The Revolution Continues blog is news, views, opinion and other expressions of hope from a leftist point-of-view. (We are not affiliated with any candidate, political party or organization. All are welcome.)
This isn’t something most of us thought we’d ever see in our lifetimes. It was bound to happen sooner or later, but why now?
The United States of America is being destroyed from within—on purpose by its oligarchy, apparently. There’s no need to blame any other country or “terrorists” (foreign or domestic) for its destruction. Americans are perfectly able to tear themselves apart without outside help, thank you very much. They almost succeeded in doing so about 166 years ago, and there are many who wish it had been accomplished way back then.
The funny thing is that many Americans don’t see the destruction of their country happening currently. Do you call that “woeful ignorance” or “willful ignorance” on their parts?
I’m sure once the DOA tag has been tied to their collective toes Americans will understand that the USA is dead and gone for good. Until then, they’ll happily remain blissfully bamboozled (i.e., brainwashed or propagandized). They’ll keep convincing themselves that tomorrow will be their lucky day. They’ll keep praying that they’ll never need to see a doctor before they’ve landed a job with decent private health insurance as a perk. The self-destructive elements inherent in the American capitalist system get lost in the details, in other words.
Nobody acknowledges the downside of one American having a trillion dollars to his name at the expense of 340 million other people with far less who actually have to pay taxes. Nobody thinks of how denying universal health care to all Americans creates an unhealthy underclass that has nothing left to live for except revolution. Nobody gives a flying f*** about the homeless, the mentally ill, or the disabled living on the streets—directly beside tents occupied by well-employed Millennials who still can’t afford an average rent in Silicon Valley or most large cities in the US.
Don’t agree with me that US is disintegrating? Below (on Substack) are some recent headlines illustrating how the bomb fuse of chaos has already been lit and lobbed by the ruling elites upon the Land of the Sort-of Free and the Home of the Wannabe Brave. It’s just a matter of time now until it blows up in one big Ka-BOOM! Even now you can hear the clock ticking: Tick tick tick…
To read some recent headlines that demonstrate what's happening to the country (and what Americans should do about it), please copy or click on the following link:
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Why is it that the US empire doesn’t care whether ordinary Americans live or die? Why is it they don’t care that we can't afford to have children or own a home? When you think about it, it’s a million times more evil than simply being an empire that starves its citizens. It’s an empire that cares only about making huge profits from endless wars and genocides for its oligarchy, its billionaire rulers, rather than the health and welfare of its people.
War will always rank above healthcare, childcare, and environmental issues for the US empire—especially if these issues have anything to do with the poor and working classes. No real surprises there.
But the thing that surprises and disgusts me the most is how so many Americans have been brainwashed into thinking that this type of callous behavior originated with Donald Trump. To them nothing bad like this ever happened before Trump entered the White House in 2017 and then again in 2025.
To jog your memory, watch this short video. Be sure to read the text on the screen while listening to the discussion in the background: The Façade of Democracy...
To learn one way you can help stop the US empire and its war machine, please copy or click on the following link:
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The Land of the Greed and the Home of the Child-Haters
by C. A. Matthews
There’s nothing to be proud of living in a country that openly and unapologetically hates children. All children.
For those who are totally clueless (or pretending to be) the following articles will enlighten you. Once you’ve read them, you will no longer be able to claim ignorance of the genocide happening in Gaza and America’s involvement in it. You will understand why the rest of the world feels nothing but disgust whenever they spy the Star Spangled Banner waving in the breezealongside an Israeli flag.
...You didn’t think I was going to leave out domestic child abuse/endangerment articles, did you? If the US government is willing to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on sending aid to Israel to bomb, burn, and maim Palestinian children (and then won’t even let them into the country for treatment), why wouldn’t it be willing to not spend any money at home to improve American kids’ health and educational opportunities?
Why wouldn’t the US government spend billions on hiring masked vigilantes under the guise of ICE to terrorize and rip families apart who are looking for asylum? Why wouldn’t the US government want to destroy the First Amendment and censor protests against these horrific American policies? It does these things because it can and it does get away with them.
And why? Because America hates children...
To read the rest of this article as well as an extra piece about a county commissioners' meeting I recently attended about divesting from Israeli bonds, please copy or click on this link:
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It’s
been a long two years, hasn’t it? So many people have stopped speaking
to others they don’t see eye-to-eye with. To quote an old cliché: Things
will never be the same again...
Imagine Living In A World…
by C.A. Matthews
Imagine
living in a world where you could get arrested for saying “Don’t kill
the children!” because it might hurt the feelings of the killer.
Imagine
living in a world where all children are cherished and taken well care
of, always have enough to eat, a safe place to live, access to a decent
education, and medical care whenever necessary.
