Occupy Everything -- Democracy Spring

 

Lady Liberty arrested on day 1 of Democracy Spring. 
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This week we're taking it to the streets, to the Capitol, to Wall Street, to the world... Enough is enough! We will be heard. We will return democracy to our land. We will take dirty money out of our government. We will create a more compassionate society.
Democracy Spring marched and held sit-ins on the Capitol steps every day this past week and garnered little mainstream media attention. But alternative media was there. Watch the raw  protest footage on  Bernie2016TV and Political Revolution TV. You will be enthralled at the courage and stamina of the protesters. Records for the most arrests in one demonstration were made (400 arrests on the first day alone), protest songs and chants were sung, signs were held high, and hopefully the hearts of some in Congress were touched. Watch the video and listen to the voices: 

"Money ain't speech! Corporations aren't people!"
"One person! One vote!"
"Tell me what democracy looks like! This is what democracy looks like!"
"What do want? Climate Justice! When do want it? Now!"
"I believe that we will win!"
"Whose House? Our House! Whose Capitol? Our Capitol!"
"Free and fair elections!" 

 To quote former Ohio state Senator Nina Turner, surrogate for Bernie Sanders: "The cause is right and the time is now!" It's time, Berners, to get out of our desk chairs and get out into the streets. It's time to share the political revolution with our neighbors. It's time for everyone to hear about Bernie Sanders. The revolution begins today.

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Occupiers, Organize and Bern

by Jehovah Jones

I was one of the ragtag bunch you saw sleeping in your city parks a few years ago, marching around your city bearing signs objecting to the world being raped by the oligarchs. “Capitalism ate democracy? We’ll be the Heimlich Maneuver!”

My candidate of choice was Elizabeth Warren. When she declined and Bernie stepped up, he became my fallback, but he’s not that anymore. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by him again and again, and by the temerity he and his movement show. Bernie is the real deal -- he’s the closest thing to an Occupier we have in this race. This is a peaceful insurrection, and it’s way overdue.

One of things I admire is the man’s stalwart support for organized labor. Unions built this society and gave us the highest standard of living we’ve ever seen.

Government workers’ unions are the main backbone of labor today, but they’re getting hit, too.  Republican governors across the country from Maine to Wisconsin rode a wave of faux-populist anger to election, then fell over themselves to reward their rich masters by beheading teachers’ unions.

But most of the people doing the work of government are not even allowed to unionize. Ever since union hypocrite Reagan rewarded his corporate masters by opening the government for looting, contractors have overrun Washington, making CEOs rich on taxpayer money. But the poor schlubs doing the actual work? They’re second-class citizens, prohibited from joining unions, denied the rights their coworkers in the civil service enjoy. And every few years when the contracts move from one favored corporation to another, the workers have to grovel for the new boss to keep their jobs, often taking a pay cut, an echo of last-century’s railroad workers. 

Tell me again about how great this high-tech economy is? In 1992, I fell for the "New Democrat" swindle, and supported the Clintons. Anyone who lived through that knows what a cynical and sordid thing that was. We were so tired of being in the wilderness that we bought into the moral surrender that the Clintons were selling. We should be ashamed to have been duped, and I am.

This time, we’re backing someone who knows winning is pointless if it means giving up your principles and joining the exploiters. Bernie’s character draws the young, but he’s also the best hope for those of us who remember Richard Nixon. We need their energy, and I hope they need us wised-up geezers for our experience.

Fellow Occupiers, it needs to be a broad-based revolution. The Vietnam War protest and Civil Rights movements, both slightly before my time, were the biggest successful paradigm shifts that have happened in this country’s political history. And they both hit critical mass only when their movements had broadened enough to include not only hippies, students, and African-Americans but white mothers and school teachers from Missouri and truck drivers from Pennsylvania. I hope Elizabeth Warren joins us because we need her, but this isn’t about any one person no matter how decent.

I may not agree with Bernie on every issue, but his clear commitment to a fair and just society is enough. It’s the first time in forty years I’ve seen a chance for those values to prevail in a presidential race, and it feels good.

Bio: "I’m a former print journalist who’s worked for various publications in DC and Baltimore and the surrounding areas, and I camped out at Occupy DC for two months (Dec. 2011-Feb. 2012 when they raided us.)

I support Bernie because I’ve watched the country lurch to the right, to everyone’s detriment, in my lifetime, and I think it’s past time for a radical course correction. We desperately needed a leader with the honesty and courage to step up and say that without apology, and Bernie has stepped up. Like so many, I’m tired of settling for the lesser of two evils. I want to cast my vote for someone of conscience."

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This Woman is Bernie Strong!

a weekly commentary by a female Bernie supporter

Human Rights and Compassion

by Katrina Lynn

I'm in a not-so-good mood today. I cannot figure out why human rights are considered a privilege in what's supposed to be "the greatest country in the world." I understand it's complicated and difficult to change a system, but too many people have put too much time and effort into keeping the status quo. And not only that, but millions of Americans seem to want to move backward into another time solely because they hate having to be "politically correct."

