Peace In Palestine/Baby Angel

 

photo by Amjad Doumani

Peace In Palestine

The “Ceasefire Carols” for peace in Palestine were well received in downtown Toledo at Promenade Park on Saturday night. We even picked up some new singers for next week’s performance. Nice!

Hear us in this clip: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1Clx7ZgAie/?igshid=NmUwNWViZjkxNw%3D%3D

The welcoming turnout gives me hope that the vast majority of human beings do desire peace, do not desire the deaths of more innocents, and do want to bring an end to the Israeli bombing of Gaza permanently. It gives me a warm feeling that perhaps not all people on Planet Earth are heartless bastards. There are people who care, who have a moral center, and who aren’t easily persuaded to think genocide is a “necessary thing.”

I realize there are still quite a few heartless types out there, but their voices are being drown out by Ceasefire Carolers worldwide and celestial choirs of angels who herald the birth of the Christ child. The baby Jesus, according to the Gospel account in Matthew 2:16-18, almost didn’t make it to his first birthday because of King Herod’s Massacre of the Innocents. There seems to be a parallel between that story and current events, don’t you think?

Sleep in heavenly peace, little ones, who will never experience a holiday here on this plane of existence. May we never forget you.

You know that the world is broken when a country is given the freedom to annihilate another people as the world watches in real time. This should shake each and every one of us to the core. --Michel Moushabeck, If Jesus Was Born Today, Would He Be Under Rubble?

Baby Angel

by C.A. Matthews

 

Most folks who put up a Christmas tree in their homes have a decorative ornament or two that holds a special meaning for them. It could be a handmade ornament given to them by their child or grandchild. It could be an ornament given to them as a present by a very special person in their life. It could be an ornament that honors a milestone in a family’s life—a “first Christmas for baby” ornament or a “first Christmas together as a couple” ornament are two such that come to mind.

Or it could be simply an ornament that was purchased because it was beautifully crafted and looks absolutely perfect on the Christmas tree. Art and beauty lend a message that this is a season full of love and wonder. Whatever the meaning behind a special ornament, it usually is given a position of honor on the tree so that all can gaze upon it and contemplate the special meaning it symbolizes.

We’ve collected so many special ornaments over the decades that it’s sometimes difficult figuring out where to place them on our medium-sized Christmas tree. As time goes by, I’ve even forgotten why I found a particular ornament special to begin with. Imagine that!

What was I thinking? I ask myself every December as I take some of them out of the storage box. These “lost meaning” decorations usually get put on toward the bottom or on the backside of the tree. Sort of filler ornaments, you could say. But sometimes, an older ornament takes on a new meaning, a new kind of specialness than it had before. It deserves a more prominent place on the tree.

Baby Angel is one example.

Baby Angel was given to me by my late father when I was pregnant with my first daughter. Now, that fact alone makes it a special ornament in and of itself. But in recent years, we’ve acquired many more flashy angel ornaments. Baby Angel was hung toward the back of the tree more often than not. Just one angel among many.

This year when I took Baby Angel out of storage I immediately put her in a place of honor in the front part of the tree. Baby Angel reminded me instantly of all the tiny infants slain by Israeli carpet bombing and by Israeli soldiers who forced their doctors away from their incubators in Gazan hospitals, leaving them to die all alone in the cold and dark.

Not exactly a “warm holiday season” thing to contemplate over a mug of hot cocoa, is it?

But it’s reality. Get use to it. The surviving family members of these murdered infants will have to learn to live with it, even if they’re murdered, in turn, by US-provided bombs. Bombs dropped on their refugee camp in the south of Gaza that crushes them under rubble or dismembers them in an explosion. Or they'll die slowly through starvation and disease because Israel has turned off their water, and food and medicine can’t be delivered under the hail of Israeli bombs and their control of the only exit points in Gaza.

I don’t think Baby Angel will ever not remind me of these massacred innocents from now on.

Over 70% of the civilian deaths in Gaza have been women and children. Not soldiers or terrorists but mothers with their children. Children who will never get to celebrate another birthday or holiday. Children who will never get to go to school again or play football with their buddies. Children who pose no threat to anyone except to those who commit a genocide against an entire group of indigenous people so they can steal their land and resources.

