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.

***

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.

 ***

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

Jesus Is A Progressive

Jesus Is A Progressive

by Cindy A. Matthews

Peace of Earth says the Christmas card that comes in the mail alongside a multitude of shopping flyers screaming Buy! Buy! Buy! 

 Something is wrong with this picture.

Something is very wrong with a society when we say Peace of Earth, Goodwill to All Mankind on our Christmas cards, yet our law enforcement officers are protecting a private oil company's pipeline and terrorizing peacefully praying water protectors with concussion grenades and pepper spray. You know what I'm going to say next, don't you?

What would Jesus do? 

One thing, Jesus sure as heck wouldn't want people wasting money (they may or may not have) buying things they could probably do without while their fellow man is going hungry,  homeless, or is being shot at with water cannons, rubber bullets and tear gas simply because he wants clean water for his children and grandchildren.  

After all, Jesus was overheard saying such progressive phrases as:

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.  (Matthew 5:9 NIV)

Love your neighbor as yourself. (Mark 12:31 NIV)

And the real kicker:

'For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,  I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25: 35-40 NIV)

No self-respecting, self-serving, military-industrial-complex-loving capitalist oligarch has ever been quoted saying anything remotely this socialistic, right? 

The baby born in Bethlehem whose birthday we celebrate every December 25th is a true progressive. He's always looking out for the ordinary people and telling the oligarchs to stop pretending they care as they exploit the masses. (Dig the way Jesus laid into the teachers of the law--he called them whitewashed tombs, no less.) He's always going to put the health and safety of humanity and our  planet before the private profits of a handful of obscenely wealthy oil barons.

This holiday season let's take back Jesus' besmirched reputation from "Corporate Jesus" once and for all. Boycott stores, banks and corporations such as Wal-Mart, Wells Fargo, and Energy Transfer Partners. Avoid doing business with all who make dirty profits at the risk of the Earth's climate and our water supplies and/or refuse to pay their employees a living wage. Give whatever funds you can to organizations who are fighting for our neighbors' rights to have clean water, unadulterated food, adequate shelter and access to healthcare. Share your time and energy to help those in need at a local shelter, soup kitchen or at Standing Rock if you can travel there. (Click here for a page full of links on how to help the#NoDAPL water protectors. More links in the Climate Hawks announcement below.)

Together, we  can make it a brighter holiday season for all. Let's do it! Let's tell Corporate Jesus where to get off and save the planet. Progressive Jesus would be proud.

****

1912 Socialist presidential candidate Eugene V. Debs

Economic Models: Capitalism vs. Socialism

by Bern Notice

This has been an interesting year. For the first time in recent memory, we've had a presidential candidate who was not afraid of the term socialist (precisely "Democratic Socialist"). Historically, the term was considered taboo. It was not uncommon to be called a Russian sympathizer if you even uttered the term. The fact that it can be discussed is healthy and allows for a more robust discussion about what the ideal economic model is.

At the same time, capitalism has been America's darling for decades. Countless innovations have been attributed to the capitalist model. The free market model is based on it and is the standard used around the world.

Both economic models have their supporters, some more die hard than others. This piece will show the flaws in both models in their purest senses.

Let's start with socialism. Socialism is defined as follows:
 

1: Any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods.

2a : A system of society or group living in which there is no private property.
b : A system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state.

3: A stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done.

Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/socialism

In summary, socialism is the collection of all wealth that would be equally

distributed to all. The flaw in this model is it assumes that all work and effort is equal and, as a direct result, minimizes reward for achievement. It removes rewards entirely for efforts beyond or below the basic required effort or hours beyond the standard work day/week.

A simplified example is as follows:
 
Jane is a farmhand. She and her co-workers plant and harvest to feed their community. Let's assume the standard work week to get things done and meet their quota is 30 hours.

Jane works 30 hours for week one. As a result, Jane gets $300.

Jane works 60 hours on week two. As a result, Jane gets $300.

Jane works 20 hours on week three. As a result, Jane gets $300.

Regardless of how much or how little time or effort Jane puts in, she still makes $300. This model relies on the honor system because there are no rewards or consequences for doing more or less than required.

Those who are less motivated will do less and collect the same amount of income as those who put in more hours or work. This will also lead to frustration with other co-workers who may be picking up the extra work. Eventually, their productivity may drop, and there will be less food to distribute to the community.

Granted, there will always be those who do less even under capitalism. However, there is no potential reward structure in place for those who do more than their counterparts. The purest model of socialism isn't sustainable. It potentially leads to totalitarianism.