My political beliefs have changed a lot over the years. I was told as a teenager that my intelligence would be "seriously in question" if I ever voted for a Democrat, and here I am, finally admitting that I've actually spent the past twenty years becoming increasingly interested in socialism. While I value your free speech and mine and believe you can have some things socialized without losing that right, it's become clearer to me that socializing is the direction of progression in the world as well as the direction of compassion.

What we need to do is stop blaming people with no power for wanting dignity and basic rights. In America, our idea of human rights is "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness", but we distill those basically into "let's not kill people most of the time", "let people say whatever they want," and "let companies make as much as they want." That's not the UN definition, by the way. Oh yes, the UN isn't perfect by far, but they expect human rights to encompass fair wages, food security, dignified housing, health care, education, and even paid vacation. 

Yes, that's actually written into the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Not everyone in every country in the world gets all of these things, but we are not even trying. We are railing against it. We are going out there into the world and saying, "People who work 40 hours a week making my hamburgers/stocking my shelves/entering my data do not deserve to be able to have health insurance and a used car and a modest house and their children in an accredited elementary school."

Maybe I'm not intelligent anymore. Maybe I've "opened my mind so much my brain fell out," but you know what? I'd rather be compassionate than intelligent if intelligence is about blaming people who have been hurt for being hurt. Saying that we can't raise the minimum wage to something that allows people to have basics and maybe a bit more at 40 hours a week because we have to "keep big companies here" is just a bit of disgusting victim-blaming. It's the same as all the times I've been told women in the workplace caused wages to go down. No. No one without power causes these things. The people who own the companies, the people in the government who said "freedom" and did nothing to stop it. They are the ones to blame. Everything else is just an excuse.

I don't have a solution, but I do think more and more compassion on the part of the government leaders, the business leaders, and everyone in the US in general will help immensely because being united in wanting to lift others up will get us far closer to figuring out how we can solve these problems.

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Bernie spoke powerfully about economic justice and environmental degradation this past week at the invitation of Pope Francis. Democracy Spring in Washington DC, Bernie at the Vatican--the political revolution is worldwide. Watch his remarks in the video below.
 

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 I Was Born Here On This Planet
a poem by Kara Swanson

 I was born here. On this planet.
I am a citizen of the internet age.
I can't see the color of your skin through your avatar. I can't see your yearly income on your profile. I thank the internet for allowing me to hangout with people all across the globe.
We come together, we unite together understanding the reality of the struggle of the people ....of this world.
When you take the money out of the equation.
You see.
The chess game of the rich and the powerful is a losing game.
The play is obvious.
The move is predetermined.
I have found love in a world I once thought to be hopeless.
I found love in the people.
Borders are a figment of your imagination.
Wake up, I beg of you.
Open your eyes.

-kara swanson 4/14/16 

Bio:  "I am a tech nerd and bookworm from Massachusetts. Married with two cats, I get creative when I am inspired." (And she's a great supporter of Bernie Sanders, too.) 

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New Yorkers, you know what you have to do on Tuesday. This song tells you.  Thanks, Kathy, for sharing this video with us. #FeeltheBern and vote Bernie!

Striking up the Band for Bernie

There are many ways to protest injustice and to showcase unfairness. Some do it with words and actions--and others through  music. Our Bernie supporters this week share their ideas of how you can make a difference in bringing about Bernie Sanders' political revolution.
 

Let's Strike!

by Sam Franklin

Bernie wants a political revolution but how do we revolt?  We can’t take up arms or just throw the bums out. 

We can protest, but protests rarely seem to produce positive change. Egyptians protested, and their government is no better. Syrians protested and got killed or became refugees. Remember Occupy Wall Street?  People get tired of protesting, and they can turn violent.

How about voting the bad guys out of office? The Republicans have gerrymandered districts so successfully the crazies in the Congress are supported by crazies at home. They are not likely to be voted out of office,  and if they stay in office, they will continue to block any progress toward justice and equality. 

Petitions are popular nowadays. However, do you think our Congress members pay attention to our signatures?  Like Bernie says they rather listen to the lobbyists and the wealthy, not to us.  

I remember many years ago when Lech Walesa, a dock worker, founded Poland’s first trade union--Solidarity. Walesa won a Nobel Peace Prize and eventually became the President of Poland. He did it with a strike.

Bernie is turning out thousands at rallies all over the country, and they will continue to turn out, at least for a while.  Suppose, just suppose, these well meaning people picked one day in December or January to stay home from work. That’s all--just stay home. You don’t have to carry a sign or go to Washington or even go out of the house. It’s not inconvenient; it’s not dangerous.  Some may even want to take to the streets peacefully to call attention to the strike. 

