Winners and Losers

Winners and Losers

By C.A. Matthews

I find it highly annoying to be stalked by sufferers of Stockholm Syndrome. There's no way to avoid it online nowadays. I suppose it's to be expected in an election year, particularly this year when their desperate cries of "Vote Not-Trump!" are the most strident.

I don't know about you, but I question the official narrative constantly. The establishment doesn't like us questioners very much because we tend to keep searching until we get to the bottom of things. We cast light into the murky recesses that those who profit the most from our corrupt system of governance rather not have revealed.

The oligarchs/billionaires and their lackeys of the status quo can't abide being forced out of their dark corners of greed and power worship. It's just the way they are. They can't stand hearing the pronouncements of truth-tellers like Nina Turner and the myriad of left-wing podcasters I watch or listen to each week. The truth makes them uncomfortable at times--especially if it's linked to thousands of needless deaths in a pandemic that demonstrates our country's desperate need for universal health care. Truth and the outrage it engenders also tends to slow down their plans to destroy the planet by coddling the fossil fuel industry and making trillions of dollars creating weaponry for their Forever Wars of Resources Appropriation.

So, whenever I'm told that I'm backing a "loser" for high office because "He/she can't win" (because of the way things are set up in our rigged electoral system), I read a different subtext into that statement. I hear a stressed-out voter crying:

I'm so terrified of the orange toddler-man in the White House that I'm willing to vote for the Not-Trump, another terrifying serial sexual harasser. I'm so frightened by change that I'm willing to lull my conscience to sleep and throw my sense of what's right and wrong out the window. I'm so scared that I'm okay with the devil I know rather than giving my vote to someone whose values I share and actually admire. I'm willing to maintain the establishment parties (or party) and their hold on our system because change might take a commitment on my part, and I'm not ready to work hard to change things for the better, if ever.

These folks' fear is so intense, so irrational, that it explains why, even though they insist they're backing a "winner," they'll start TYPING IN ALL CAPS on their social media posts. They're "shouting," I assume, because raising their voice (or font size) is a last act of desperation. Deep down, they must feel hopeless. Alas, shouting isn't going to change anyone's mind about the dubious nature of their statements, up to and including themselves. 

These Stockholm Syndrome shouters apparently suffer from cognitive dissonance to the extreme. They can't even recognize when they're being used. It's sad to know how much pain they're willing to endure in order for obscenely wealthy people to continue profiting off ordinary Americans' physical/mental suffering (i.e., for-profit health care/Big Pharma price gouging). They turn off their brains and hearts whenever it becomes apparent that the mass incarceration of others is simply a tool of capitalist enterprises to have access to the 13th Amendment-allowed cheap slave labor pool.

The real "losers" of our rigged election process--manipulated, gerrymandered and commandeered by the corrupt establishment--are the voters, of course. We lose because some of us are never given a chance to vote our conscience. So many states make it near impossible to get an independent or third party candidate onto their ballot. Without a choice there is no chance of changing the system the promotes such evil, and there is no winner when a "lesser evil" candidate wins. There is only more evil.

Simply put, no one wins when there's even an ounce more evil in the world. We all lose.
 

The next time anyone shouts at you (either in person or in all caps) that you're backing a "loser" by not blindly accepting the establishment narrative and voting for their politician-puppet, tell them that if more voters voted for what they wanted instead of what they were afraid of we'd all experience a lot more "winning"  than what their lesser evil candidate could ever provide. 

We actually might win Medicare for All. We might score a Green New Deal and some hope of saving our planet for our children and grandchildren from runaway global climate catastrophe. We might put a stop to wars for all time and bring about a lasting peace on Earth. Being brave enough to vote our values could make all the difference. We could all become winners.

Former Democratic US Congressional candidate M. Xavier Carrigan sums it up nicely:

I am starting to see a number of posts and memes pop up saying that Trump has single-handedly destroyed the United States.

Really? Do you really think it was a bumbling idiot? Someone who can barely string together a paragraph, much less a full sentence? Someone who, whether oblivious to his own actions or not, creates the very problems he later condemns others for? (i.e., the Post Office fiasco, everything COVID-19 related, et. al.).

People mistakenly compare him to some mastermind like Lord Sidius when he is more like Dr. Evil. He stumbles his way through, has lackeys that are actually the real enemies of us all, and his demands are beyond absurd. This is one big joke, and the vast majority have fallen for it.

