2020: The Year That Wasn't

 

2020: The Year That Wasn't

Most news programs/podcasts/web sites do a "news roundup" at this point in the year, and this year seems to really lend itself to this tried and true format. We started the year thinking 2020 would be one of "Perfect Vision" (https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2019/12/perfect-vision-2020.html ) and perhaps even the beginnings of a people's revolution, but within three months we found ourselves entangled in the beginnings of a worldwide pandemic instead.

Disease and certain death certainly wasn't on the menu originally for 2020. In spite of the challenges of mask wearing and social distancing, progressives soldiered on and accomplished more than one might think in a year that kept families and lovers apart and shut down whole economies. They even managed to demonstrate how racism still exists in the US, why Black Lives Matter (https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-long-flight-of-jim-crow.html ) and why we must #DefundThePolice (https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/09/why-cities-burn.html ) .

So, without any further ado, welcome to the year that wasn't as observed and documented by the writers of The Revolution Continues. (Click on the links to read the articles mentioned.)

January 2020: This will be the year we finally acknowledge and do something constructive about the climate crisis to prevent major wildfires and other ecological disasters worldwide. https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-whole-world-is-burning.html

February 2020: This will be the year the Democratic Party is completely reformed and recognizes the progressive wisdom and brave leadership of Senator Bernie Sanders, allowing him to win the presidential nomination and lead America into a golden age of Medicare For All and no more student loan debt. https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/02/2020-year-that-will-shape-future-of.html

March 2020: This will be the year we get our act together as a people and our elected leaders will respect medical experts and pass generous legislation to help every American suffering without access to health care or a job because of the Covid-19 pandemic. https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/03/life-down-rabbit-hole.html

April 2020: This will be the year we will free non-violent prisoners suffering under unhealthy conditions in for-profit prisons and overcrowded public ones, as well as openly acknowledge the multitude of sins of the "chosen" DNC nominee. https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/04/why-i-adore-joe-biden.html

May 2020: This will be the year we will acknowledge at last that capitalism kills and that those who have billions of dollars in the bank couldn't care less about those whose work they obtain obscene profits from.  https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/05/cannon-fodder-for-capitalism.html

This will also be the year we sit down and seriously contemplate why the rich are so afraid of the word "socialism."  https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/01/why-are-rich-so-scared-of-socialism.html

June 2020: This will be the year that Americans of all social classes will learn to live together in peace and racial harmony--and our policing agencies will demonstrate fair and restorative justice techniques. https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/06/this-is-revolution.html

July 2020: This will be the year that a person in uniform will earn the respect of the public by his/her actions. "Protect and serve" won't just always apply to the rich or the oligarchs and their sycophants: https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-only-difference-is-uniform.html

August 2020: This will be the year that "lesser evil" voting becomes a thing of the past, allowing for a more diverse and responsive political system. Also, Americans will come to see who their true adversaries are (and how they make more money in less than one second than the average worker makes in one year). https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/08/winners-and-losers.html

September 2020: This is the year that Americans recognize the signs of fascism in time so we won't be doomed to repeat history endlessly--especially the scary bits modeled by Hitler's Germany. https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/09/a-history-of-fascism-in-america.html

October 2020: This will be the year that true democracy will be supported and a diversity of opinion and approaches (vocalized primarily by smaller political parties) will be praised and respected by the American electorate. Everyone will be able to vote and feel proud of their vote--not pressured! https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-only-wasted-vote.html

November 2020: This will be the year Americans realize that we must fundamentally change of systems of governance and economics in order to provide a safe and healthy life for all people--and this will be reflected in our voting preferences, not our base fears. https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/11/we-have-to-fundamentally-change.html

December 2020: This will be the year that the destructive path of neoliberalism will at last be outed and shunned for the horror that it is, allowing Medicare For All to finally pass among other programs so desperately needed. The "brunch crowd" will be no more in this new America free from classism, racism, sexism and "bubble bias." https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/12/brunch-has-been-suspended-indefinitely.html

There you go--here's the "2020 perfect vision" we all hoped for a bare twelve months ago. At least we know for certain now what we all need to be working toward building in 2021, right?

