The late Glen Ford of Black Agenda Report called Obama “the more effective evil” because he helped neuter the anti-war movement when he got in office. The Democrats co-opted the BLM movement and the history of those actions goes on and on.
Thanks for the memories! Whew, that history, those battles, those blood-sweat-tears, man I am with you, I was with you, I was there reporting on it, and alas, teaching it, and, yep, working to bring in people as refugees of the American Psycho Empire from Central America.
While reading this I recall the section in Zinn's book about how the "communists" during the 1920s and 1930s supported each other...the People. There were some successes until they released the goons and began slaughtering strikers, protesters, and families. (Much like what is happening in Palestine.)
It was a time, though, when the People came together and supported each other almost as if the rest of the monsters didn't exist. It certainly wasn't Valhalla but it was a moment when compassion toward our fellow human and love was apparent. (Oddly, as I think about it, exactly what is happening in Gaza.)
I'm more convinced than ever that we cannot change "global" politics with marches and protests.
None of this is to lessen the work of people like Cindy and her supporters. Sometimes, perhaps mostly, the path to the Truth is painful. But what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?
I recall the speech of Ma Joad in "The Grapes of Wrath:
"Rich fellas come up an' they die, an' their kids ain't no good an' they die out. But we keep a-coming. We're the people that live. They can't wipe us out; they can't lick us. We'll go on forever, Pa, 'cause we're the people."
We can defeat "them" and we will. Time is on our side.
It must have been horrifying to see the "Peace Industrial Complex" take shape right before your eyes. I was devastated that the fledgling anti war movement in Arizona fell apart so quickly. Interestingly, Kyrsten Sinema was part of it at the time! She originally ran for office as a Green but was quickly co-opted and the rest is history....
Also, the 20th anniversary of the murder of Pat Tillman was
just the other day. He was starting to speak against the war and was killed by his fellow troops. They literally blew his head off. The brass lied to his family about it and burned his uniform and the diary he was keeping. He went to college in Arizona and played for the Arizona Cardinals, so a mythology has been perpetrated about him that he died for that same "noble cause...."
Cindy, do you think that with all the protests happening on campuses and in the streets, over the killing and destruction in Gaza, that we might finally be seeing a movement that is aware of the PIC and its deadening effect on movements? The young people I've met at rallies are expecting nothing from Genocide Joe and are talking about supporting third party challenges, especially Claudia de la Cruz, and are saying they won't be tricked into "lesser evil" voting. I'm trying to remain hopeful that there is something different in the air this time.
Well said. Funny, or not funny, thing: the Clinton Administration set up the whole War on Terror, right down to the language. Halloween 1998, Clinton signed a document stating that regime change in Iraq was official US policy; "W" and Company of War Criminals only needed a 9/11 to fulfill the terms of Clinton's regime change policy a few years later. I see next to no daylight between Rs and Ds these days; at least the Rs have a couple of troublemakers; the Dems appear to have folded their deceptive PIC tent in favor of the MIC.
It feels different to me this time…the horror of a second term for the Orange Menace is looking more overblown every day, as we watch the massacre in Gaza and see the billions being spent on weaponry as citizens here are unable to make ends meet. You’re right, only time will tell.
Years ago, I was an activist in a small, grassroots NY state group focused on closing corrupt campaign finance loopholes, overturning Citizens United, and federal campaign finance reform. We had been circulating a letter in the NY state legislature which called for campaign finance measures to be taken by Congress. The idea was to obtain enough signers to ratify the letter and send it to Congress.
During this whole effort Public Citizen was our biggest ally -- and one particular prominent organizer with that organization was included in our calls. But our little group did all the work. We spent our own money, took days off of work. We put together a coalition that included Democrats, a Christian Republican farmer, Greens, and a Libertarian -- each of whom agreed from their own perspective that we needed campaign finance reform if we were to have meaningful input on any issue.
After about three years, we finally had enough legislators onboard and the state sent the letter to Congress. At this point, we had visibility and press coverage. We were looking forward to continuing work on overturning Citizens United. We had had meetings with legislators who represented different political perspectives to discuss proposed language for an amendment that would be introduced to this effect.
Just as we were at the height of visibility, Public Citizen abruptly abandoned our campaign finance effort. The same organizer who had been with us through years, who we had trusted, then manipulated and led our members away into "Resist Trump" and identity politics rallies. Goals we had achieved on campaign finance were "instantly forgotten" by Public Citizen in favor of pointless "Resist Trump" faux activism. Groups like MoveOn actively took part in redirecting campaign finance reform activists into symbolic "Resist Trump" rallies.
Bingo Cindy !
This is perfect.
