I Don't Speak Brainwashed

I Don't Speak Brainwashed
by Still Bernin'
 
Some days, you have to pinch yourself to see if you're actually living in reality or some kind of irritating sitcom episode. You know the kind--the one where the lead character wakes up and finds herself unable to understand or communicate with her family/gaggle of friends. It's like a "Tower of Babel on Meth" story. By the end of the show, both you and the main character are screaming, "Stop it! Enough is enough!"

DNC Sues Russia, Wikileaks, Trump Campaign, Hang Nails and Humpty Dumpty for Hacking their Naughty Emails in 2016 Election or words to those effect jumped off my computer screen and assaulted my better sense this past week. Say what?  This lawsuit could even threaten freedom of the press according to many, a dangerous precedent indeed.

The Democrats have admitted in a court of law that they rigged their own primaries against Bernie Sanders. (In fact they're the only party that has admitted to wrongdoing in the 2016 election.) It's been determined by numerous authorities that the damning emails covering their primary rigging to ensure a Clinton win were not "hacked" but "leaked" by someone within the organization. The download rate noted on the files confirmed they were copied onto a flash drive and taken out of the building. Could it have been Seth Rich, the young DNC staffer found murdered but not robbed, who leaked the emails to Wikileaks? We'll probably never know for sure since dead men conveniently tell no tales. But the doubt remains. What makes you think the American public will fall for more lies and manipulation, Dems?

https://youtu.be/3MglmnaASCs 

The next thing you know, the so-called progressive mainstream media will say straight shooters such as independent thinker Jimmy Dore are passing along conspiracy theories for questioning the validity of  Syria gassing its own citizens. Oh, wait a moment... CNN smeared Jimmy for saying he held doubts about the incident because they're jealous of his popularity. CNN actually tried to imply Jimmy was on the same level as pedophiles and Neo-Nazis who broadcast on You Tube (to scare away his advertising revenue). As if! 

Funny thing is, many other journalists and experts have voiced similar reservations about the alleged  Syrian gassing attack. As investigative journalists explore deeper, more evidence has emerged showing that the attack simply didn't take place. It was a manufactured excuse to justify the US bombing. Carla Ortiz, an independent journalist who has been to Syria several times, supports this conclusion. (Here are two interviews about Carla's trips to Syria: Part 1. Part 2. ) ZDF heute, Germany's largest public TV news broadcaster, has stated that the Syria chemical attack was "most likely staged."

NW Ohio Peace Coalition speaks out against the bombings

It appears the  Military-Industrial Complex made the whole thing up in order to launch a bunch of expensive missiles to help out  CIA-backed terrorist groups at the expense of the Assad regime. Our Big Oil-owned government can't seem to have enough oil and oil pipelines, and we certainly don't want other parties (read: Syrians and their backers, the Russians)  building a pipeline of their own. Apparently, petroleum profits are more important to  American/British/French one-percenters than the health and safety of the ordinary Syrians caught in the crossfire of their latest war for oil.

Do you really believe all Americans are that dumb, mainstream media? Listen to these words of another straight shooter... You may have heard of him, President Abraham Lincoln:

You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.

Stop insulting us with your blatant propaganda, mainstream media. Stop insulting us with your endless wars for oil, Military-Industrial Complex and mindless, immoral lackeys. Stop insulting us with your duplicitous distraction techniques, DNC. We know you are all self-centered liars. Americans, on the whole, are smarter than you think. We speak commonsense.

It's time Americans speak commonsense truth to those in power and let them know we won't have anything more to do with these crooks. It's time we put both the duopoly and the endless wars for oil/land/other resources behind us. It's time we support and encourage independent thinkers (without their hands in the Citizens United cookie jar of corporate bribery) to speak out and to run for office. It's time we vote third party/Green Party and make a clean sweep of the corruption inherent in the two-party system.

Ordinary Americans don't speak "Brainwashed," and we're growing tired of those who do. Be a patriot! Stop wasting your time repeating the lies of the mainstream media and the corporatist duopoly controlling our government. Spread the truth instead.