Until we meet again, we wish a healthy and happy New Year to you and yours from all of us here at The Revolution Continues. Keep your masks on and keep fighting!

***

From Friends of the Earth:

The Southern Beaufort Sea polar bear population is dwindling. Less than 900 bears remain. Now, their habitat is at risk from the oil and gas industries. Take action to protect polar bears from Big Oil.

The Arctic Refuge is one of the most important onshore denning habitats for polar bears in the United States. Mother polar bears with their cubs have become increasingly reliant on denning in this area as sea ice melts due to climate change.

Now, oil and gas seismic testing in the coast plan could irreversibly damage this essential habitat. But the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has downplayed the impacts of seismic exploration and is moving forward with the permitting process. We need your help to stop it.

Take action to protect polar bears from the fossil fuel industry.

Sign Now

Polar bears are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The Arctic Refuge is vital to their survival.

Seismic exploration in their habitat could crush bears in their dens or force mother bears to abandon their cubs, leaving the little ones to perish.

Oil drilling in the last remnants of undeveloped coastal habitats in an increasingly warming Arctic could eradicate polar bears from the United States. We need your help to demand the BLM puts the lives of polar bears ahead of Big Oil profits.

Demand the Bureau of Land Management stop seismic testing in the Arctic.

Sign Now

Seismic testing utilizes acoustic waves that search for formations of oil deposits below the surface.

The delicate Arctic ecosystem still carries scars from testing conducted in the area thirty years ago. Modern seismic testing will only be worse. The testing will fill a space the size of South Carolina with a dense grid of crisscrossing tracks -- the equivalent of almost a full trip around the Earth. Thumper trucks, convoys, bulldozers, and tractors will roll over this fragile ecosystem 24 hours a day, 7 days a week -- for months on end!

The only reason for the BLM to go forward with this plan is to benefit the fossil fuel industry. It would harm polar bears, disrupt sensitive ecosystems, and impact local communities. We need your help to stop this plan before the December 30th deadline to comment.

Use your voice. Demand the BLM protect the Arctic’s vulnerable ecosystem.

Sign Now

Standing with you,

Nicole Ghio,
Senior fossil fuels program manager,
Friends of the Earth

  ***

This coming year will be a big one and you can help The Revolution Continues.

Five and a half years on, and we're still fighting, but it's tough. You as a fellow revolutionary can make it easier for the faithful editors/writers to stay on the job by simply sharing some of your pocket change now and then. Use the Paypal link below to donate.

 http://paypal.me/camatthews

Thanks for all you do in making the world a better place. Power to the people!

 

Celebrating Subversively

 

Celebrating Subversively

by C. A. Matthews

With the number of holiday seasons I've experienced, you'd think by now I'd have figured a few things out. But I'm a slow learner, and some lessons in life need repeating until they're finally stuck in your head.

The holidays are not about giving presents.

The holidays are about receiving a gift.

There is a difference.

Commercialism/capitalism tells us that the holidays (whichever ones you celebrate, be it Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice, etc.) are all about buy, buy, buy! Supposedly the only way to profess your love for others is by purchasing lots of material things for them. And the more you buy, the greater your love is, or so says Wall Street and Madison Avenue.

It's an endless guilt-o-rama. Once you've climbed into that hamster wheel of consumerism, it's a difficult ride to come off of. Fortunately, some of us get thrown off the wheel--by losing our jobs, our incomes, our homes, our health, and/or our loved ones--and then we realize just how dizzying and soul-destroying that materialistic take on the holidays truly was and is. We begin to appreciate the things that last, and the pursuit of stuff is not one of them.

So, this holiday season I want to encourage you to celebrate subversively. Don't buy into anything the capitalists tell you to. Do the opposite. Give as much of your stuff away as you feel comfortable giving to others who are without and then give a little bit more. I promise it's not as bad as it sounds. Getting past your hoarding instincts can take some effort, but once you open your heart to the concept of gifting material possessions away to others, the more open you'll be to receiving the love and peace that is what the season is supposed to be about in the first place.

