Friday, May 31, 2019
Citizen Power at Your Fingertips
With today’s technology and applications, we have Citizen Power at our fingertips 24/7. Check out the new post: Poke Your Reps 100 Different Ways. It’s a compilation of various ways, old and new, to communicate with elected officials — in order to tell them what YOU need and want. Use your precious power regularly, and often.
A Novel Illuminates Abortion at the Human Level
The past week has seen an escalating attack on the Pro-Choice movement. At this point, eight state legislatures have passed abortion bans. The ACLU is taking them all to court. Protest rallies have cropped up all over the nation. Remain calm, perform your civic duty to protect women’s rights, join the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL), and read a good novel: A Spark of Light, by Jodi Piccoult, offers a compassionate view of the arguments on both sides of the abortion issue. It’s the book you must read before having a serious discussion about abortion with anyone from the opposite camp.
A Spark of Light tells the story of an abortion clinic that’s violently taken hostage by an angry Far-Right Christian father. People on the premises during the crisis include clinic workers, women seeking reproductive healthcare, a traveling doctor dedicated to helping women — and a stunned undercover Pro-Life advocate who can’t believe her karma. In the afterword, the author covers abortion facts and lucidly points us in the direction of viable social solutions.
Here’s an excellent overview of the American abortion conflict… What’s Going on in the Fight Over US Abortion Rights? | BBC News
Taxes to Fund a Modern Country for The People
Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Barbara Lee joined forces to introduce legislation that would apply a small tax on Wall Street transactions in order to pay for popular social programs that developed nations around the world already enjoy.
SEE: Sen. Bernie Sanders Proposes Tax on Wall Street Speculation | Democracy Now!
The legislation would tax stock, bond and derivatives trades in order to fund job creation, Medicare for all, free public college, environmental and climate change programs, housing assistance and HIV/AIDStreatment and prevention.
~ Democracy Now!
Members of the opposition may argue that social programs are a manifestation of “socialism.” Further, they may hold that “political corruption” occurs whenever the Democratic Party gives people (i.e., minorities) what they want — just to get their votes! (Because, of course, voting Republicans don’t want anything in return for the tax dollars they pay.)
Has the opposition been conned? “Divide and conquer” is the oldest strategy in the book, and the objective of racism. In lieu of real benefits, do working-class Republicans get to be “white” in return for their vote?
“And when his wrinkled stomach cried out for the food that his empty pockets could not provide, he ate Jim Crow, a psychological bird that told him that no matter how bad off he was, at least he was a white man, better than the black man,” [columnist Leonard] Pitts said, quoting the speech King delivered at the conclusion of the Selma to Montgomery March on March 25, 1965.
~ Mackenzie Clark, Lawrence Journal-World
Pitts said these words were a succinct summary of what he believes is the greatest con in American history: rather than provide poor white Americans a living wage, affordable housing, quality schools or health care, the money and political interest in the country has given them “whiteness.”
#PeopleOverPentagon
People are combining their power for peace with the #PeopleOverPentagon initiative. Many top-level activist organizations have joined the cause, including the National Priorities Project.
You may sign the petition as a citizen cosponsor to End Wasteful Military Spending.
Bernie Sanders Joins Walmart Meeting
How do employees express people-power in the workplace? Bernie Sanders will join Walmart workers at the annual Walmart Shareholders’ meeting on June 5 in order to address this question.
At the invitation of a group of Walmart’s hourly workers, Sanders will appear at the June 5 shareholders meeting in Rogers, Arkansas, to introduce a proposal calling for worker representation on the board.
~ Mike Murphy, Market Watch
TYT Iowa Rally June 8
In the mood for a road trip? Attend the TYT Iowa rally in Des Moines on June 8. Cenk Uygur, host of The Young Turks will be joined by Richard Ojeda, Alison Hartmann, and other progressive political figures. TYT is going to make a big announcement. It has something to do with the 2020 presidential race — and People Power.
Can’t join us in Iowa? No worries. We’re coming to a city near you. Sign up here to be the first to hear about future events.
~ The Young Turks
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Progressive Graffiti 
I pray the people of this country find the strength to defend ourselves from the vicious class warfare being waged by the ownership class. We need to implement a tax on Wall Street transactions. I hope millions wake up and get on board with Bernie Sanders and Barbara Lee to make it happen.
Thanks.
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All the people on the front-lines, all the thinkers, all the experts have solutions (good ones!) flowing out of their ears, too many for the brain to hold. But what does it matter, when we have self-centered, greedy, perpetual babies sitting at the top of the food chain? I hope Bernie and Barbara give them good spankings and “put them to bed” forever.
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It’s going to take a tidal wave of compassionate, intelligent people flooding the internet with facts about the violence of the system millions in this country cherish and with viable solutions that will take time to work, but are our only hope. We need patience and for people to regain their humanity – if that term even means anything anymore. I’ve come to realize that we’re incredibly arrogant as a species and our language betrays not only that, but an unwillingness to step outside our habits and look deep inside ourselves for truth. We have a catalogue of terms that make it convenient to hide ugly truths we’d rather not face. When we finally come to “terms” with our conflation of “needs” and “wants” and realize we’ve been fooling ourselves for a long time, we may just survive this crisis and evolve as a species.
Thanks for the great posts and especially for caring. Peace.
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