Same Planet, Different Worlds

 

Same Planet, Different Worlds (Where Do We Fit In?)

by C. A. Matthews

“In an insane world, the sane man must appear insane.” – Charles William King

I’m anxiously awaiting news from the United Nations calling for a Uniting for Peace resolution. I’m wondering how it could have taken them this long to call what’s happening in Gaza a genocide. I’m debating whether or not to remain in a country with a government that shows zero respect for civil rights, human rights, or the rights of anyone not a member of the economic elite.

I’m puzzling, “Why do I live on a planet where some can carry on as if there’s nothing wrong with starving and bombing children simply because they want to steal the land right out from under the oppressed babies’ tiny feet? Where do I fit into a world that is very different from the way I want to imagine it?”

There’s a certain freedom to not fitting in. You revel in a feeling of superiority to those who declare with a straight face, “Newborns are Hamas!” as they clutch their Star of David flag. But really, where do we who are pro-Palestine and anti-genocide fit into a world full of narcissists and neo-Nazi sympathizers?

We may as well be aliens from outer space when conversing with the brain dead zombies who get their news from the mainstream media—if they even bother to follow the news at all. We seem to have nothing in common with each other. Well, we all breathe air and consume food in order to live, but most of us have very poor quality air to breathe and some have little or no access to food...

 

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“Accumulation of wealth at one pole is at the same time accumulation of misery, slavery, and brutality at the opposite pole.” — Karl Marx 

Saving Private Property

Saving Private Property 
An interview with A. Riche-Persson

Editor's note: Many readers expressed curiosity about the mind behind the recent blog piece, Why I Adore Joe Biden, so we decided to ask its creator, A. Riche-Persson, back for a brief interview about her take on recent events.

The Revolution Continues: Thank you for agreeing to this interview, Ms. Riche-Persson. May I call you Ayn?

A. Riche-Persson: No, you may not, but thanks for the chance to speak to your (*snorts*) audience. It's high time the American public heard the real story.

TRC: The real story?

ARP: Yeah, you know... The real story about how hard it is to be rich in this country nowadays with all these crazy commies and Black Lives this and that and whatever people running around with signs and forcing you to wear a mask in public. (*sniffs*) It smudges my lipstick.

TRC: I see. First off, please tell us what's so difficult about having enough to eat, designer clothes on your back, and a decent place to live in America?

ARP: You make it sound like I control everything in the world with my money. Not so! It's not like I can go to my favorite place to nosh anytime I like anymore--the darn Chinese have made sure of that with their Wuhan flu and mask-wearing cult! And buying clothes online is sooo boring! I miss my front row seats at the catwalks of Paris and Milan.

TRC: But you do have a mansion to live in during your state's COVID lockdown, don't you?

ARP: Yes, but it's a small mansion--we only have a five car garage. We have to park one of the Bentleys on the drive occasionally when we're pulling our his and her golf carts out. It's tacky, I know.

TRC: That must be a real hardship for you. (Shuffles papers.) All right, let's get down to the topic you wanted to cover, protecting private property. Can you explain why this is such a vital issue for you?

ARP: Why? Isn't it obvious? I own property and it's mine. All mine. I can't have the riff-raff running about messing up my property or attempting to take any of it. I have the right to protect it.

TRC: Protect it by brandishing firearms at unarmed individuals like the McCloskeys did in St. Louis?

ARP: If need be. My stuff is very important to me. I can't live without some of it.

TRC: But you can live with a lot less you're saying? Like one less Bentley?

ARP: (*gasps*) Who would want to live with only one Bentley? That wouldn't be a life worth living!

TRC: What do you think life is like for those who can't even afford one vehicle, let alone six?

ARP: Ha! Don't be silly! Everybody has a car in the US. It's like a requirement for citizenship. How would you get around town without a car? It's not possible, so your argument is completely specious.

TRC: Oh...kay. So, what do you think life is like for people of color who are  pulled over in their cars and threatened by law enforcement simply because of their race or socio-economic position?

ARP: Are you kidding me? That's all fake news. It says, "All people are created equal" in the Declaration of Independence or something like that. The police don't treat black or brown people any different from anyone else in America. I mean, I got pulled over the other day for doing seventy in a school zone and the cops didn't treat me that bad at all. They just wrote me a ticket and said, "Have a nice day, ma'am." No big deal.

TRC: Speeding in a school zone? There were no children present, I hope.

ARP: I don't think so... No, I didn't hit anyone this time.

TRC: (*Coughing*) This time? Okay, let's not go down that road. (Shuffles papers.) To restate, you believe that you as a wealthy white woman receive the same treatment from the police as a poor person of color does?