BIO: Still Bernin' is sick and tired of hearing  b.s. from the six corporations that own over 90% of the media outlets in the US.  The outright lies from  corporate-owned politicians make Bernin'  sick, too. His remedy? Keep repeating the truth until we change hearts and minds and things change for the better. There is no Planet B!

***

"Bombs Away!" 
Or how bombing Syria helped to cover up  stories the mainstream media and our government didn't want you to know about this past week. Lee gives examples of how "faux progressives" manipulate public opinion on behalf of the one-percent who want more war. Also, there's been more than one chemical attack on Americans recently. Can we expect bombing? (Warning: contains adult language and much angry laughter.)


https://youtu.be/3SVKCauiLms

***

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. Any amount you can donate to keep this progressive site going without those awful ads is appreciated. Thank you.

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

Power to the people and not the military-industrial complex!

***

 Contact your representative if they appear on this list and let him/her know what you feel about their stealing from our Social Security funds. After all, you worked and paid into Social Security--you deserve to receive it when you retire!

***

From AFT:

There’s a growing school crisis in Puerto Rico, and the media, like the Trump administration, is not paying enough attention.

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello and his education secretary, Julia Keleher, have taken a page right out of the Trump-DeVos playbook. They are using Hurricane Maria and the island’s bankruptcy case as excuses to close down 283 more public schools. This is on top of the 167 schools they already closed late last year. Those slated for closure include schools that excel, and they include career-and-technical-education schools and bilingual schools that may be the only schools of their kind for miles. But Puerto Rico’s education secretary doesn’t care: She admitted yesterday that her department never looked at the schools or analyzed the human impact of the closures.

Puerto Rico’s students aren’t just numbers. Closing their schools and forcing them to travel long distances just to get an education is a terrible plan. And on top of disrupting students’ lives, this plan would divert scarce resources to charter schools, including trying to turn schools—like the island’s public Montessori schools, which want to stay public—over to charters. Shockingly, the secretary has even admitted that she was targeting schools to close in order to turn the buildings over to private charter school operators.

Despite the massive outcry against this plan, the governor and education secretary have pushed forward without regard for the devastating impact these school closures will have on their communities. Closing 35 percent of the island’s schools will be disastrous, and it’s an entirely man-made disaster. These closings do not need to happen. What’s more, the secretary has refused to take input from local mayors, parents, teachers and the community.

They need our support. Help us spread the word about the injustice in Puerto Rico by tweeting at the Governor and Secretary of Education.

What @RicardoRossello is doing to schools in #PuertoRico is outrageous. #PorNuestrasEscuelas pic.twitter.com/XXxed5gkZq

The legacy of @RicardoRossello will be tied to Betsy DeVos if he goes though with his recklessly harmful plan to close 35% of #PuertoRico’s schools. #PorNuestrasEscuelas pic.twitter.com/fxyCKZ8vPA

First the government ignored the needs of #PuertoRico since the hurricane, now they’re using the crisis to close nearly 300 more schools. Tell @RicardoRossello to stop the school closings. #PorNuestrasEscuelas https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/stand-with-puerto-rico-teachers-and-parents

60,000 students in #PuertoRico will be hurt by these outrageous school closings. Stand with Puerto Rican students by opposing the closings. #PorNuestrasEscuelas https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/stand-with-puerto-rico-teachers-and-parents

The #PuertoRico Education Secretary worked with Betsy DeVos on an education plan and now they’re closing nearly 300 schools. Tell the Gov that this plan cannot happen. #PorNuestrasEscuelas https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/stand-with-puerto-rico-teachers-and-parents

Teachers in West Virginia and Oklahoma have captured the hearts and minds of America. It’s well past time that Puerto Rico commands some attention as well. These are American citizens, and schools in Puerto Rico—just as in states on the mainland—have been starved of resources, which has undermined its entire education system.

Last week, hundreds of parents rallied in front of the Capitol in San Juan, despite an islandwide power failure. And this week, on April 25, thousands of teachers will form a human shield around the Capitol to show their intention to protect public education. They want their voices heard. They want money to be used to invest in and rebuild schools, not to pay off Wall Street hedge funds the governor is trying to court.