Baby Angel will hang on our Christmas tree in a place of honor to commemorate all the babies who became victims of the genocide in Gaza…. In a season that celebrates a baby who survived Herod’s slaughter of the innocents and whose family became refugees who fled to Egypt. It seems appropriate.

Holy infants so tender and mild, sleep in heavenly peace. In this world, there is none.

From a "Ceasefire Carol":

Silent night, holy night!
All is calm, all is bright
Safety for fathers, mothers, and child
Holy infants alive with smiles
Ceasefire now! Ceasefire now!

Related Articles and Interesting Links to Contemplate Over Cocoa:

If Jesus Was Born Today, Would He Be Under Rubble? https://truthout.org/articles/if-jesus-was-born-today-would-he-be-under-rubble/

All The Propaganda Is Splattering Against A Solid Wall Of Reality https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/all-the-propaganda-is-splattering

The IDF is just shooting at anything that moves https://www.councilestatemedia.uk/p/the-idf-is-just-shooting-at-anything

Biden Staffers Hold Historic Vigil Outside White House Calling for Ceasefire https://truthout.org/articles/biden-staffers-hold-historic-vigil-outside-white-house-calling-for-ceasefire/

The United States Is Losing Allies On Gaza https://popularresistance.org/the-united-states-is-losing-allies-on-gaza/

Senate Passes Massive $886 Billion National Defense Authorization Act https://news.antiwar.com/2023/12/13/senate-passes-massive-886-billion-national-defense-authorization-act/

Increasing Civilian Suffering In Gaza Is Part of the Official Plan of the Netanyahu Government https://stevendonziger.substack.com/p/increasing-civilian-suffering-in

Israel admits to “immense” amount of “friendly fire” on 7 October
https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/asa-winstanley/israel-admits-immense-amount-friendly-fire-7-october

Nearly Half of All Israeli Munitions Dropped on Gaza are Imprecise ‘Dumb’ Bombs  https://scheerpost.com/2023/12/15/nearly-half-of-all-israeli-munitions-dropped-on-gaza-are-imprecise-dumb-bombs/

Israel Apologists Are Psychopaths https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/israel-apologists-are-psychopaths

If children are being slaughtered by the thousands in a horrific massacre and someone tries to make the conversation about what words and phrases you’re not allowed to use when opposing that massacre, the correct thing to do is to tell that person to shut the fuck up.

Time for a Transnational Uprising Against a Reckless Escalation of the Arms Race? https://scheerpost.com/2023/12/09/time-for-a-transnational-uprising-against-a-reckless-escalation-of-the-arms-race/

20 Things You’re Not Supposed to Know About the War on Gaza
https://worldbeyondwar.org/20-things-youre-not-supposed-to-know-about-the-war-on-gaza/

US Palestinians Feel Helpless as Our Tax Dollars Fund Our Families’ Destruction https://truthout.org/articles/us-palestinians-feel-helpless-as-our-tax-dollars-fund-our-families-destruction/

Israel Used US-Supplied White Phosphorous in Attack on Southern Lebanon https://news.antiwar.com/2023/12/11/israel-used-us-made-white-phosphorous-in-attack-on-southern-lebanon/

Israel Is Wiping Out Gaza’s Journalists: A Tribute https://scheerpost.com/2023/12/15/israel-is-wiping-out-gazas-journalists-a-tribute/

Words Are Never Quite Enough https://riwaq.substack.com/p/words-are-never-quite-enough

Jewish Demonstrators Block Bridges in 8 U.S. Cities to Demand Ceasefire in Gaza https://truthout.org/articles/jewish-demonstrators-block-bridges-in-8-u-s-cities-demanding-ceasefire-in-gaza/

The Forcible Transfer of 85% of Palestinians in Gaza Is a Crime Against Humanity https://scheerpost.com/2023/12/12/the-forcible-transfer-of-85-of-palestinians-in-gaza-is-a-crime-against-humanity/

US Veto of Ceasefire Resolution Reflects Its Colonial View on Whose Lives Matter https://truthout.org/articles/us-veto-of-ceasefire-resolution-reflects-its-colonial-view-on-whose-lives-matter/

What US Got Most Crucially Wrong in UN Veto
https://consortiumnews.com/2023/12/10/what-us-got-most-crucially-wrong-in-un-veto/

