We Have To Fundamentally Change

 We Have To Fundamentally Change 

(What Are You Celebrating?)

Why should any American "celebrate" the results of this presidential election?

Many Americans are facing looming evictions and downsizing due to the pandemic, while the number of Covid cases increases daily, the death toll mounts, and many more are without affordable health care than ever before. And our president-elect has openly said he will veto any Medicare For All bill that crosses his desk--if one even gets that far.

If "nothing would fundamentally change," according to Mr. Biden, then it will be up to us--we have to fundamentally change. We have to become braver and more willing to take on the fixed, corrupt system and break it wide open. We can't let things remain static, unchanged, when our very lives and the fate of our planet stand in the balance.

Some have already started planning how they will bring about fundamental, progressive change and ask you to join them in their efforts: https://howiehawkins.us/keepfighting/

The general mood in the "Twitterverse" among true progressives about the results of this election cycle has been somber. The following examples illustrate their concerns and frustrations:

Ryan Knight (@ProudSocialist) tweets: Joe Biden is a neoliberal corporatist who has spent 47 years propping up our corrupt system. He is not a savior.

Dr. Jill Stein (@DrJillStein) tweets: Nice to hear speeches without the racist abuse of the past 4 years. But not a word of commitment to real solutions for the crises killing us - like M4A, Covid relief, a long-term eviction moratorium at the least. Platitudes don't make me want to celebrate.

A paraphrase of several good tweets: 

Sorry if I'm not quite as enthusiastic as you are that the proud author of the 1994 Crime Bill that has incarcerated thousands of Americans (especially those of color) and the backer of the US Iraq War that has caused huge loss of life in that country, as well as PTSD in American service personnel, is now in charge. Those sorts of things, and the people who are proud of their involvement in them, just don't appeal to me very much.

Jimmy Dore says, "Trump loses! Now what?"  It's a serious question. And he stresses, "We need an independent media that pushes politicians, not protects them." Listen to his valid complaints in the following video.

 https://youtu.be/gSYQYGAhcEQ

 Pulitzer Prize-Winner Chris Hedges puts it eloquently in his essay, American Requiem:

Well, it’s over. Not the election. The capitalist democracy. However biased it was towards the interests of the rich and however hostile it was to the poor and minorities, the capitalist democracy at least offered the possibility of incremental and piecemeal reform. Now it is a corpse. The iconography and rhetoric remain the same. But it is an elaborate and empty reality show funded by the ruling oligarchs — $1.51 billion for the Biden campaign and $1.57 billion for the Trump campaign — to make us think there are choices. There are not. The empty jousting between a bloviating Trump and a verbally impaired Joe Biden is designed to mask the truth. The oligarchs always win. The people always lose. It does not matter who sits in the White House. America is a failed state.

https://scheerpost.com/2020/11/05/chris-hedges-american-requiem/

On Facebook, a local activist voiced well what many are feeling this week:

Why I Will Not Be Celebrating the Election Results

by Sean Nestor

I will celebrate when single payer healthcare is enacted and people can receive medical treatment without it ruining their lives. I will celebrate when qualified immunity is ended, the police are demilitarized, and law enforcement offices aren't let off the hook for executing black people in the streets. I will celebrate when the concentration camps at our borders are closed down and migrant families are no long split apart and children no longer disappear into human trafficking rings. I will celebrate when we see a full troop withdrawal from the Middle East and we start using our tax dollars to fund much-needed domestic programs  instead of killing innocent people abroad.

If you think the Biden/Harris administration is going to do any of that, you're either uninformed or dishonest. Nothing in their campaign rhetoric nor their time in public office suggests that those will happen without borderline revolutionary activity from the public. And in the spirit of honesty, the vast majority of Democrats, in spite of the memes they share, are ready to go to brunch for the next four or eight years because Trump is gone.

I know this because I remember 2008 very clearly. At the time, we had two terms of a monster President who drug us into two costly and unnecessary wars, grew the police state in the name of counter-terrorism, and bailed out Wall Street on the back of working people everywhere. People bragged about voting for inanimate objects over Bush, as though lowering the bar like that was something to be proud of.

What we got starting in 2008 was eight years of "At least he's not Bush!" and a climate of shushing anyone who dared criticize the Democrat for not doing enough to address the real problems that were growing around him. Everything that was an outrage when Bush did it became defensible or just swept under the rug when Obama did it. I was practically spit on when I criticized Obama's continuation and expansion of military action in the Middle East, or his ramping up of deportations, or his refusal to promote single payer while supposedly tackling healthcare reform.

