You say you're just not that into politics? Maybe you should be.
Still Bernin' gives us the score.
So...You Say You're Just Not Into Politics?
by Still Bernin'
Three years ago, I hadn't met Bernie Sanders yet or seen the light of a future to believe in. I can't say my life has improved materially much in the last three years since I "got into politics," but at least I know the why of how things got so screwed up in our country and a little more on what we should be doing to fix things.
Neither "party" really cares who wins the White House. That's not their game. All you have to do is look back at the elections featuring Al Gore and Hillary Clinton. They both gave in easily when the actual vote count might have said otherwise. They couldn't be bothered contesting the outcome because they knew they'd receive their reward if they didn't cause a fuss.
Don't know what I mean? Al and Hill are not hurting for money nowadays, are they? Obviously, they did as they were told by their super-wealthy puppetmasters in the one-percent. And the $400,000 speeches to Wall Street banksters just keep rolling in, and the laws get changed to benefit those very same banksters...
If I hadn't gotten into politics with Bernie, I might have acted like I did four years ago--I might have played into the duopoly's hands and voted for one of their rotten candidates for president. But the 2016 DNC primary demonstrated they're not the people's candidates, and our input isn't wanted or needed. The party bosses pick the candidates, not the people. The bosses just want our money and our volunteer time. Unless we write those big, fat checks for hundreds of thousands we know where we're supposed to go in these corporate-owned parties--quietly to the back of the bus.
Three years on in my "awokeness," I know exactly what sort of games these politicos are playing--and I want nothing to do with them. I want to support only progressive candidates who have ordinary Americans' needs and interests at heart.
I've discovered the very active world of third parties since I got into politics. I've found a party that aligns well with my personal beliefs and morality--the Green Party. I have faith that the candidates the Greens sponsor care about everyday folks like us and want to create a cleaner, greener, safer and saner world. I like their Four Pillars of Social Justice, Peace, Democracy and Ecology.
Added bonus: Greens don't accept corporate cash. They're not into running for office in order to land a gig later making millions giving speeches to Wall Street banksters--they just want to be "public servants" and actually serve the public. What a refreshing concept!
So, Mr. or Ms. "I'm-Just-Not-That-Into-Politics" this is what I've got to say to you: You're living in denial if you think you will continue on at the same standard of living for much longer.
The weather isn't going to "normalize" without drastic change in our lifestyles and energy usage choices and the massive clean up of our environment. The water isn't going to magically appear in the desert or become cleaner just because you close your eyes and wish it so. You might not have the right to marry the person you love or find a decent public school for your children if you continue to close your eyes and hum. You might actually (gasp!) lose your private health care coverage someday and become part of the growing number of Americans who can't afford to go to the doctor. What will you do then?
See how lame your excuse for not becoming involved in what's happening in politics is now?
BIO: Still Bernin' feels like there's not enough "woke up" voters in America yet to bring about the political revolution we need. It's up to us progressives to keep waking them up and giving them coffee--not covfefe!
P.S. This meme is my response to those who wonder why I don't go along with "Let's clean up the Democratic Party from the inside" rationale. It just doesn't work for me. It's irrational to think a corrupt organization making billions of dollars from the corporatocracy will ever change or even want to change. I'm sure progressive individuals within the party would like it to change and keep hoping it will. But the overall DNC doesn't appear too open to change, and those with control of the money will always trump any outliers who want to do differently, so it's a losing battle. I say join the "rebellion," progressive Dems! You'll be glad you did. --Still Bernin' #DemExit #GoGreen
***
Other ways to "get into politics" this week...
Other ways to "get into politics" this week...
From Friends of the Earth:
The Trump Administration is trying to open up large swaths of public lands in the Western U.S. to Big Oil.
Standing in its way are protections for an imperiled species -- the sage grouse. So now it wants to gut those protections and clear the path for the fossil fuel industry to drill.
The Forest Service wants to know what you think about this plan. So we need you to speak up now!
Help us reach 30,000 comments: Tell the Forest Service not to hand over our public lands to Big Oil!The Trump Administration is trying to open up large swaths of public lands in the Western U.S. to Big Oil.