Stop blaming the stupid guy for the creation of the hell we are living in. We contributed to this, and/or sat by idly as it all unfolded over the past five decades. "If you're looking for someone to blame, one only need look into the mirror." 

Don't take this personally but it isn't just one person and it wasn't something that emerged in the past three years (during [Trump's] presidency).

This took nearly 50 years and a ton of malicious, narcissistic sociopaths to systematically destroy our country. We collectively sat back and, whether intentionally or not, permitted greed to win. We thought villains would look like the bad guys in every crappy 1970s, 80s, and 90s film. Instead, they were far more sinister and devious, doing it quietly and behind the scenes.

It wasn't until this century that they stopped hiding as much, and in 2016 they completely pulled down the veil. They know they no longer have to hide because more than enough people support them in the worst case of Stockholm Syndrome, ever.

We let the demons in, and they're running amok. --MXC

We the People can stop the demons. Become better educated about your choices on the ballot today. Don't waste your vote by being scared into voting for a "lesser evil." Take courage and together we'll win.

Related Links:

Why the "Lesser Evil" is an Illusion
https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2020/08/23/why-the-lesser-evil-is-an-illusion/

Reality TV for Oligarchs (video)
https://youtu.be/UG7ED3fe95w

Jeff Bezos: another "winner" who doesn't really care about ordinary workers. Do you realize how much he and other billionaires like them are worth? Check this video out:
https://youtu.be/3zDPsHL_msY

How Long Does It Take a Tech CEO To Earn Your Salary? (Fun and sobering calculator illustrates just how much money these individuals have and that you'll never have.)
https://simpletexting.com/tech-ceo-salary/ 

***

Prior to COVID-19, 44 million Americans were already uninsured, with millions more underinsured, and many more with marketplace plans that had high premiums, co-pays, deductibles and out of pocket expenses -- a deterrent to actually seeking needed care. Fast forward to today. After hearing the praises of the "choice" of employer based healthcare throughout the primary debates, we are now watching in real time as the economic downturn is creating mass unemployment, with millions having their "choice" employer-based healthcare taken away from them, through no fault of their own. During a grossly mismanaged pandemic. It makes all of the healthcare debates from 6 months ago look...absurd. So it makes sense that support for (single payer) Medicare for All has skyrocketed in popularity.

While there is a (curious) dearth of more current polling, back in April we learned that:

• 69% of all voters want Medicare for All
• 88% of Democrat voters want Medicare for All
• 46% of Republican voters want Medicare for All

Yet, somehow only a minority of our Reps and Senators are representing this political will and fighting for healthcare justice. During a grossly mismanaged pandemic, and on the precipice of a depression. We are told it's not "politically possible" because of lack of congressional support but...why? How could that be, when their JOB is to represent us? That is precisely what they get paid hundreds of thousands of dollars per year to do -- represent us.

If we really want democracy -- if we really MEAN that -- we need to have more self-respect as an electorate. 

We must DEMAND Medicare for All.

We also must DEMAND the #WeThePeopleAmendment. Because the doctrine of "Money is Free Speech" means that the insurance and pharmaceutical industries can out-spend us in elections, and turn our own government against us. And the doctrine "Corporations Are People" (in the eyes of the Constitution), it means that even if Medicare for All passes, these corporations can sue and gut the legislation, claiming their "constitutional rights" (which include making profit) are being violated.

**CALL TO ACTION**

Make a few quick calls. Find your Reps and Senators HERE.


Script for Reps:
Hi, I am a constituent of _____, and I want them to cosponsor Medicare For All (HR 1384), because it is supported by a majority of Americans and we are in a crisis, with no end in sight. I would also like them to cosponsor the We The People Amendment (HJR 48) -- because we need democracy for people, not corporations. Thank you!

Script for Senators:
Hi, I am a constituent of _____, and I want them to cosponsor Medicare For All (SB 1129), because it is supported by a majority of Americans and we are in a crisis, with no end in sight. I would also like them to introduce a companion bill to the We The People Amendment (HJR 48) -- because we need democracy for people, not corporations. Thank you!
Thank you SO much for taking a few moments out of your day to join others in holding our elected officials accountable to We The People.

Solidarity,
George, Leila, Jessica, Keyan, Shelly, Alfonso, Kaitlin, Milly, Greg, Jason, Daniel, Tara, Saleem
- Move to Amend National Team

***

Slavery is still legal as long as this loophole is in the U.S. Constitution. Demand an amendment to truly and fully abolish slavery, now!