Next, let's look at capitalism. It is defined as follows:
 

1: An economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decision, and by prices, production, and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a free market.

In essence, the purest form of capitalism is all about private ownership and maximizing profit. The problems with this model is that it assumes all things are best run using a for-profit model. Because the profit motive is always first, the well-being and best interest of those whom it takes advantage of is not a concern.

Here's a simplified example:
 
Joe builds a business from scratch and makes a healthy profit for his investment in his new enterprise. He commands an income of well over $1,000,000 per year. His employees are payed well above minimum wage and are happy. He expands his business to where its footprint is in all 50 states.

A year later Joe's income doubles, his employees that run his operation on the ground level are making a little over minimum wage and morale starts to decline.

Six months later, Joe and his share holders want to increase profits. They cut pay to minimum wage while the executive staff grants themselves a pay hike.

One year later, Joe and the board of directors feel that it's too expensive to make things in the United States. They fire all of their employees, move to a third world nation and hire cheaper labor. They also grant themselves a pay raise for increasing profitability.

As outlined here, the profit motive isn't always the best answer, either. The profits will go to those who have the control while everyone else suffers from the lack of upward mobility and likely loss of work due to cheaper labor being found elsewhere in the world. In other words, pure capitalism potentially leads to oligarchy.

Great, so what is the optimal form of government? The optimal form of government is one that blends the two together. Neither should have complete domination of our economic system. Capitalism should be kept in check by socialism and vice versa.

Police, roads, the military, national disaster relief, social security, education

and the government itself are all funded by all tax payers and provide services from the pools of money collected from its citizens. Few would have a problem with these services being granted by the state as they would be too expensive/impractical to be executed on our own. That's socialism.

Banks, supermarkets, 401Ks, and the vast number of employers all run on the capitalist model. The rewards they offer for making profits and putting in the extra time to make deadlines can be a net positive.

It is a good thing to have government oversight and unions (ones that aren't corrupt) in place to keep the for-profit motive in check from abusing its employees. It's good to have business in place that can offer certain services that government institutions do. This keeps that state itself from having 100 percent control of everything, and offers an alternative to those who may not want to use the public option.

In short, the best economic model is the one that utilizes the best parts of both. The difficulty in doing so is making sure that one doesn't have more power than the other. That job falls to us. It is our responsibility to not just vote for who we want in power but to take an active part in it and possibly be part of it.

What are your thoughts? What economic model do you think would make the most sense? Why? (Write your comments in the comments section below.)

BIO: Bern Notice shares his insights on Google+ and leads the political revolution through his wise words.

***

 Update on the DAPL 

and Other Related Oil-Abominations

This blog was set to publish before the recent announcement by the Army Corp of Engineers to stop work on the DAPL so an environmental assessment could be done. This is great news, but it doesn't mean the Standing Rock Sioux and the Missouri River are safe. When Donald Trump takes office in little over a month's time, we could find ourselves right back where we started from. The pipeline building and the "oil police" brutality against the water protectors could start all over again. Now is not the time to become complacent. Remain vigilant. Stay informed. Be alert to sudden changes and actions taking place in North Dakota.

The Dakota Access Pipeline is only one of many scheduled to be built in the coming days in the US. In Ohio we are currently fighting the building of the Nexus Pipeline. It is planned to cross under the Maumee River, which is a water supply to many cities in the area before it empties into Lake Erie (yet another water supply for millions). But concerned citizens aren't taking this lying down. 
 A record-breaking 150 showed up to a Bowling Green city council meeting Monday night to air their views on the Nexus Pipeline's crossing  the Maumee River close to the city's water supply--which includes Bowling Green State University. The city council voted unanimously to decline the Nexus builder's offer to pay for an easement on city property next to the  water treatment plant. One small victory in what is sure to be a long battle.

Recently another pipeline has been proposed to start in this area as well--the Rover Pipeline. It's to be built by none other than Energy Transfer Partners, the builders of DAPL, and is already threatening to obtain farmland by means of eminent domain. 

To make matters worse, Ohio's only national forest, Wayne National Forest, is under attack by the fracking industry. The Forest Service wants to auction off leases to the frackers. Guess where all the toxic fracking wastewater will wind up? In our rivers, streams and ponds--including the great and beautiful Ohio River. What a legacy to leave our children and grandchildren!