‘Israel-Hamas War’ Label Obscures Israel’s War on Palestinians
https://scheerpost.com/2023/12/12/israel-hamas-war-label-obscures-israels-war-on-palestinians/

Ukrainian Trial Demonstrates 2014 Maidan Massacre Was a False Flag  https://scheerpost.com/2023/12/13/ukrainian-trial-demonstrates-2014-maidan-massacre-was-a-false-flag/

Unilateral Sanity Could Save the World https://scheerpost.com/2023/12/14/unilateral-sanity-could-save-the-world/

Chris Hedges: The Death of Israel  https://scheerpost.com/2023/12/17/chris-hedges-the-death-of-israel/

Israel has no intention of minimizing civilian casualties. It has already killed 18,800 Palestinians, 0.82 percent of the Gazan population — the equivalent of around 2.7 million Americans. Another 51,000 have been wounded. Half of Gaza’s population is starving, according to the U.N. All Palestinian institutions and services that sustain life — hospitals (only 11 out of 36 hospitals in Gaza are still “partially functioning”), water treatment plants, power grids, sewersystems, housing, schools, government buildings, cultural centers, telecommunications systems, mosques, churches, U.N. food distribution points — have been destroyed. Israel has assassinated at least 80 Palestinian journalists alongside dozens of their family members and over 130 U.N. aid workers along with members of their families. Civilian casualties are the point. This is not a war against Hamas. It is a war against the Palestinians. The objective is to kill or remove 2.3 million Palestinians from Gaza. 

IDF Kills 3 Shirtless Israeli Hostages Waving White Flag; Calling for Help in Hebrew https://www.commondreams.org/news/idf-kills-3-shirtless-israeli-hostages-waving-white-flag-calling-for-help-in-hebrew

The IDF Are So Good At Killing Israelis They Should Consider Joining Hamas https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/the-idf-are-so-good-at-killing-israelis

It’s so hard to say who’s in the right in this conflict. On one side you’ve got facts and evidence and a nonstop deluge of raw video footage documenting massacres of civilians day after day after day, but on the other side you’ve got people calling you an anti-semite if you disagree with them. It’s very complicated.

Latin America and the Caribbean Stand With Palestine: Israel Viewed as a US Proxy https://scheerpost.com/2023/12/17/latin-america-and-the-caribbean-stand-with-palestine-israel-viewed-as-a-us-proxy/

Away In A Baby Jail (Save Democracy!)

This just in: Democracy in America is officially dead--unless we work to save it! 

The Lake Erie Bill of Rights (LEBOR), a Rights of Nature citizens' initiative to protect the lake's ecosystem and the drinking water of millions, needs your help. It was voted onto the February special election ballot by an ordinance of the Toledo city council last Tuesday afternoon, only to be shot down yet again by the Lucas County Board of Elections the next Monday morning.  A city attorney stated that he received a "last minute email" protest from two individuals, Shaun Enright, Secretary and Business Manager of the Northwest Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, and Joshua Abernathy, member of IBEW Local 8, via McTigue and Colombo, a law firm that is known for representing Ohio's natural gas and oil lobby among others. (More details here.) (And even more details here.)

The lawyer responsible for presenting the protest to the Board hid behind a pillar throughout the fifteen minute proceedings. The chair promptly gaveled the meeting closed after that, giving the public no opportunity to comment or ask questions. Two individuals were allowed to file a protest 30 minutes before the B. of E. meeting, delaying a decision on LEBOR until a "special hearing" called for December 20. 

Never mind the fact over ten thousand individuals signed the petition calling for a Lake Erie Bill of Rights. Never mind the entire metropolitan Toledo area's water supply was shut off for three days in 2014 due to unacceptable levels of blue-green algae pollution. Never mind the Supreme Court of Ohio was ambivalent about their decision earlier and united only once Big Money came into play. An attempt to shut down the whole movement to protect Lake Erie has been instigated by two individuals acting on behalf of Big Business.

Toledoans for Safe Water are not giving up. They will campaign for the February 26 special election as planned, as it's possible the measure will be allowed on the ballot at the very last minute (a tactic that's been used to kill similar citizens initiatives in the area).  TSW is now accepting donations via Paypal and used clothing locally to sell on as a fundraiser to purchase signage and ads. 