Well, that climate brought us Trump. In another four or eight years, mark my words, it will bring us someone even worse.

Cue the hand-wringing and frustrated pleas about the powerlessness of Democrats under a Republican Senate. Look--if Democrats can raise billions of dollars and organize tens of millions of people all over the country to vote someone into office, they can do the same to enact single payer healthcare or eliminate the electoral college or a major nationwide gerrymandering reform or something meaningful to change this country, regardless of the Senate's disposition. That's what politics are for.

Politics are all about figuring out how to enact policy in spite of obstacles, not pointing out obstacles and adjusting your standards accordingly. There is an extremely disgusting culture in the Democratic Party of competing over whose standards are lowest, giving up on ideals immediately and invoking some trite rhetoric about the importance of compromise in politics. But their compromise is always with Karl Rove or Steve Bannon and never Michelle Alexander or Aviva Chomsky. It's a lie comfortable people tell themselves to justify their own laziness and lack of compassion.

My standards are human rights standards, and I'm not lowering them come hell or high water. Call me privileged or elitist, but I'm not celebrating until I know for sure that we've genuinely protected the vulnerable minorities that are constantly preyed upon by this nation's governments.

I know victories are few and far between, and the temptation is high to celebrate them even when they are hollow, so I don't judge or begrudge anyone who wants to express their pleasure at the end of the Trump nightmare. I sincerely hope it provides you with relief and healing. But please don't repeat history and pretend like any of this marks a sea change in our country's politics. We seriously cannot afford a repeat of the smugness and complacency that brought us Trump, because at this trajectory, we're going to get a Trump again before we know it.

"The struggle of people against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting." --Milan Kundera

"Let them call me rebel and welcome, I feel no concern from it; but I should suffer the misery of devils, were I to make a whore of my soul." --Thomas Paine

 ***

 From Friends of the Earth:

Joe Biden will be our next President -- and he’s starting to fill powerful positions within our government. Take action to reject corporate lobbyists for key nominations.

Every President in recent memory has filled their government with appointees with close ties to large corporations. When corporate cronies are in government agencies and in the Cabinet, it provides them with the means to undermine protections Americans count on. Instead of considerations for the people, they favor rollbacks and giveaways for big business.

Pressure from people like you can stop the Senate from confirming corporate cronies for these positions. That’s why we’re asking you to demand our elected officials oppose the confirmation of any more corporate lobbyists.

Take Action: Demand the Senate reject corporate lobbyist appointees.

Sign Now

Biden will need to fill thousands of government positions -- from the head of the EPA to deputy secretaries at over a dozen agencies. These appointees have power to implement our environmental protections.

Look at what happened under Trump -- he appointed, and the Senate confirmed, fossil fuel lobbyist David Bernhardt to the Department of the Interior. Bernhardt has overseen huge giveaways of our public lands to benefit the fossil fuel industry.

The vast majority of Americans agree that large corporations have too much power. We need your help to change that!

Sign the Petition: No more conflicts of interest that benefit big business. No more corporate appointees.

Sign Now

Our elected officials must reject appointees with direct ties to big business. But without hearing from concerned American’s like you, C.A., they might not act.

Don’t let nominees with ties to mega-corporations make key decisions for the people. Demand corporate executives and lobbyists not be confirmed to any appointee positions.

25,000 Signatures still needed: Fight to reduce corporate power. 

Sign Now

Standing with you,
Ariel Moger,
Legislative & political coordinator,
Friends of the Earth Action

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Stand For Something!

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Would You Have Lunch With This Guy?

 

Would You Have Lunch With This Guy*?

by C.A. Matthews

*(The word "guy" here is being used in a Midwestern dialect way of indicating a neutral gender. It applies to all genders, as in the typical parent's statement: "What are you guys doing in there? Starting a world war?" "They/their/theirs" are also being used to indicate a singular pronoun in this article in a non-gender specific manner.)

Some voters agonize over their choices on the ballot. Others simply allow others to do all the thinking and choosing for them. Most lie somewhere in between, and this time out the agonizing seems to have edged out the other mindless method. This is a good and healthy move in the right direction, in my opinion. I'll explain why.

As many comedians have said in recent times: "Americans are routinely given the choice between Shit Sandwich #1 and Shit Sandwich #2 in their elections. Which one do you really wanna eat?"

Ugh. I wouldn't want to eat any sandwich with that as its filler. Would you?

