#BernieSandersMittens

 #BernieSandersMittens

by C.A. Matthews

It's amazing how quickly human beings can glomp onto a symbol of hope and run with it.

A photo of Senator Bernie Sanders, sitting on a folding chair at the inauguration ceremony in his usual brown parka and wearing a pair of handmade woolen mittens, has set the Internet alight and raised the spirits of many a Berner.

Hundreds of memes popped up overnight showing Bernie and his trademark mittens in a variety of positions and places--everything from sitting behind the desk in the Oval Office to sitting at the bar with the Dude from The Big Lebowski. Every single one brought a smile to thousands of faces. Every smile brought hope and revived fond memories of both Bernie's campaigns for the White House.

True to his nature, Bernie donated all proceeds from a "Bernie in Mittens" icon t-shirt/sweatshirt sale to the Vermont chapter of Meals on Wheels. For those who feel Bernie has become "just one of the boys" on Capitol Hill, consider this: A Vermont second grade teacher knitted Bernie's mittens from an old sweater and recycled plastic bottles. Joe Biden, the man whom Bernie inadvertently upstaged at the inauguration, typically wears a $7,000 Rolex watch and was found to have set up a "cancer foundation" that raised millions of dollars that was spent on executive salaries with none of the money actually going toward research for a cure.

No wonder memes of $7,000 Rolexes aren't trending!

The popularity of the Bernie's mittens meme speaks for itself. It's what is needed in an era where more Americans than ever before are becoming aware that they cannot trust those in power. They cannot trust a politician who promised a $2000 stimulus check right away before the election but now has backpedaled and lowered that amount to $1400 and pushed off the date to send it out to sometime in March at the earliest. 

 

Meanwhile, millions of unemployed Americans face eviction from their homes and starvation today and every day until then. Don't their lives matter more than the profits of Big Pharma and the health care industry? The military-industrial complex?

Bernie's mittens represent that even a working class boy like Bernie Sanders can grow up and do great things. They represent that the working class still has a friend in Washington DC who will stand up against the moneyed elites and their corporate donors and fight for our rights to health care and funds to survive during this pandemic.

Bernie's mittens will stand up there someday with the Statue of Liberty and the Liberty Bell as great symbols of what America could be without the greed and tone-deafness of the oligarchs and their politician-puppets.

God bless America. God bless Bernie Sanders' mittens.

Thanks to James Kirkland who posted most of these memes on the Artists for Bernie Sanders Facebook group.

You can make your own  memes at https://outsnapped.com/content/sit-with-bernie-sanders-meme-generator/

More insights on Bernie Sanders' Mittens:

Sanders Hopes Nation Smitten by His Mittens Will Back Food Charity Push  https://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/67456-sanders-hopes-nation-smitten-by-his-mittens-will-back-food-charity-push

The Mittens
https://correspondent.afp.com/mittens

The Meaning of the Mittens: Five Possibilities
https://theintercept.com/2021/01/21/inauguration-bernie-sanders-mittens/ 

***

Incredible hope that Trump's sadistic attacks on children and families will end. Overwhelming heartbreak at the incredible pain so many families have suffered. Fierce determination to reunite all separated children with their families and forever turn the page on this nightmare.

President Biden has made clear that his administration is going all-in undoing the horrors of the last four years. We’re optimistic about the soon-to-be-announced Presidential Task Force on Family Separation, an immigration bill that centers care and compassion, and the rebuilding of our asylum system with an eye towards dignity and compassion.

It is a BIG deal politically that Biden has announced reuniting families and overhauling our immigration system as a major priority, but the key will be Congress. That's where you come in, right now:

Can you let your representatives in Congress know there is huge public support for not just rebuilding but re-imagining America’s cruel immigration system?

ACT NOW

Families have been waiting decades and decades for a more caring and compassionate immigration system. Many of them are essential workers who are keeping our communities together, whether serving as doctors and nurses on the front lines of the pandemic, picking our food, keeping our grocery stores going, or caring for our loved ones.

Millions of children come home every day unsure that their parents will be there to greet them, living in perpetual fear of ICE's family separation force.

We can not rest until every child torn from their parents is safe and reunited with their family. We will not rest until families are released from ICE jails. And we will tirelessly fight to ensure that these families get the restitution, love, and mental health support they need to start healing.