We need to show the people of Puerto Rico that there’s national support for their protests—like there has been for other recent teacher protests on the mainland.

The latest round of school closures has been denounced all over the island. Mayors from across Puerto Rico are up in arms, and they’re demanding the governor stop closing schools. They want the governor to consult with them, their communities and the people who are actually affected by this plan.

Gov. Rossello and Secretary Keleher, with the help of U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, is pushing forward with no thought for what communities want or need. Public schools have been the center of the post-hurricane recovery over the last six months. The schools have provided shelter, services and care for those in need since Hurricane Maria, while our government let them flounder. And now, instead of investing in communities, the governor and secretary want to shut down their schools.

This education plan is bad. Puerto Rican children and educators need us to be there for them.

Once you’ve tweeted, sign our petition to protect Puerto Rico’s public schools.

In unity,
Randi Weingarten
AFT President

***

From Open Media:

There's a new battle in the war on Net Neutrality — small business. 

If we lose this founding principle of an open web, it won't just affect tech companies. Grocery and hardware stores do much of their business online, hair stylists and nail salons book their appointments through their websites, modern farming tools require connectivity.

Killing Net Neutrality will be a tax on the entire economy, which is why small businesses should be on the front lines of saving it.

And we have a plan to help you do that. Already, more than 3,500 small business have banded together to sign this open letter in support of saving Net Neutrality.

1. Do you run your own business? Be the 3,501st — sign on to our open letter.
2. Even if you don’t run your own company, you can reach out to small businesses in your community. Can you share our open letter on Facebook and Twitter, and mention any small business owners you know in the post? Please, email the URL www.businessesfornetneutrality.com and ask others to join the fight.

We’re weeks away from the senate vote on a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution that could save our Net Neutrality protections by overthrowing Ajit Pai's FCC's repeal, but we need at least one more senator’s vote to win.¹
 
And we know that pressure from local businesses in lawmakers’ own districts is one of the single most effective strategy for convincing hard-to-get lawmakers to buck partisan politics and side with the overwhelming majority of voters to speak out for the open Internet.

That's why our goal is to get at least 10,000 small businesses signed on to the letter by the end of April. After that, we'll help small businesses across the country deliver those messages directly to Congressional offices on Wednesday, May 2 at 12 p.m. local time.
Small businesses are the perfect messengers for Republican lawmakers. Net Neutrality is not a partisan issue outside of Washington, D.C.,² but telecom lobbyists are working hard to make it one.

That's why we need the whole Internet, and every business we can find, to take action on Net Neutrality and help us pass the CRA in the Senate.

If you run your own business please sign our open letter before May 2. And whether you’re self-employed or not, please take a second to share it on Facebook and Twitter.

Yours for an open Internet,
—Katy, on behalf of your OpenMedia team

Footnotes:
[1] Ajit Pai tried to kill net neutrality, but the internet is fighting back: NBC News
[2] Poll: 83 percent of voters support keeping FCC's net neutrality rules: The Hill

We are an award-winning network of people and organizations working to safeguard the possibilities of the open Internet. We work toward informed and participatory digital policy. You can follow us on Twitter, and like us on Facebook.

Whatever Happened to the Fourth Estate?

Whatever Happened to the Fourth Estate?

by Cindy A. Matthews

According to Dictionary.com:
Fourth Estate -- the journalistic profession or its members; the press.

Who owns and operates the journalistic professions in the United States of America in 2016? The graphic below illustrates how only six corporations (and shrinking) own 90% of the media outlets in our country:

http://www.frugaldad.com/media-consolidation-infographic/

I know what you're thinking: "Only a small handful of people (mostly white males) are telling American voters how to vote, how to think about the important issues, and are molding the relationship of the U.S. to the rest of the world in order to make and keep their massive profits--and we didn't even elect them!" Worse yet, they even allow the Clinton campaign to write stories for their reporters and pretend it's actual journalism. (More on this manipulation of the media can be seen in the recently leaked Podesta emails.)

