We Are The People...

#BirdieSanders became the trending hashtag online within minutes of this adorable moment at the Portland rally on Good Friday. A small yellow finch landed on Bernie's podium after he gestured at it on the platform. They enjoyed a moment of happy contemplation and then off Bernie's new birdie friend flew. "There's some symbolism here," Bernie said. "That little bird is really a dove, and he's asking for world peace. No more wars!" The crowd roared its approval.

The humble finch holds a lot of positive symbolism. You can read about it here.  The full clip of the encounter (taken from Bernie2016TV) is below. Let's hope our feathered friend is a good omen of happy days ahead for everyone in the Berniverse!



This week we hear from a very diverse group of Berners--men, women, veterans, entertainers--but we all have one thing in common: We want to see Bernie Sanders in the White House.  We want a future to believe in for all Americans because we are the people, and it's time our government represents us and not just the billionaires!

We Are The People

by Carl Elderton

The tunnel vision of those inside the beltway is their undoing. As far as they are concerned, the Struggle is all about Power: which party will win, who will get the choicest appointments, how do we spin this or that story to our advantage.

The people whose lives and careers orbit DC are blind to the fact that since 2008 5.5 million homes have been lost to Wall Street fraud; the cost of housing is simply beyond the reach of too many people in this nation; poverty levels at 15% are back to where they were in 1965; 14% of people nearing retirement age have no savings, having spent them to survive the Great Recession where the banks were bailed out and we were abandoned. 56% of Americans have less than $1000 in checking or savings. That means no more buffers for any more Wall Street "shenanigans."

When the delusional Supreme Court defines money as speech, they silence 99% of the citizens of this nation.

When politicians tell us we have to be pragmatic, rather than boldly challenge the status quo, they're telling us we're helpless victims of the system--there is no hope.

By now, any one paying any attention knows that when you keep people hungry, homeless, helpless, and hopeless, you've created a breeding ground for extremism.Too many people in this nation are in that place due to the politics-as-usual crowd.

We Bernie supporters are not extreme in our demands, but we are not going to accept one more lesser evil. We are demanding a change from business as usual, politics as usual.

We are the Revolution you fear. We stand against you not with guns but ideas. Ideas we embrace with passion and determination. The Ideas presented and championed by FDR, JFK, even LBJ. We are sick of seeing the Democratic dream of the Great Society being crushed and eroded by neo-liberal Democrats who trample history while reaching for personal gain.

We are people of all the colors of the human race, all ages, the entire gender identity spectrum. We are compassionate human beings and Americans one and all. And we care about each other; we want to raise up one other.

We refuse to be defined by your demographics. We refuse to be played against one another by splinter issues for your personal profit and quest for Power!

Damn us to hell, belittle and demean us, claim gender opposition, do whatever you want, but we will not be fodder for your canons and profit machines one more cycle. We will no longer be herded into the slaughter stalls of corporatism by another Judas goat of any stripe.

Enough is enough!

Bio: Carl Elderton hails from the St. Louis area and feels the Bern.

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Here's an excellent testimonial about why he's voting for Bernie Sanders from a veteran, Ed T., a.k.a. Bern Notice.

I just placed my vote for Alan Grayson's  super delegate voting page. On his page, he had a button asking why I back Sanders. Obviously, I couldn't pass the opportunity to send a message. I wrote:

 "I'm a person that was born and raised in Detroit and a veteran. I have seen what has been the result of bad trade deals manifested in the decline of my former home. I have seen the suffering of veterans and foreign nationals first hand when our so called leaders are so quick to vote for wars. I am disgusted with how much money we can spend to bail out corporations while they simultaneously say that we can't afford to address our domestic needs. I'm tired of big money and the powerful having more say and more benefits from the government that I pay taxes to while I get nothing. I back Bernie because for the first time in my lifetime I have a candidate that is not just talking about what's important to me, but has a track record to back it up. Government should be for all of the people, not just for the elites and corporations. I want Citizens United overturned and Glass-Stegall restored, and he is willing to do what he can to make that happen. I want a candidate who is backed and funded by people like me, so that they are truly answerable to people like me. I want a candidate with integrity--not someone who says one thing one moment then changes their rhetoric when it's politically convenient. I'm done settling for half measures. I want reform. That's why I support Bernie Sanders."

Well said, Ed. Veterans such as Hawaii US Representative Tulsi Gabbard and veteran groups such as the VFW have endorsed Bernie as well. Read more about these veterans and their reasons for supporting Bernie at Veterans for Bernie Sanders.

Here is Tulsi's video on why she as a veteran supports Bernie Sanders as her commander-in-chief.
 

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This Woman is Bernie Strong! 
A weekly commentary from Bernie Sanders' female supporters

This week we offer the third and final part of Allison's Dear Mrs. Clinton letter.

Dear Mrs. Clinton:

See, Mrs. Clinton, as much as you wouldn’t like us to talk about it, we can grasp the differences between right and wrong. We can see what you did wrong when you tried to cover up Benghazi and play down the disaster that ensued. We can see the problem with sending (and then lying) about sending emails from a private server. We can see the problem when a senator's voting record doesn't match what they say they stand for.  When a person lies to the government, it’s called a felony. When the government lies to the people, its called politics. Quite frankly Mrs. Clinton, we’re sick of your sort of politics. 

Simply putting a vagina into the office isn’t going to solve the world’s problems. It isn’t going to make women equal. In fact, having you, Mrs. Clinton, in office would probably damage the prospect for any female president for several years afterwards.

I agree that we need to put a female president in office. I agree that this should happen, but it needs to happen when it is meant to happen. Pushing Hillary Clinton into office will not promote a feminist agenda. In fact, it would presumably result in the opposite.

You’ll never read this. That’s fine. That’s not the purpose. What sort of clarity could you obtain from reading a 19-year old girl’s blog post? Hopefully none. But what I want to make clear is this: We have brains and we are capable of using them. Quite frankly, I think the sh*t spewing from Ms. Albright's and Ms. Steinem’s mouths astounds the vast majority of young feminists. So, do as you will in your trajectory to the presidency. I’m not worried because I intend to use my brain.

Sincerely yours,
Allison 

 Bio: Allison Place says this about herself:
    "I am 19 years old; I am a Media Studies major at UC Berkeley; I have worked in social media brand management. I am from Redding (the most conservative county in California). My support for Bernie and my interest in politics took off once I came to UC Berkeley for school. Ever since Bernie started running, I have been considering a minor or double major in political science. I usually write comedy articles for my blog, but since getting more involved in politics I do a mix of both comedy and political pieces now." 

 You can find Allison's complete Dear Mrs. Clinton post at her blog: http://menstruationnation.com/blog/2016/2/7/dear-mrs-clinton

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Yet another talented Bernie supporter sings us a pep song that tells us what we need do--Vote Bernie, of course! (Please feel free to share the video below.)

And for you NE Indiana Berners: A new campaign office will have its open house on Monday, March 28 at 6:30 pm in Fort Wayne. Check it out at 1137 N. Wells St., Fort Wayne IN 46808, in the old Jack and Johnny's pub. It's time to get out the vote for Bernie in the Indiana primary on May 3. Feel the Bern!