Food: The Most Lethal Weapon

by C.A. Matthews

Our early morning emergency protest proved challenging. When I arrived, I discovered the entire street in front of the building where our Congresswoman’s district office is located in the process of being torn up. There were drainage pipes being replaced along with concrete mixers and gravel trucks and graders galore. Once I figured out where to park and how to cross the construction area to get to the front door, I found my fellow protesters already hard at work banging loudly on their pots and pans.

The noisy demonstration was to draw attention to the mass starvation of the inhabitants of Gaza. Israel has killed 20.7% of Gaza's population in the past 22 months, or approximately 434,000 people by some estimates.

I don’t hold out much hope for any positive actions coming from our representative, Marcy Kaptur, a conservative Democrat fully in the zy0nists’ pockets. Perhaps we could guilt her into doing something right in Congress for a change. Marcy almost lost her last election, so the longest-serving Congresswoman really should be more cognizant of pleasing her voters, right?

After several minutes of clanking pots together and chanting, “Stop starving Gaza!” a woman in a catering uniform wheeled a cart full of pastries, fruit trays, and large coffee flasks into the building. How ironic! Here we were protesting against the deliberate withholding of food to the people of Gaza, instigated by the US government’s GHF faux humanitarian program, and the occupants of perhaps Congresswoman Kaptur’s office upstairs were about to stuff their faces full of delicious goodies in celebration for a job well done. For me, this cruel comparison of using food as both a means to hurt some and as a means to reward others is an image that will never be forgotten.

A few days later, I joined in a protest march through the University of Toledo where an outdoor arts show was being held on the main mall. The deer-in-the-headlight stares we received from onlookers were more than plentiful. You’d think these very well-heeled folks buying expensive art weren’t aware of the genocide happening in Gaza and that the US was playing a big part in it.

One art hawker even pulled out an American flag and started waving it and shouting angrily at our lack of patriotism as we repeatedly marched past his booth. None of these art-lovers looked like they’d ever missed a meal in their lives—and a few looked like they’d eaten more than enough for two or three persons in their lifetimes.

When it comes down to it, food is the most lethal weapon. Withhold it—and your enemies weaken and starve to death. Lavish it upon them—and your enemies could become your allies or at least less hostile to you, as long as you keep feeding them. Food is the ultimate way to control human beings, forcing them to respond the way you want them to with a minimum of effort. Other than depriving people of oxygen, there’s probably not a control substance in the known universe that’s quite so versatile.

Now you know the real secret behind the starving of millions of Palestinians. Starvation might take a bit longer to accomplish its goal than simply bombing cities, villages, and bodies into rubble, but it’s a relatively simple thing to do. What’s happening currently in Gaza is called a forced famine as it is man-made and not due to natural causes. And withholding food is much cheaper than building or buying bombs, jets, tanks, and other weapons—a win-win situation for aggressors...

 

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I Believe Christine (and Anita and Patti and...)

I Believe Christine (and Anita and Patti and...)

by C.A. Matthews

The time we live in is one of skepticism and cynicism.  We trust nobody and trust even less what these "nobodies" have to say. Yet Americans have elected an apparent pathological liar to the highest office in the land. What gives?

When a liar is elevated and adored by many, any persons who are seen as a threat to the worshiped sociopath must be eliminated. Their reputations must be besmirched; their testimony silenced. Truth cannot be allowed to shine on the heroes of darkness, revealing more warts than even the most adoring of fans could tolerate. So truth must be denied and added to the list of ideals to be skeptical of, derided to the point that it becomes the most despised of virtues. Because to quote an infamous Twitterer: "Facts aren't necessary."

Even so, I believe in truth. I believe Christine Blasey Ford. I still believe Anita Hill and the testimony she bravely gave at the Clarence Thomas hearings. Why do I believe these women? It's not just because I'm female and a fellow #MeToo member.  It's not because I've experienced similar horrors or felt powerless to do anything against my attacker. I believe them because I believe any person (male, female or other gender) who is brave enough to admit publicly of being harassed and violated in such an intimate manner is a strong person, and, as such, has no reason to resort to subterfuge to gain an upper hand over the person who wronged them.