No, it's not a contest, and you won't "win" anything by doing so, except possibly the very necessary peace of mind gained from not equating the capitalist concept of accumulating wealth as the end-all and be-all of life.  You will "win" by simply being able to enjoy the season without the burden of trying to outdo your neighbors in the crass commercialism and orgy of endless trips to the shopping mall.

Remember, by staying out of big  public spaces you'll be less likely to catch or spread the coronavirus. And who knows? You might find yourself being gifted by others of a like mind. Thank them profusely and receive their gift in the generosity of spirit that it was given to you.

This year in particular, we all really do need to hear again the message of "Peace on Earth and Goodwill to All People."

In no culture's traditions does it say that peace and goodwill only come about by purchasing numerous consumer items that nobody really wants, needs, or can use when they're stuck on a ventilator gasping for oxygen. Nowhere does it say that destroying the planet we share and denying health care to others on the basis of an evil economic system will bring about peace and goodwill. Just the opposite.

So, relax and skip the gifts and open your heart instead. It's all hands on deck in 2021 to straighten this mess up, so let's help each other stay healthy, sane, fed and warm so we're all up for the task.

Have yourself a merry little Subversive Celebration this holiday season and a Healthy New Year.

 

Related articles to enlighten your season:

Jesus Was A Victim Of Empire

 https://truthout.org/articles/jesus-was-a-victim-of-empire-acknowledging-this-should-transform-christianity/

Dr. Cornel West interview where he talks about how Jesus stood up to the establishment (and how we should, too).  "It's never the wrong time to do the right thing."

https://youtu.be/VHLX2kH9_7k 

Concrete Liberation Narratives

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/socialjesus/2020/12/concrete-liberation-narratives-advent-part1/

Ads All Tell Us To Kill Our Future (Ethical Consumerism?)

https://scheerpost.com/2020/12/22/lee-camp-ads-all-tell-us-to-kill-our-future-worth-discussing/

*** 

 Don't Get Your Mouth Washed Out With Soap!

Speak Out, Act Up, and

Support The Revolution Continues! 

Send donations to http://paypal.me/camatthews 

 (Little Ralphie sends his thanks. Keep fighting in 2021 and stay well!)

***

From Faithful America:

On January 20, Donald Trump will leave the White House, and we thank God for that -- but our work as social-justice Christians is far from over.

We must remember that Trump was a symptom, not the actual disease. Yes, he lost, but with a whopping 74 million votes. The forces of white supremacy, Christian nationalism, and the religious right are still as strong as ever.

The past week tells the story. On Saturday, Catholic Archbishop Carlo Viganò and Bishop Joseph Strickland spoke to a right-wing rally in D.C., spreading QAnon theories in a desperate, ill-fated, final effort to undermine democracy and steal the election.

After the rally, the racist Proud Boys tore down and burned Black Lives Matter signs at two local Black churches. Yet instead of speaking out for the "religious freedom" of these churches like he does for anti-LGBTQ businesses, Franklin Graham wrote yet another lengthy Facebook post in praise of Donald Trump.

Make no mistake: The leaders of the religious right are enabling white supremacy, just as they are trying to enable Trump's failed attempted coup. But together, we social-justice Christians can do something about it.

Add your name: I pledge to spend 2021 putting my faith into action, standing for justice and reclaiming Christianity from the religious right

Where there is darkness, there is also light. Despite all of the religious right's lies and Republican attempts to stop people from casting their ballots, voters -- including social-justice Christians -- turned out in record numbers and sent Trump packing.

COVID-19 vaccines are finally becoming slowly available, with most faith leaders encouraging people to get one.

And just this week, Faithful America helped organize 45 organizations and 12,000 people of faith to loudly condemn racist attacks on the Black church in the Georgia Senate runoffs.