Imagine
living in a world where your country uses your tax dollars to provide
the armaments, bombs, planes, and bullets for a genocide of innocents
and won’t allow you to speak out against these war crimes upon pain of
prosecution.
Imagine
living in a world where you are free to speak your mind about the
immorality of genocidal war crimes no matter how it casts a dark shadow
upon the reputations of those in power, the oligarchs, their political
henchmen, and their celebrity endorsers, and your tax dollars go to
support programs that actually serve the public.
Imagine
living in a world where proxy wars have become commonplace and your tax
dollars go to finance these conflicts in order for wealthy CEOs in the
oil industry, the military-industrial complex and related industries to
make even more billions at the expense of millions of lives.
Imagine
living in a world where the polluting fossil fuels industry is no more
because clean and plentiful sources of green energy from the sun, the
wind, the tides, and the geothermal activities of the Earth itself have
been developed and made available to all, thus making the need to start
wars for oil and other resource grabs entirely unnecessary...
To imagine what life would be like living in a better world, please continue reading the rest of this
article on Substack. Just copy or click on this link:
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A system that
makes you pay to exist, compete to eat, and obey to survive is not a
civlization; it's a prison with shopping privileges. —Anonymous
Round Peg Revolution
by C.A. Matthews
There’s an old saying that goes, “You can’t fit a square peg into a round hole.” When I saw the above meme, I was momentarily taken aback. In this instance it’s the “round pegs” telling the “square peg” that they’re not going to change to fit the “square hole” or system. The round pegs insist that it’s better if the system is changed to fit all pegs. No peg is left behind that way.
Wow. That’s pretty deep, isn’t it?
What is the “system” these pegs are talking about? Could it be the system of government or a political system the pegs live under? Could it be the economic system the pegs have to work in? Could it be the social system that dictates what is considered moral and what isn’t in peg society? Could it be all three?
For ease of argument, let’s say the pegs’ “system” includes all three dimensions—social, political, and economic.
Now notice the square peg’s countenance and gesturing in the meme. It's frowning and pointing. Its demeanor is disapproving and demanding. The square peg is shown carrying a briefcase—sure evidence of a closed mind if there ever was one!
I’ll admit I’m jumping to conclusions with the scanty facts presented, but you’ve got to admit that any peg which has sharp corners, carries a badge of honor for business-types (the briefcase), and displays a stern, condescending attitude toward others who are different from it is probably not a very nice peg person.
I believe the technical term for this type of peg would be an “asshole.”
The round pegs, on the hand, seem friendly and outgoing. They’re willing to work with the square peg to build a better system—a better world, you could say. Their willingness to think outside the box—or rather the “square hole”—and include a wide variety of pegs in their system demonstrates flexibility and their ability to handle a greater range of experiences. They’re not stuck with four sides and four corners. They’re “fluid” not “rigid,”open to change and desiring that all pegs thrive in their system.
Square peg with its briefcase and finger pointing tells us that it’s “The square pegs’ way or the highway!” The square peg system is unyielding. All pegs must re-shape how they think, how they act, who they are, and what they do to survive in order to fit into the square peg system. There are no options, no consideration for individual differences, talents, or tastes apparently in a square peg world.
To find out more about the differences in the "peg systems," continue reading the rest of this
article on Substack. You can do so by copying or clicking on this link:
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I’ve had a rough week. I’m feeling very irritated about life, the universe and everything.
After I watched a video of a State Department spokeswoman blaming just about everything the US has done to further Israel’s cause of genocide against the Palestinian people on “Hamas,” I was livid. But then I read a great comment by Mark (@babasonicos) on Caitlin Johnstone’s article that summed up this spokeswoman’s programmed propaganda response beautifully: “Hamas ate my hamster!!!”
It’s the ultimate liar’s “The dog ate my homework!” type of excuse. This coming week I’m sure we’ll hear a version of “You sunk my battleship!” to explain why the US is committing war crimes by bombing Yemeni tribesmen during their celebration of Eid. Nothing new there. But after that belly laugh at the absurdity of the US State Department trying to cover for our total lack of morals and compassion, I knew what was really bothering me.
I’m tired of the bullshit.
I’m tired of being gaslighted.
I’m sick to death of the lame lies we the poor and oppressed are supposed to believe without questioning.
Here we have billionaires like the Elongated Muskrat showing their true colors to the world with their greedy, self-centered, and non-empathetic behaviors, but we can’t even get the simple truth out of a State Department spokesperson about why the US taxpayer is being forced to pay for a livestreamed genocide.
Come on! Give us a break! We all know the real reason behind this inhuman insanity...