A rapist/sexual predator, on the other hand, behaves in the completely opposite manner.  This individual learns to lie and obfuscate to cover his deep-seated sense of inadequacy and self-loathing that manifests itself in an outward hatred and dehumanizing of others. He (face it, most rapists are male) becomes an actor in our "macho tough guy" culture. He knows how to put a woman "in her place" through forcing her to "live through her own death," as rape has been described by many survivors. Laughing it off as "boys will be boys," he seeks to normalize his sadistic behaviors by destroying his victim's reputation. He'll claim she is liar, a whore, an attention seeker or otherwise a person of no consequence. He alone is what society wants and needs. Society shouldn't listen to the hurting souls he leaves in his wake through his violent actions, let alone believe or empathize with them.

I don't believe Brett Kavanaugh knows what truth is--or else he would take himself out of the running for the Supreme Court. If Kavanaugh is being honest with himself, he would understand that his past actions constituted a felony and were physically, psychologically, emotionally and spiritually harmful to a fellow human being. Of course he would also have to acknowledge that Christine is a human being worthy of respect, which his denial of the importance of this revelation indicates he does not. He is allowing the darkness to dictate his actions, giving into the lie that when a crime isn't reported then there isn't a victim.

But there is a victim, and she is brave enough to come forward to talk about the injustice perpetrated against her. It's the least the senate judiciary committee could do is to let her speak her piece without unwarranted criticisms and slanderous commentary. It's the least they could do to investigate the incident and not take Kavanaugh's dismissal of it as the only evidence they need to place him on the highest court. Revealing the truth is where victims can at last exert some measure of power over their attackers and begin to heal.

To deny the truth doesn't mean the false reality where "boys will be boys" automatically becomes the accepted norm for the majority. Most Americans feel that a rapist is a rapist no matter what term you use to describe this sort of individual. He forces himself on another without pity and enjoys silencing his victim through fear and intimidation that can last a lifetime. If denying climate change doesn't stop the destructive hurricanes and flooding, then why should denying the crime of a man in the running for a high office change the horrendous nature of that crime?

But why Kavanaugh? It seems our current sexual predator/liar-in-chief desires a person possessing a similar outlook on the worth of women sitting on the bench. When push comes to shove, one "good ol' boy sexual predator" will gladly cover for another, won't he? A woman's right to safe and legal abortion, her right to equal pay, her right to feel safe from uncalled for advances from people in a position of power over her--both Kavanaugh and Trump express contempt for these rights. They both seem to enjoy forcing  women into a "helpless" position, making them dependent upon the "help" of men in order to maintain a decent standard of living for themselves and their children.

If you want to know more about "Why Kavanaugh?" please click through to read my article A Matter of Control that I wrote a few weeks ago. It's a control game, all right. The truth-deniers are spinning the narrative on the mainstream media even now. The dirt-diggers will continue flinging mud on Christine Blasey Ford and other women who  come forward to expose the predators in positions of power who hurt them. We can't let these evil-doers get us down. We must continue to believe in the truth and support truth-speakers, because as it is written, "The truth will set you free." (John 8:32)

We need to free ourselves from the lies, hatred and division of our cynical society before it enslaves us all. We need to protect the truth and believe in justice now more than ever.