Sign Now

Racism exists in every single system that makes up the United States' infrastructure — healthcare, education, credit, and finance, to name just a few. But one of the most blatantly racist structures is the criminal justice system, where a disproportionate amount of imprisoned people are Black. When they are imprisoned, Black folks are stripped of their rights thanks to the 13th amendment of the Constitution. This amendment, meant to abolish slavery, actually just dressed it up in different clothes by including this massive caveat: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." People in prison are forced to perform labor for free or shockingly low pay, while kept locked up and being denied their autonomy. Additionally, prisons compel incarcerated people to pay for basic necessities like calling their families and reading library books. Some inmates have been forced to risk their lives fighting fires even though they won't be eligible to become firefighters — or to enter many other professions — upon release. Others are now making hand sanitizer for COVID-19 while being packed into overcrowded spaced where the disease runs unchecked, with minimal (if any) protections. Prison labor is modern-day slavery, but we have the power to end it. Sign the petition and urge Congress to introduce a new amendment to the Constitution, nullifying the 13th amendment and replacing it with one that abolishes slavery COMPLETELY. Thank you, Kelsey B. The Care2 Petitions Team P.S. We have to close this loophole in the Constitution that allows for modern-day slavery. Sign the petition.

Kamala the Cop

Kamala the Cop

Coast Watcher

Once again the so-called Democratic Party has spat in the faces of ordinary people across the country. By choosing Kamala Harris as Vice Presidential nominee the party has made it obvious it’s no different to the Republican Party when it comes to the fundamental issues of government. That hoary old phrase “tough on crime” rings hollow when all it really means is oppression and disregard for civic rights and due process. 

Harris’ record on the matter of law and order is a shameful one. The former Attorney General for the State of California certainly filled her boots when it came to the perks of her office. If a person accused of a crime had enough cash, they could buy immunity from prosecution. In the case of Steve Mnuchin all it took was a “campaign contribution” to Harris for her to decline prosecuting him as his company OneWestBank for financial irregularities in the wake of the 2008 mortgage crisis.   

OneWest held the mortgages of over 30,000 home owners. In 2011 the Office of the Inspector General began an audit of the company following complaints. In a statement the IG wrote:

OneWest executives had instructed employees to reject as many loan modification applications as possible and created an environment that encouraged loan modification staff to misinform borrowers about their eligibility status, routinely shred loan modification applications, and inappropriately deny loan modifications. The letter also stated that the terms of the FDIC’s agreement with OneWest created a financial incentive for OneWest to foreclose rather than modify loans.

But after reviewing only a handful of cases the OIG refused to proceed. Mnuchin bought his way clear with a mere $2,000 to Harris’ senate campaign. The cost was dirt cheap compared to a likely heavy fine and possible jail sentence. At the end of the day, Steve Mnuchin walked away with billions of dollars. Thousands of Americans became homeless and their credit ruined where, had every transaction been legal and above board, they would not be put under such duress. 

Mnuchin is, of course, Secretary of the Treasury in Donald Trump’s deeply repugnant regime. To this day Harris refuses to say why she didn’t prosecute Mnuchin. 

Trump himself made contributions of $6,000 to Harris—$5,000 in 2011 and another $1,000 in 2013. Did Trump use his contribution to Harris, a person of color, as a fig leaf to cover his inherent racism. In a recent attack ad Trump’s campaign portrayed Harris as a  “phony” and, flying in the face of all evidence, as part of the “radical left!” 

If Trump thinks such a blatantly capitalistic person as Harris is “radical left,” I’d hate to see what would happen if he should ever come face to face with a genuine socialist.

Harris’ record on the California state prison service speaks for itself. Following a successful class action suit on behalf of inmates, Harris was ordered in 2011 to reduce the prison population due to serious overcrowding. Harris stated some non-violent offenders had to remain jailed to provide cheap labor to the state—and we're talking about pennies on the dollar pay. In 2014 the state was ordered to allow non-violent second time offenders who’d served half their sentence to become eligible for parole. Harris objected yet again, stating that it would deprive the state and private companies of a cheap labor pool. It must be pointed out that this  “labor pool” includes volunteer firefighters who risk their lives for a mere $2 a day to put out California's massively destructive and dangerous wildfires, yet these prisoners/firefighters are not allowed to count the hard-earned experience on their resumes when they are finally released. 

