Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Voter Suppression By Any Other Name



What they don't want you to vote for...

Voter Suppression By Any Other Name

by C.A. Matthews

It stinks. There's no other name for this vile action except "voter suppression."  No matter how the "Democratic" Party tries to put a spin on it, taking a candidate's name off the ballot--a person whose political party has already submitted the required signatures, paid the fees and jump through the hoops, mind you--for political reasons right before a major election is nothing short of voter suppression.

Sure, the GOP have become experts in de-registering voters and shutting down both the number and locations of voting polls in poorer, multicultural areas. You could even claim they've raised the quality of their nefarious gerrymandering activities to a true art form. But this time the Dems have decided to bail out the establishment candidates' lackluster performances by removing Howie Hawkins of the Green Party from the Pennsylvania and Wisconsin 2020 presidential election ballots.

Did the Greens fight back in court? Yes, they did, and it was an extremely expensive endeavor for a grassroots party that accepts no corporate or Super PAC money. The money spent appealing these decisions--which the Greens did and were successful until the Dems forced the decision back into a court with a more " cooperative"  judge --could have been used for promotion and travel expenses for Howie and Angela Walker, his V.P. running mate.

Once again, the big "red/blue" bullies have shown their true colors. They have become green with envy over the growing popularity the Green Party has with voters!

There's a lot to be envious about. The Green Party is the only American political party that has consistently advocated for universal health care that covers all Americans, regardless of income, disability or job status. The Greens are the only party that has been on the record for supporting free education, pre-kindergarten through college, and for student loan debt forgiveness. 

The Greens support peaceful and diplomatic initiatives to put an end to all wars and military conflict worldwide, so there's no fear of your son or daughter being drafted into the army to defend oil rigs in the Middle East once again. And, of course, the Green Party were the creators of the original "Green New Deal" and are supporters of green energy implementation to put an end to the coal-fired plant pollution that is causing Americans to suffer from asthma more than ever before.

When you have two establishment candidates who don't offer much of a platform to run on, let alone inspire voters who are still registered to turn out and vote, these kinds of underhanded shenanigans are to be expected.  Both Trump and Biden have declared that they don't support Medicare for All. Their parties both continually vote for obscenely large military budgets and support military interventions overseas and back home by providing military-grade equipment to municipal police departments. (Yes, the Dems voted for the latest huge defense budget, too. They have gone along with every Republican ask for more money to build weapons of war, so blood is on their hands.).

You can't help but see see why the establishment candidates are so desperate to keep Americans (mostly young, poor, black and brown ones) from going to the polls.  They'll do anything to prevent the voters from having one positive presidential choice on the ballot, up to and including kicking off other viable candidates who support programs that could help ordinary people.

One of the accusations I get on a regular basis.

Surveys show that voters who support the Green Party do not automatically vote Democratic or Republican for president when they don't have a Green option on the ballot. Most Greens will simply leave that spot blank or write in their preferred candidate's name--this time Howie Hawkins for president. While some complain that "third parties" have no business running a presidential candidate (let alone such a compassionate and intelligent one as Hawkins), these people seem to forget that this is how our electoral system is set up.  Small "alternative parties" (as I call them) have to run a presidential candidate on the national ballot in order to run their candidates on state and local ballots.

There's no way around these draconian rules, so the Greens knuckle down and do their best. These tactics give more evidence to how the establishment (consisting of the strange union of the GOP and the Dems) make life harder for other parties and take away choice from the voters at all levels.

I could go on and on about how the so-called "presidential debates" are no longer run by the "unbiased" League of Women Voters (they are actually run by a private corporation owned by the DNC and RNC), but I think I'll stop there. I'll let the following videos featuring the candidate taken off the ballot in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin speak for themselves. And the good news is, at the end of the day, voters will be allowed to write in the names of "Howie Hawkins and Angela Walker" on their ballots for president and vice president if they so desire in those two states. Not all states allow write-ins, so this is fortunate.

It seems that running an honest campaign, aimed at helping the people and not corporations, makes the Green Party  come out the "winners" after all.

Krystal Ball: Dem War On Green Party Exposes Voter Suppression Hypocrisy  https://youtu.be/Jw4sOLfeHng

The following is an excellent interview with a great indie journalist who asks Howie Hawkins smart questions about how the Green Party  would work to help Americans with school lunches, the climate catastrophe, the massive wildfires out west, the handling of the pandemic, and other issues. (Ignore the video's cover image--it's pretty lame.)

 https://youtu.be/t6Nr8xSggwQ

 Jordan Chariton  interviewed Howie Hawkins on the day the decisions to kick Howie off the ballot were announced. Here's a brief snippet taken from a longer interview available on the Status Coup You Tube page.

https://youtu.be/NDchtsxrtsE

In classic Jimmy Dore epic rant style, Jimmy breaks down the hypocrisy of claiming that Americans live in a "democracy" if we as voters aren't even given the chance of voting for a candidate that isn't sanctioned by the establishment oligarchy. He makes some very insightful remarks, so hold onto your hats and listen all the way through to the end. You could discover something about our electoral system that you never realized we were missing.

https://youtu.be/zPhk16CsxEk
 
Related articles:
 
Pennsylvania Counties To Print, Send Ballots...Following State Supreme Court Decision to Remove Green Party's Presidential Candidate Howie Hawkins
 