Related articles:

Christine Blasey Ford agrees to testify before Congress
https://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/52441-christine-blasey-ford-agrees-to-testify-before-congress-next-week

Second woman accuses Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/24/supreme-court-nominee-kavanaugh-faces-new-sexual-misconduct-claim.html

Lessons never learned--45 years after the All in the Family Episode where Gloria was almost raped
https://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/52443-rsn-lessons-never-learned

Brett Kavanaugh faces unprecedented opposition
https://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/52422-poll-brett-kavanaugh-faces-unprecedented-opposition-to-supreme-court-confirmation

Patti Davis (Ronald Reagan's daughter): I was sexually assaulted...
https://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/52423-i-was-sexually-assaulted-heres-why-i-dont-remember-many-of-the-details

The Kavanaugh confirmation battle is about to explode
https://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/52426-focus-is-the-kavanaugh-confirmation-battle-about-to-explode

Another example of how women are "put in their place" and silenced by our corrupt system:  The Real News Network interviews Green Party candidate for governor, Constance Gadell-Newton, on her platform after being barred from participating in the Ohio governor debates.
https://youtu.be/mWlqsNzrfPI

***

Press Release: Ohio Supreme Court Ignores Rights, Blocks Citizen Initiative Protecting Lake Erie - Voting rights and Lake Erie disregarded as justices dispute technicalities
 https://celdf.org/2018/09/press-release-ohio-supreme-court-ignores-rights-blocks-citizen-initiative-protecting-lake-erie/

TOLEDO, OH: On Friday, the Ohio Supreme Court blocked from the November ballot a Toledo citizen’s initiative. The Lake Erie Bill of Rights (LEBOR) would have recognized the right of Lake Erie to be healthy and free from pollution that today is killing the Lake and depriving surrounding communities of safe water.

Toledo residents are among eleven million people dependent on Lake Erie for drinking water. Following a 2014 algae bloom that deprived Toledoans of water for three days, community members formed Toledoans for Safe Water. The group requested the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF) assist in drafting a bill of rights for Lake Erie as a means to legally protect it. Decades of government regulation have failed to do so. Community members gathered nearly 11,000 signatures to qualify the measure for the ballot.

Over the last 18 months, in addition to blocking the Toledo initiative, the Ohio Supreme Court justices have ruled to keep a number of rights-based initiatives off the ballot that would have protected communities from shale gas drilling and fracking activities. In addition to those justices dissenting from the majority, the remaining justices are disagreeing how to rationalize blocking the people’s right to vote on their own measures.

In Friday’s ruling, a majority made clear the court had made errors in previous decisions regarding these initiatives. Justice Sharon Kennedy concluded, “The public is not under the illusion that we are infallible. There is little harm in admitting that we made a mistake. But recognizing an error in a prior decision is only the first step; sooner or later, we have to rectify it.”

In all of the justices’ machinations, there is but one mention of Lake Erie in a background paragraph. Markie Miller, an organizer with Toledoans for Safe Water, stated, “We the people put in hundreds of volunteer hours collecting nearly 11,000 signatures because we’re alarmed about Lake Erie’s deterioration. We’re apprehensive about the safety of our drinking water. We’re worried about our survival. Our Ohio Supreme Court justices make no mention of any of that in their decision. It is as if Lake Erie and the people are invisible to the court.”

Crystal Jankowski, another organizer with LEBOR, added, “It was devastating to be without water for 3 days in 2014. This is worse. To know that the Lake and my children are at risk because it is legal for the polluters to pollute us, while our own government makes it illegal for us to propose a law to protect the Lake and our children, is beyond devastating. It is the realization that we not only have a water crisis, but we also have a democracy crisis.”

Terry Lodge is a CELDF-affiliated attorney representing the community group. Lodge stated, “There seems to be a ‘ruling class’ divide in the court, yet they all miss the point that the people have the right to directly legislate by initiative. They ignore their own long-standing precedent, which has always been to allow initiatives on the ballot, regardless of constitutionality. No one can interfere with the city council or the state legislature voting on an illegal or unconstitutional bill. It should be the same for the people of the state. It’s clear that our government is afraid to let the people legislate by initiative.”