Help these valiant activists raise money to promote the Lake Erie Bill of Rights to the public against the deep pockets of Big Ag, Big Oil, and other lobby groups. Power to the People--not the Polluters! Please donate today to help get LEBOR on the ballot. Together we'll set a Rights of Nature precedent in North America!

And now on to our regularly scheduled rant.

The best thing about being on the censors' "shit list" is that you can pretty much say anything you like without fear of getting on said list since you're already there! It's never been a big concern for us here at The Revolution Continues in the past, but now with the outright blocking of this site, it's a challenge to see what other ways we can get on the corrupt establishment's nerves and drive them over the edge. So without further adieu...

Away In A Baby Jail

by C.A. Matthews

(Can be sung to either familiar tune of Away in a Manger. Or not.)

Away in a babe-jail, no crib for a bed--
The migrant babe Jesús lays down his sweet head.
ICE and border guards gassed Maria as she ran
And step-dad José was locked up in the can.

The racists are crowing--the poor baby wakes.
It's migrant babe Jesús Betsy DeVos takes!
A torrent of rich whites want "abandoned" brown kids--
To use them as slaves like their ancestors did.

This is America, freedom is a sham.
We've turned on our principles as sure as we stand.
We hate the poor and natives--genocide is the plan.
We've lost all our honor. Sieg heil orange man!
 

Disgusted? I meant at our current situation, not just the bad poetry. If I made you angry at both, then I've succeeded in my purpose.

Closing our eyes and pretending what the US is doing to asylum-seekers isn't happening won't make things right. Watching endless holiday bowl games and spending a million bucks in the mall shopping won't erase the harm and evil that has been perpetrated in our names. 

"My name?" you cry. "I don't have anything to do with those ICE thugs tear gassing women and children!" Sorry to break this to you, but you pay taxes, correct? Your US tax dollars are going toward building a border wall and more baby jails and paying private adoption agencies like the one Education Secretary Betsy DeVos owns. Your hard earn money even goes to paying the salaries of the twenty-first century American S.S. equivalent, ICE agents. There is blood on all of our hands and guilt cast upon our names a-plenty.

Stop lying to yourself. Denial is the name of a river in Egypt.  Egypt--you know the place. It's the land that Mary, Joseph and Jesus fled to because of the wrath of King Herod, a tyrannical despot who makes even Mr. Trump look benign.

What can we do about this horrible situation? Stop paying taxes? Possibly, if we all did it, all at once. That just might get the establishment's attention. But you could be locked up for not paying your taxes--and then how would you fight back against injustice from behind bars? Could that be the reason why the elites throw people into prison on the flimsiest excuses, such as the color of their skin or their socioeconomic status? They know we can't affect change if we're locked up?
 
Let's not give them the satisfaction. We need everyone in the fight. We need to speak out and make a lot of noise. Our voices need to be heard by the powers-that-be. The establishment needs to know how angry and disgusted we are. Our silence is killing human beings. We can no longer remain silent and simply wish this awful reality away.

This holiday season don't forget to speak out, demonstrate, protest, write letters to the editor, Tweet at your representatives, etc. Make the reason for your anger clear. Tell them to stop ICE and the Border Patrol from tear gassing and locking up of families and the separating of children from their parents simply because they're poor and running away from violence our government has helped to create in their countries over the years. Let's follow our own laws and render due process for those who seek asylum.

Then take your righteous anger and channel it into doing as many compassionate acts as you can for those who are hurting in your community. Feed the poor. Pay someone's heating bill who can't afford it this month. Watch a friend's kids so she can go to the doctor's or attend an important appointment, such as a job interview. Every act of kindness will make you stronger and ready to take on the evil establishment when the time comes.

This is the season of hope, peace, joy and love. Spread those positive vibes, and all the while keep both your ears and heart open to learning all you can to prevent future injustices from occurring.

Related articles/videos:
United We Dream

Federal Court Says We Have a Constitutional Right To Feed the Homeless

Church Puts Holy Family in ICE Detention  (Indianapolis)

Church Sparks Backlash Over Controversial Nativity Scene (Massachusetts)

Baby Jesus In a Cage? Yes, It's Political

Nearly 100 Kids Have Been Separated From Their Families Since Trump Ended His Zero-Tolerance Policy

Church Extends Support to Deported Man 

Reuters Photojournalist Talks About Photo of Children Fleeing Tear Gas at Border in Mexico

 

  ***
From The Poor People's Campaign:

Today, the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, the Kairos Center and Repairers of the Breach answer the call from the California Poor People's Campaign and the American Friends Service Committee to join faith leaders at the U.S.-Mexico border. Together, we demand a clear and just immigration system that prioritizes family reunification and the demilitarization of our communities on the border and the interior.