Harris became a US Senator in 2017, which positioned her nicely for the vice presidential nomination. Neoliberals ooh and ahh over the choice of a woman of color attaining such a status. That’s all very well, but Harris' wealth and status doesn't demonstrate that she really cares about ordinary people. As for her racial status, it’s not been of much benefit to those who share it. Most of those interned in California under her watch as AG were African-Americans and Hispanic Americans, and most of those were put there because of the notorious  “Three Strikes” law introduced by none other than then-Senator Joe Biden. So it is Harris’ nomination, coupled with presidential nominee Biden’s pungent record on law and order bills, that is pretty much a match made in hell for human rights.

Another telling trait of these two individual's stances against human rights: Harris no longer supports Medicare For All as she had previously stated while campaigning (more info in the links below).  She has gone over to Biden's position and supports private health insurance coverage tied to a worker's employment.Why this sudden change of heart? Perhaps when we see a final list of campaign contributors we'll know for sure who got to her this time. 

My belief is that, should the so-called Democratic Party win the election, the increasingly decrepit Biden will use the 25th Amendment to step down after a few months citing  “health reasons,” allowing Harris to become the first female president. We’ll then see yet another turn of the screw in the crushing of civil liberties, and yet another neoliberal corporate shill in the White House. Once again we’ll witness the soft pedal approach to any genuine reform to help ordinary citizens. It’ll be business as usual for capitalism, while the world continues to burn. 

The only way to stop these duopolist nightmare tickets of neoliberalism is to vote third party. The current two-party (in reality, one party) system has to be broken. All it requires is for the vote for a third party to pass 33.4% of the electorate and the Democrats and Republicans will be left twisting in the wind. For the sake of America and the world, this must come to pass.

BIO: Coast Watcher isn't taken in by pretty faces and identity politics. He does his research. He compares notes. He doesn't like what he sees in two corrupt cops running for the White House. He's advising all voters to use their brains to stop the further uncalled-for imprisoning of persons of color and the poor to provide plentiful cheap/free labor for the greedy capitalist state. Vote third party! We have nothing to lose but our future chains!

The following video (starts about five minutes in) shows how callously Harris treated poor parents of color and their children by criminalizing the parents of these children for truancy. She jokes and laughs about how much she wanted to  prosecute these beleagured families--even when her fellow office members thought it was a terrible idea. She even charged a homeless woman instead of helping this struggling family out! Heartless.

 https://youtu.be/ml3C03VxJL8

Related Links:

This Is Why Kamala Harris Refused to Prosecute Steve Mnuchin

https://wedacoalition.org/2019/09/27/this-is-why-kamala-harris-refused-to-prosecute-steve-mnuchin/

Donald Trump Made Campaign Donations to Kamala Harris Years Ago His Campaign Says--It's Proof He's Not Racist 
https://www.wbtv.com/2020/08/13/donald-trump-made-campaign-donations-kamala-harris-years-ago-his-campaign-says-its-proof-hes-not-racist/

Kamala Harris' AG Office Tried to Keep Inmates Locked Up for Cheap Labor https://www.thedailybeast.com/kamala-harris-ag-office-tried-to-keep-inmates-locked-up-for-cheap-labor

Kamala Harris Embodies Most Dangerous Myth of American Exceptionalism
https://www.blackagendareport.com/kamala-harris-embodies-most-dangerous-myth-american-exceptionalism 

Kamala Harris Has Distinguished Career Serving Injustice
https://www.blackagendareport.com/kamala-harris-has-distinguished-career-serving-injustice

Senator Kamala Harris and Her Corrupt Ways (video series)
http://www.abovealllaws.com/2019/01/29/senator-kamala-harris-and-her-corrupt-ways-part-1-of-3-videos/

Kamala Harris No Longer Supports Bernie Sanders' Medicare For All Program
https://www.newsweek.com/kamala-harris-healthcare-medicare-all-bernie-sanders-1455106

***

The Trump administration and Mitch McConnell's Senate majority are determined to suppress the vote this year because it's the first step to controlling the redistricting process in 2021.

This explains why they've launched an onslaught of attacks against the Postal Service. It's a strategy to prevent certain votes from counting this fall.

Here are seven attempts and ongoing schemes to undermine the Postal Service:

1. In April, President Trump called the USPS "a joke" and parroted unsubstantiated claims against the essential service to undermine its role in this year's consequential election -- just days after the USPS released a statement saying it was "imperative" that Congress and the administration take action to provide financial support.


2. In May, the House passed the HEROES Act with $25 million in funding for the USPS -- yet three months later, Mitch McConnell's Senate has refused to pass this essential funding.