If millions participated in a peaceful workers' strike, it might stir the pot. It just might lead to negotiations and meaningful change.  If teachers didn’t go to school and grocers didn’t stock the shelves and gas stations didn’t open up and mail carriers "got sick"’ and airplanes didn’t fly... Congress might listen.  And if they didn’t, then on the first of the next month the strike would reoccur.  And if that didn’t work, then in two weeks another strike might go down and then another two weeks after that... Eventually the people might be heard, like they were so many years ago in Poland. 

Bio: Sam Franklin describes himself as "an old retired professor, grandpa, author, and friend of fairness."

A Socially Relevant EP

by Tim Nordstrom, LCSW, CCM

timnordstrom.com

The purpose of this album is to support Bernie Sanders by encouraging the questioning of authority and helping to engage citizens in critical thinking about changing our society so that it benefits all individuals.   

I have been a social worker for 20 years.  The majority of the people that I have worked with cannot compete in this economy, and so they live in some form of poverty.  The vast majority of these people suffer from PTSD, Major Depressive Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Psychotic Disorder, Alcohol and drug dependency, etc.  Sexual abuse as a child can change one's life forever, and it happens much more often in these environments.  Witnessing domestic violence and being tormented by verbal/emotional abuse can stop positive growth in it’s tracks, and it happens much more often in impoverished environments than in middle and upper class environments.  Now, not only do they fight the battle of their living environment, they fight the battle of mental illness.  The unstable and volatile environment of poverty can leave a person struggling with a mental illness, rendering them incapable of moving forward in a positive direction. These are the things that create our domestic wounded warriors.  I use the term “wounded warriors” because it is a constant battle, a struggle every-single-day, and they don’t get the same empathetic messages that our soldiers get.  

Continuing our laissez-faire mentality with respect to capitalism will only perpetuate victim blaming and further decrease the amount of empathy we as a nation have for these men, women and children.  These are the people most adversely effected by greed.  The middle class is shrinking. Where is it going? What is happening to them?  PTSD, Major Depressive Disorder, Psychotic Disorder, Alcohol and Drug dependency….

I have never lived in poverty, but I try to imagine what it would be like.  I have had the opportunity to work in shelters, day treatment facilities, and extremely low socioeconomic communities, and I will never fully understand.  I do know this: judging others and electing our leaders based purely on our own past experiences and current perspectives is wrong.  We have to become more empathetic as a nation.  We have to bleed the greed.

Free up the money!  I would like to make this music free to all who want to let it motivate their passion for this movement. Proceeds from the sale of the full CD will go to the Bernie Sanders campaign: timnordstrom.com

Bio: Tim Nordstrom is a native Montanan, who has lived in Denver Colorado and Nashville Tennessee working in the field of social work, all the while writing and performing his music.  Tim has worked with Grammy-winning producers, instrumentalists and is often heard on NPR.

Here's an insight into recent events concerning the recent Democratic Debate.

It Doesn't Matter

by George Oeser 

I am afraid that what I am about to write will upset a lot of people, but I think it needs to be said.

It doesn't matter if Bernie won the debate or not. The pundits said he didn't, but pundits aren't terribly reliable. The online polls said he did, but they are terribly unreliable. The people who answer the questions in online polls tend to be the people that are most passionate about the questions being asked. Guess what? Sanders supporters are more passionate than Clinton supporters, and so we participated in the polls in larger numbers. This shows that the online polls are meaningless.

Of course complaining about what the pundits said is also meaningless, at best. It could actually be harmful to Bernie as many will see the onslaught of complaints peppering social media as an indication that Bernie supporters are sore losers or conspiracy nuts. This doesn't just make us look bad, it makes Bernie look bad as well.

Bernie's support is growing, but he is still an underdog, and so we need to help him keep gaining supporters. There are tons of democrats out there who like his ideas and policies but who won't for him because they think he isn't electable. Instead of telling them that he won the debate, tell them about all of the elections he has won while facing extremely tough opponents. Some say they won't vote for him because they don't think he will be able to accomplish much as president. They don't need to hear how the media isn't giving Bernie enough coverage, they need to hear about the times he has worked with political opponents to get things done. 

Bernie is currently lacking in support from African-Americans. Maybe instead of seeing us post over and over about a plot against Bernie we should tell them about Bernie's civil rights work, or how Dr. Cornel West is a Sanders supporter, or maybe we should mention that Bernie was the only candidate in the debate who said that black lives do matter and who promised to fight institutional racism.

The Sanders campaign is positive and talks about the issues facing America. Even though we may not have signed up as official volunteers, every time we post about Bernie on Facebook or tweet about him we are acting as the face of Bernie Sanders' campaign for the presidency. Bernie's positive, issue-oriented campaign is undercut when we stray from the real issues or go negative and so we have to try and remember to not let our emotions get the best of us in public. This isn't just a campaign, it is a movement, and we are all part of it, almost as much as Senator Sanders himself. Let's stay on track and help make Bernie Sanders the next president of the United States!

Bio: George Oeser is a photographer, born and raised in Tennessee but currently living in the Netherlands. He spends much of his time thinking about how much he misses good Southern food.