CELDF is filing a Motion to Reconsider on behalf of community members today, based on a federal judge ruling in Schmitt vs. Husted, Case No. 2:cv-18-966, on September 19th. In that case, two marijuana initiatives kept off the November ballot by the Portage County Board of Elections were ordered on the ballot.

***

Help spread the truth--support this blog!

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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.

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Power to the people and not the corporations!  

 ***

From the National Domestic Workers Alliance:

I can't stop thinking about Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who courageously came forward to share her story of being sexually assaulted by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. As a survivor, I know how difficult it is to come forward. I believe her. That's why I decided to add my voice to this video.

Watch the video, and co-sign our letter: #DearProfessorFord, we believe you, and we honor your strength.

This nomination process cannot go forward without a full and fair FBI investigation into the case.

The #MeToo movement has given us the courage to demand that survivors be heard and supported. And no matter how powerful -- even those nominated to the highest court in the land -- those who are accused of abuse should be fully investigated.

It's hard to overstate the stakes with this nomination: it's a lifetime appointment that could affect everything we care about: Workers' Rights, Marriage Equality, DACA, Citizens United, Roe vs Wade -- many court cases that have a profound impact on our lives.

Please, watch this video, share it -- and support Dr. Blasey Ford.

Sincerely,

Ai-jen Poo
Director
National Domestic Workers Alliance

 ***

Can you imagine your home is no longer safe because of the horrors of bombs, blockades, or floods? And you’re forced to flee with your family, across land and water, not knowing what’s ahead? That when you finally arrive, you’re ordered to “go back where you came from.” You’re told you are criminal, a burden, unwelcome.

This heartbreaking story is an everyday refugee story in our world. And Trump is making it even worse.

Last night, the Trump administration further dismantled the Refugee Admissions Program by announcing an all-time record low admissions cap of 30,000 for fiscal year 2019. This is WAY below even a bare minimum needed for the program to survive. 

This is unacceptable. And what’s worse is that Trump is required to consult with Congress before setting this cap —but he didn’t. That’s illegal.
I’ll be really blunt: Congress has to grow a spine and step in to stop Trump’s hateful and illegal anti-refugee agenda. But our elected officials will only act if we make them. So that’s where we come in.

Tell Congress: Act immediately to stop Trump from slamming the doors shut on refugees for good. 

The U.S. should be opening our doors to refugees. After all, our failed violence-first foreign policies drive displacement around the globe, from war to climate change. Yet, instead, Trump is barricading our borders to those our own policies harm.

Congress MUST stand with the American people and honor our nation’s aspiration to be a refuge for those in need. If our elected representatives stay silent now, they will enable Donald Trump in slamming shut our nation’s doors for decades to come. And we need to make very sure they know it.

Tell Congress to act immediately and stop Trump from dismantling the life-saving refugee resettlement program.

Refugee and migrant solidarity is one of the biggest anti-war issues of our time. Refugees already face insurmountable obstacles in fleeing the frontlines of war, climate catastrophes, and social and economic inequalities in pursuit of sanctuary and dignity. We must not make this pursuit impossible.

Thank you for working for peace,
Mariam, Tara, Cassandra, and the Win Without War team

***

From the Sierra Club:

We have less than two weeks to stop the anti-environmental provisions of the House Farm Bill in final negotiations with the Senate, which will shape the next five years of food, farming, agricultural and environmental policy.  
 

Tell your Members of Congress to urge House and Senate Conferees to pass a Farm Bill free of anti-environmental riders. With increasing assaults on federal environmental protections from the Trump administration, time is of the essence and we cannot afford to lose bedrock environmental safeguards that regulate toxics and ensure clean, safe food, and drinking water!

A clean bill would promote sustainable agriculture, and support local communities, without making egregious cuts to funding for local food systems, weakening the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP) designed to curb hunger, and trampling state and county rights -- including the right to regulate pesticides!

The House Farm Bill is full of anti-environmental provisions that would even gut the Clean Water Act, log away our national forests, harm conservation policies and launch a total attack on the Endangered Species Act.
 

