2020: The Year That Wasn't
Most news programs/podcasts/web sites do a "news roundup" at this point in the year, and this year seems to really lend itself to this tried and true format. We started the year thinking 2020 would be one of "Perfect Vision" (https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2019/12/perfect-vision-2020.html ) and perhaps even the beginnings of a people's revolution, but within three months we found ourselves entangled in the beginnings of a worldwide pandemic instead.
Disease and certain death certainly wasn't on the menu originally for 2020. In spite of the challenges of mask wearing and social distancing, progressives soldiered on and accomplished more than one might think in a year that kept families and lovers apart and shut down whole economies. They even managed to demonstrate how racism still exists in the US, why Black Lives Matter (https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-long-flight-of-jim-crow.html ) and why we must #DefundThePolice (https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/09/why-cities-burn.html ) .
So, without any
further ado, welcome to the year that wasn't as observed and documented by the
writers of The Revolution Continues. (Click on the links to read the articles mentioned.)
January 2020: This will be the year we finally acknowledge and do something constructive about the climate crisis to prevent major wildfires and other ecological disasters worldwide. https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-whole-world-is-burning.html
March 2020: This will be the year we get our act together as a people and our elected leaders will respect medical experts and pass generous legislation to help every American suffering without access to health care or a job because of the Covid-19 pandemic. https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/03/life-down-rabbit-hole.html
April 2020: This will be the year we will free non-violent prisoners suffering under unhealthy conditions in for-profit prisons and overcrowded public ones, as well as openly acknowledge the multitude of sins of the "chosen" DNC nominee. https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/04/why-i-adore-joe-biden.html
May 2020: This will be the year we will acknowledge at last that capitalism kills and that those who have billions of dollars in the bank couldn't care less about those whose work they obtain obscene profits from. https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/05/cannon-fodder-for-capitalism.html
This will also be the year we sit down and seriously contemplate why the rich are so afraid of the word "socialism." https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/01/why-are-rich-so-scared-of-socialism.html
June 2020: This will be the year that Americans of all social classes will learn to live together in peace and racial harmony--and our policing agencies will demonstrate fair and restorative justice techniques. https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/06/this-is-revolution.html
July 2020: This will be the year that a person in uniform will earn the respect of the public by his/her actions. "Protect and serve" won't just always apply to the rich or the oligarchs and their sycophants: https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-only-difference-is-uniform.html
August 2020: This will be the year that "lesser evil" voting becomes a thing of the past, allowing for a more diverse and responsive political system. Also, Americans will come to see who their true adversaries are (and how they make more money in less than one second than the average worker makes in one year). https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/08/winners-and-losers.html
September 2020: This is the year that Americans recognize the signs of fascism in time so we won't be doomed to repeat history endlessly--especially the scary bits modeled by Hitler's Germany. https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/09/a-history-of-fascism-in-america.html
October 2020: This will be the year that true democracy will be supported and a diversity of opinion and approaches (vocalized primarily by smaller political parties) will be praised and respected by the American electorate. Everyone will be able to vote and feel proud of their vote--not pressured! https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-only-wasted-vote.html
November 2020: This will be the year Americans realize that we must fundamentally change of systems of governance and economics in order to provide a safe and healthy life for all people--and this will be reflected in our voting preferences, not our base fears. https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/11/we-have-to-fundamentally-change.html
December 2020: This will be the year that the destructive path of neoliberalism will at last be outed and shunned for the horror that it is, allowing Medicare For All to finally pass among other programs so desperately needed. The "brunch crowd" will be no more in this new America free from classism, racism, sexism and "bubble bias." https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2020/12/brunch-has-been-suspended-indefinitely.html
There you go--here's the "2020 perfect vision" we all hoped for a bare twelve months ago. At least we know for certain now what we all need to be working toward building in 2021, right?
Until we meet again, we wish a healthy and happy New Year to you and yours from all of us here at The Revolution Continues. Keep your masks on and keep fighting!
***
From Friends of the Earth:
The Southern Beaufort Sea polar bear population is dwindling. Less than 900 bears remain. Now, their habitat is at risk from the oil and gas industries. Take action to protect polar bears from Big Oil.
The Arctic Refuge is one of the most important onshore denning habitats for polar bears in the United States. Mother polar bears with their cubs have become increasingly reliant on denning in this area as sea ice melts due to climate change.
Now, oil and gas seismic testing in the coast plan could irreversibly damage this essential habitat. But the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has downplayed the impacts of seismic exploration and is moving forward with the permitting process. We need your help to stop it.
Take action to protect polar bears from the fossil fuel industry.
| Sign Now |
Polar bears are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The Arctic Refuge is vital to their survival.
Seismic exploration in their habitat could crush bears in their dens or force mother bears to abandon their cubs, leaving the little ones to perish.
Oil drilling in the last remnants of undeveloped coastal habitats in an increasingly warming Arctic could eradicate polar bears from the United States. We need your help to demand the BLM puts the lives of polar bears ahead of Big Oil profits.
Demand the Bureau of Land Management stop seismic testing in the Arctic.
| Sign Now |
Seismic testing utilizes acoustic waves that search for formations of oil deposits below the surface.
The delicate Arctic ecosystem still carries scars from testing conducted in the area thirty years ago. Modern seismic testing will only be worse. The testing will fill a space the size of South Carolina with a dense grid of crisscrossing tracks -- the equivalent of almost a full trip around the Earth. Thumper trucks, convoys, bulldozers, and tractors will roll over this fragile ecosystem 24 hours a day, 7 days a week -- for months on end!
The only reason for the BLM to go forward with this plan is to benefit the fossil fuel industry. It would harm polar bears, disrupt sensitive ecosystems, and impact local communities. We need your help to stop this plan before the December 30th deadline to comment.
Use your voice. Demand the BLM protect the Arctic’s vulnerable ecosystem.
| Sign Now |
Nicole Ghio,
Senior fossil fuels program manager,
Friends of the Earth
***
This coming year will be a big one and you can help The Revolution Continues.
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