To learn how to discern the lies from the insanity,please
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Substack link:
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These questions keep popping up recently: When will the Revolution begin? What will start the Revolution? What will happen if Revolution comes (or not)?
The “why” we need to have a Revolution is simple enough: Trump is inaugurated again, and it’s no-hold-barred fascism in seconds flat.
Peaceful people are being kidnapped off the street without a trial or due process and flown to a privately-run prison in El Salvador, to be tortured under the auspices of a fellow fascist leader. Permanent residents who speak out against the US supporting Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people are being whisked off the street and disappeared somewhere across the country in privately-run ICE prisons. Folks with decent-paying jobs in cities like Seattle are living in their cars because they can’t afford rents.
Bernie Sanders is herding Dems back into their useless duopoly faction in order to maintain the illusion that there is actually an “opposition party” in Congress. Worse yet, Bernie, who once boasted how much he was against the Iraq War, has voted to continue sending arms to Israel. He won’t even call it a “genocide” in Gaza. Really, Bernie has sunk so low to please the oligarchy that he’s forgotten all about the ordinary working class people.
It really does sound like the end times, doesn’t it?
To learn what will start the Revolution,please
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Substack link:
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“The exercise of imagination is dangerous to those who profit from the way things are because it has the power to show that the way things are is not permanent, not universal, not necessary.”
—Ursula K. LeGuin
The Exercise of Imagination
by C.A. Matthews
My husband has a new hobby. Every evening he turns on the local newscast to view the weather forecast so we know how much watering our garden will need the next day. Lately he waits until the national newscast comes on. This is when his cathartic yelling at the screen begins.
“What the…? It’s not a war, asshole. The children of Gaza are being murdered. It’s a goddamn genocide. Say the word, you stupid bastard!”
Mercifully, the six o’clock newscast runs only about sixteen minutes or else he’d be permanently hoarse. I timed the commercials one night, and discovered the half hour is made up of mostly commercials for Big Pharma. That gives you some idea who their target audience is—older Americans with deep pockets who love popping pills.
National newscasts really don’t provide news as much as they give out headlines. Their headlines tend to be predictable propaganda soundbites courtesy of the Ministry of Truth or the government propaganda machine. The news readers with their Hollywood-movie-star looks aren’t trying to impart factual information as much as they’re trying to persuade and provoke emotions, such as hatred and animosity toward those whom the oligarchy wants us to hate. They want us to despise and fear others so much that we’d be willing to go to war with them and die—or at least we’re okay with our children or grandchildren dying for the cause.
After watching several national newscasts, the emotional manipulation became bleedin’ obvious (as my British husband says). Do the regular consumers of mainstream (legacy) media realize they’re being manipulated to believe and feel a certain way in the first place? (See last week’s post about who does the manipulating and why.) What do they really get out of it? Do they actually enjoy being lied to? Do the lies reinforce their deep-seated prejudices and feed their wildest fears, making them fat and content in their hatred? Is warmongering propaganda a source of entertainment for them?
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Most
of us can remember our “first, real paying job.” For Americans,
we were most likely in high school, and a classmate mentioned to us
between classes how their boss was looking for more summer workers
and that we should apply and make some money. I had been babysitting
for our neighbors since I was about twelve years old, but it was very
hit and miss work, and there was a lot of competition on our street.
This was my chance to enter the “real paying job world” at age
sixteen. I road my bicycle a couple of miles from my home to
interview and got the gig. I worked a long,
hot and stormy summer standing
on my feet for eight hour shifts in
a soft-serve ice cream walk-up stand along Main Street and made the
huge sum of $1.25 per hour for about 32
hours of work per week.
Hard to believe $1.25 an hour was considered "good pay,"but that was the state’s minimum wage for “tipped employees” at
that time. All restaurant workers were paid that amount hourly. It didn’t
matter that we didn’t get tipped making ice cream cones for folks
who walked up to the window. We
were still
considered
“food service workers” and paid that lowly wage. I worked hard
that summer and ended up getting a raise—a
whole
$1.35 per hour.
Wow.
I thought I’d had it made.
The
next summer, a friend told me about a job working at a warehouse
clearance
sale
for a national franchised dress shop located in our local “mall,” a
newfangled place built on the east side of town and not located
downtown where a few of the big
department stores were
still
to be found. I
was
overjoyed
when I heard what this job paid—a whole $2.35 an hour! It was the
federal minimum wage. It was what older people made working similar
jobs, so I really felt like an adult at age seventeen. Even though I
spent a lot on clothes with my employee discount of 10% off that
summer, I saved a bit of money that I later used to get ready for
college.
Almost a
half century and many jobs later, the federal minimum wage hasn’t moved
upward all that much when adjusted for inflation. For the past
fourteen years, the federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25.