From stopping Trump's hateful nominees in the Senate to supporting asylum seekers and taking dangerous COVID-19 misinformation off the air, 2020 has been a year of big victories for this movement. We should never underestimate what we can accomplish when we stand together -- nor should we let our successes lull us into complacency, or the religious right will erase everything we have gained.

Pledge to keep taking action with Faithful America in 2021

Thank you for everything you have done and will keep doing to love your neighbor and reclaim your faith from the right wing!

In peace,
Rev. Nathan and the Faithful America team

 

"When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous, but dismay to evildoers." - Proverbs 21:15

 ***

From the GPUS:

After months of devastating delays, Congress' paltry new COVID relief package is a slap in the face of suffering Americans.

A $600 check won't get many families through the month, much less the winter.

Meanwhile, Congressional Democrats are shying away from promoting Medicare-For-All.

We. Will. Not. Stand. For. This.

Contact your representatives in Congress now using our action page if you want real solutions that can't wait! Tell them:

• We demand bold, decisive COVID relief to kick off the desperately-needed Green New Deal
• We demand bold support for Medicare-For-All, including floor votes, without delay. #ForceTheVote!
• Stop spending money on tax cuts and subsidies for billionaires and corporations, stop dumping money into our bloated war machine. Invest in the health, safety and future of our communities!

Then make sure you share the action page so Congress can't ignore these demands!

TAKE ACTION NOW

Like most Greens, you probably never had high hopes for what the Democrats would do with a Biden Presidency, but even we are taken aback by just how quickly they are trying to smack down any hope that their control of the House of Representatives and the White House might lead to some real relief from the ravages of capitalism.

That makes it even more important for the Green Party to reach the year-end goal of 100 new Monthly Sustainers. This pandemic has exposed our country's brutal inequality on a scale we haven't seen in a long time and the parties of War and Wall Street are carrying on with business as usual. And their "business" is selling you out.

Please become a Monthly Sustainer today at whatever level you can afford so you can support our Green candidates and campaigns throughout the whole year!

Monthly contributions from people just like you are the most powerful grassroots fundraising tool we have, since our political independence requires financial independence from corporate lobbyists and PACs.

If signing up for monthly contributions doesn't work for you right now, making a one-time contribution today will still go a long way toward fueling our grassroots campaigns for real COVID relief, a Green New Deal and an end to militarism and oppression in all its forms.

Michael O'Neil
Communications Manager
Green Party of the United States

DONATE

Green Party of the United States
http://www.gp.org/

Nina! Nina! Nina!

Nina! Nina! Nina!

by C.A. Matthews

Nina! Nina! Nina!

The chant is infectious. The roar of the crowd is deafening. To hear Nina Turner speak in person is electrifying. You just know you're going to hear the truth and it will set you free whenever you're in the presence of one of the progressive movement's most gifted orators.

I remember the first time we caught up with the former Ohio state senator on the campaign trail. It was early 2016. Nina Turner was the "opener" to Bernie Sanders at a Sanders rally at Baldwin-Wallace University, just south of Cleveland proper. It was a cold winter's day, but well worth the trip. Still a relative newcomer to the national progressive scene, Nina's straight talk and heartfelt inspiration mobilized the troops for Bernie that day.

We were fortunate to hear Nina introduce Bernie again--and all because we made that first trek in the dark and cold to Cleveland. After the Baldwin-Wallace rally, I was fortunate enough to get down to the floor to shake Nina's hand and chat with her for a minute.

 "Nina, you've gotta get Bernie to come to Toledo for a rally!" I shouted over the noise of the crowd. 

"You're right. We need to support our brothers and sisters in western Ohio," she replied. 

Meeting Nina Turner at Baldwin-Wallace University

Sure enough, within a few weeks' time--and with less than 24 hours notice--a Bernie rally was scheduled to take place in Toledo. Along with Bernie and Nina, we also heard from Congresswomen Tulsi Gabbard and Marcy Kaptur, among others. Sort of a "grand slam" of  political celebrities, you could say. 