Tell Congress to keep toxic, anti-environmental riders out of the Farm Bill now! We need legislation that puts local farms, communities, and environment first.

Thanks,

Kirin Kennedy

Associate Director for Legislative and Administrative Advocacy

Lands and Wildlife, Sierra Club

***

From RootsAction:

The Trump administration continues to keep children locked up whom it has torn away from their parents.

And the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement routinely denies or limits journalists access to child "detention centers," arguing that it needs to protect the privacy of children.

But professional journalists are capable of reporting on children responsibly, and the government could easily negotiate with them on ways to do so.

If reporters are locked out, the public is denied its right to freedom of the press and the ability to engage in self-governance.

Click here to join RootsAction and a huge coalition in demanding access to these child jails so that the U.S. public can see what is being done with our money and in our name.

Our Message to Office of Refugee Resettlement:

Since May of 2017, the number of migrant children in custody has jumped from 2,400 to 12,800 as of September. The administration’s recent investment in “tent cities,” which provide harsh living conditions for children, is horrifying and unacceptable. The Office of Refugee Resettlement routinely denies or limits journalists access to child detention centers, arguing the need to protect the privacy of children. But professional journalists are capable of reporting on children responsibly. We demand that journalists be given immediate increased access to detention centers―to honor our constitutional right of freedom of the press and to ensure government transparency and accountability. Only through our free press will we begin to understand and be able to address the humanitarian crisis at our southern border.

Add your name now by clicking here.

After signing the petition, please use the tools on the next webpage to share it with your friends.

A Matter of Control

The System Will Collapse...

Some days I hear a another world breathing, too. Other days, I despair I won't live long enough to see this new world, let alone experience it. Our corrupt system of government takes away our ability to control our lives and make our own choices. When will the system collapse, and how will We the People deal with its collapse? Let's address these and other questions as we consider America in 2018 and what's at stake in this life and death struggle for control.

None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free. --Goethe

A Matter of Control

by C. A. Matthews

While weeding the garden, I contemplated the recent nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. How is this latest Trump-sympathizer being put forward as our next justice a part of what has been happening since January 2017? How is Kavanaugh a symptom of the underlying disease of corporatism/fascism in our corrupt system? Where does his particular pathology fit in with the current sociopathic nature of American governance?

I pulled hard at a stubborn weed that wouldn't let go of its hold of the soil, and it all suddenly became clear to me. Kavanaugh's nomination is  a sign of the establishment's need to be in control of every aspect of our lives--from the pre-cradle to the grave and every stage in between. We the People, that is, we the working and poor classes, are "weeds" that need pulling and controlling. The oligarchy will use every technique from brute force to chemicals to contain and eliminate us at will. Allow me to explain.

Some of the biggest chatter on the web is the likelihood of Kavanaugh helping to overturn the landmark case of Roe. v. Wade. With just one Supreme Court ruling, women could find themselves in back alleys seeking abortion care once again. No doubt, the death rate of women of child-bearing years will
rise. Incidents of suicide and self-harm by women could increase--particularly by those who have been impregnated through rape or incest. Women with serious health concerns could die in forced childbirth. The number of child abuse and neglect cases could also climb because, more than likely, there will be no funding increases for social safety nets that feed and assist these children and mothers. Overnight, helpful programs such as WIC, SNAP, Medicaid and HUD housing allowances could disappear--the current administration proclaims that it will cut them all.

The eventual upshot of a Kavanaugh Supreme Court could mean an America  flooded with women with children they simply don't want and can't afford.  (It might even lead to a booming black market in baby sales and/or child sex trafficking.)  Considering the Trump's administration's attitude toward the poor, it doesn't seem probable a right-leaning court would support laws forcing fathers to pay their fair share of child support, either, as ultra-conservative males generally demand the right to do as they please. In a post-Roe v. Wade America, the economic, social and emotional burdens all fall primarily upon struggling-to-survive women. 