ARP: Of course. Why would the police treat people any differently? Oh, sure, they'll be harder on criminals, but criminals deserve the rough treatment. That's why the cops have to pull their guns and shoot them. Criminals are asking to be shot.

TRC: And peaceful protesters walking down a street? Do they deserve to be shot?

ARP: If they're criminals, sure. That'll teach them not to walk down my street again!

TRC: Interesting. How can you tell who's a criminal and who isn't?

ARP: Hmm... By looking at them, I guess. The security officers who work in our home owners' association always stop people who aren't members of the country club. They can just tell.

TRC: Do these people who are stopped by security tend to be darker in skin tone than most of your fellow country club members?

ARP: Now that I think about it, some of them are a bit darker than me and my friends. But the security guys stop white people, too--especially those who dress like slobs and walk on the sidewalks instead of driving a decent car like all red-blooded Americans should. You know the type... Crazies with their #DefundThePolice signs, shouting "No Justice, No Pizza!"

TRC: "No Justice, No Peace!"  is what they're chanting. Do you believe your local police department should use tear gas, rubber bullets and other military grade equipment on peaceful protesters?

ARP: If that's what it takes for me and my family to keep our stuff out of their dirty hands, then I'm all for it. What's the difference between shooting at commies here at home or those abroad? We've got to wipe out the enemy no matter where they live on the planet. It's our duty as Americans.

TRC: Protesters of police brutality and racial profiling are "communists" in your opinion? They're not just ordinary people who are sick and tired of the injustices inflicted upon them and their fellow citizens by biased policing?

ARP:  How could they be "ordinary" when they're asking for the moon? They want the cops not to beat up on them, but they're just asking for it by looking the way they do and thinking everyone deserves free health care and $15 an hour. How could anyone afford to pay all those no-goodniks $15 an hour? It would cause corporations to go bankrupt my banker says. I don't even pay my pool boy that much.

TRC: Do you provide health care or paid sick leave for your pool cleaner?

ARP: Of course not! What do you think I'm made of? Money?

TRC: Frankly, I'm not sure you're made of flesh and blood at this point. But I thank you for your insights, Ms. Riche-Persson. This certainly has been a very enlightening interview.

ARP: You're welcome.  I aim to inform. It's the least I could do for you and your "ordinary" blog audience. (*sniggers*) You all need to know who's in charge in this country so you can put down those rude signs and get back to playing video games or whatever it is you people do when you're not mowing our lawns or shouting for pizza.

BIO: A. Riche-Persson is a professional socialite who dabbles occasionally in politics, tennis, and pinochle. If it keeps her in diamonds, she's all for it. It it's anything to do with anyone outside of her social bubble, well... She's late for her tennis lesson. See you at the club!

Related Articles and Videos:

Uprising Against Racism: America's Moment of Reckoning 
https://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/63852-cornel-west-and-keeanga-yamahtta-taylor-on-uprising-against-racism-qamericas-moment-of-reckoning

Missouri Gun-Toting Lawyers Are Screwed
https://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/63763-the-missouri-gun-toting-lawyers-are-screwed

Biggest Corporate Monsters of All Time  (video)
https://youtu.be/hKXBdF14gTc 

The Dirty Hidden History of Central Park (video)
https://youtu.be/OB4Jw_0N0bU

*** 

Make testing and treatment for coronavirus completely free and accessible to ensure containment!