Without Nina Turner's ever-present support and superb oratory skills, Bernie probably wouldn't have made it as far as he did before the DNC pulled the rug out from under him in the latter half of the 2016 primary season when their chosen candidate was slipping in the polls. It truly was a crime when the DNC leadership refused to allow Nina on stage to introduce Bernie at the nomination convention in Philadelphia. A knife in the back would have been kinder, in my opinion.

To say I'm a "big Nina Turner fan" is an understatement. Even after Bernie Sanders called it quits in 2016, I still harbored much respect and affection for Nina. I've kept up with her work as the first president of Our Revolution, and secretly hoped she would run for a statewide office (like governor) so I could vote for her. Finally, she's taking the plunge--only she's running for US Congress from Ohio 11th district (eastern side of Cleveland to the Akron area). Alas, I live in Ohio's 9th congressional district across the state. So close and yet so far!

While I'm excited to see Nina Turner running for Congress--as she will be a much needed progressive voice there--I won't lie to you. I'm very disappointed to see her running in the Democratic Party primary. Didn't she learn anything about the dirty Dem's duplicity during her time with Bernie Sanders' two presidential campaigns? The Democratic Party leadership have already provided obvious clues that they've chosen their candidate (Shontel Brown) to replace Rep. Marcia Fudge, who will be stepping down to serve in the Biden administration. And after Nina recently spoke at the virtual (online) convention for the Movement for a People's Party, the DNC isn't going to be happy about her openly siding with a new progressive party.

Oh, Nina! Nina! Nina! I feel like crying out. Why can't you run as an independent, a Green, the first big name under the People's Party banner or a Party for Socialism and Liberation candidate instead? Anything except one of those not-to-be-trusted Dems.

The next couple of months will be decisive. Nina will know for certain who all she'll be up against in the Democratic Party primary before too long. Biden will be installed as the next paid-off puppet of the oligarchy in D.C. on January 20. The People's Party has formed officially and been registered in its first state (Maine) and is working hard to do the same in many others. The Green Party US is mopping up after the bloodbath of ballot banishing in several states (including Ohio) and congratulating the many Greens who beat the odds and were successfully elected to local offices. Progressives and their organizations are in a state of flux presently. All is not lost, but things do need improvement.

By the time the special election to replace Rep. Fudge's vacated seat rolls around this spring, we should know more about the lay of the land. Nina could have changed her mind about running in the Democratic Party primary at that point. We'll see. My fingers are crossed that she'll win whatever primary she enters and then the special election and then be seated in Congress. After all, that's where Senator Bernie Sanders first entered the national stage--and just look how far he's come. 

I hope that one day soon we'll be able to call our favorite truth-teller, "President Nina Turner." And we'll be chanting joyfully together once more: Nina! Nina! Nina!

Related Links:

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/12/09/nina-turner-files-run-congress-ohio

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/henrygomez/nina-turner-congress-ohio-11

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2020/12/12/national-democratic-party-complicated-iowas-caucus-efforts-dnc/6509514002/

***

Tell Congress NOT to cut endometriosis funding!