We can't close our eyes for a second, folks. The fossil fuels barons want to make the most of these dwindling resources, and they don't seem to care about the negative impact it will have on our environment or our health. So, stand up, be counted and shout out, "People over pipelines! Keep it in the ground!"

***

From Climate Hawks:

The tribes of the Camp of Sacred Stones are calling on allies across the world to take action every day in December.

#1 SHUT DOWN THE BANKS

The water protectors are calling for direct actions, demonstrations and other disruptions targeting the banks behind the pipeline. In August, a group of banks agreed to lend $2.5 billion to Dakota Access. But $1.4 billion of this loan is still on hold until the Army Corps grants the final permits for the pipeline. This means that there is still time for the banks involved in this loan to cut their line of credit.

Find an action near you at the official NoDAPL Solidarity website.

If you want to set up your own action, drop us a line - we’re happy to help. Email rlm@climatehawksvote.com with your action idea and we’ll get it on the map.

#2 CLOSE YOUR ACCOUNTS

We are also encouraging people to close their accounts with these banks. The 17 banks financing the pipeline include most of the large, national banks in the US, Europe, and Japan.

Here is a list of the banks financing the Dakota Access pipeline.

#3 DEMAND WITHDRAWAL OF THE SHERIFF DEPARTMENTS

Sheriff departments and police departments from across the Midwest have sent officers to violently attack and suppress water protectors. We are calling on these departments to permanently withdraw their officers from Standing Rock. We can win: The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office withdrew after facing protests in Minneapolis.

Here is a list of the sheriff and police departments who have deployed at Standing Rock, with contact information.

#4 GO TO STANDING ROCK

The tribes are inviting all people of conscience to join the encampments at Standing Rock by December 5. Conditions are harsh, and only those who are ready and able should make the journey.

Here are official resources for joining the camps.

SOPHIA WILANSKY UPDATE

On November 20th, the police and National Guard violently attacked the peaceful water protectors at Standing Rock. Police used tear gas, rubber bullets, pepper spray, sound grenades, and sprayed them with water cannons in subfreezing conditions, hundreds of people were injured. The next day, the police assault continued, leading to further casualties, including climate activist Sophia Wilansky’s catastrophic injury when a concussion grenade exploded by her left arm.

We're grateful to be able to report that the Climate Hawks Vote community responded with an outpouring of support for Sophia’s recovery - over $34,000 has been raised from more than 1,100 contributors.

Sophia is out of intensive care but requires further major surgery to reconstruct her shattered arm. She still has not recovered any sensation in her fingers, though she and her family continue to hope. At her request, the funds raised by Climate Hawks Vote members will be divided equally between her medical fund and the Standing Rock Medic and Healer Council, the indigenous organization working to protect the health of the water protectors.

In addition to contributing our thoughts to the prayers for Sophia and the other water protectors, we must also turn our bodies to action.

Join the #NoDAPL Global Month of Action.

American Hubris

“He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

A Letter to the Folks at Energy Transfer Partners

Dear Sirs:

This is probably one of thousands of emails regarding The Dakota Access Pipeline you have received and will receive, so I will keep it short and to the point.

Shut the pipeline down. Now. Forever.

You are infinitely wealthier than most ordinary human beings on the planet, so you have no worries about where your next meal is coming from. You can afford to be generous and shut the Dakota Access Pipeline down once and for all.

Your children's and grandchildren's future are at stake. Whether or not you believe in climate change or that fossil fuels are a finite resource, leaking oil from your pipelines can and does pollute our water supplies. Just ask the folks along the Kalamazoo River in Michigan and recently in Alabama and Pennsylvania, among many others in this country and around the globe.

Yes, I know you personally will never worry about having enough clean water to drink or food to eat, but the vast majority of human beings do worry about these basic needs. Can you not find it in your heart to be compassionate and considerate of their needs?

The Standing Rock Sioux have suffered long enough due to our government's racist and genocidal policies. Why do you wish your name to be listed in the history books alongside these horrendous deeds? What satisfaction will you gain from having your reputation sullied by association with the violence perpetrated against peaceful water protectors praying over their sacred lands and water?

It makes me cry knowing that a 21 year old young woman, Sophia Wilansky, could lose her arm because of your lust for more profit. 

Vanessa suffered a detached retina because your militarized "oil police" shot rubber bullets into water protectors' faces. 

It's some trade-off--the lives and health of Sophia, Vanessa and millions of others for you to make millions of dollars in profits to buy yet another mansion, yacht, golf course, etc. (How many luxury items do you really need?)