And we must hold those behind these atrocious policies accountable.

Restoring our moral standing in the world starts with doing right by those we have wronged and revamping our immigration and asylum system so no family lives in fear of being separated ever again. We have to seize this opportunity to fundamentally reshape our immigration system. Every single voice of public support can help tip the balance, so I'm asking:

Can you let your representatives in Congress know there is huge public support for fixing America’s broken immigration policies?

Thanks for all you do,

Paola Luisi, Director
Families Belong Together

 ***

The Revolution Continues will keep dancin' along with Bernie and his mittens!

We're now in our sixth year fighting against the corporate duopoly. We're not ashamed to say that we need fellow revolutionaries like you to help us stay online and provide progressive insights that are being actively censored elsewhere. If you can spare some of your pocket change, please use the Paypal.me link below to donate to help fund our operations.

http://paypal.me/camatthews

Thanks for all you do in making the world a better place. Power to the people!

America's Place

 

Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day and upcoming Black History Month...

And now a candid look at the world fifty years on from King's assassination...

America’s Place in the World’s Playground

 by Coast Watcher

“With Donald Trump desperately trying to cling to power, President-elect Joe Biden is, for all intents and purposes, the effective leader of the free world.” ~ Brent Budowsky, The Hill November 25, 2020

“President-elect Biden, by dramatic contrast, is already viewed by our alliances as the authentic and trusted leader of the free world, which is not a title in government service but a truth bestowed on individuals who have earned it by action, example and leadership - as Biden has.” ~ Brent Budowsky, opinion piece on MSN.

I don’t know who Brent Budowsky is, but he seems quite keen on Biden. He applauds Biden’s credentials in foreign relations but ignores the substance of the issue: What do the other nations of the “Free World” think of America’s claim to their leadership?

“Trump’s transactionalism abroad and racism at home have robbed the US of a higher moral purpose in its global role.” ~ Sanjaya Baru, Indian Express.

There’s no denying that the soon-to-be-ex president, Trump, did incalculable damage to America’s reputation aboard. Professional State Department officials had to work double overtime to undo the harm their boss inflicted upon international relations with his sulky, petulant, arrogant attitude. Their stock response to post-summit outrage from their foreign counterparts devolved into “Look, we know, all right? Just leave it to us, we’ll fix it and he’ll (Trump) be none the wiser.”

Trump’s attitude proved especially dangerous when it came to the 71-year-old NATO military alliance. He doesn’t seem to know exactly what an alliance is. His sudden decision to withdraw 9,500 troops from Germany created strong tensions between the United States and its allies. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is particularly disparaging of Trump’s qualities as an international statesman. 

In the four terrible years of the Trump presidency, it looks like the international stage has decided it’s better off without American “leadership.” Being berated, belittled, threatened and denigrated can be wearying even for diplomats and heads of state.

But then came the events of January 6 in Washington DC. The world watched with amazement as armed Trump supporters invaded the nation’s Capitol Building. For a few hours the prospect of an armed coup or insurrection in the United States seemed a real possibility. Subsequent investigation uncovered a plot to take hostage and/or kill elected representatives.

Such a coup—had it succeeded—would’ve altered the dynamic of international relations with America. There’s little doubt that China would’ve used the opportunity afforded by the US military’s distraction to invade Taiwan, that perpetual burr under Beijing’s saddle.

Even Biden tacitly admits the situation has changed since Trump took office—and promptly drove it into a golf bunker. In a recent speech Biden stated “We're going to have to regain the trust and confidence of a world that has begun to find ways to work around us or without us.” 

He speaks of building a coalition of like-minded partners and allies, which is a little different from assuming “leadership,” and is of a piece with Biden’s known preference for creating consensus rather than taking unilateral action. His main area of concern is China, with its powerful hegemonic government and expanding interests in SE Asia which bring it into conflict with its neighbors. Biden has also spoken of his desire to coordinate world efforts to combat climate change, something which Trump blatantly ignored and—it might be argued—did his level best to accelerate.