Watch the livestream of the interfaith service here.
 
The startling heartlessness with which our immigration system treats migrants is a rejection of human dignity. As we watch these families walking everyday closer, we see the same faces as those in our domestic refugee crisis from homeless encampments in Chico to the wildfires throughout Northern California. The haze of tear gas choking migrant children goes hand in hand with the armored cars deployed in Ferguson, Missouri. 

We have a moral obligation to uphold our nation’s promise to welcome the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. We cannot succumb to hateful rhetoric and conspiracy theories. Now, more than ever, we must stand for all those with whom we share a common suffering and hope. 

We’re here today at the San Diego border to demand the demilitarization of our border communities and an immigration system that recognizes the shared humanity of migrants seeking safety and refuge. But we can’t do this without you: Share our petition now to support the movement, wherever you are, and demand Congress take action.

Somebody has been hurting our people and it’s gone on far too long. And we won’t be silent anymore. 

Forward together, not one step back, The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival

***

Tell the United Nations to investigate U.S. human rights violations of asylum seekers.

The petition to the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights and High Commissioner on Refugees reads: "Launch an investigation into U.S. human rights violations of asylum seekers." Add your name:

Tear gas and rubber bullets should never be used to attack asylum seekers. Yet, Donald Trump's deportation force used these weapons against unarmed refugee children and families. It also recently closed a major port of entry. And now, his hateful administration is considering a new rule that would require many refugees to pay an asylum fee.1 These actions are in gross violation of international law. More than 100,000 CREDO members recently demanded that the United Nations send observers to the border. Now we need it to go one step further and immediately launch an investigation. Tell the United Nations to investigate U.S. human rights violations of asylum seekers. Click here to sign the petition. The Trump administration has treated members of the migrant caravan like enemy combatants. It has launched tear gas and rubber bullet attacks against them, extended the military occupation at the border and authorized troops to use lethal force.2 Caravan members are unarmed refugees fleeing extreme poverty, violence and oppression. We should be welcoming them, not using violence and slowdown tactics to force them to give up and turn back. The Trump regime's "metering" system is causing major delays, confusion and chaos at the border.3 It severely restricts the number of asylum seekers who enter the country every day. International law requires the United States to review every application for asylum. This system is preventing refugees from even applying. Now, the Trump administration is considering a new rule that would require many refugees to pay an asylum fee, adding yet another barrier to the process. It is also conspiring with the Mexican government to send these asylum seekers back to the countries they fled.4 These actions violate the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention and Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees under which the United States government has obligations. There is enough evidence for the United Nations to launch an investigation. It's up to us force it to act. Join us and our friends at Presente, Puente and Mijente to demand that the United Nations investigate human rights violations at the border immediately. Tell the United Nations to investigate U.S. human rights violations of asylum seekers. Click the link below to sign the petition. https://act.credoaction.com/sign/un_investigation?t=7&akid=30829%2E9999572%2EicmdIX Thank you for all you do, Nicole Regalado, Campaign Manager CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: References: Michael Burke, "Trump mulling charging immigrants a fee for applying for asylum: report," The Hill, Dec. 4, 2018. Wesley Morgan, "Mattis extends border troop mission until end of January," POLITICO, Dec. 4, 2018. Jonathan Blitzer, "The long wait for Tijuana migrants to process their own asylum claims," The New Yorker, Nov. 29, 2018. The Guardian, "Mexico to deport up to 500 migrants who tried to cross US border," Nov. 26, 2018.

***

Help us to continue speaking out against the corrupt system!

The Revolution Continues has set up an easy way to donate in order to keep it ad-free. Three and a half years without obnoxious pop-up ads (that many news sites have to cover costs) has been great, but the editor does have to pay for internet, electricity, etc., out of her own pocket, and she would like to be able to pay her contributors in the future. 