Standing in its way are protections for an imperiled species -- the sage grouse. So now it wants to gut those protections and clear the path for the fossil fuel industry to drill.
The Forest Service wants to know what you think about this plan. So we need you to speak up now!
The sagebrush habitat sits on top of fossil fuel resources that the oil industry is desperate to get its hand on.
Drilling in this area could wipe out an entire ecosystem of species -- not just the sage grouse, but the golden eagle, elk, pronghorn and mule deer. What’s more, it would pollute our environment and bring us closer to climate chaos.
The Forest Service should protect our wild places over Big Oil’s profits. We can’t let it strip protections for the sage grouse and open the door for oil companies to destroy our environment!
Take action NOW: Stop Big Oil from destroying the sagebrush ecosystem!
Trump wants to open up millions of acres of our public lands -- places that belong to you and me -- to Big Polluters and other special interests. They’re more concerned with the fossil fuel industry’s profits than with protecting wildlife, public health and a safe climate.
Our public lands belong to the American people, not Big Oil. They should be preserved for the wildlife that call them home. And we should be able to explore them without seeing and smelling coal mines and oil wells.
Public pressure has stopped the Trump Administration from handing over our public lands before. After Friends of the Earth members like you sent in more than 300,000 comments, you stopped the Trump Administration from rolling back protections for Colorado’s Canyons of the Ancients, Idaho’s Craters of the Moon and Washington’s Hanford Reach. Now, we need your help to do it again.
Stop Trump from destroying our wildlife and our climate: Add your comment now!
Standing with you,
Ben Schreiber,
Senior political strategist,
Friends of the Earth
***
This is outrageous: A judge just ruled that Nestlé can keep taking more water from the tiny township of Osceola, Michigan -- against the wishes of Osceola’s elected leaders.
But if Nestlé thinks this brave community of 2,000 is ready to give up, it’s wrong.
They just reached out to SumOfUs to ask for help to fund this crucial appeal of the court’s decision -- and they can’t do it without your support. Legal appeals are expensive and time-consuming, but if a few of us chip in a few dollars, we can help - or entirely cover - the town’s legal fees.
Can you chip in help stop Nestlé’s greed?
If you've saved your payment information with SumOfUs, your donation will go through immediately:
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Osceola Township is a tiny community of under 2,000 people, just up the road from Flint, Michigan where residents still don’t have access to clean water after one of the most notorious water crises of the century.
And when Osceola Township voted against allowing Nestlé to set up a pumping station, Nestlé sued the township and challenged their democratic right to decide what to do with their water.
Unfortunately, the judge ruled against Osceola Township and granted Nestlé a special land use permit to build a pumping booster station along a water pipeline that feeds a tanker loading dock in Evart even though it violates the township zoning ordinance.
But the fight isn’t over. With our help, they are going to fight this appeal until they win.
SumOfUs members from around the world have already donated an amazing $30,000 USD to cover legal fees for the township. Without this critical money, the township would’ve likely had to declare bankruptcy and they would have had to drop the lawsuit. Instead, they have been able to defend their democratic right to protect their water and have just appealed.
Your critical support can ensure they can continue the fight. Will you make a donation now to cover legal fees to take on Nestlé and keep fighting this awful decision?
SumOfUs has shown, time and again, that when we fight water giants, like Nestlé, we win. This fight isn’t over. With your donation, we can cover the legal costs of this appeal and make sure that we finally stop Nestlé from stealing this community’s water.
Donate a different amount
Thanks for all that you do,
Emma, Angus, Amelia and the team at SumOfUs
More information:
Michigan township votes to continue court battle with Nestle, MLive, 4 January 2018
Osceola Township will appeal Nestle decision, Cadillac News, 3 January 2018
***
From Our Dream:
Democrats must use this ruling as a springboard for action. They have the leverage and ability to ensure permanent protected status for DACA recipients is included in the budget by Friday, January 19.
This isn’t a choice for Dreamers: we either pressure Democrats to include DACA in the spending bill or we lose our status by March. Democrats hold the power to shut down the government if a clean DREAM act is left out of the spending bill, the rest is up to us. Join us as we continue the fight for permanent protection for undocumented youth.