Sign Now

Months ago, when most of the country went on lockdown to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus, we all hoped that the pandemic would be over soon. Unfortunately, that's far from the case. Instead, huge surges of cases are causing a wave far worse than anything we saw back in March or April. Now that there are upwards of 50,000 new cases in the U.S. every day, there's only one way to slow this deadly virus down: free and accessible testing for everyone, now. Testing is essential because people can be asymptomatic yet still very much infected. Because they don't know they have the virus in their systems, they continue interacting with — and infecting — others. Yet in many places in the country, people are forced to pay out-of-pocket for testing and treatment. One man in Miami was charged more than $3,000 for COVID-19 testing — and that was with his health insurance. This is dangerous and ridiculous. Luckily, state governors can prohibit insurance companies from charging people for testing and resulting care for coronavirus. New York and California have already done so, and now we need the rest of the country to follow suit. If we ever hope to reverse this literally sickening trend, we have to start with making sure everyone can get tested, for free. Sign the petition to tell every U.S. state to follow New York and California's lead by making testing and treatment free to help stop the spread of this disease! Thank you for all that you do, Miranda B. The Care2 Petitions Team P.S. Our only hope to curb the deadly coronavirus is free treatment for all! Demand our lawmakers protect us in every way possible, starting with making all testing and treatment of coronavirus free. ***  Tell Congress: “We need to INCREASE and SPEED UP coronavirus testing, not slow it down. The only way to get back to normal is to crush the virus, and the only way to do that is the same way that every other industrialized country has: An aggressive program of testing, tracing, and isolating infections!” ADD YOUR NAME Donald Trump thinks that increased testing capacity is behind America’s horrific pandemic response. So he’s pledge to slow the testing down. That’s not how you fight a virus. Trump may be happy to sit in his bubble at the White House with his fingers in his ears, but Americans are dying. Tell Trump that we need to EXPAND COVID testing, not slow it down! Other industrialized countries have gotten their outbreaks under control thanks to rigorous testing, tracing, and isolating regimes. In America, we’re being told that we’re on our own. The current approach, where we hope that we’ll look out for each other, is clearly not working. Responsible Americans are being held hostage in our homes by the dumbest and most selfish people among us. We locked down the country in March to buy time to build testing & tracing infrastructure. It was working, slowly, but cases and deaths were finally going down. Donald Trump thinks that he can erase the curve by denying America the data of the pandemic, but things won’t get back to normal with people dying every day. We need to INCREASE testing! ADD YOUR NAME: Tell Trump to pull his head out of the sand and get out of the way of public health experts! We need tests & masks! Thanks, Mike Phelan Progress America

"Why I Adore Joe Biden"

Before we get to our featured blog,  here are some photos from a recent motorcade protest.

 #FreeThemAll

Even in this day of "social distancing,"  it's still possible to make your voice heard. Non-violent inmates need to be released from jails where the coronavirus can spread quickly. Toledo-area protestors donned their masks, placed their posters and banners on their vehicles and circled the block, honking and chanting until the prisoners in the Lucas County Jail banged on their windows in response. 

Will the Sheriff release these prisoners to their families until their trial dates? We'll see. But time is of the essence, and compassion is every bit a part of justice and rehabilitation.  Human beings shouldn't be locked up simply because they cannot afford bail. There is no reason to let these non-violent detainees be exposed to and possibly die from COVID-19.  Keep shouting at the walls until they come crumbling down!

Read more about the protest: https://www.toledoblade.com/local/city/2020/04/18/motorcade-of-protestors-demand-release-of-non-violent-inmates-toledo-lucas-county/stories/20200418081 

And now our guest blogger shares why she can't wait to vote for the former vice president.

"Why I Adore Joe Biden"

By A. Riche-Persson

I’m excited! I can’t wait to cast my vote for President of the United States for Joe Biden. He’s the man who represents everything I know and love. Things will stay the same under good ol’ Uncle Joe, and that’s the way it should be. We can’t be changing everything to suit the whims of the public, can we? They didn’t go to Ivy League schools, and they can’t even manage an invite to my yachting club regatta. We need to keep things in the hands of those who know best, don’t you think?

And all this blah-blah-blah from the Bernie Bros about Medicare for All —who needs it? I have great private health insurance. It even covered my Botox injections and my tummy tuck last year with just a mere ten thou deductible. Couch change! All red-blooded Americans everywhere love their private health insurance according to Joe. Nobody worth anything would be caught dead walking into a hospital with a Medicare card. You wouldn't catch me doing something so lowbrow! It doesn’t go well with my designer purse and matching heels, either.

These hippie peaceniks who keep saying things about Joe voting for the Iraq War and that he never met a war he didn’t like and that he was a friend of segragationalists in the past? Well I say, “Pfft!” War is great for business and that’s what America is all about – business. My Raytheon stocks skyrocket every time dear Donald rattles his sword, and I’m certain Joe will do the same. He’s got an interest in seeing those stock prices go up and up, especially after all this unnecessary shut down of our economy with this coronavirus hoax. It’s just like the flu I hear. And nobody wants their kids to attend school with ghetto scum. Joe was dead right on that issue. Get over it, crybabies.

Where was Joe during all these coronavirus town halls that Bernie put on? Does it really make a difference that he was taking a nap? Who needs all these extra people crowding up the place anyway? I think we could stand to lose a few thousand hoboes sleeping on our park benches and who would miss a few thousand old people or grocery stockers or cashiers or daycare workers here or there? (I get my food delivered to my door, the back door, I think... I let my cook and housekeeper handle that sort of thing.)  