Which leads me to presenting this simple way of making those agonizing voting decisions--I call it the "Would You Have Lunch With This Guy?" method of making up your mind. This method works equally well for deciding who you'd like to date, who you might want to eventually marry, or which person to pick to be on your work or school project. It goes as follows:

Close your eyes and picture a person/candidate you're interested in voting for (dating/working with) sitting across from you at lunch. It can be lunch at your favorite coffee shop, bistro, or your own kitchen table--wherever you feel the most comfortable. The lunch has been provided, so no stress there. The interruptions have been minimized and there's no outside interference allowed. You have this person's undivided attention, and they are ready to answer all your questions truthfully and without guile.  Ask them your questions and make note of their responses and then thank them for lunch and let them mentally depart.

Got it? Okay, open your eyes now and do some thorough research on the answers this person/candidate has given you. For political candidates, don't just go with one or two casual sources--and don't just go with the candidate's propaganda sources (i.e., their campaign staff and the mainstream media). Check out some good independent reporting resources such as The Real News Network, The Grayzone, The Rational National, or The Humanist Report. In your mind's eye, did this candidate answer the same or differently than what has been documented about their policy positions in these publications/podcasts?

If the candidate answered differently in the past from what you imagined they'd tell you over lunch, do you think you might have "put words in their mouth" hoping they would come off better than they appear to be in reality? Did you really want them to be a decent human being, but the evidence isn't quite there? It's okay if you've caught yourself trying to make this guy a better person--less of a bore, less of a player, less of plagiarizer, less of a liar, cheater or blamer. It's a natural habit most of us have, trying to make others into something better than they really are so we can congratulate ourselves for being smart enough to vote for (or date/marry/work with) them. But, in the long run, you have to admit that it's not a wise move to let our habits guide us in these important decisions.

I assume that most realize putting words or ideals into a political candidate's mouth isn't going to serve us or our fellow citizens very well down the road. The candidate won't be able to live up to our lofty goals, and so we're bound to be disappointed. It probably okay to be disappointed if all we wished for is for our Town Hall to be painted purple, and the candidate ended up having it painted beige instead.  But if you desperately wished that a chosen candidate wouldn't start a senseless war to appropriate the oil, lithium, rare earth minerals or other resources from another country, and the guy goes right ahead and does that (because it makes Big Business and the Military-Industrial Complex happy and profitable), then that's a different story. Lives are at stake and lives--especially innocent ones--could be lost in starting a war or allowing violent conflict to ensue. These lost lives might include some of your loved ones.

Another thing to keep in mind is that once you've chosen a candidate (or slept with your date) you can't take it back. Uh-uh, it doesn't work that way. Remember the old adage: "Once they've got the milk for free, why would they buy the cow?" For political candidates this means that once the guy has gotten what they wanted out of you (you've cast your ballot for them) there's no reason for them to do anything else for you ever again. You have no leverage if you've given any candidate what they wanted (a vote or sex) for free. You cannot force them to change their mind or ways at this point.

Giving away your vote unwisely can prove problematic in many ways. Say you desperately want a particular candidate to modify their position on universal health care because you and your family are without any kind of health coverage. Why would a candidate give you and yours Medicare For All if the guy openly states they're going to veto any M4A bill that comes across their desk after they take office? Take the guy at their word--if they hate the idea of Medicare For All now, they won't support it later. You best bet is to move on and check out other candidates and vote for one whose platform matches your need for health care.

And don't be afraid to ask yourself this: Is this the guy I want to have lunch with in the first place? Be honest with yourself. Don't let others do your thinking for you. It's not their lives at stake here--it's yours. If you find another political candidate who answers your questions over "lunch" and in the media in a manner you agree with, perhaps this is the guy you should vote for and not your first pick. (Hint: There is a presidential candidate who supports Medicare For All and for ending of all wars for oil/resources. You can write this guy's name in if he's been blocked from your ballot, too. You're always free to think outside the "box" of the status quo. Don't be afraid to exercise your freedom!)

Another important area to consider whenever making a life-changing decision is long-term compatibility. You'll have to live with the results of your decision, and you'll want to make it a strong and lasting one to be proud of. So, would you have lunch with a guy who would do things you don't approve of for ethical or moral reasons? If not, then why would you vote for (date/marry/work with) this candidate?

If you can't even picture yourself sitting alone in a room with this guy long enough to have a casual business lunch, it should set off the warning bells in your brain right there. Is there a "creep factor" about this candidate? Do they have a history of sexual assault or physical/verbal/psychological abuse? Do they make you feel uneasy?

Be honest here: If you can't picture yourself having lunch with a person, then why would you feel comfortable having them represent you in government or potentially walk down the aisle with you or work with you to get ahead at work/school? Why would you want to link your destiny with theirs?

I hope these tips help you at the voting booth or while marking your absentee ballot (or deciding who to go on a date with or work with). If only more people were brutally honest with themselves and refused to fall for empty campaign rhetoric and the manipulations of others with decidedly different agendas, what a happier world it would be. We might even all enjoy a free lunch together sometime.

Bon appetit!

***

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons has reached the 50-state ratification threshold for entry into force. Its signatories have demonstrated their commitment to the elimination of the most dangerous weapons ever created, and their belief in the power of committed organizers working with international institutions to forge a path toward a safer, more peaceful world.

Beyond the Bomb recognizes that our fight is the same fight, our goal the same urgent, deeply consequential goal, and we applaud their achievements.

As more nations of the world add their voices to the chorus demanding the elimination of nuclear weapons, however, we recognize that it is the nuclear-armed countries — none of whom have signed the Treaty, and many of whom have publicly rebuked it — that must take the first steps down the path to zero. As long as these countries believe that nuclear weapons are essential for their security, no amount of external pressure will shake their commitment to maintaining their arsenals. But, as more and more people around the world take up the cause of delegitimizing these arsenals, we must hold nuclear-armed nations to account. The case must be made that not only are these weapons profoundly immoral and unacceptable, they are an urgent existential threat to national and human security.

As one of many in the fight to eliminate nuclear weapons and prevent nuclear use, Beyond the Bomb remains committed to working with the US public and policy makers to drive toward No First Use – a critical, trust building policy declaring that the US will not start a nuclear war. We believe a global norm of No First Use will facilitate the phased, verifiable elimination of all nuclear weapons and that the US is in a unique position to lead the way among nuclear-armed nations.

Disarmament is as ambitious a goal as it is an essential step to securing humanity’s future. Today, we celebrate the achievements of others in this fight and reinforce our commitment to the difficult work that lies ahead.

In solidarity,
Cecili and the Beyond the Bomb team

*** 

From JVP Action:

I saw the news that Elan Carr, the U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, was pressuring the State Department to slander trusted human rights organizations like Oxfam, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International as antisemitic because of their work for Palestinian rights.

Make no mistake: this maneuver has nothing to do with Jewish safety. It’s straight out of Trump’s playbook – Carr is attempting to wield accusations of antisemitism as a weapon to undermine Palestinian activism for the administration’s political gain.

Help us send a message to Carr: drop this baseless and harmful claim, and focus on real antisemitism.

Put simply, Trump’s appointee is failing at his job. Rather than monitor and work to dismantle antisemitism worldwide, Carr is devoting his time and energy to attacking international human rights groups, falsely redefining antisemitism as support for Palestinian rights, and attempting to silence criticism of the state of Israel. 

If it wasn’t clear enough that Carr is focusing on the wrong things, the State Department’s virtual conference on antisemitism yesterday did not once address the machinery of white nationalist antisemitism and murderous violence against Jews.

We need to hold this administration accountable. Tell Elan Carr to stop these unfounded attacks and focus instead on dismantling real threats to Jewish safety. Human rights are too important. Palestinian lives are too important.

Carr’s definition of antisemitism is deeply flawed and collapses the Israeli government with the Jewish people. His argument hinges on the idea that alleged or perceived support for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions is antisemitic. This line of reasoning crops up time and time again, and we see it for the dangerous lie that it is. Every day, our community fights antisemitism and advocates for Palestinian rights, including through our support for BDS – it’s not only possible, but necessary. 

Please add your name now and share with others in your community who, like you, are committed to Palestinian rights and to dismantling antisemitism, alongside all forms of oppression.

Onwards,  

Rabbi Alissa Wise
Deputy Director

***

We the People have the power!

Still, we're  forced to pay the billionaires' corporations for internet access and to keep the lights on. If you're financially able, please consider making a donation to keep The Revolution Continues going. Any amount helps. You can do so via the Paypal address below. Thank you, fellow revolutionaries, and keep fighting! http://paypal.me/camatthews

What Will Happen Next?

 

What Will Happen Next?
by Coast Watcher

It's a valid question given today’s political climate. Currently the so-called Democratic Party’s supporters are indulging in an orgy of vote-shaming to an extraordinarily high degree, far higher than that many experienced in the 2016 election. Anyone on social media who professes to have reservations concerning Joe Biden's qualifications is immediately set upon by trolls who moan, "But you’ve got to support Biden or you’ll get Trump!" 

Green Party voters are told either that they’re wasting their vote, their party is irrelevant, or "This isn’t the time for third party politics." (It never is. Funny, that). Some voters are acting so scared of the prospect of a second Trump term in office they’re practically wetting themselves.

So, what’s going on here?

The Democratic Party is either playing a game of brinkmanship by refusing to countenance any shift to the political left, relying upon dislike of/hatred for Trump to carry them to a victory, or they have no intention of winning. It’s pretty obvious that if the Democrats wanted to win by a landslide they’d have nominated Senator Bernie Sanders for president. Instead the Dem leadership spits in the face of Sanders and his millions of supporters for a second time—then expects the Berners to all fall in behind their Corporate-Owned Anointed One, Joe Biden.

What will happen next? Well, I suspect that we’re seeing the seeds of a bait and switch operation.

Let’s assume the Democrats want to win and that they succeed in putting Biden in the Oval Office by whatever margin of victory. Given his obvious health issues (about which the Democrats are being extraordinarily close-lipped) I don’t think Biden will last more than two years in office, tops. His mental health is a cause for speculation, especially after the debacle of the solitary debate with Trump. At some point Biden will become too unwell to continue his duties and will step down under the terms of the 25th Amendment. Kamala "The Cop" Harris will become president for the remainder of the term then stand under her own candidature in 2024.

Should Harris become president then, she’ll be in office for another four years, and again be legally able to stand for president in 2028. That means in effect Kamala Harris could be in the White House for something approaching twelve years. Given her punitive record on "law and order" in the state of California, that’s a pretty frightening prospect.

Of course we can’t ignore what might happen to the so-called Democratic Party party in the next few years. By obviously sidelining and then ejecting progressives from their ranks, the party is sliding further to the political right. It already occupies much the same ideological ground as the Republican Party did during the 1950s. The fact Biden is attracting so many endorsements from  moderate GOP politicians is telling. The Republicans in 2020 occupy much the same ideological ground as the fascist movements of the 1920s and 30s. 

I can see the Democratic Party hemorrhaging support to such a degree after this election because of their blatant dishonesty of what they truly stand for (their corporate donors). They’ll become an irrelevance on the political landscape and will eventually merge with the Republican Party into one mega-corporate-owned-and-operated political faction. For the remainder of the time until that happens, the Dems will continue to claim erroneously the "right" to any and all votes from voters on the actual political left.

Even if things don’t pan out the way I describe, a potential eight years of a Biden presidency is nothing to look forward to given his forty year plus record of voting for war and creating harsh law and order bills. He has already promised the corporate world that "Nothing will change" for them. But neither is another four years of Trump a pleasant outlook. The man’s record resembles that of a mad bull with a sledgehammer tied to its tail, running amok in a china shop.

This isn’t the time for third party politics? I beg to differ. Here’s another prediction: With the so-called Democrats becoming increasingly irrelevant on the American political scene, third parties will step up to represent the vast majority of Americans. After all, someone has to pick up the torch dropped by Sanders. 

Of all the parties in this strange time we’re living in, only the Green Party with its nominee, Howie Hawkins, champions the cause of Medicare for All, a living wage, environmental protections, paid vacation and maternity leave, and healthier workplaces. In short, they aim to bring the United States into the twenty-first century and join the rest of those countries with a First World economy. 

With even a modicum of luck and the imminent implosion of the so-called "major" political parties, the Greens will have their place in the sun some day soon.

Learn more about Kamala Harris' track record in California at https://ccinamon.wordpress.com/2019/01/22/kamala-harris-resource-list/

Related pieces written by Coast Watcher: 

Kamala The Cop https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/08/kamala-cop.html

Biden: My Time?  http://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2019/04/biden-my-time.html

BIO: Coast Watcher doesn't have a crystal ball to gaze into to peer into the future, but the greed of the oligarchs and the mindlessness of their political puppets doesn't make it difficult to predict what will happen next. His advice to voters is "Don't fall for these con-artists. Vote your conscience. Support the causes you want and need for you and your family's future. Now is not the time for moderation and centrism. Now is the time to build the future to believe in."