You have forever transformed the public's perception of our police officers from being defenders of the weak to one of acting as paid bullies for the oil barons. Covering for your cupidity, your bought-and-paid-for politicians, especially in the statehouse of North Dakota as well as the presidency, have destroyed our sense of fairness and justice.

Try to look at it from the ordinary human being's point of view for a change. Try to think what God (or your Higher Power) would want you to do--to show mercy, to practice compassion, to act justly and to care for those who have little and will have even less because of your greed.

Shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline today. The human race might not have a tomorrow if you don't.

Sincerely,

C.A. Matthews

Click on our Standing Rock (#NoDAPL) Helps page link on the sidebar for contact info and ways you can help the water protectors.

*** 

Hubris 

by Adrian J. Matthews

We’re witnessing the aftermath of one of the most contentious presidential elections in United States history. Donald Trump's election led to an immediate outcry from all across the nation and a sense of deep mistrust and even stunned disbelief from the governments of other countries. Protesters took to the streets in most major cities in America to denounce Trump’s stance on a host of issues, including LGBTQ rights, the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and the infamous "Wall." These protests are still ongoing. 

It’s a matter of fact that Trump would not be president-elect without the spectacular example of hubris enacted by Hillary Rodham Clinton.

To the Greeks, hubris referred to extreme pride, especially pride and ambition so great that they offend the gods and lead to one’s downfall. Hubris was a character flaw often seen in the heroes of classical Greek tragedy, including Oedipus and Achilles. The familiar old saying, “Pride goeth before a fall,” is basically talking about hubris. From Merriam-Webster's Dictionary:

Definition of HUBRIS: a great or foolish amount of pride or confidence 
 
Early last year a mid-ranking official in the Democratic Party of New York recounted how he and other officials were gathered together for a special announcement. They were told the party was going to nominate Hillary Clinton for the 2016 election to the exclusion of any other candidate – and this weeks before she even announced her candidacy. His revelation is all of a piece with what has since been learned about Bill and Hillary Clinton’s long-term efforts to take over the Democratic Party and make it their own. People were in place, the mainstream media bought off in her favor, the game-plan written for the election. The stream of data from Wikileaks recounts the whole sorry story.

When Independent US Senator Bernie Sanders announced he intended to run as a Democrat, he was treated as no threat. The fix was in for Clinton, courtesy

of her wholly-owned party. The other contenders, Martin O’Malley, Lincoln Chaffee, Professor Larry Lessig and Jim Webb were held to be no threat, either. They were there merely to make it look like the primaries were contested. Mainstream media paid scant attention to Sander’s campaign, a lack of attention at serious odds with their previous willingness to invite him on the air to present the left-wing position on many issues. The number of televised debates was kept at a ridiculously low level compared to previous elections thanks to the sterling efforts of  Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, Chair of the DNC, another example of the Clinton machine running interference for their principal. Clinton’s health may have been a key factor in this decision. Apparently she has a number of serious medical issues arising from the stroke she suffered in 2012, and perhaps her people didn’t want to risk an event on live TV.

Then it became obvious Senator Sanders had tapped the anger felt by ordinary people against The Establishment. He called it as he saw it, and people listened in their millions. Suddenly Clinton found herself facing a challenger who had yuge popular support and was raising money hand-over-fist, mostly from small donations – the now-famous $27. Suddenly Clinton was faced with the need to make the primary process look like the real contest it’s supposed to be. 

Instead of being wafted into the nomination on rose petals and clouds of scent to her supporters’ cries of adulation, Clinton found herself needing to work hard. Suddenly her war chest looked inadequate for the purpose, so she sought further donations from her Wall Street sponsors. She also took all but a pittance of  funds intended for down-ticket Democratic candidates’ campaigns, leaving them high and dry. What did she do with the money? She released a host of attack ads against Sanders who’d pledged to run a clean campaign and who’d kept to his word. Clinton’s super PACs also weighed in against him, running a smear campaign and fouling Sander’s followers’ Facebook and Twitter pages with child pornography. There is evidence of co-ordination between Clinton’s campaign HQ and her Super PAC, which is illegal.

Social media broke out into open warfare between the supporters of Senator

Sanders and Clinton. Time and again Sanders supporters were bombarded with demands to "pledge to support Hillary when he loses." Friendships and relationships were broken by the millions.