What I’m saying is that America has more than enough people, so let the virus get rid of a few of them. It’s back to work the rest of you lazy bums so my company can realize a good dividend by the quarter’s end. Joe will make sure America is up and working. What I mean by that is that you all will be back to work so I can continue to live off the money you make for me.

Oh, and you’re begging for free money because you lost your job, along with free health care from the government? Who told you to get sick? Nobody! What do you think government is for? Looking out after your health and safety? No, it’s for keeping business people like me afloat and bailing out our banks when they make a bad decision or two. We are the “job creators” after all. All those million of small businesses in small town America just get in the way of our big monopolies making a bigger profit. The government needs to protect us from these annoying little challengers to the free market system. Go big or go out of business is what I say!

Yes, I do like how Joe believes the oil, gas and coal companies deserve to be given massive tax breaks, and we should hinder solar and wind energy technologies from growing and expanding. We don’t want to use up all the sunlight and wind too quickly—what would we do at the beach if we didn’t have sun and wind? Our sailboats wouldn’t work, and I’d have to go to the salon for a fake tan. No way am I going to turn myself orange like you-know-who!

Speaking of colors, Green New Deal? What kind of deal is that? (I look better in black.) The Earth was put here for our plundering. And gasoline is cheap--I filled up my three Escalades for next to nothing this past week.  The Obama Administration was the leader in bringing fracking to the world. Joe will continue that legacy, no fear. So, frack away and let's enjoy the open road in big thirsty cars. Vroom-vroom!

We want Joe to be in office so he can put in a Supreme Court justice replacement for Ruth Ginsburg who will stand up for a woman’s right to… do something. I know Joe said something about how this old-fashioned Roe v. Wade decision could be let out to pasture. It’s not like women can’t easily jump on a plane or a yacht and go elsewhere for an abortion, right? We don’t want to be paying for  poor women’s mistakes or paying to feed and clothe all their baby mistakes. They need to get off their lazy welfare queen butts and get a job waiting tables. Pull themselves up by their own bootstraps! Government money should be put to better use for the good of all—like bailing out the banks again when they need it in the future.

I certainly want to commend Joe for doing a great job to putting conservative-business-minded men like Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas on the Supreme Court back in the day. Joe raked that Anita Hill over the coals for saying the same things about Justice Thomas that some are saying about Joe nowadays—that they sexually harassed women who worked under them. 

There’s the problem right there. These women work under them, and so they deserve to have their butts pinched and be kept in their place. We can’t have uppity-types telling wealthy, powerful men to keep their hands to themselves. They have the money after all. They pay your wages. They own you, you good-for-nothings!

At the end of the day, how can I resist that sexy way Joe comes right up behind me at a thousand dollar a plate fundraiser and breathes in my hair? Ooo! I get shivers down my spine just thinking about his presidential hands all over me. Just call me "Monica," haha! All these people who get bent out of shape because of a few gals who didn’t care for his pawing just haven’t enjoyed having sex with a rich and powerful person before, and they’re just plain jealous of those of us who have. LOL!

I hope you can see now why Joe Biden would make a super president for people like us. He’s older and wealthy and white—so he understands how it feels to have to put up with the rabble that Bernie guy and other Lefties roused up. Joe was a huge supporter of Bill Clinton's wonderful crime bill in 1994 that locked up all those naughty black and brown people who smoked too much marijuana (not sold by our new corporate cannabis operations). He’ll continue to militarize the police so they’ll keep things the way they should be and deal with those troublemakers. We’ll all prosper and not have to worry about our share prices dropping precipitously under a Biden administration.

That’s all we really need in a president anyway, right? More of the same, 'cause happy days are here again! Even Republicans like Joe Biden and say they'll vote for him. With Donny or Joe in the Oval Office, we'll all be raking in the cash and rolling in the dough like we are now. And a healthy stock market is a great thing for all Americans, don't you agree?  

Don't believe me? Well, this gal says she'll vote for Joe (holding her nose) https://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/62473-focus-i-cant-believe-i-have-to-vote-for-joe-biden

But this guy says you actually have a choice and you don't have to vote for him if you don't want to. As if!  https://medium.com/@danielca/dont-vote-for-joe-biden-the-case-for-the-green-party-in-2020-fcae946e0ffc

:BIO: "A. Riche-Persson" (or Ayn to her friends) is a member of the country club down the road and thinks she knows what's best for those who haven't been blessed with her good looks (and face lifts) and brains (she attended Yale, but married a millionaire and forgot to finish her degree). Heed her advice and you, too, can become well-connected in a corporate-owned-and-operated establishment party like the DNC. Just leave your conscience at the door with the coat check girl.