What can we do to fight back against the monolithic mainstream media? Boycotting the mainstream media television networks, newspapers and other news outlets is one way. Better yet, support alternative media outlets such as this blog, Democracy Now!, Political Revolution TV, Redacted Tonight with Lee Camp, The Humanist Report, and The Jimmy Dore Show, among others. Spread the word/links to others who aren't as internet savvy. Once we all kick the mainstream media habit, perhaps the general level of information will rise, allowing voters to make better decisions at the polls? One can only hope!

If the journalists of the Fourth Estate have been falling down on the job, who will take their place? Who can we trust to give us the facts straight up? 

The crimes and abuses of power used to be exposed by investigative journalists, such as Woodard and Bernstein during the Watergate scandal. There are still many capable investigative journalists--Greg Palast of the BBC and Abby Martin of TeleSur come to mind--but nowadays they're often forced to work independently since our co-opted mainstream media has been tasked with spewing propaganda to cover up their avaricious owners' actions.

Investigative journalists and activists in the 21st century need help.

This is where whistleblowers come in. By blowing the whistle on their bosses' crimes, whistleblowers help us gain a better picture of what's really happening. They shine light into the darkness, illuminating how our rights are being slowly whittled away.

On this tenth anniversary of Wikileaks, let us all take a moment to reflect on how much we owe the mostly anonymous whistleblowers who have revealed the establishment's ugliness. We can never thank them enough for showing us what the 1% wanted kept hidden. Whistleblowers like Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning have risked their lives and freedom so we can form a greater understanding of the world we live in.

Listening to the establishment candidates, however, some voters might assume whistleblowers are dangerous. Recent email leaks demonstrate how the establishment covers up its criminality with pay-offs and other threats against our democracy. So, in reality, it is the establishment candidates who are dangerous to America's safety, not the whistleblowers. (If the recent "debates" don't convince you of just how self-centered and dangerous the establishment candidates are, nothing will.)

That’s why many voters support Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party for president.

Dr. Stein states she supports whistleblowers who reveal the corruption in the system. Together we'll build a transparent, accountable government which serves all Americans.

Once we've cleaned up our corrupt system of government and ended Citizens United, our Fourth Estate will be free to become what it once was--an active part of our system of checks and balances, a pair of eyes observing our elected officials and taking notes to share with the public, as opposed to being the bought-off spin doctors of the establishment.

 Bern Notice gives us more examples of how American journalism has gone missing in action.

Journalism in America: Missing in Action

by Bern Notice

If the role of the press is to be the watchdog of the government, how can it do so efficiently while adding members of that government to it's staff? Having people with direct ties to the government it is supposed to hold accountable only leaves the institution susceptible to the influence that individual has.

There is also the problem of focusing on one story while neglecting others. It is

a good thing to present information about a breaking event. However, when the focus on that event consumes 35 minutes of a one hour segment it leaves a lot of other important events unmentioned. While I understand  big stories draw eyeballs and should lead the broadcast, I don't think that it alone should be the broadcast.

It is even worse when you consider that most of the time breaking news occurs, there isn't a lot of solid and verifiable information. Thus, we are left with pundits offering their speculation on what happened for hours on end. Since when did speculation become journalism? At what point did a person's opinion or best guess become fact?

Would it not make more sense to present what is known in the first five to ten minutes, then present further information once you have more...I don't know.... facts? Maybe then the news would have time to cover what else happened during the day.

Recently there were pipe-bombs in Minnesota, New York and New Jersey. It became the big topic of conversation on every broadcast on television. I chose to write this article on this day because it seems as though whenever there is a crisis that particular crisis dwarfs everything else that occurs, no matter how significant.

While the focus is shifted to the big story of the day, it allows our government

to do what it will unchecked. It has an opportunity to pass a bill while you're not looking. A shooting of an unarmed civilian can be summarily ignored. When the Fourth Estate has tunnel-vision on one story the person reading or watching is the one that loses out. It's not journalism. It's sensationalism.

And by the way, when a news reporter tells a story in a way that skews it one way or another that's not journalism, either. That's propaganda.

Bio: Bern Notice boldly reports on what's happening on Google+.