Women without the right to exercise control over their own bodies will find themselves trapped, thwarted in continuing their education or training and unable to travel to search for better employment, because they will be tasked as sole providers for their offspring. They will be stuck on the lowest rungs of the career ladder, receiving the lowest rates of pay, working jobs without benefits or upward mobility. Additionally, these stressed and desperate women would be at high risk of addiction and alcoholism to deal with their pain.

What a perfect way to control women! What a perfect way to control the ninety-nine-percent by forcing them into a perpetuity of hand-to-mouth living! The motivation behind fascists' determination to overturn Roe v. Wade makes sense to me now. It's not because they actually care about babies or children. If they did, they'd increase spending to SNAP benefits, education, health care and related programs, but they do not. The fanatical right is fine with the vast majority suffering because it simply wants to use the "abortion card" as a way to keep the poor in their place. 

After all, a rich woman can travel and pay whatever it takes to terminate a pregnancy. Wealthy women did this before Roe v. Wade became law, and they'll continue to do so afterward. Don't be swayed into thinking"pro-life" is a moral stance. It's not. The one-percent will continue to enjoy safe abortion care elsewhere. No one can tell a person with more-than-adequate financial resources what to do with his or her body, right?  Anti-abortion activists are better labeled "pro-birth" or "pro-control,"  as in controlling others (mainly the poor) through denial of their human right of choice.

I've learned that Judge Kavanaugh is not a friend of the environment, either.

He'd encourage fracking and mining to occur in all of our national parks, monuments and forests. He would take the side of Big Oil, Big Coal and Big Agriculture when it came to cases involving the contamination of our drinking water. He would rule against too much regulation that forces factories to clean up the exhaust coming from their smokestacks and limiting the toxic sewage they dump into our lakes and streams.

Once our natural resources are gone or ruined, We the People won't even have a nice place in which to relax and admire nature. The rich can always enjoy the majesty of the mountains and the grandeur of the ocean elsewhere on the planet. The struggling will be stuck staring at blown-off hilltops and strip-mined mud puddles left behind by uncaring capitalists.

https://youtu.be/GDTpkEKav5o

What a perfect way to control and break the spirits of the ninety-nine-percent! We'll be too sick from pollutants in our water, our food and the very air we breathe to protest. How can we fight against the rich and powerful if we're weak from malnutrition or illness? How can we take on the elites if we're dealing with depression from simply having nothing of nature's beauty nearby left to admire? How do we grow stronger if we have zero access to health care because capitalists cut our benefits or raise private insurance premiums to astronomical levels? How can we fight back if we are discriminated against because of previous health conditions while the right-wingers simultaneously dismantle the ACA and outlaw Medicare and Medicaid?

The pieces of the puzzle fall into place quickly now. With Education Secretary Betsy DeVos's intentional weakening of our public schools, the oligarchy will have  poorly-educated, mindless drones to work dead-end jobs--drones who can't think clearly enough to reason their way out of their dismal situations. Those who try to better themselves with a college education will find themselves enslaved to overwhelming debt and skyrocketing interest rates on their student loans. (Ka-ching! Ka-ching! The banksters are drooling even now.)

Willing to take any work available to pay off their debts, the poor are often too afraid to speak out against workplace safety hazards and injustices, such as sexual harassment and abuse. Outlawing unions and collective bargaining will further weaken the workers' abilities to exert pressure against unfair labor practices.

End result? The one-percenters tighten their grip on every aspect of the ninety-nine-percent's lives. The mega-wealthy take complete control. We are their puppets, to use and abuse for their pleasure. They will milk us for all our savings and then some. They will take our homes and lands away from us through unregulated banking practices, foreclosures and eminent domain to exploit as they like. Goodbye unwashed masses cluttering up the planet!