There is a perception in other countries, particularly Europe, that America is an overgrown hormonal teenager, throwing his weight about the world’s playground with little thought or care for the consequences. Perhaps Biden’s more mature approach is what’s needed to repair America’s image abroad, although I doubt he’ll last long enough to see out his first term. The man looks deathly ill, and his VP Kamala Harris is an unknown quantity when it comes to foreign relations. 

When Biden is sworn into office on January 20, there’s no doubt that most of the world will breathe a sigh of relief. Whether that relief will last, or whether Biden will build his desired consensus, remains to be seen. 

 

BIO: Coast Watcher remembers how the media and others set us up when Obama took office--awarding him a Nobel Peace Prize before he'd even proven himself as a lover of peace. Thousands of drone bombings  and the nickname of "Obomber" later, you'd think we'd learn not to assume the military-industrial complex and its financial backers aren't really in charge. Stay awake and keep your eyes open, folks! We're not out of the woods yet.

Related Articles:

https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/us-presidential-election-results-trump-biden-6948788/

https://www.oneindia.com/international/us-will-reclaim-its-credibility-to-lead-free-world-joe-biden-3196069.html

https://www.denverpost.com/2021/01/04/nanda-biden-has-an-uphill-trek-to-restore-americas-global-reputation-as-a-world-leader/

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/biden-soars-as-leader-of-the-free-world/ar-BB1blX9D

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2020/11/25/biden_soars_as_leader_of_the_free_world_530096.html

***

The Revolution Continues so we can have a truly democratic America!

Five and a half years on, and we're still fighting the duopoly, and we're not ashamed to say that we need fellow revolutionaries like you to help us stay online and provide progressive insights. If you can spare some of your pocket change, please use the Paypal link below to donate to help fund our operations.

http://paypal.me/camatthews

Thanks for all you do in making the world a better place. Power to the people!

*** 

Tell 27 members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus to stop taking campaign contributions from weapons companies!   SIGN ON NOW

If elected representatives want to be known as “progressive” then prioritizing the needs of working people over the bottom line of companies like Raytheon and Northrop Grumman should be a no-brainer. Which is why we need members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus to live up to their progressive values and refuse to be bought off by weapons companies.  

 Tell 27 members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus to STOP taking campaign contributions from weapons companies!

Members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus are supposed to be “fighting to rein in bloated Pentagon spending”. Then why, according to a study by the Security Policy Reform Institute, did 27 members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus take thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from weapons companies and consistently vote to increase the Pentagon budget during the Trump administration? Weapons companies like Raytheon and Lockheed Martin rely heavily on defense spending that is approved by Congress for their enormous profits. That’s a serious conflict of interest!   Sign on to tell 27 members of the Progressive Caucus to take this conflict of interest seriously and end campaign contributions from weapons manufacturers!

We’re gearing up to make 2021 the year that Defunding the Pentagon becomes a reality by making sure members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus refuse to be bought off by weapons companies. We’re also ringing in the new year with three creative actions to take on the war machine. Sign up here to join the CODEPINK-style Inauguration Day social media presence on January 20th, the celebration of the illegality of nuclear weapons under international law on January 22nd, and the Global Day of Action to Stop the War on Yemen on January 25th. 

It’s a new year and it’s more important than ever to Defund the Pentagon.  Contact 27 members of the Progressive Caucus now and demand they stop taking campaign contributions from weapons companies and join CODEPINK creative actions on January 20, 22nd, and 25th to take on the war machine. 

Towards peace,
Carley, Cody, Nancy, and the entire CODEPINK team 

***

From Public Citizen:

On January 6, 2021, a horde of Donald Trump adherents numbering in the thousands — incited by the president himself — mounted an armed takeover of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. It was the most deliberate attempt to overthrow the government of the United States since the Civil War. As more and more details emerge about the planning and execution of the insurrection, it is clear that the seditionists were animated by their resentment — stoked by Donald Trump and other politicians, amplified by Fox News and social media — toward changing demographics in America. Many of us recognize the ongoing reality of white supremacism for the very real threat it is — as a kind of defect in our national DNA (and going all the way back to 1492) that we still have not invested anywhere near enough in curing. So — on a day when we honor the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. — I wanted to share a few of Dr. King’s insightful and inspiring words: From King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” (April 16, 1963): I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action”; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a “more convenient season.” From King’s “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence” speech at Riverside Church (April 4, 1967): I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. ... We must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered. From King’s speech announcing the Poor People’s March on Washington (December 4, 1967): America is at a crossroads of history, and it is critically important for us, as a nation and a society, to choose a new path and move upon it with resolution and courage. ... Consider, for example, the spectacle of ... a nation gorged on money while millions of its citizens are denied a good education, adequate health services, decent housing, meaningful employment, and even respect, and are then told to be responsible. For justice, - Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen P.S. For half a century, Public Citizen has been advancing policies that put the needs of everyday Americans before the greed of billionaires and Big Business. That legacy of progress and that ongoing work could not matter more right now, as our nation transitions to a Joe Biden presidency that will be as progressive as we — you and Public Citizen, together — make it. Of course, we’re also busy undoing damage the Trump administration has already done and watching out for whatever shenanigans a lame-duck Donald Trump tries to get away with. And — like so many nonprofits and small businesses — we continue to experience financial strain related to the coronavirus pandemic.

 

***

Two Americas

 

 

Two Americas

by C.A. Matthews

There are, in reality, two Americas. One for those who have justice. One for those who seek it and receive it not.

Many Americans believe they have not received justice when, in fact, they have received  justice at the expense of many others. When they get angry enough about what they perceive as a lack of justice, they're apt to form large groups or mobs and seek revenge against those they feel have thwarted it. They, of course, will not see themselves as vengeance seekers but rather as "patriots" or "revolutionaries."

What would you say is the main difference between an "Angry Mob" and "True Revolutionaries"? I'll venture to say it's one of simple motivation.

An Angry Mob is out for their own selfish gain and holds to a twisted sense of justice. True Revolutionaries want to see things change for the better for all people, so that all may enjoy the fruits of a just and fair world.

An Angry Mob in America will more than likely be made up of white supremacists, because white supremacists may want things to change--but only for the people who make up their group. They take their anger out on others who aren't in their group. They will not have any qualms about destroying public property or threatening violence against those in authority as long as they get their way. 

One way to look at an Angry Mob is to think of them as cranky toddlers who don't get their way and throw a hissy fit when you tell them it's time for bed. Or a cranky toddler with the nuclear codes in his possession.

So, on January 6, 2021, the Feast of the Epiphany--the celebration of the Magi (Brown skinned immigrants) who traveled from the East (Iran?) to visit the infant Jesus (another Brown person)--the Angry Mob, containing openly defiant white supremacists, decided to trash our Capitol building and threaten violence on the people therein, killing a police officer in the process. Do these self-centered, homicidal, domestic terrorists think of themselves today as "True Revolutionaries" and "patriots"?  You bet your bottom dollar they do!

This irrational contradiction sums up the legacy of Trump's America. Correction--this has always been America's legacy. No matter what anyone says to the contrary, since America's inception we have worshiped violence. We throw temper tantrums whenever we don't get our way in the world and start coups d'état against governments that don't bend to our will. We've enslaved millions both in the past (forced immigrants from Africa) and in the present (underpaid wage slaves, both foreign born and domestic).

This is America, lady. You're not a patriot. You're a patsy for the oligarchy who couldn't care less about you or your friends.

There's been no great change to make life better, more just, for all Americans during the Trump years. Or the Obama years. Or the Bush years. Or the Clinton years. Or the Reagan years. Or probably even in the Biden years to come.

And that is perhaps America's saddest legacy of all.

Until we become united as a people into One America, a genuine democracy of the people and for the people, America will never be truly great--again or for the first time.

 

Related Articles:

The US Has Entered a Frightening Weimar Era
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/01/07/united-states-has-entered-frightening-weimar-era

MAGA vs. BLM: How Police Handled Capitol Mob and George Floyd Activists in Pictures
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/06/capitol-mob-police-trump-george-floyd-protests-photos

On Far Right Websites Plans To Storm Capitol Were Made in Plain Sight
https://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/67178-on-far-right-websites-plans-to-storm-capitol-were-made-in-plain-sight

What We Know About the 5 People Who Died   

https://ktla.com/news/nationworld/what-we-know-about-the-5-people-who-died-during-riot-at-u-s-capitol/

Thirteen Charged in Federal Court Following Riot at US Capitol (Approximately 40 charged in Superior Court)
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/thirteen-charged-federal-court-following-riot-united-states-capitol