Voters May Not Lean Biden Now That Green Party Is Off Wisconsin Ballot 

 

 

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With Toledo City Council Introduction, #EssentialOhio Campaign Poised to Pass Essential Workers Bills of Rights Across Ohio

Toledo - The Glass City is the first in the nation to take up a resolution supporting an Essential Workers Bill of Rights as part of a new national campaign to deliver better treatment and pay to all “essential workers.” Mónica Ramírez, Founder & President of Justice for Migrant Women, announced Essential Ohio (#EssentialOH), the Ohio arm of this national campaign, today at the City Club of Cleveland and at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute 2020 Leadership Conference. 
Ramírez said: “The Essential Workers Bill of Rights is a commitment to honor those we have lost to COVID-19 and to fight for the working people who truly are essential to our communities. Workers in the food supply chain, medical, and care-giving sectors, as well those who serve other vital functions that keep our nation in operation are often paid poorly and forced to work in grueling and even dangerous conditions. They are putting their health and safety on the line to care for us. The least we can do is ensure that their rights and contributions are cared for, too.”
The resolution was introduced yesterday at a Toledo City Council meeting by Council Member Theresa Gadus. Eugenio Mollo, an Attorney at Advocates for Basic Legal Equality (ABLE), presented in favor of the resolution. A vote is expected in October.
Council Member Gadus said: “The pandemic has pulled back the curtain and reminded many people of the importance of essential workers to a strong, robust economy. These courageous workers have stood on the frontlines, risking their health, their families, and their lives. Many essential workers have made the hard decisions to separate from their families in order to serve their communities; to provide financial stability for their families and support our economy. They deserve the dignity that comes from equity, security, protections, and benefits for their labor and for their labor to take place in a safe environment that values their contributions. I am proud to present this resolution before the Council of the City of Toledo and to support the National Essential Workers Campaign.”
“Toledo is the perfect city to launch this national campaign,” Ramírez added. “Recognizing the dignity of work is a Toledo value. We applaud Council Member Gadus for taking this first step, and look forward to celebrating the resolution’s passage in October.” 
By passing the Essential Workers Bill of Rights, municipalities commit to transforming their laws and standards to “ensure equity, security, and benefits for workers that are worthy of their labor and their dignity,” regardless of the workers’ status. Local governing bodies also commit to advocating for Federal and State improvements. 
The Essential Ohio campaign is calling on cities across the state to follow Toledo’s lead, and introduce ordinances in their own city councils and county boards. Read the full draft of the Toledo ordinance here: http://bit.ly/EssentialToledo. 
“#EssentialOH is part of a broader national push to ensure that workers who have always been essential, but are now being recognized as such, have the rights they are owed, and are treated with respect, both during the pandemic and beyond,” Mollo said.
“It’s a robust set of commitments to workers, and it’s the only right thing to do. These workers have our backs, and we have to have theirs,” he added.
The Essential Ohio campaign is supported by Advocates for Basic Legal Equality (ABLE), Justice for Migrant Women, the Ohio Immigrant Alliance, Cleveland Jobs with Justice, La Conexión, and Chicago & Midwest Regional Joint Board of Workers United, Local 10. We welcome others to join the efforts. 
The national campaign is anchored by National Domestic Workers Alliance, Jobs with Justice, Justice for Migrant Women, and other organizations. For more information and a full list of national partners, see https://honoressentialworkers.com/.
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From Friends of the Earth:

Fires are blazing across California, Oregon, and Washington. The news is filled with images of orange haze and a post-apocalyptic landscape. Trees torched, buildings burned to the ground, and air so thick you can barely see through it. Take action to stop fossil fuel extraction from adding to the climate crisis.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) plans to offer thousands of acres of land in Kern Co. California for oil and gas drilling. This will only add to climate chaos.

We can’t let the BLM get away with handing over more of California’s public lands to Big Oil. C.A., will you help stop it?

Tell the Bureau of Land Management: Stop exploiting public lands for Big Oil profit!

Sign Now

The devastating wildfires made California's hazardous smoke front page news across the country. But toxic air pollution is not a new story for San Joaquin Valley residents, who already breathe some of the most polluted air in the country.

Kern County is regularly subjected to drinking water with illegal levels of toxic chemicals like arsenic, and we know more fracking will further aggravate the problem.

Low-income and communities of color in California already contend with dirtier air and water due to existing pollution from the oil and gas industry. The BLM's fracking blitz is making environmental racism worse.

Demand the Bureau of Land Management protect people and our planet from further climate devastation.

Sign Now

The wildfire smoke is causing the entire West Coast to experience the worst air quality in the world. The air is filled with hazardous levels of particulate matter that exacerbate heart and lung problems. The air is now highly dangerous to breathe. 

Ash is raining down on cities, blowing into cracks of windows, doors, and other surfaces. Residents have been warned to avoid outdoor activities and remain indoors. Local lawmakers have also had to open air respite centers to aid vulnerable unhoused residents.

Our country is on fire. Our planet is screaming, in bright orange hues, that we need to keep fossil fuels in the ground. The BLM owes it to the people of California to stop leasing public lands to Big Oil -- but it won’t listen without the voices of people like you.

Demand the Bureau of Land Management stop the California Kern County lease sale.

Sign Now

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

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