Access to abortion care, access to health care of all kinds, access to a good education, safe food, clean air and water, access to rest and relaxation in our national parks, freedom from unjust laws and banking practices--they're all interrelated. It's a matter of control. The one-percent have it, flaunt it, and will do anything to prevent us little people from having it.

Time to stop the excuses! We must take control of our lives. We the People must fight for our rights as human beings and demand to be treated as such. We must stop Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination and shut down the fascist state before it's too late. Vote, protest, call, text and write your representatives regularly and encourage others to do the same. Wake up your neighbors and get your metaphorical pitchforks and guillotines sharpened, if not the real deal... Because if the rich aren't going to play nice, then why should we?

***

Sister Joan Chittister, O.S.B., sums up the hypocrisy in the "pro-life" movement:

    "I do not believe that just because you're opposed to abortion, that that makes you pro-life. In fact, I think in many cases, your morality is deeply lacking if all you want is a child born but not a child fed, not a child educated, not a child housed. And why would I think that you don't? Because you don't want any tax money to go there. That's not pro-life. That's pro-birth. We need a much broader conversation on what the morality of pro-life is."

 ***

This short video is a perfect example of our blog topic two weeks ago, how humor, satire and parody can take down a tyrant. Check out Michelle Wolf's "ICE Is"  and see if you don't agree. Comedy cuts through the bull and gets to the heart of the matter. https://youtu.be/dNF6sVurAuI

***

Take Control of the Corrupt System!

The Revolution Continues has set up an easy way to donate to the cause of keeping it ad-free. Three years without obnoxious 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 $100--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 

Power to the people and not the corporations!     

 ***

From Credo:

Mitch McConnell wants to fast-track Brett Kavanaugh's nomination before October. That is an outrageous timeline.

If McConnell gets his way, there will be no time to review the more than 1 million pages of documents from Kavanaugh's career, including important records from his time as White House staff secretary under George W. Bush. It is common practice to release these kinds of documents. The Senate reviewed all of Justice Elena Kagan's documents from her time in Bill Clinton's White House before confirming her. But Republicans are so committed to steamrolling this process and handing Trump the Supreme Court that they are opposing the release of Kavanaugh's records.¹
 
CREDO is joining Daily Kos, Demand Justice and other progressive groups in calling on the Senate to release Kavanaugh's records and give ample time for review before his confirmation hearings. Will you sign the petition?

Tell the Senate: Don't fast-track hearings on Brett Kavanaugh. Release and review his records before holding confirmation hearings. Click here to sign the petition.

Republicans don't want to release the records, so they are trying to downplay Kavanaugh's five and a half years as staff secretary in the George W. Bush White House. In that key role, he gave final approval to Bush's controversial "signing statements" that Bush used to circumvent laws passed by Congress, including laws about torture and national security.² There is even a question of whether Kavanaugh lied under oath about his involvement in deciding Bush's torture policy during his confirmation hearing for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 2006.³

Kavanaugh has the longest paper trail of any nominee in history. It's one of the reasons Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tried to discourage Trump from nominating Kavanaugh.⁴ It will take significant time to thoroughly review Kavanaugh's papers, and more controversy about his record is likely to emerge.

Earlier this month, two Republicans joined Democrats to block Circuit court nominee Ryan Bounds over his racist writings from college.⁵ If a judicial nominee's college writing matters, then Kavanaugh's career writing and his time as a key adviser to Bush absolutely must be examined before he is given a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land. We have to pile on pressure to make sure that every member of the Senate – starting with the Senate Judiciary Committee – reviews all of Kavanaugh’s documents, emails and paperwork before the confirmation process continues.