*** 

Folding campaign brochures. US Senate candidate Joe DeMare is in the Green Party t-shirt at the top left.

Greens Come Together in Toledo

The Lucas County (Ohio) Green Party is getting ready for on upcoming visit from Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, her VP pick Ajamu Barka and the US Senate candidate from nearby Bowling Green, Joe DeMare. The event will take place October 29 at 9:30 AM at the Frederick Douglas Community Association, 1001 Indiana Ave., Toledo, OH 43607. It will be the first stop in the Buckeye State for Jill and company. (Cleveland and Columbus have events later in the day.) Here's the Facebook page with the information: https://www.facebook.com/events/1088049804624353/

For information on other Ohio stops, click here: https://www.facebook.com/events/592481794287270/

On October 19, Our Revolution in NW Ohio will host a talk/workshop led by Stuart Rosenblatt on the Modern Glass-Steagall Act. More information is available on the Our Revolution in NW Ohio events page link on the right sidebar, along with a listing of Cleveland-area events courtesy of the Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus: http://bernie2016.blogspot.com/p/our-revolution-in-northwest-ohio.html

For those who are confused why we list both Our Revolution events and Jill Stein/Green Party events on the same blog, it's simply that we're all about promoting progressive causes and candidates of all stripes and backgrounds. If you have an event coming up you wish to share with others of a progressive mindset, please email us at thebernieblog2016@gmail.com and we'll do our best to share it with the world.

Finally this week, read some heartening words from our progressive

inspiration, Bernie Sanders, during a speech in Detroit: http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2016/10/06/bernie-sanders/91663418/  

So, take heart! Bernie says it's okay to support third party candidates like Jill Stein. After all, he's been an independent/third party member most of his political career. Feel the Bern and bern Green!

The Future's Here (and the Political Revolution is Now)

Like the song says, the future's here today--and Bernie's big win in Indiana proves that he has the stamina and the momentum to keep the Political Revolution alive and well in the days to come. This week we're focusing on how to keep the grassroots excitement carrying on throughout the campaign season and beyond.  What things are broken in our political system and how do we go about reforming them? Never forget--we are the Revolution. "And when the people stand together, there is nothing, nothing we cannot do."

Democracy is Not a Spectator Sport, either. Join Place a Vote where you can discuss and vote on current issues affecting our country. Brand New Congress means what it says--it wants to help progressives get on the ballot throughout the USA. Sign up and become involved. The season of being a couch potato is over. Let's take it to the streets, Berners!

Election Reform to Support Grassroots Candidates

by Ryan Hamer

The existing two-party primary system has been a disaster for democracy, making it difficult for grassroots candidates like Bernie Sanders to have a fair chance. Some have suggested eliminating the primaries and going straight to a general election where multiple candidates can compete and the one with the most votes wins. Unfortunately, if two of the candidates have similar views, they can end up siphoning off votes from each other, giving an unfair advantage to the third candidate.

Approval voting provides a way around this. Instead of voting for just one candidate, each voter gets to indicate approval or disapproval for each
candidate, with the person receiving the highest approval rating declared the winner. Since voters can approve of more than one candidate, it enables them to vote for both the candidate they truly want to win and a backup choice.

 As a hypothetical example, let’s say three candidates are running for president: Trump, Clinton and Sanders. Let’s assume that 35% will only vote for Trump, 10% will only vote for Clinton, 20% will only vote for Sanders, and 35%  would be okay with either Clinton or Sanders. Suppose that in the primary those who are okay with either Clinton or Sanders end up voting for Clinton on the assumption that she has the best chance of beating Trump, so Clinton wins the nomination 45 to 20. We’ll assume that Trump wins his party’s nomination uncontested (this is, after all, hypothetical). Come the general election, Sanders supporters resign themselves to voting for Clinton to keep Trump from being elected, so Clinton wins 65 to 35.
 

Now suppose we switch to a system where all three candidates face off in a general election without a primary. Let's say Trump gets his 35%, Clinton gets her fully-committed 10% plus another 23% from those who are okay with either Clinton or Sanders, and Sanders gets the remaining votes. That makes 35 for Trump, 33 for Clinton and 32 for Sanders, so Trump wins.