But
why? Corporate profits are up practically across the board or so we’re told
on the nightly news. CEOs get huge bonus packages. “Bidenomics is working,” neoliberals insist.
What’s wrong with us if we’re struggling to get by in the midst
of all this “booming economy” we’re told exists in the US
today?
Maybe
it’s not us who are wrong about the reality of our situations.
Consider
this:
The
federal minimum wage in the United States would be more than $42 an
hour today if it rose at the same rate as the average Wall Street
bonus over the past four decades, according to an analysis
… by the Institute for Policy Studies.
Citing newly released data
from the New York State Comptroller, IPS noted that the average Wall
Street bonus has increased by 1,165% since 1985, not adjusted for
inflation.
Last year, the average cash
bonus paid to Wall Street employees was $176,700—75% higher than in
2008 but slightly lower than the 2021 level of $240,400.
The federal minimum wage,
meanwhile, has been completely stagnant since 2009, when it was
bumped
up to $7.25 from $5.15. While many
states and localities have approved substantial pay increases in
recent years, 20
states have kept their hourly wage floors at the federal minimum.
So,
where’s our $42 per hour? I
guess it’s in
the same place where
our $600 went when we were promised $2,000 COVID relief checks when
Biden took office, but
we
only
received $1,400, right?
What’s
a working stiff in the US to do? We
can’t even afford to rent an apartment anywhere in the fifty states working
full-time hours (if you can get them) at $7.25 an hour. There have
been talks and protests centered around raising
the federal minimum wage to
$15
an hour, but
can anyone even afford to rent a decent place to live on that amount?
It’s doubtful. Not
even a $25 minimum wage can help a family rent a home in many cities.
American
workers
do have one
powerful option, but it’s rarely been discussed since Reagan took
office. We have the
ability to strike—if we’re not forbidden
to do so by federal law, such as the case with railroad
workers or air traffic controllers, that is. But so many Americans have been
brainwashed into thinking that a strike will cost them their job and
their health insurance, so they simply won’t
consider
it.
Are
Americans cowards? Not necessarily. I’d say we’re realists. We
know
we have
no safety nets like workers
in other
countries who
are blessed with
universal health care and universal basic income or "UBI" payments. With
no way to provide for our families without our lousy paying jobs,
we’d
best stay put and put up with the harsh treatment of the bosses.
But
are strikes really all that risky for workers? Where
did we get this idea that we the working class are essentially powerless and only billionaires can get what they want? Consider
this:
The
Teamsters Union and UPS have reached a tentative
agreement
on a new contract to cover the 340,000 Teamsters who work for the
package shipping giant.
According to a statement
released by the union, the new contract is “the most historic
tentative agreement for workers in the history of UPS,” promising
wage increases, an end to the two-tier wage system, new air
conditioning in vehicles, Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a full
company holiday, and more.
In the days and weeks to
come, members will debate the pros and cons of the proposal as
thousands of UPS Teamsters vote on whether to ratify the contract.
But one thing seems undeniable: Any significant gains won by
Teamsters against a reluctant employer will have come about because
rank-and-file workers showed the company that they were prepared to
strike.
I
put
that last sentence in italics for emphasis. It bears repeating: Any
significant gains won by Teamsters against a reluctant employer will
have come about because rank-and-file workers showed the company that
they were prepared to strike.
Rank-and-file
workers actually have power? Yes,
we do!
Even the possibility of a strike can motivate a reluctant employer to
sit down and discuss the workers’ grievances and demands. And
if push comes to shove, the workers walk out and give the employers
even more to worry about as the company's profits take a hit and its reputation as being a fair and honest employer is thrown into the dumpster.
Fourteen
years of a stagnant federal minimum wage (with no maximum
wage for billionaires set) and no universal health coverage for all Americans should be a wake up call even for the sleepiest of workers.
Our government doesn’t work for us, the people, but for those who
already have more than enough wealth and power and obviously don’t
give care one bit about how many workers can’t even afford to rent an
apartment or put food on the table for their families. Our government
doesn’t care if we or our loved ones get sick, and we have no way
to afford medical care other than to beg strangers for donations via
GoFundMe.
Face
it, America. It’s time to lose the blind loyalty to both your
employers
and to
our
government. They
don’t have our best interests at heart. And we have the power to
make them see things our way—strike!
RBN's Labor Organizing Summit Part 2 Livestream -- featuring Kshama Sawant. I sat on a panel with other Green Party members and former presidential candidate Dr. Jill Stein. (It starts at approx. 3:02 and the video should start there.) Hear what I and other Greens have to say about the labor situation in the US currently. (The answer to many of our troubles is to "Go West!")
Coming soon, the first book from The Revolution Continues blog: The Little Red Book of Revolution
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