Tell the Senate: Don't fast-track hearings on Brett Kavanaugh. Release and review his records before holding confirmation hearings. Click the link below to sign the petition.

https://act.credoaction.com/go/23606?t=7&akid=29459%2E9999572%2EWVLewg

Thank you for speaking out,
Kaili Lambe, Organizing Director CREDO Action from Working Assets

Add your name:

References:

1. Ali Rogin, "Senate Republicans clash with Democrats over access to Kavanaugh's White House records," ABC News, July 25, 2018.
2. Laurie Kellman, "Kavanaugh denies role in detainee policies," The Boston Globe, May 2, 2006.
3. Michael Kranish, "Kavanaugh’s role in Bush-era detainee debate now an issue in his Supreme Court nomination," The Washington Post, July 18, 2018.
4. Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Martin, "McConnell Tries to Nudge Trump Toward Two Supreme Court Options," The New York Times, July 7,2018.
5. John Bowden, "White House formally withdraws Bounds nomination after McConnell cancels vote," The Hill, July 24, 2018

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Here is a simple truth — no one in our country should be sitting in jail just because they are poor.

Unfortunately, that is not the case.

Right now, there are over 700,000 people in county or city jails — sixty-five percent of them, more than 400,000 people, have not been convicted of a crime. Many are locked up simply because they cannot afford bail.

Let me be clear. The United States of America has criminalized poverty and that is not acceptable.

That is why this week I introduced the No Money Bail Act in the Senate to stop this horrific practice.

Will you join me and sign up as a Citizen Cosponsor of the No Money Bail Act?

The United States has a broken criminal justice system. We have over 2 million people in jail, more than any other nation on earth, and they are disproportionately African-American, Latino, and Native American. We spend $80 billion a year keeping people behind bars, money which could be used for education, job creation and affordable housing.

The decision to put someone behind bars should never be decided based on how much money a person has, or what kind of mood the judge is in on a given day, or even what judge the case happens to come before. In a country where we pride ourselves on the principle “innocent until proven guilty,” we should not be keeping hundreds of thousands of people locked up before they have actually been convicted of a crime simply because they can’t afford bail.

Those who can’t afford bail, even when they are innocent, face punishments that could impact them for the rest of their lives. After spending weeks in jail, many lose their jobs and have trouble finding new work after they are released. With a loss of income, they aren't able to pay their rent and may find themselves homeless. They may even lose custody of their children. And they were not guilty of any crime other than being poor.

The No Money Bail Act is simple. It ends the use of cash bail in federal courts. At the same time, it works with state and local governments to end this broken and destructive system in every area of the country.

The time has come to end "debtors' prisons" in the United States.

Will you join me and sign up as a Citizen Cosponsor of the No Money Bail Act?

Four words are engraved on the front of the Supreme Court: Equal Justice Under Law. We are very far from that ideal today. Let’s fight for this legislation to bring us one step closer.

Let’s get to work.

In solidarity,

Bernie Sanders

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Pence's Family Business Cost Taxpayers Over $20 Million In Environmental Cleanup. Make Them Pay Us Back! Sign Now The family business of Vice President Mike Pence, Kiel Bros Oil Co, went under in 2004. While the company made millions for the Pences, it left a trail of environmental wreckage and dangerous chemicals behind.Almost a decade and a half later, the cost of cleaning up after their contaminated waste has exceeded $22 million and counting. But Pence's family business isn't taking responsibility for the damage they caused and the cost it incurred. That burden is falling to the tax payers. It's time to let Mike Pence know: We demand you fully reimburse the public for the fallout from your reckless business practices. Pence and his Republican Party claim to loathe government spending and love "personal responsibility," using that ideology to deny millions of Americans lifesaving healthcare, food assistance, and housing — among other things. But when it comes to cleaning up their own messes, somehow it's the tax payers responsibility. We think it's time for the Vice President to take a little personal responsibility of his own. Add your name to demand the Pence family pay back the tens of millions of dollars that taxpayers have paid to clean up their toxic mess! Thank you, Ellen B. The Care2 Petitions Team P.S. We can't let wealthy families like Pence's poison our environment, then abdicate all responsibility for their actions. Please, sign the petition today, then share with your friends to help us demand accountability!