Sign now with a click

Dear Speaker Pelosi, Leader McConnell, Chairman Shelby, Vice Chairman Leahy, Chairwoman Lowey, and Ranking Member Granger: As advocacy organizations and individuals that understand firsthand the pain and hardship endured by those living with endometriosis, we urge you to support the requests led by Representatives Finkenauer and González-Colón along with Senators Romney and Warren to prioritize funding for endometriosis research in the upcoming fiscal year. Specifically, we ask that you increase funding for the National Institute of Health National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) to at least the levels included in the House-passed bill as well as include report language that lists endometriosis as an eligible condition under the Department of Defense Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP). Endometriosis affects about one in ten women, can cause intense pain, and is a leading cause of infertility. Despite its prevalence and health impacts, too little funding has been dedicated toward better understanding, diagnosing, and treating this condition. Many women who live with endometriosis go for years, seeing multiple doctors and even spending thousands of dollars, before they can get a diagnosis and treatment. Women with endometriosis lose an average of six hours of productivity per week at work and the condition is estimated to cost over $78 billion annually in healthcare expenditures and lost productivity. Medical research is the key to finding better ways to diagnose and treat this common and life-altering condition. Specifically, we request: Inclusion of endometriosis as eligible for funding under the DOD PRMRP in FY 2021. We are concerned by the report put forth by the Senate Appropriations Committee, which does not include endometriosis among the condition eligible under the PRMRP. Endometriosis was included in both FY 2018 and FY 2020, and this opportunity for investment in endometriosis research through the PRMRP must remain available. When research funding is low or inconsistent for a medical condition, it is difficult to attract researchers to specialize in that condition or apply for related research grants and we respectfully ask that you reinstate endometriosis as an eligible condition for FY 2021. The highest possible funding level for the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) in final FY2021 appropriations legislation to ensure that resources are available to double funding for endometriosis research from the FY 2019 level and increase funding for endometriosis for $26 million. We appreciate efforts in both the House and Senate to increase funding for NICHD in FY2021 and ask that the highest possible increase be preserved in the final legislation. Over 6 million people in the United States are living with endometriosis and our members know firsthand how endometriosis affects the lives of these women and their loved ones. The critical issues that face women with endometriosis need to be addressed and require quick, decisive action to increase research and awareness. As such, we ask that you provide increased funding better to diagnose and treat this condition.

Sign now with a click

Visit petition page

***

 

In a stunning recently-leaked video, Joe Biden is heard telling civil rights leaders that they should be satisfied with his rhetorical acknowledgment and expect nothing more. Biden screams at them saying that he will not be using his executive powers to stand up for the Black community that worked hard to elect him — or any other working-class community. This is a huge development because progressives had rested what little hope they had for Biden on the possibility of executive orders — hopes that Biden just smashed as he said he would only be undoing Trump orders. Adding insult to injury, Biden nominated dairy industry lobbyist and former Obama Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack, to head the department again. "Vilsack is a rerun of pro-corporate policies that continue to drive rural communities away from the Democratic Party," said The Intercept. Biden and Harris are determined to convince you that their cabinet of lobbyists "looks like America." The first Latino Secretary of Health and Human Services, the first woman to run the Treasury, the first all-female communications team, the youngest national security advisor in decades. But what difference does it make if your family's poverty, hunger and homelessness are imposed by a Black, Latino or White person? We already have a Republican Party. What actually is the point of the Democratic Party?

Donate to power our movement

If confirmed, Vilsack will face one of the worst American hunger crises since the Great Depression, with a surge in food prices, COVID-19 cases, unemployment, and food lines running for miles. Instead of using his Obama-era experience to help minority-owned or small farms, Vilsack has used the intervening years to lobby for the corporate American Farm Bureau Federation and the U.S. Dairy Export Council, where he is currently the CEO. The USDA has been almost exclusively led by white men and has systematically discriminated against Black farmers by giving them less federal aid than White farmers.

Vilsack's nomination also risks the loss of one or both of the Senate seats in Georgia's special runoff election because of depressed turnout. He is loathed by progressives in the state for his ouster of civil rights leader Shirley Sherrod while heading Georgia's USDA department of rural development. Vilsack fired her after a deceptively-edited video on Breitbart said she was racist.

This administration is shaping up to be a mash-up of the Obama, Geroge W. Bush, and Clinton administrations. The only difference is they've all had more time to deepen their corruption as corporate lobbyists in the private sector. If it sounds like the country is moving backward, it's because it is. And the Peoples Party is going to turn that around.

Join our National Call this Thursday at 8:30 pm ET with special guest Thomas Frank, the author of Listen, Liberal and The People, No. We will also be joined by Scientists for a People's Party Coordinator, Johanna Heureaux-Torres, who will discuss actions to support Steven Donziger, the lawyer who helped win a historic Amazon clean-up deal against Chevron and now faces six months in jail. It will be our last National Call of the year and we will ring in the holidays with a celebration of everything our movement has accomplished this year! 

In Solidarity,

Carol Ehrle
Media and Messaging Coordinator
Movement for a People's Party