The late Glen Ford of Black Agenda Report called Obama “the more effective evil” because he helped neuter the anti-war movement when he got in office. The Democrats co-opted the BLM movement and the history of those actions goes on and on.
There are no Rs and Ds, there is only one party, the party of G - GLOBALIST GREED!
Thanks for the memories! Whew, that history, those battles, those blood-sweat-tears, man I am with you, I was with you, I was there reporting on it, and alas, teaching it, and, yep, working to bring in people as refugees of the American Psycho Empire from Central America.
Paz.
https://paulokirk.substack.com/p/jews-drilling-into-your-mind-executive
While reading this I recall the section in Zinn's book about how the "communists" during the 1920s and 1930s supported each other...the People. There were some successes until they released the goons and began slaughtering strikers, protesters, and families. (Much like what is happening in Palestine.)
It was a time, though, when the People came together and supported each other almost as if the rest of the monsters didn't exist. It certainly wasn't Valhalla but it was a moment when compassion toward our fellow human and love was apparent. (Oddly, as I think about it, exactly what is happening in Gaza.)
I'm more convinced than ever that we cannot change "global" politics with marches and protests.
None of this is to lessen the work of people like Cindy and her supporters. Sometimes, perhaps mostly, the path to the Truth is painful. But what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?
I recall the speech of Ma Joad in "The Grapes of Wrath:
"Rich fellas come up an' they die, an' their kids ain't no good an' they die out. But we keep a-coming. We're the people that live. They can't wipe us out; they can't lick us. We'll go on forever, Pa, 'cause we're the people."
We can defeat "them" and we will. Time is on our side.
It must have been horrifying to see the "Peace Industrial Complex" take shape right before your eyes. I was devastated that the fledgling anti war movement in Arizona fell apart so quickly. Interestingly, Kyrsten Sinema was part of it at the time! She originally ran for office as a Green but was quickly co-opted and the rest is history....
Also, the 20th anniversary of the murder of Pat Tillman was
just the other day. He was starting to speak against the war and was killed by his fellow troops. They literally blew his head off. The brass lied to his family about it and burned his uniform and the diary he was keeping. He went to college in Arizona and played for the Arizona Cardinals, so a mythology has been perpetrated about him that he died for that same "noble cause...."
Cindy, do you think that with all the protests happening on campuses and in the streets, over the killing and destruction in Gaza, that we might finally be seeing a movement that is aware of the PIC and its deadening effect on movements? The young people I've met at rallies are expecting nothing from Genocide Joe and are talking about supporting third party challenges, especially Claudia de la Cruz, and are saying they won't be tricked into "lesser evil" voting. I'm trying to remain hopeful that there is something different in the air this time.
Well said. Funny, or not funny, thing: the Clinton Administration set up the whole War on Terror, right down to the language. Halloween 1998, Clinton signed a document stating that regime change in Iraq was official US policy; "W" and Company of War Criminals only needed a 9/11 to fulfill the terms of Clinton's regime change policy a few years later. I see next to no daylight between Rs and Ds these days; at least the Rs have a couple of troublemakers; the Dems appear to have folded their deceptive PIC tent in favor of the MIC.
It feels different to me this time…the horror of a second term for the Orange Menace is looking more overblown every day, as we watch the massacre in Gaza and see the billions being spent on weaponry as citizens here are unable to make ends meet. You’re right, only time will tell.
Years ago, I was an activist in a small, grassroots NY state group focused on closing corrupt campaign finance loopholes, overturning Citizens United, and federal campaign finance reform. We had been circulating a letter in the NY state legislature which called for campaign finance measures to be taken by Congress. The idea was to obtain enough signers to ratify the letter and send it to Congress.
During this whole effort Public Citizen was our biggest ally -- and one particular prominent organizer with that organization was included in our calls. But our little group did all the work. We spent our own money, took days off of work. We put together a coalition that included Democrats, a Christian Republican farmer, Greens, and a Libertarian -- each of whom agreed from their own perspective that we needed campaign finance reform if we were to have meaningful input on any issue.
After about three years, we finally had enough legislators onboard and the state sent the letter to Congress. At this point, we had visibility and press coverage. We were looking forward to continuing work on overturning Citizens United. We had had meetings with legislators who represented different political perspectives to discuss proposed language for an amendment that would be introduced to this effect.
Just as we were at the height of visibility, Public Citizen abruptly abandoned our campaign finance effort. The same organizer who had been with us through years, who we had trusted, then manipulated and led our members away into "Resist Trump" and identity politics rallies. Goals we had achieved on campaign finance were "instantly forgotten" by Public Citizen in favor of pointless "Resist Trump" faux activism. Groups like MoveOn actively took part in redirecting campaign finance reform activists into symbolic "Resist Trump" rallies.