Police Confirm Death of Officer Injured During Attack On Capitol
https://www.npr.org/sections/congress-electoral-college-tally-live-updates/2021/01/07/954333542/police-confirm-death-of-officer-injured-during-attack-on-capitol

Trump Resisted Sending National Guard to Capitol
https://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/67162-trump-resisted-sending-national-guard-to-capitol

Man Who Posed for Photos Sitting At Pelosi's Desk Arrested
https://www.npr.org/sections/congress-electoral-college-tally-live-updates/2021/01/08/954940681/man-who-posed-for-photos-sitting-at-desk-in-pelosis-office-has-been-arrested

Storm the Capitol as a White Man and You'll Get a Selfie with Cops
https://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/67159-storm-the-capitol-as-a-white-man-and-youll-get-it-a-selfie-with-a-cop

FBI, Homeland Security, White House Advisors Foresaw Possible Riots
https://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/67160-fbi-homeland-security-white-house-advisers-foresaw-possible-riots-looked-the-other-way

Trump Only Agreed to Condemn Capitol Rioters After Realizing He could Face Legal Trouble for Inciting Them
https://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/67168-trump-only-agreed-to-condemn-the-capitol-rioters-after-realizing-he-could-face-legal-trouble-for-inciting-them

 ***

From Progressive Caucus Action Fund:

 

As white vigilantes attacked the US Capitol this week, the mayor of the District of Columbia had to ask the Trump administration for permission to deploy the National Guard to defend human life and preserve order on the streets of Washington.

It was denied, just one of the many injustices the diverse city of Washington faces without representation in Congress.

The Washington Post reports that “Democratic control of the Senate — and Capitol breach — put D.C. statehood front and center.”

Tell your members of Congress right now: DC needs statehood!

Statehood for the majority-minority District of Columbia is a racial justice imperative.

Over the summer, federal government police agencies used violent, draconian force against DC’s Black Lives Matter protests, over the objections of DC’s local government.

But when majority white pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol, the federal government dragged its feet and prevented the District from taking action.

It’s time to end taxation without representation, and stop treating DC’s 700,000 residents as second-class citizens.

PCAF supporters have written tens of thousands of letters demanding DC statehood, helping the Washington DC Admission Act pass the House for the first time ever last year. Now is the best chance we’ve ever had to make DC Statehood a reality.

Tell your members of Congress right now: DC needs statehood!

Thanks for taking action.

-- PCAF
 

***

Sign the petition: All federal officials with the constitutional power to remove Trump from office must do so immediately.

The world recoiled in horror as a band of pro-Trump rioters stormed the US Capitol, demanding that the current regime stay in power.

Many said, "this isn't America." But it happened here, not in a distant foreign land on our TV screens. And it was fueled by the President of the United States

Donald Trump is so dangerous to our democracy that he must be removed from power now, whether it's through swift impeachment or the 25th Amendment.

Sign the petition: All federal officials with the constitutional power to remove Trump from office must do so immediately.

We have learned from the Trump administration how thin the line is between a robust democracy and state failure.

We saw the worst coronavirus outbreak in the world as America fell behind other first world nations. We saw how one wannabe strongman could threaten basic principles of democracy.

And now, a ragtag bunch of maniacs was able to penetrate the US Capitol.

For immigrants that fled chaotic regimes, these were dark reminders.

But our belief in the American spirit is strong. We can do better. We must do better.

And that starts with removing Donald Trump. Now.

Sign the petition: All federal officials with the constitutional power to remove Trump from office must do so immediately.

Thanks for taking action.

-- Progressive Reform Network

***

When a president incites violence, calls his followers to commit treason, and disregards democracy it is clear they cannot be allowed access to our nuclear codes. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has already called on the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, to prevent an unlawful nuclear strike but the reality is, not even Milley could lawfully stop President Trump.

Sign the petition: Congress must enact No First Use Now!

Congress must step up and enact No First Use now for the sake of people and the planet. Our representatives have experienced first hand the results of the president’s violent rhetoric and know better than anyone the damage he can cause. We cannot wait for the next Administration to pass No First Use, we must demand action now.

Sign now!

In solidarity,

Tristan and the Beyond the Bomb team