Please consider donating a buck, $5, $10 or $20--any amount you can share with us to keep this progressive site going without those awful ads is appreciated. Help us become a strong alternative voice protesting against the corrupt establishment and its paid-off corporate mouthpieces. Give to TRC today. Thank you.

You can donate via Paypal at http://paypal.me/camatthews 

And thanks to a generous reader, we have a  domain name. Please share the link: http://therevolutioncontinues.com

Power to the people and not the corporations!

***

From Friends of the Earth Action:
Earlier this year, Trump’s FCC gutted net neutrality. It took steps to give Big Cable companies like Comcast and Verizon even more control over the Internet.

Net neutrality is the principle of a free and open Internet. Now, thanks to Trump’s actions, Internet providers could soon start throttling speeds and creating fast and slow lanes online. But Congress could stop that from happening.

The Senate voted to overturn the FCC’s decision this summer after activists like you spoke out. Now, we need your help to push the House of Representatives to act before the end of the lame duck session. 

Sign the petition: Tell the House of Representatives to restore net neutrality and an open Internet!

Net neutrality is the principle that Internet providers like Comcast and Verizon should not control what we see and do online. In 2015, the FCC enacted strong protections for net neutrality. They prohibited Internet providers from blocking, throttling, and paid prioritization -- "fast lanes" for sites that pay, and slow lanes for everyone else.

Thanks to the FCC’s recent decision, it will soon be easier for Internet providers to pick which stories you see online. It could force people to pay extra to see content that is critical of Trump or his corporate friends and Big Oil cronies. And it paves the way for fast lanes for the rich and slow lanes for the rest of us. 

Those who can pay to promote misinformation -- like the fossil fuel industry -- will get a new fast lane. And Comcast and Verizon’s power grab would let them decide what stories you get to see about Donald Trump’s attacks on people and the environment.

This could make it harder for people like you and me to organize online to stop him. We can’t let that happen. 
Take action now: Tell House Representatives the internet belongs to people, not Big Cable!

The FCC's massively unpopular decision has sparked a national movement to keep the Internet open and fair. Millions of people across the political spectrum are taking action in the streets, at their statehouses, outside the FCC, and before Congress. 

Net neutrality is vital to free speech, small business, and communities that might not otherwise have a voice in the mainstream media. There’s NO EXCUSE -- every lawmaker, both Republican and Democrat, should support net neutrality.

We need to make sure your Representatives hear from grassroots voices like yours, not their wealthy donors like Comcast and Verizon lobbyists.
As of now, more than 170 representatives in the House have supported restoring net neutrality -- but we still need at least 41 more members. We’re so close to a victory, but we still need your help. If engaged Friends of the Earth Action members like you speak up again, we can push the House of Representatives to restore net neutrality during the lame duck session.

Help us reach 50,000 signatures: Demand the House of Representatives restore net neutrality NOW!

Standing with you,
Liz Butler,
VP of organizing and strategic alliances,
Friends of the Earth Action

 

Carols for the New Era

A gift many of us are hoping the Electoral College will consider.

Carols for the New Era

by Cindy A. Matthews

 

We've entered an era of fear and dread. Not many feel like singing of "Peace on Earth" when so many are suffering from so little attention given to their needs for food, shelter and clean water. It's not a time to sing "Joy to the World!" when there's little joy to be gained from the knowledge that millions of votes in Michigan alone weren't counted and Wisconsin voting machines had their tamper seals broken. 

And freedom of speech and the freedom not to be spied upon by our own government? To quote Bloom County's Bill the Cat: "Aaack! Pfft!"

Presenting a collection of carols for the new era:

Let Him Go (Home) 
(Sung to the tune Let It Snow)

Our government is surely lying
because Ed caught it outright spying
How'd we know this fact to be so?
Let him go! Let him go! Let him go!

Our cell phones the Fed's been tapping
This info has us hap'ly clapping
By his sacrifice it came to show
Let him go! Let him go! Let him go!

When Ed finally came to say
How he hated living far from his home
A year-end pardon is all he wants
Why can't Obama grant one over the phone?

Our democracy is quickly dying
'Cause our human rights are flying
Out the door--there's naught to crow, so--
Let Ed go! Let Ed go! Let Ed go... home!