For more on Biden's background, check out this informative blog post from last year -- Biden: My Time? https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2019/04/biden-my-time.html

UPDATE: New Evidence Supporting Credibility of Tara Reade's Allegation Against Joe Biden Emerges: https://theintercept.com/2020/04/24/new-evidence-tara-reade-joe-biden/

Now for a different viewpoint of what's happening in the world. Lee asks, "Will things ever be the same?" (And will we ever see that $12,000 yearly we've all been paying out to the 1% since 1980?)

https://youtu.be/HO0aB_VuoGo

***

For families locked away in the Trump administration's detention centers, there are zero options to stay safe from the coronavirus. Even in the middle of a pandemic, authorities are keeping dozens of families away from their loved ones in facilities with limited access to soap or adequate medical treatment.
Two of the largest U.S. private prison profiteers have already recorded cases of COVID-19 among their staff and the people they've detained. [1] 

There is no time to waste: Rush an urgent message to state and federal legislators and DEMAND that they IMMEDIATELY end the use of private prisons and release vulnerable populations so they can reunite with their families and socially distance safely.

ACT NOW

When an outbreak occurs in a detention center, the families there won't be the only ones at risk: the staff who work in these facilities could take the virus home, and put their entire communities at risk of exposure.
 
By demanding an end to the use of private prisons, we can help thousands of children and their families escape conditions that will condemn them to needless suffering and death from COVID-19. 70% of all immigrants detained by the Trump administration are held in private prisons. Ending the use of private prisons would release many migrant children and families in federal detention, and seriously affect the Trump administration's ability to separate more families in the future. 

This pandemic reminds us that we are intertwined. You can't cage a virus; the only way to ensure our collective health is to care for each other. To do that, we have to fight back against this administration's abusive policies that endanger families in federal detention and beyond. 

Tell federal and state lawmakers to end the use of private prisons and protect incarcerated people from COVID-19.
 
Thanks for all you do,
Jess Morales Rocketto
Families Belong Together

[1] A Second ICE Detainee in Louisiana has Tested Positive for COVID-19

***

Don't let the coronavirus make us homeless. Demand an end to rent and mortgage payments during the crisis.

Sign Now

Over ten million U.S. citizens filed unemployment claims in just two weeks due to the intentional economic shutdown to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus. Unemployment websites are crashing, many people are not even eligible, and the one-time $1,200 checks promised by the government will not even cover many people's rent. In short: millions of Americans have no way to pay their rent or mortgage right now. That's why we need to demand leaders put a freeze on rent and mortgage payments during the pandemic for both individuals and businesses. Sign the petition if you agree! A national landlord association reported that a full one-third of renters in the U.S. failed to pay their rent during the first week of April and May is going to be even worse. While some cities have put a moratoreum on evictions, that just means rent and mortgage payments will pile up during that time and folks will be evicted as soon as those moratoreums are lifted. The only ethical, humane answer is for lawmakers to put a freeze on rent and mortgage payments, and they have the power to do it. Please sign on to help make sure no one ends up homeless due to this global crisis. Thank you, Kelsey B. The Care2 Petitions Team

 ***

From Color of Change:

We just received great news to provide us all with a glimmer of hope! Since the outbreak of COVID, we knew we had to fight hard for incarcerated people because our elected leaders failed to make a humane plan to address those who would be hardest hit. 

So we decided to launch our fight.

Thousands of Color Of Change members joined us in pushing to make all communication free of charge for incarcerated people and their families during this crisis, and forever. As of last week, people incarcerated at federal prisons have finally been granted free phone calls during the pandemic, up to 500 minutes a month. Before we launched our campaign and more than 18,000 people signed our petition, many incarcerated folks were only given two fifteen-minute free calls per week, some received even less.

This is what’s possible when we unabashedly fight for those most impacted, in the face of elected leaders who show indifference for incarcerated people. We win and keep families connected!

But C.A., we know we have much more to do to ensure ALL incarcerated people receive the humane response needed to ensure their wellbeing. Here is what we need you to do to continue fighting with us:

  1. Share the petition with your friends and family demanding elected leaders grant ALL incarcerated people with free calls. This includes state prisons, county jails, and all detention centers.

  2. Start or join a local campaign and demand your elected leaders implement a humane plan for incarcerated people. We need mass releases and an end to the constant churn of people in and out of facilities across the country.

Until justice is real,
Scott, Rashad, Arisha, Clarise, Erika, Malachi, Leonard, Marybeth, Madison, and the rest of the Color Of Change team