3. In June, Trump mega-donor Louis Dejoy officially assumed the role of postmaster general.


4. In July, Postmaster Dejoy supported President Trump's efforts to undermine the Postal Service by implementing new rules and procedures that intentionally slowed down mail services ahead of the big election this fall.


5. In August, Postmaster General Dejoy announced plans to reassign more than 20 top-level USPS employees -- a move that the Washington Post says "de-emphasizes decades of institutional postal knowledge" and "centralizes power" around Trump appointee Dejoy.


6. This week, Dejoy floated the idea of tripling the cost of sending mail-in ballots to voters. Senator Elizabeth Warren described this as an attempt to "sabotage the USPS" before the election.


7. Yesterday, President Trump doubled down on his commitment to block funding for the USPS, explicitly citing how funding delays would prevent comprehensive vote-by-mail.

Here at All On The Line, we know protecting the vote this year will allow folks to put fair-minded leaders in charge of redistricting next year.

Here are two ways you can fight back against these attacks in the USPS. Contact your senators and demand they take action to fund the Postal Service. Or support our on-going advocacy work with a monthly donation of $7!

CONTACT CONGRESS

DONATE $7 MONTHLY

-- The AOTL Team 

*** 

Oil drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge would be a disaster.

Your senators can protect this national treasure! Tell them to take up and pass the Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act today.

SEND YOUR MESSAGE

The world is already facing an extinction crisis. Adding to the threat, today the Trump administration announced plans to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska to oil and gas drilling. The Refuge has been the sacred homelands of the Gwich’in people for centuries and is home to polar bears, caribou, and many other unique species. Drilling for oil in one of the last truly wild places on earth would be a disaster.

The Senate can block these rules from going into effect. Legislation has already passed the House, meaning the Senate can act now to block drilling in the ANWR before this nightmare begins. Your senators must fight for the Arctic Wildlife National Refuge. They need to hear from you right now!

The Refuge is the absolute last place that we should be drilling for oil, but right now, in a time of planetary crisis and decreased demand for oil, we simply do not need more oil wells anywhere — we need less. If we’re to have any hope of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees celsius, we need a full, managed phaseout of the fossil fuel industry.

This decision is yet another marker of the Trump administration’s catastrophic failure. We can’t let this administration divide us or roll back the clock on protections for wildlife refuges, for First Nations communities being impacted by environmental injustice, or for crucial ecosystems. This anti-science billionaire handout is abhorrent and is the last thing that our country needs in the middle of a pandemic, mass evictions, and an economic crisis. Fighting for the Refuge is part of the movement to resist, to demand better, and to push back against all of the destructive elements of this administration’s anti-people, anti-environment agenda.

Tell your senators to take up and pass the Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act and that you’re counting on them to protect this national treasure.

For a green and peaceful future.
Avery Raines
Senior Digital Strategist, Greenpeace USA

***

From Sum of Us:

R.I.P. US Postal Service: 1775-2020? Cause of death: Covid-19 and Donald J. Trump Sign the urgent petition to save USPS -- before it’s too late!  Sign the petition  Postal workers across the country are putting their lives at risk going door to door delivering life-saving medicine and other essential items even as this pandemic grows. But if Trump and his corporate cronies get their way, our Postal Service could run out of money soon! This would be an unmitigated disaster in the midst of this pandemic -- and with your help, we won’t let that happen. Right now, Congress is putting together its next stimulus bailout package, and corporations stand to get billions of dollars. We urgently need to make a massive public outcry and let Congress know that if they want to bail out large corporations with public money, first they need to fund USPS -- and keep it out of the hands of private corporations! Add your name now to demand USPS be properly funded before it’s too late! For years, Trump and private equity firms have been threatening to privatize USPS. Now that dream is about to be a reality. This pandemic has significantly impacted USPS’ bottom line, which relies on revenue created by postage and postal services to keep functioning. Now with each passing day, the Postal Service is bleeding cash -- and it's only a matter of time before the Postal Service as we know it disappears. The only thing that can stop this is a massive public outcry from regular people like you and me who are relying on the Postal Service to keep us connected and supplied through this crisis. Together, we can create enough public pressure to force vulnerable Senate Republicans to hold fast against Trump's plotting and keep the USPS as we know it alive. But we've only got a few short weeks left to make our case. Will you join me in this fight? Add your name now and demand that Congress holds fast against Trump’s plans to bankrupt and privatize USPS!  Sign the petition