billion gallons of water annually - as much
water as a small city - which would then be polluted with sulfuric acid.
These operations would replace the holy ground with a gaping crater,
two miles wide and one thousand feet deep.
The only thing standing between Resolution Copper and the mining
rights they have already been granted is an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS). The EIS must be certified by the federal government
before private companies can begin mining public lands. During the
required public comment period on the EIS, Wendsler argued that, while
the environmental impact of this proposed project would be devastating,
the bigger issue is in fact religious liberty.
In a joint statement with the current San Carlos Apache Chairman
Terry Rambler, Wendsler wrote, “the Oak Flat Draft Environmental Impact
Statement does not address the current religious significance and the
value given to Oak Flat by the Apache people, Yavapai people, Aravaipa
and many others...Native American Religion has been excluded from the
areas of concern and value.” However, the U.S. Forest Service has
refused to consider the Apache's religious freedom claim in its EIS. Two
weeks ago, Wendsler and a delegation from the Apache Stronghold went to
Washington D.C. to meet with the U.S. Forest Service and deliver the
statement of his intent to return to Oak Flat. They were joined by Rev.
Barber, Rev. Theoharis and a delegation of multi-faith clergy. Rev. Dr. Barber, Wendsler Nosie Sr. and Rev. Mendez on the day of Wendsler's departure.
Rev. Dr. Barber was introduced to Wendsler seven years ago by Rev.
Mendez, who has been engaged with the Apache Stronghold for over twenty
years. Since then, they have built a relationship across faith, race,
issues, and geography, to find common ground in this sacred and moral
struggle.
Wendsler is a member of the National Steering Committee of the Poor
People’s Campaign. Along with a delegation from the San Carlos Apache,
he joined the December 4th, 2017, official launch of the Campaign in
Washington D.C. And in June 2018, following a sacred journey connecting
with indigenous people across the country, the San Carlos Apache joined
the Campaign in Washington D.C. for the 40 Days of Action. There on
Capitol Hill, Vanessa Nosie, Wendsler's daughter, spoke to the
conditions they had witnessed on their journey. The
Poor People’s Campaign now calls on all of the people in our movement
to support the Apache Stronghold in their struggle for religious freedom
and the right to their sacred lands at Oak Flat.
In Rev. Barber’s and Rev. Theoharis’ words, “As Christian
ministers who are committed to the freedom of religion for all people,
we call on all people of faith to stand with Wendsler Nosie and the
Apache Stronghold before it is too late. To preach the resurrection of
Jesus is to proclaim that no one and no one’s tradition must be
crucified for the greater good. We can protect the waters, protect Oak
Flat, and still have enough resources for every family in this land to
flourish. The history of terrible violence this nation has committed
against indigenous people from the Trail of Tears to Standing Rock is a
reminder that the apocalypse Nosie goes home to face is a real
possibility. But it is not a necessity. We pray Americans will act to
show genuine gratitude for the original stewards of this land and their
religious freedom. We join our brother, Wendsler Nosie, in the call to
save Oak Flat.” Support this critical struggle by signing the petition and please consider making a donation to the Apache Stronghold at this pivotal moment.
Forward together, not one step back!
Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival
***
The petition to Congress reads: "Stop the Trump administration's gutting of the Endangered Species Act. Pass the PAW and FIN Conservation Act of 2019."
Add your name:
The bald eagle, beluga whale, whooping crane and American grey wolf.
All could be a distant memory if the Trump administration's heartless
and greedy extinction plan remains in effect. Earlier this year, despite massive public opposition – including by
CREDO members and our progressive allies – Trump and his minions pushed
through dangerous regulations to gut the Endangered Species Act, open up
protected areas to fossil fuel development and line the pockets of big
polluters. Progressive champion Rep. Raul Grijalva recently introduced critical
legislation called the PAW and FIN Conservation Act of 2019 that would
repeal these rule changes.1We must demand that
Congress immediately pass this bill to stop Trump's handout to the oil
and gas industry and protect and recover precious, threatened wildlife. Tell Congress: Save the Endangered Species Act. Click here to sign the petition. Since it was enacted in the 1970s, the ESA has been wildly successful
in protecting endangered species on the brink of extinction.2
More than 99% of all species listed on the ESA have been saved,
including the iconic bald eagle, American alligator, Florida manatee and
grizzly bear.
Yet, under Trump's extinction plan, decades of hard-fought victories
to protect hundreds of endangered and threatened species could be
completely wiped out. Despite the overwhelming success and support for
the Endangered Species Act – more than 90% in one recent poll and more
than 800,000 public comments in opposition to these rollbacks – the
Trump administration is again ignoring science and public opinion to
enrich its friends in the fossil fuel and extractive industries.3,4 At a time when climate change and other threats are wiping out
species across the globe at an alarming rate, now is the time to
strengthen the ESA, not weaken our ability to protect vulnerable
wildlife and allow Big Oil to continue to exacerbate the climate crisis.
It's clear that the Trump administration won't stop until the Endangered Species Act is completely eviscerated. Please
join us now urging Congress to pass this crucial legislation before
it's too late. Click the link below to sign the petition:
