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(The US isn’t in any position to lecture anyone about morality. It's time to kick the moral idiots out of office.)
by C.A. Matthews
“How
can they do such a thing!” is a phrase I’ve heard more than once over
the past twelve months, closely followed by “That’s insane! They’re
acting like sociopaths! They’re immoral!”
I
agree wholeheartedly. Israel’s genocide of Gazans, trapped in an open
air prison, on what are basically made up excuses to steal their land
and resources qualifies as insane, immoral, and sociopathic. But it’s
happening now to the Palestinian people in both Gaza and the West Bank,
and the evil is spreading into Lebanon with the blessings (and
armaments) of the USA.
Americans
can’t deny it. US tax payers are arming “The World’s Most Moral Army
(TM)” with our tax dollars. We’re arming them in spite of Israeli
soldiers videoing themselves committing war crimes such as looting and
shooting innocent civilians and children in cold blood.
So
how is it that Israel claims to have a “moral” army when its soldiers
are anything but? How can the US claim to be moral when it has broken
its own humanitarian laws that say it's unlawful to arm a country that
is breaking those same humanitarian laws? How can what the US military
is doing in the Middle East be considered moral when they don’t even
live up to their own standards?
“Because
we say it is,” is the typical reply given by US and Israeli government
spokespersons. “We say our actions are moral, and you are mistaken if
you think otherwise. We are superior in our wisdom.”
Do you believe them? I don’t...
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Which of the following scenarios do you think is fiction?
Scenario
1: A man walks into his boss’s office and confesses that he’s been
embezzling from the company for over a decade. He also confesses to
having an affair with the boss’s wife and that they’re planning on
running away together soon with the ill-gotten gains.
The
boss replies to the man, “That’s all right, Charlie. I realize now how I
underpaid you, and you needed that extra money. And I’m glad you helped
put a smile on my wife’s face. She’s been unhappy for far too long.
Have a great trip!”
Scenario
2: The US Secretary of State knowingly lies to Congress about Israel
blocking food and medicine from reaching famine victims in Gaza in
direct violation of a law that says the US cannot continue to provide
arms to any country that blocks US humanitarian aid.
So,
think hard… which scenario is fiction and which one is fact? Which
scenario seems more likely? Having a friendly boss who understands why
you did what you did in order to be happy, or watching a highly-placed
government official lie to Congress about US aid getting into Gaza in
order for the Biden administration to continue peddling 2,000 pound
bombs to the genocidal maniacs of Israel?
The
second scenario has to be fiction, right? I mean, who would believe a
US Secretary of State would misrepresent the facts of humanitarian aid
not getting to famine victims to Congress? To deny food and medicine to
all those innocents suffering in a zone that’s been reduced to rubble
is…is… Well, it’s just plain evil. What sort of individual would lie
like that?
To find out...
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About once a year, I feel compelled to write a post about the dangers and pitfalls of lesser evil voting in the US. So here it is, for better or worse.
If you add a letter “d” to the front of the word “evil”, you’ll get the personification of evil, that is, the “devil.” However lesser evil voting is being discussed, the end result is the same: The voter is being asked to make a deal with the devil or evil.
What is often left out of this old saying are what consequences you incur when you make a deal with the devil. Here’s the complete saying: “When you make a deal with the devil, be careful you don’t get burned.”
Dealing with the devil can get you burned. Lesser evil voting burns voters. Don’t believe me? Let’s take a closer look.
The Devil is in the Details
First, a definition of lesser evil voting is needed. In the lesser evil voting scenario, voters are informed that there are only two candidates running for each office. We’ll call them candidates “A” and “B”. Voters are told they have no other options, and they have been convinced of this fact. They feel compelled to vote for either A or B or stay home and not vote. That’s it.
But what if voters don’t care for either candidate A or B? What if they strongly detest and/or despise both A and B? Can they vote for candidate C, D, E, or F instead? In most states in the United States there are other candidates’ names printed on their ballots for each office. However, many voters have been programmed (brainwashed) into thinking those options simply do not exist for them, so they’re stuck with choosing between A and B or not voting at all.
But what happens when a voter decides to vote for C, D, E, or F, and their treachery to vote outside the box is discovered? Woe to that voter! The voter will be vote shamed and pressured to change their mind. The most common vote shaming method is to tell renegade voters that they have cast a wasted vote because they refused to vote for either A or B. They are informed by supporters of A and B that all voters who dare to vote for C, D, E, or F are stupid and foolish.
Other forms of coercion exercised by supporters for A and B can include ostracizing these rebel voters socially in-person and/or online, threatening the rebel voters’ careers or job positions, and sometimes even threatening or committing physical violence against the rebel voters or their property.
All of these forms of lesser evil voting coercion tactics have been documented widely (and some of them experienced by yours truly). These are only but a few of the ways voters can get burned when making a deal with the devil called lesser evil voting. I’m sure there are supporters/past-supporters of A and B out there whose ears are burning about right now as I expose their crimes. But I’ve found that lesser evil aficionados often are proud of their vote shaming tactics. They rarely get caught or charged with any criminal activity since fellow A or B supporters will cover for them, so I doubt they’ll ever stop the dirty tricks.
With that sort of pressure placed upon voters to consider voting for only A or B, what do you think happens to candidates C, D, E, and F? Do you think they receive as much attention in the mainstream media as A and B do? Lesser evil voting supporters for A or B cannot afford to allow voters to learn about other candidates and their platforms, so mainstream media spokespersons are generally kept in line and told to exclude all mention of other candidates as much as possible.
Can you see how this practical censorship would prevent C, D, E, and F from effectively advertising or fundraising? Without sufficient funds to campaign, what would you say are the chances of these alternative candidates being able to compete against the well-funded and well-promoted campaigns of A and B? Did you say zero to none?
It should be obvious by now that lesser evil voting isn’t really a strategy to help American voters choose a candidate who represents their values, needs, wants, or desires. Lesser evil voting is simply a method to get rid of A’s and B’s competition.
Think about it: It’s much cheaper and easier for corporate lobbyists, wealthy individuals, and political action committees (PACs/Super PACs) to bribe two candidates to do as they command than a multitude of candidates who may or may not be open to taking corporate lobbyist cash. This legal bribery of politicians in the US is allowed under the 2010 Citizens United ruling. Money talks, and it talks much louder than average voters' voices, obviously.
How fair is lesser evil voting? Not fair at all unless you absolutely adore A and/or B. But it’s completely legal and acceptable by the parties of A and B who rather you didn't know you have more choices. Here’s an example of how it’s manifesting itself in this year’s presidential election.
The Devil You Know...
Americans worship stability and sameness. Life just seems safer that way. Even if their present lives are miserable or downright unbearable, Americans’ philosophy of life can be summed up thusly: “Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.”
Note once again how the letter “d” can be subtracted from “devil” leaving the word that describes the devil’s best known quality of “evil”. Americans rather put up with a known evil than radically change their lives by making a different choice, possibly for the better, because what if their choice proves worse than the one they’ve been told to make by supporters of A or B? Many American voters seem paralyzed by indecision. They seek guidance and are looking for someone else to make the decision for them.
If only Americans believed they needn’t be cornered into corner A or B! Think of all the possibilities for a brighter future voters might have by choosing C, D, E, or F. How can we break through such a lack of imagination and encourage American voters to invite change and consider non-duopoly (non-A or -B) candidates?
Let’s say you’re an American voter who wants the genocide in Gaza to end as soon as possible and all the war criminals punished. You’re sick and tired of the bloated US military budget and long for more funding for programs such as Medicare For All, free university tuition, student loan debt forgiveness, and programs to tackle the climate crisis. What are your choices for president who speak to your conscience?
Here in a nutshell are the options of the upcoming presidential election:
A – a current known evil who supports the genocide in Gaza and takes money from AIPAC and many corporations/PACs
B – a past known evil who supports the genocide in Gaza and takes money from AIPAC and many corporations/PACs
C – another candidate (with a famous last name) who accepts corporate cash and loudly supports the genocide in Gaza and takes money from AIPAC/PACs
D – a candidate who doesn’t accept corporate/PAC cash and doesn’t support the genocide in Gaza, supports Medicare For All and climate crisis actions, and will probably be on all 50 state ballots and the District of Columbia
E – a candidate who doesn’t accept corporate/PAC cash and doesn’t support the genocide in Gaza but probably won’t be on very many state ballots
F- a candidate who doesn’t accept corporate/PAC cash and doesn’t support the genocide in Gaza but probably won’t be on very many state ballots
(G, H, I candidates – some accept corporate/PAC cash, some don’t support the genocide or war, but most probably won’t be on very many state ballots)
Looking at the above chart, you’ll see that your personal choices do not include the A or B candidates that lesser evil voting strategists are going try to shame you into voting for. Your best bet to change the leadership the White House to a person who represents you is to vote for candidate D or possibly E or F or one of the other lesser known candidates if they're on your ballot. By voting for a candidate like D, you’ll feel proud of yourself that you aren’t perpetuating the genocide in Gaza and are helping to make the US a better place for all its people.
Sounds like a sound voting choice that reflects your values and speaks to your conscience, right? If only it was that easy in the USA!
The political parties of A and B will do all that they can to block your preferred candidate’s name from being on as many states' ballots as they possibly can. With huge war chests of campaign donations from military-industrial complex corporations and money from PACs such as AIPAC, these parties will use every legal and extra-legal trick in the book they can to prevent any competition from challenging them. Supporters of A and B who own the mainstream media outlets will block all mention of the other candidates and pass along the propaganda that teams A and B dream up to slander/libel their competition.
Many American voters, never knowing there are actually candidates who closely represent their own values because of the practical censorship, might choose to stay home and not vote. Voter apathy in the US is sky high, and with such a screwed up system, is it any wonder?
This is lesser evil voting strategy at its worse. These devils you’ve known for years are anti-democratic and bullies. And you will be forced to put your conscience to sleep and vote for A or B because you’re told these are your only options.
You’ll be told that C, D, E, or F have no chance of winning, not realizing that in poll after poll the largest percentage of American voters consider themselves as independent. These voters don’t support the parties of either A or B and stay home more often than not if they don't have another option. If that large percentage of voters followed their conscience and voted for other than A or B, another candidate might actually win. The math speaks for itself.
Vote shaming can be intense, but it can be dealt with rationally as the above meme demonstrates. A candidate must earn your vote and stand for your values. Follow a litmus test like I do to pick your candidate, and you'll never suffer from a guilty conscience. You won't be tempted to sell your soul to the devils and their corporate masters. You'll help others to avoid getting burned as well.
The great Eugene Debs gave us this sage advice that voters should always follow:
"I'd rather vote for something I want and not get it than to vote for something I don't want and get it."
Don’t be tempted to make a deal with the devil (d-evil). Don’t get burned. Stay away from lesser evil voting. Always vote your conscience, and encourage others to do the same. And may the best candidate win.
If you say this is a genocide and then you support the people who are
backing this genocide, it means either (A) you’re fine with genocide or
(B) you only called it a genocide to score progressive political points
and don’t actually believe what you said.
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More nominees for "The Aarons"
Here are a few more names that were nominated for A Human With A Conscience Award (read about it here) this past week. These folks and organizations can post the above meme on their social media sites if they choose. Keep your nominations coming!
Banksy (Best Graffiti Artist with a Conscience)
Laura K from Normal Island News (Best Satirist with a Conscience)
Randy Credico (Best Podcaster/Indie journalist with a Conscience)
Neil Oliver (Best Podcaster/Journalist with a Conscience)
Toledo Area Activists with a Conscience: Jomana Al, Walaa Kanan, Mike Ferner, Jasmin Nada Hummos, Yousef Baddar, Susan Kuehn, Terry Lodge, Omar Aysha, and Ahmed Amrou.
EMCEE: Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the midterms election year Blame Game, a game where Democratic Party operatives come up with excuses for why their candidates are doing poorly in the polls and why they never quite do as they promise.
The crowd of party faithful goes wild with clapping and cheering.
EMCEE: Thank you, thank you. (He pulls out a long list from his blue-sequinned jacket pocket.)Our first contestant is Mrs. Shirley U. Jest, one of our largest contributors to the 2020 Biden-Harris campaign, outside of Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and General Dynamics.
A
well-dressed, middle-aged suburbanite energetically jumps up out of her
seat and knocks her Blue MAGA cap off in the confusion.
SHIRLEY: Did he say me? Me? Oh, yippee! I've always wanted to play.
EMCEE: Come on down, Shirley! It's time to spin the wheel and play the Blame Game!
Jumping up and down, Shirley approaches the Emcee and the large rotating wheel on stage.
EMCEE: You certainly seem happy to be here, Shirley. Tell us a little about yourself.
SHIRLEY: I'm a lifelong Democrat and currently live in Arizona. I vote blue no matter who no matter what other people say. I even voted for Kyrsten Sinema! I don't care to think for myself.
The crowd cheers and whistles their approval.
EMCEE: Perfect, just perfect. Well, the blame we need to assign this week is for our very own Commander-in-Chief, President Joe Biden. (Audience cheers.) It seems Joe has dropped in the polls from about 33% to a mere 29% approval rating. Who will loyal Democrats blame for this fiasco? This is where the lovely Shirley comes in. Are you ready?
SHIRLEY: (Screwing up her face and quivering with excitement.) Yes! Yes!
EMCEE: Alrighty then. Come over here and spin the Blame Shifting Wheel.
Shirley pulls down hard on the large roulette wheel. She then steps back as it spins around and around.
EMCEE: Will it be Russia? That's a party favorite. Our friend Rachel at MSNBC can always drum up plenty of reasons why Russia is at the root of Mr. Biden dropping in the polls.
AUDIENCE MEMBERS: Russia! Russia!
EMCEE: (Chuckling.) And China could be blamed for V.P. Harris' fall from grace, especially if we end up in war with them and our dollar stores' shelves wind up empty.
Audience boos. The wheel continues to spin.
EMCEE: Is there any particular blameworthy subject on the wheel you like, Shirley?
SHIRLEY: Oo, I'm sort of partial to blaming Susan Sarandon. (Audience hisses.) She can cast a spell on just about anyone through her Tweets. She talked my sister into voting for that witch Jill Stein back in 2016. She made the Green Party sound so reasonable with their people,planet and peace over profits slogan. Can you imagine putting the welfare of the planet over the welfare of our bank accounts?
The Emcee and crowd all laugh derisively. The wheel begins to slow but continues to spin.
EMCEE: You really put some juice into that spin, Shirley! Do you have a second favorite excuse on the wheel?
SHIRLEY: Hmm… Those Leftist types. They're pretty shifty. Always claiming that we're not doing enough for the working people or people of color and crying about not having health care and being in debt for simply going to college. As if! Everybody loves their private health insurance and everybody knows their parents will pay their college tuition. Duh!
The audience hoots and hollers, mimicking her condescending gestures.
SHIRLEY: They're always saying that we Dems are only acting in the best interests of the idle rich. I don't see it that way at all.
EMCEE: Yeah, it is a confusing position. By the way, what are you and your friends planning to do after the show today?
SHIRLEY: Why, go to brunch, of course! Then we're attending a kickboxing class with Jen Psaki and having Margaritas afterwards. We're never idle.
EMCEE: (Chuckling.) No one would ever accuse you of idleness, Shirley. And it looks like the wheel is starting to slow… Yes, it's slowing… It's stopping… Oh, dear.
SHIRLEY: (Frowning.) It's stuck in between two slots. What does that mean?
EMCEE: It means we'll have to ask the DNC party leadership for their learned advice on how to proceed. (He leans into his earpiece to listen.) Yes, yes, I got that. Thank you.
SHIRLEY: What did they say?
EMCEE: (Clearing his throat.) The party leadership says the blame for our beloved Joe Biden dropping in the polls is because of "bad followers." You, the party faithful, have not lived up to your potential. You've let Mr. Biden and the party down.
The audience is shocked into silence. Then a low booing and moaning ensues. Bits of wadded paper and disposable plastic bottles are tossed onto the stage.
SHIRLEY: Hey, what's this about us not being good followers? We're here, aren't we? We donate time and money to the party constantly. We troll online and put the lefties and Greens in their place. We've even paid to place child porn images on the Berners' Facebook pages during the 2016 New York primary to get them in trouble. Surely that's going beyond the call of duty. Every Democrat here is a definition of a good follower.
VARIOUS AUDIENCE MEMBERS: Hear, hear!We believed Joe's campaign promises! Why didn't he forgive student loan debt like he said he would? Why didn't they give us $2,000 stimulus checks like they said? He's causing his own poll numbers to drop!
EMCEE: What can I say? The leadership says it's not about them or their decisions--the blame falls squarely on you guys' shoulders. It's all your fault.
SHIRLEY: But… but… Don't we get a say so in the matter? Can't we take a vote on this?
EMCEE: A vote? Why would we do a thing like that? A federal judge actually said in 2017 that Democratic Party is a private organization and could rig their primaries any way they like. Why would leadership ever listen to you guys, the bad followers?
SHIRLEY: Hey, I paid good money to be here and I--
EMCEE: (Interrupting her.) That's all we have time for today. Enjoy your Margaritas and brunch, folks, and until next time--trust the leadership to tell you what's good for you and remember--don't think for yourself. Good-bye everybody!
The emcee barely escapes the auditorium before the audience members can tar and feather him. Shirley sniffs and shuffles off stage.
SHIRLEY: (Mumbling to self.) Maybe my sister was right about voting Green Party after all.
If you don't understand the why and how Dem voters are being labeled "bad followers," view the following video discussion between Jordan Chariton (Status Coup) and Steve Grumbine (Real Progressives). https://youtu.be/zAdf10-GTW4
Caught a clip of mainstream bile being puked out where a Dem operative says something like "Democrats don't have a leader problem they have a follower problem". I thought that was perfect. "We don't serve you. You serve us."
We are alarmed by the increasing tensions between the nuclear-armed
governments
of the U.S. (and its NATO allies) and Russia and are extremely concerned
about what seems to
be the increasing likelihood of war.
We must raise our voices. Add your name and
comments to this petition. Share it with others to sign. Then help us
forward it to your elected officials.
To:
The Governments of NATO Nations
No War in Ukraine!
Nothing is worth risking war, much less nuclear war. No side wants war
in Ukraine, and certainly not the people of Ukraine. Someone must find
the courage to push back against the momentum toward war, and lead the
way toward cooperation and disarmament.
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?
American voters are looking for inspiration and some indications that their wants and needs are heard and being considered seriously this election. But all we get are empty promises and vote shaming when we consider voting outside the prescribed parameters.
"Here's your choice. Live with it," the powers-that-be tell us. And yet...
So, what can voters do? The "choice" they give us rings hollow. Recent history shows us how voting for these parties' candidates doesn't improve our lives. Surely there's something better we can do than keep voting for the "lesser evil" in some insane expectation that conditions will miraculously change?
Worse yet, those who constantly push that old adage of "voting is the cure for all ills" aren't the ones who suffer from the problems we ordinary Americans face, such as lack of adequate health care, evictions, unemployment, police brutality... Their lives are secure and their wealth insulates them from the ups and downs of life in a failed state.
We're left holding the ball, working our butts off, scratching our heads in confusion, and wondering what our next steps should be. The answer is obvious--we must work together and break open the rigged system.
Together we are a force to be reckoned. If we need Medicare for All and want free college for all Americans, we should vote for the candidate who supports our needs and desires--and we have every right to expect those policies to be implemented. Elected and appointed officials are supposed to be servants of the people--we do not serve them! We should never "settle for less" in a candidate because We the People deserve better.
Political parties whose members do nothing but vote shame and tell us our needs cannot be met are not to be trusted. Their "smokescreens" or lame excuses indicate their lack of trustworthiness and perhaps their need to please their corporate donors at our expense. Furthermore, these excuses tell us we aren't important enough to be given straight answers. This is where we draw the line. This is where we tell these manipulators we aren't fooled, and we won't be dismissed anymore.
We tell our oppressors through our voting that we're not afraid of them. We're ready to take them on and take them out. We've found a better choice and no amount of vote shaming or blaming is going to talk us out of it. We know that when we vote our conscience our vote goes to that candidate alone--it doesn't go to or take away a vote from another candidate. We understand basic mathematics, but for those who don't we'll repeat this simple lesson...
And we support these policies and would never settle for anything less:
The next time anyone tries to vote shame you tell them you're not into bullies. You'll never settle for anyone who is okay with vote shamers and vote shaming, either. If supporters of a certain candidate can't win you over to their side by sharing what they stand for in a polite manner, don't feel obligated to put up with their hate. Show them the door. And always vote your conscience. To quote Jimmy Dore: "There's no such thing as a wasted vote!"
The following video gives a great critique of a recent incident of vote shaming done by a well known person:
Police foundations were policing’s best-kept secret — until now — and Amazon is in the thick of it.
Over
the past six months, tens of thousands of people have loudly condemned
police violence and the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and too
many others. But even with all the protests, the government and
corporations haven’t yet acted in ways to create real, significant
change.
Enter Amazon.
Even though Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos has prominently come out against racial inequity1,
Amazon still gives dark money donations to police foundations who then
give massive amounts of cash to some of the biggest police departments,
without any public oversight. This is absolutely inexcusable.
Today,
we’re joining Color Of Change to call out Amazon because it’s not
enough for one of the world’s biggest corporations to say it wants to
end racism — it needs to take real action. If we’re loud enough,
we can push Amazon to divest from policing and stop being complicit in
terrorizing Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities.
Police
foundations, like massive corporations or oil companies, are private,
corporate-sponsored entities that supplement already bloated police
budgets and serve powerful interests.
From NYC to LA, they raise money from wealthy corporations like Amazon to help cops acquire surveillance tech, SWAT team equipment, and weapons
designed to target and systematically oppress Black, Brown, and
Indigenous people. And, they do it outside of public scrutiny or budget
oversight.
In
the past few months, Color of Change and over 40 organizations have
been pressuring corporations to divest from police foundations.
Thousands of messages have been sent to various companies from people
like you with amazing results. Wells Fargo has announced it will "pause" all contributions to police foundations2 and we’re waiting on active policy decisions from several more corporations.
That’s why it’s so important we pressure Amazon right now. Jeff Bezos is now the richest man in the world.3 His wealth has increased by $88.9 billion in the past five months4 and Amazon is worth more than $1.7 trillion. If Amazon divests from police foundations, many others will follow.
For
too long, fossil fuel companies, chemical companies, and other
mega-polluters have treated Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities as
sacrifice zones — polluting
air, land, and water where people live. This environmental racism is
part of the broader racism in this country, and it continues with
devastating impacts.
If
everyone in the U.S. doesn’t work to end racism, elites will be all too
willing to let Black and Brown communities suffer the intensifying
heat, fires, storms, and rising seas of climate change while continuing
their destruction for profit. It’s that simple. Corporate polluters
funding police foundations are an example of how climate justice and
racial justice are even more connected. The same companies causing
climate chaos are also propping up the institutions that keep Black and
Brown communities oppressed.
Funding police departments without any public scrutiny or budget oversight is so atrocious. There’s no reason tech corporations like Amazon need to donate to policing and only pretend to care about racial equity. It’s absolutely not enough for corporations to say they want racial equity — they need to prove it with their money.
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