The primaries see-sawed back and forth. In those states where Diebold machines were used, the results looked seriously skewed. For instance, one county in West Virginia showed Senator Sanders winning 6,000 votes. An hour later his tally had been cut to 3,000. Hundreds of thousands of voters, including an entire city block in Sanders’ birthplace of Brooklyn, New York, vanished from the electoral roll. Could it be the Clinton machine wanted to ensure Bernie lost his hometown?

The majority of states that still relied upon conventional balloting methods went to Sanders. By the time the primaries were finished, the results were close, with Senator Sanders holding 45% of the delegates. All of a sudden it looked like Clinton would not gain the nomination.

But of course, the fix was in.

Although I was in Philadelphia, I will gloss over the convention debacle. What I found interesting was the utter failure of Clinton to gain the usual post-convention "bounce" in the polls the following week. Normally this bounce indicates a rise in interest in the nominee from the electorate who doesn’t bother following the primaries. In Clinton’s case its failure to materialize spoke of serious trouble to come.

And so the election rumbled on with a rising crescendo of acrimonious debate raging across social media. The nominees themselves went through the motions on the three televised debates, spitting criticisms at each other and generally behaving like bad actors. They resisted the temptation to address any serious issues. 

Bernie Sanders was co-opted to act as a Clinton surrogate in an attempt to win over his millions of supporters – many of them new voters – to her cause. It failed. They expected us all to fall into line behind her. We didn’t. What I found particularly nasty was the time soon after the convention when Clinton dragged Sanders to speak in New Hampshire, a place where he did particularly well and she badly. It was a modern take of a barbarian chief holding up the severed head of his enemy to show the enemy’s followers who was now boss.

Poll after poll taken prior to the Democratic Convention showed Senator Sanders beating Trump by double digits, enough to translate to an election landslide of epic proportions. Clinton on the other hand fared poorly against Trump, her figures being within the margin of error on more than one occasion and often below. Yet to her followers she was the Anointed One, there to lead them to glory.

Come election night, things did not look at all rosy for Clinton. As the evening wore on in her campaign HQ, the televisions showing election coverage were turned off. A fearful silence fell. Trump was winning. The celebratory firework show in NYC was canceled. The champagne remained unopened. At 2:30 A.M. Wednesday morning Clinton phoned Trump to concede the election. In their sure confidence of winning, nobody on her staff had written a "just in case" concession speech.

For the first time since 1928 Republicans will hold the House, Senate, the Presidency, the Supreme Court, and most state legislatures and governorships. Is it coincidence that the Wall Street Crash occurred in 1929, barely a year later?

One cannot help but mourn the golden opportunity we had to elect the one man who would have worked for all Americans – Bernie Sanders. All this because

Clinton, in her pride, rejected the one person who could have beaten Trump in a landslide. She failed to engage with ordinary American voters or to discover and speak for what they really wanted. In fact, she insulted and marginalized them, calling them “a basket of deplorables” and “basement dwellers.” For the sake of her pride and burning ambition to become president, she forfeited the chance to enact genuine social change in the United States.

Hubris has claimed her.

BIO: Adrian J. Matthews is an author, artist, armchair historian and concerned citizen of the world.

***

Another example of American hubris--a Congress that can't even be bothered to consider a Supreme Court nominee.

Appoint Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court Now
by Hugh J. Campbell

President Obama is petitioned in We the People Appoint Garland Now (Senate Has Waived Its Rights) to act now and make his Supreme Court appointment as a recess appointment, since the Senate’s inaction is a waiver of it right to consent. The legal basis for this petition is outlined in the Washington Post op-ed Obama can appoint Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court if the Senate does nothing.

Right-wing obstructionists are desperately trying to dissuade Americans from signing this petition by questioning the legal grounds of the waiver of rights argument, but their bias on this issue is indisputable.

Even though the We the People Appoint Garland Now (Senate Has Waived Its Rights) petition has the minimum 100,000 signatures to get an official update from the White House within 60 days, please sign the petition anyway, to communicate to the White House the urgency of this matter to the American People.

A 2016 SCOTUS recess appointment by President Obama should be effective through the end of the 115th Congress ending January 3, 2019 and will, in all likelihood, result in a case brought before our current eight member Supreme Court. The waiver of rights and other legal arguments including prior Supreme Court rulings on the substance over form doctrine can be put forth when and if this case is heard.
 

BIO: Hugh Campbell is a seasoned financial professional, currently providing subject matter expertise on a variety of regulatory topics, including the Dodd-Frank Act, the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) and overall compliance monitoring. Hugh has previously held positions as Chief Risk Officer (CRO), Chief Audit Executive (CAE) and Director of Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Compliance.