Going straight to a general election with approval voting yields a very different result. Trump would have a 35% approval rating, Clinton 45%, and Sanders 55%, so Sanders wins.

 Approval voting provides underdog candidates with a real chance of winning, and voters a chance to vote for their real choice and not just a fallback position. This is a change that would benefit all voters, regardless of party affiliation.

Bio: Ryan says that he is "Busy conducting research on poverty and its elimination, universal health care, the protection of civil liberties and the environment, and making the political process more collaborative, fairer and more civil."

***

This Woman is Bernie Strong

a weekly commentary featuring one of Bernie's female supporters

Bernie's Meta-Campaign 

by Barb McMillen
 

Bernie's is a meta-campaign. I use the term meta as in metagaming. From wiki: "Metagaming is any strategy, action or method used in a game which transcends a prescribed rule set, uses external factors to affect the game, or goes beyond the supposed limits or environment set by the game. Another definition refers to the game universe outside of the game itself."

Bernie's campaign has from the very start been both his own as well as referential to the outside world of campaigning. As he moves from announcing his campaign to actually running for delegates through votes and caucus processes his own events become referential to those of the larger issues of campaigns in this country. What is the role a party plays in relationship to candidates running for the party? What is the relationship of the party the candidate and the media? What is consensus? What is gerrymandering, bribery, the people's choice? How do economics and democracy function together?

Every step of the way, Bernie's campaign has been a lantern shining its light through, and thereby exposing, the cracks in our democracy.

His campaign will be reviewed for years to come as an historical moment in the United States, the moment when the people became aware of the reality of their own politics. Bernie has had to carry not only his own weight but that of the system and that of the hopes and dreams of those of us who want to see him win despite everything that is mounted against him. Because we would like to see that yes, there still exists We The People, By The People, For The People. 

He is our warrior. Watch him, listen to him, and through the campaign know thyself. #ForeverChanged #FeelTheBern #Bernie2016

Bio: Barb is a co-founder of The Bernie Blog and a Bernie delegate from Ohio to the DNC convention this summer in Philadelphia.

***

Superdelegate Reform Needed!

I’m Dave Shanley, I’m age 62 and retired, I live in upstate New York, and I’m a Democrat who supports Bernie Sanders.

My comment/concern has to do with superdelegates and how news organizations are reporting delegate counts in the Democratic primary.

Specifically, in an interview with Chris Hayes of MSNBC on March 9, Representative Debbie Wasserman Shultz, Chair of the Democratic National Committee stated, "and at the end of the day we've not ever nominated a candidate for president as our party's nominee with anything but the pledged delegates that are selected by the voters."

That seems right and fair to me.  Can you imagine what would happened if a candidate got the most votes and won the most states and the superdelegates gave the nomination to another candidate?  An example of superdelegates following the lead of voters is when Hillary's lead in 2008 started to evaporate as superdelegates moved to Obama as he started to win races.

Most news organizations report Hillary ahead in delegate count 1645 pledged/520 super to Bernie's 1318 pledged/39 super (as of April 30).   By including the superdelegates in the overall delegate count without any explanation gives an inaccurate picture of the actual status of the campaign.  It gives the false impression that Hillary's nomination is all but inevitable.  It gives a big advantage to the Clinton campaign and is very unfair to the Sanders campaign.

As the chair of the Democratic National Committee made clear, ultimately, the "pledged delegates that are selected by the voters" will be the ones that will determine who will be the Democratic candidate for president.  The current pledged delegate count is Hillary 1645, Sanders  1318.  It's a significant delegate deficit, but given the number of delegates outstanding and given the states where those delegates reside, it can be overcome.

I’m sure there are many voters who are not aware of the significance of this and that concerns me.

We have the chair of the Democratic National Committee’s own words.  How do we get news organizations to report the delegate count in a more accurate and fair way? 

***
West Virginia, Kentucky, Oregon: It's that time. Get to the polls and get ready to vote for Bernie! #FeeltheBern #LoveTrumpsHate