 ***

 Seen on Facebook:

I would never under any circumstances vote for this!
Joe Biden wrote the 1994 Crime Bill and still defends it. He wrote the Omnibus Counterterrorism Act, later became the Patriot Act.
In 1996 he voted against gay marriage.
In 1999 he repealed Glass Steagall Act.
In 2001 he voted for the Patriot Act.
In 2002 he voted for the Iraq invasion.
In 2005 he voted to end bankruptcy protections for students.
Biden advocated for social security cuts for forty years and tried to cut it FOUR times, 1985, 1994, 2007, and during the Obama years; supported cutting medicare, medicaid and veterans benefits, FOUR times, you can access videos of him bragging about it.
He supported raising the retirement age.
He supported the Kline-Miller Pension Act, a bill that cuts union pensions.
He has a rating of D- by Greenpeace due to his support of fracking, oil and gas extraction and the building of new fossil fuel infrastructure.
He held fundraisers with union busting lawyer, Steven Cozen.
He took $200,000 speaker fee to help elect Republican candidate, Fred Upton.
He voted for the Telecommunications Act of 1996, deregulation of media industry,
He voted to repeal Glass Steagall, leading to financial crisis.
He voted against expanding a child care tax credit.
He voted in favor of a 700 mile long border wall with Mexico.
He voted for NAFTA.
He voted for the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
He voted to let states overturn Roe v. Wade.
He supports the Hyde Amendment.
He worked to undermine the ACA coverage of contraception,
He pushed for the job killing China Trade bill.
He backed the TPP.
He opposes cannabis legalization.
He supported extending Bush tax breaks for the 1%.
He promoted the war on drugs.
He plagiarized part of his “climate plan” from fossil groups.
"Nothing will fundamentally change,” were Biden's words to his rich donors if he is elected (6/19).
Voted with Clinton to end welfare.
Opposed measures to allow consumers to sue for price fixing.
Opposes universal health care/Medicare For All.
He didn't just compromise with segregationists, he fought for their cause in schools. Joe is a racist to the core, always has been. He repeatedly lied about marching in the civil rights movement.
He repeatedly lied about being arrested in apartheid South Africa. He flip flops on his long held support for the death penalty now that he's running for president.
He won't commit to reducing the prison population, and he’s a paid hack for the credit card industry.
So there you have the facts about Joe Biden.~ Bibi Bowmen

 ***

These times are tough, but we're tougher!

Still, we have to pay for internet and keep the lights on. If you're financially able, please consider making a small donation to keep The Revolution Continues going. You can do so via the Paypal address below. Thank you, fellow revolutionaries, and keep fighting! http://paypal.me/camatthews

***

Recently introduced legislation would open federally-controlled waters to large-scale open ocean aquaculture, putting our oceans and food supply at risk.

Open ocean aquaculture may sound harmless, but it’s really just another term for dangerous, industrialized, large-scale factory fish farms. These facilities damage wild ecosystems, threaten coastal economies and rob local fishing communities of their livelihoods.

That’s why Food & Water Action is calling Congress out and demanding they protect local communities by stopping corporations from taking over our oceans for their own profit.

Send a message to your Members of Congress asking them to reject factory fish farms.

In May, Trump issued an executive order aimed at slashing regulatory protections and environmental reviews of factory fish farms. For years, federal agencies have been pushing factory fish farms in federal waters, even though they know the harm those facilities will cause. In fact, we had to file a federal lawsuit and get a U.S. Court of Appeals to declare that it was unlawful for the government to give industrial fish farms everyday permits. Now some members of Congress want to give fish farmers a pass.

Open ocean fish farms wreak havoc on everything around them:

• They pollute. Waste, excess food, antibiotics and other chemicals pollute ocean water, promoting algae growth that leads to habitat loss and the destruction of sea life.
• They spread disease. Outbreaks of diseases and parasites can spread to wild fish populations, killing them or making them unsafe for consumption.
• The fish escape. Approximately three million fish escape every year from fish farms, pushing non-native species into the ecosystem and disrupting Indigenous fisheries.
• They harm fishing communities. Factory fish farms eliminate fishing jobs by undercutting wild fish prices. This means lost jobs in coastal communities.

Send Your Message

Despite the hype from agribusinesses and industrial fish companies, it’s clear that factory fish farms solve zero problems and create a whole lot of new ones. Allowing open ocean aquaculture in U.S. waters would make our food less safe and damage our oceans.

The wild-capture fishing industry, Indigenous nations and local communities are already speaking out against this bill. Let’s stand with them. We can't let this threat to our oceans and food system move forward.

Take action now to tell your Members of Congress to protect our oceans and fishing communities.

Onward together,

Wenonah Hauter
Founder and Executive Director
Food & Water Action and Food & Water Watch

P.S. Learn more about Open Ocean Aquaculture.