Oh, Little Town of Washington (Sung to the tune of Oh, Little Town of Bethlehem) 


Oh, little town of Washington--

Corrupt and backward DC!
Filled with one-percent brown-nosers
Bribed servants--far as the eye can see
Yet in your dark halls shineth
The wisdom of one so bright
Our hopes and fears from this past year
Need Bernie's leadership tonight!

Oh, little town of Washington
Your politicians lie!
Lobbyists purchase base men's souls
For a bigger slice of pie
You've silenced all progressives
To keep us in the dark
That way you rule with greedy fools
With morals of a shark

Oh, little town of Washington
How sad it is to know
The bought-off mainstream media
Killed all chance for it to grow
A dynamic coalition
Led by Bernie and the Greens
Gov'ment for all and one that calls
For investment in energy clean!


God Help Us--Racist Donald Trump! (Sung to the tune of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen)

God help us! Racist Donald Trump

Has made the Hillbots pay
They've installed a fascist dictator
Through blatant pay-to-play
The Dems' manipulation
Has led us all astray

O-oh, regrets of a country destroyed, country destroyed
O-oh, regrets of a country destroyed

God help us! Racist Donald Trump
Has made the pundits laugh
His choice of cab'net sec'taries
Is nothing short of daft
Without Bernie's guidance
We'll land knee-high in crap

O-oh, regrets of a country destroyed, country destroyed
O-oh, regrets of a country destroyed

Here's some e-candy (below) for your stocking to help deal with the pain of a Trump presidency. If you have any new words for carols for the new era, email them to us at thebernieblog2016@gmail.com Thank you.

 ***

Now we take a closer look at what's happening in Europe and

how it closely parallels the results of our recent election.

The Rise of the Right

by Adrian J. Matthews

Over the last decade European politics has undergone a broad and significant shift to the right. The Sweden Democrats, the French National Front, the Dutch Party for Freedom, and the UK Independence Party (UKIP) have all made inroads into mainstream politics. The recent Austrian election saw a tight race between the far-right Freedom Party and the Green Party--and the latter won only after a recount. Dutch Party for Freedom leader Geert Wilders was recently convicted of hate speech following comments he made during the country’s 2014 elections. In spite of this, the party is leading the polls ahead of the March 2017 parliamentary elections in the Netherlands.

With history downgraded to a minor role in some national schools’ curricula, it’s not entirely surprising the lessons learned from World War II are overlooked by the modern generation of young adults. Ignorance rules. Without the lesson of history, the rampant right-wing nationalism in Germany and Italy that gave rise to the conflict is no longer seen as undesirable. It’s telling that the demographics show the majority of supporters for these right-wing parties are under 30 years of age. Unlike their grandparents, the terrible waste of lives seen seventy years ago in World War II isn’t even a part of their world view.

Much of the support for the Right stems from the refugee and economic migrant crisis gripping Europe. The mass migration of peoples from Africa and the Middle East into the European continent is causing conflict with the citizens of the EU nations. A sharp rise in crime, radical cultural differences and immigrants "taking our jobs" are the three predictable reasons given for this attitude. Fear of "the other" is rife. Such feelings play easily into the hands of the right-wing demagogues. It’s no secret that most, if not all, of the right-wing parties view the European Union with deep prejudice. To the far right national sovereignty is all. Surrendering more and more of a nation’s powers to govern itself to a centralized authority is anathema to them. Any laws or regulations that emerge from the EU parliament and bureaucracy promoting freedom of movement and legal rights for immigrants are decried in violent terms.

The EU doesn’t help matters by its insensitive "one-size-fits-all" approach to issuing rules and regulations. For instance, what may apply to Poland might not work at all well in France. What might suit Denmark and Sweden wouldn’t work in Spain or Italy. Again, this approach leads to dissatisfaction with the EU as a whole. Even the more progressive governments in member countries often view the diktat with unease. The benefits a country’s membership bring are often overshadowed by such sentiment. In many EU countries, moves to withdraw from the EU are on the rise, usually instigated by the political right. The shock result of the Brexit referendum, induced by UKIP, looks set to take the United Kingdom out of the EU. In spite of the result causing a shambles that has still not been addressed to anyone’s satisfaction, other member nations may follow Britain’s example.

All of which has the European Union leadership deeply worried.