We cannot let the lives of Dreamers be swept under the rug - we must escalate and take action now! In the first week of December the Fight for Our Dream campaign organized more than 30 successful actions across the country, and in D.C.. We saw lawmakers across the country respond to the pressure we brought upon them, but a continuing resolution was passed to extend the deadline for the spending bill.
Last month, seven courageous Dreamers and one ally were arrested for peacefully sitting in at congressional offices in DC. They risked detention and deportation by holding a jail strike.Thanks to efforts like this and the events held in solidarity nationwide, we were able to radically influence key Senate votes. Just a month before, in November, we only had four Senators committed to vote no on any spending bill that didn't include a clean Dream Act. On the December 21st vote, 30 Dems voted against it.
Join our growing coalition effort as we tell key Senators #NoDreamNoDeal. We NEED 11 more Senators to take a stand to bring a clean Dream Act closer to being a reality, but we cannot do this without your voice and you taking action. We expect a vote by Friday, Jan. 19th, and we are calling organizations and individuals across the country to join us by organizing a local action.
We can win this, we’ve done it before! But only if undocumented youth & allies across the country rise to the challenge and, once again, use the power of nonviolent direct action, which won DACA in the first place. We are going to the offices of as many Representatives and Senators as possible to demand they make a choice: stand tall with Dreamers or be part of the deportation machine that will target 800,000 young immigrants.
It's been a long struggle to secure safety, peace of mind, and the American Dream for so many. Please take action in whatever way you can now and let’s make history on January 19th.
In solidarity,
Erika Andiola
***
From the UCC:
Take a Stand Against Human Trafficking
Across the globe and right here at home, millions of people are being exploited for profit. Human trafficking, also known as modern slavery, affected some 24.9 million people in 2016 and is estimated to be one of the most profitable forms of transnational crime. Traffickers prey on those who are in vulnerable communities and then force them into labor, exploit them in commercial sexual enterprises, and/or move them across national or state borders against their will.
In 2009 the UCC’s General Synod passed a Resolution which
urges congregations to engage in action to end human trafficking and
to recognize January 11 as Human Trafficking Awareness Day.We have two opportunities to stand with the victims of human trafficking as we observe Human Trafficking Awareness Day this year:
- Call on the House to reauthorize the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) - The Senate passed this important bill in September 2017 and it now sits in the House awaiting action.The TVPA establishes and reauthorizes critical programs to prevent human trafficking, promote justice for survivors, provide services to victims, and increase federal coordination to enhance the federal government’s response to the crisis of exploitation.
- Stand with Native Women - Native women and girls are especially at risk of violence, abduction, and human trafficking. Savanna’s Act will provide federal resources so Tribal Law Enforcement can address the problem head-on.
***
President Donald Trump's bigotry was on full display again yesterday.
Meeting in the Oval Office, he once again slandered the Haitian people,
their country, and the people of African nations with no regard for the
dignity, respect, and compassion that the office of president demands.
Our Revolution rejects his claims, made out of personal ignorance and
insecurity, and will oppose any effort to create division between the
American people and our sisters and brothers in Haiti and countries
across the world. There is no place in the political conversation for
the words being reported on in the media.
Eight years ago today an earthquake ripped through Haiti, leaving more
than 300,000 people dead and over 1.5 million displaced in the most
calamitous natural disaster ever to befall the island nation. It is an
American value to welcome people fleeing strife, turmoil, and tragedy
into our country, and that is what Temporary Protected Status does.
There are 46,000 Haitian people in the United States with TPS status—a
fraction of the people who lost everything in the Haiti earthquake. In
addition to Haitian residents in the United States on TPS, there are
hundreds of thousands more from El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua,
Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Nepal, Syria, and Yemen. Over the course of
our nation's history, we have answered the call to be a refuge to those
whose homes have been lost to natural disaster or human strife.
The tragedy of this presidency can only be reconciled by a reinvigorated
American people who will fight discriminatory immigration policies with
a renewed dedication to justice. We need you in this fight.
In solidarity,
Nina Turner
President
Our Revolution
President
Our Revolution
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