During his State of the Union address on September 14 this year, President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker recently referred to what he termed the “galloping populism” that is sweeping Europe. He announced that the next twelve months would be crucial for the European Union, that it faces a battle for survival in the face of rising nationalism. To quote Juncker, “the European Union doesn’t have enough union. There are splits out there and often fragmentation exists.”

Yet the EU’s approach to settling the refugee crisis seems mishandled and uneven. What is less obvious are the reasons why this mass movement of people is taking place. Climate change is affecting agriculture all over the world, especially in the developing nations of Africa. Once-fertile regions are yielding less and less crops as the years go by. Political unrest and extremism doesn’t help. In the Middle East, ongoing wars in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan contribute a woeful toll in refugees forced from their homes.

The fault for both wars and climate change lies squarely with Big Business. The military-industrial complex likes to keep wars at a rolling boil in order to make yet larger profits. Industry across the world prefers not to take steps to control the pollution it causes, since such controls cut into their profit margins. As a consequence people are forced out of their homes and country by war, climate change and economic decline, which leads in turn to rising conflict in the countries they eventually settle in. Big Business doesn’t care about such things, since it’s usually aligned with right-wing politics and generally benefits from strife.

The election of Donald Trump as President of the United States caused shock waves around the world. The Right applauds it; the Left is appalled by it. To most political pundits the rise of the Right and the potential for another world war now seems inevitable. Some right-wing supporters are of the opinion that the world must be reduced to rubble so humanity can build anew. 

What the left-wing, liberal and progressive movements across the world can do about the matter before such a war breaks out remains to be seen. If enough progressive candidates can win elections at all levels of government in the First World countries then the potential Armageddon may not happen. The signs are there that such a left-wing backlash is growing – but will it grow large enough in time?

BIO: Adrian is a British citizen living in the USA, watching the political situation closely on both sides of the pond.

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From Brand New Congress:

We just had our third All Hands call in which the volunteers and staff working to create a Brand New Congress got together to talk about our progress and the direction we’re headed in the future. We’re all incredibly grateful and privileged for the wonderful support we’ve received so far from people like you, and we’re excited to let you know how we are doing.

Click here to listen to our All Hands meeting

Here are some highlights of what we’ve accomplished so far:

• We’ve received about 2,450 candidate nominations.
• 34 of these nominees have gone through at least 3 rounds of thorough vetting.
• Of these 34 nominees, we are ready to announce 5 candidates who we want to draft.
• Our amazing volunteer-run help desk, led by Brad Lacke, has been answering every single question and piece of feedback.
• Our volunteer-run call team, led by Andi Duncan, Caitlin Remmel, and Taylor Apodaca has been calling nearly 300 signups a week to unearth great nominees from our supporters across the country.
• Our volunteer-led data management team has created a great tracking system that lets us find high-skilled volunteers for specific projects. This month we welcome new team lead Sandy Menor.
• We’re launching a brand new website in the next couple weeks to introduce our first five candidate draftees.
• Allison Jester, one of our excellent volunteers, put together a video explaining how to find candidates featuring Alex, Corbin and Issy from the BNC working group.
• We’ve created a volunteer-run research team that is putting in work everyday to look up people in every single district to find potential candidates outside of just the nominations we are getting.
• Another volunteer research team is currently hard at work researching the details of every single one of the 435 congressional districts in America so we know what we’re up against.

While we’re proud of how far we’ve come, we know there is a long road ahead. BNC is a campaign to recruit 400+ candidates to run in a unified campaign behind one plan to rebuild, reform and repair America. The whole idea here is to give America a way to really sweep Congress clean. We think that if we can announce a great slate of 400+ honest, dependable candidates, America will pledge to volunteer in huge numbers and donate millions of dollars to fund a powerful campaign. But there is a staggering amount of work to do to put together a slate of over 400 candidates, create a fully fleshed-out platform, and start creating the infrastructure necessary to run the biggest grassroots-backed national campaign ever. We know this won’t be easy, which is why all of us are working all-out to make it happen.

We’re committed to working until the very end to make a Brand New Congress a reality.  If you believe in our mission and want to see it through, please help us continue by contributing anything you can. Because of your support so far, we’ve been able to hire five full-time organizers and go to over 100 cities to recruit volunteers that have made all this work possible. Let’s keep the momentum going all the way to 2018.

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 Donate today at https://jillstein.nationbuilder.com/recount