We Won’t Get Fooled Again

by C.A. Matthews

There’s always a little light at the end of a long, dark tunnel. Perhaps this is it.

I’ve actually seen ordinary persons making remarks online (and in-person) in very ordinary, non-political spaces that state they’re not buying into the status quo’s narrative spin anymore. They actually express opinions that the two biggest political parties in the US are (gasp!) just two factions of the same party. They see no real difference between them, nothing that really matters to the health and safety of ordinary people in the long run. Both the “Red and Blue Teams” take plentiful money from billionaires, billionaires who don’t give a damn about how they’re ruining the lives of the ordinary people worldwide.

Whenever I hear folks express these kinds of views, I want to cry tears of joy!

The people are at last catching on to what I’ve been writing about for almost a decade now. They’re finally getting it that the members of the US duopoly are not their friends. They understand how billionaires aren’t working for them and that they actually have had their labor stolen. They’re actually realizing that they’ve been had all along. They’re not buying into the propagandists’ lies any longer.

They’re saying, to paraphrase the 1971 classic rock anthem by The Who, “We won’t get fooled again.”

Now, that is a ray of hope in these dark days...

 

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Brunch Has Been Suspended Indefinitely

The Vicar of Dibley schools David on how much of a socialist Jesus was.

Brunch Has Been Suspended Indefinitely

By C.A. Matthews

I have always hated Black Friday. It's morally bankrupt America's ultimate expression of a capitalistic Bacchanalia. Why should we waste valuable time, money and resources on buying material items we can neither afford, nor need, nor ultimately want? Why force said worthless trinkets onto our friends and family members in order to demonstrate our high regard for them? Is going into debt merely for creating massive profits for Big Business worth it?

All this buying just seems pointless and ultimately destructive to our planet. In the end, the purchasing and gifting of mass-produced consumer products does nothing to show our true compassion toward others. Issuing a simple card with a statement to our significant others along the lines of, "I truly care about you and want you to know it," would serve as well, if not better. We should give up this whole Black Friday charade once and for all.

"Ah, but that's not how our world works," I've been told several million times. I get it. Really, I do. Capitalism isn't about showing love and gratitude toward others. Sure, we've created "Giving Tuesday" several days after Black Friday in order to assuage our guilt for blowing large sums of cash (or credit) buying worthless things, but what does it really mean? That we are only expected to be generous with our monetary resources once a year? All we need do is to write one big (electronic) check to charity and then chill out, congratulating ourselves on our generosity?

Sorry to say, this is how Giving Tuesday comes across to me. All the whining emails I've received from various non-profits haven't changed my mind, either.

To be truly generous, our giving should be year round and as natural as breathing. This is where Giving Tuesday--and the whole ideology of neoliberalism that embraces it--starts to wear thin. Neoliberals may talk a good head game, but, in the end, they're nothing if not shallow. I find no heart behind their well-manicured words.

The ultimate testimony to neoliberal superficiality comes when neolibs attempt to demonstrate their compassion toward their fellow human beings. This is especially evident when it comes to how they show compassion those who are suffering immensely under the burdens of capitalism. Perhaps the best example of what I mean came in early 2017 in the form of a simple protest sign from the Women's March:

"We'd be having brunch now if Hillary won," the sign declared.  

"Yeah, I'm positive you would be at brunch now if that was the case," was my first impression of that sign. It hasn't changed since.

Politics to neoliberals is apparently all about elevating rich, white, establishment-loving war hawks who look, dress and think like them to high office. (Gender/race are sometimes--and sometimes not--important to their identity politics.) Certainly their politics have little to nothing to do with helping the poor or people of color who have suffered from former Senator Biden's Crime Bill and soon-to-be-former Senator Harris's  tactics to keep the poor/POC locked up as long as possible in California for use as slave labor. These unfortunate people and their less-than-edifying issues rarely appear on the neolibs' radars, except when the issue might possibly create a viral sound bite for mainstream media outlets. And like mayflies, these feel good sound bites live for a day before disappearing into the obscuring mists of pro-capitalist propaganda.

Neoliberals seem to think serving the public is all about enjoying celebratory champagne brunches with their pals from the Country Club (or local Democratic Women's group) after a successful run for office. They'll brunch and then pat themselves on the back and drive their latest model gas-guzzlers back to their suburban McMansions, far from the crumbling infrastructure of the inner city where the struggling still exist, many lying sick and homeless on the streets. Neoliberals tend to never look back. It's too much rain on their brunch parade, I suppose.

(It's almost as if American neoliberals hoped to make massive profits from cheap prison labor and private health care businesses, if such a thing were possible...)

In the past four years, the word "brunch" has taken on a sinister meaning in much the same way Black Friday has. It signifies nothing worthy of note and everything unworthy of praise. The true Left must force neoliberals to concentrate their time, talents and resources on dealing with the issues of those who aren't--and have never been--invited to their brunch.

First off, we should stop glorifying Giving Tuesday. Financially sound Americans need to give of our resources every day by doing everything they can to alleviate hunger. This past week, millions of Americans stood in lines and waited in traffic jams to pick up a Thanksgiving meal. Millions more Americans will be standing in even longer lines and waiting in even larger traffic jams to get a free meal come Christmas and New Year's Day, too. The coronavirus pandemic has destroyed the last of the social safety net. The working classes struggle constantly to put food on the table and secure health insurance to cover medical expenses. Many full-time workers are forced to be on federal aid in order to survive already.

How long do we allow this tragedy to continue? Until seventy-five percent of the US population is living below the poverty line? Ninety percent? Ninety-nine percent?

The fact that anyone can even consider putting a number on their fellow human beings who are allowed to go hungry or go without health care speaks volumes about the morality of American society. Yet neoliberal politicians have stated repeatedly that they are not interested in  implementing Medicare For All and a universal basic income (UBI) that could keep millions in their homes.

Are neolibs really okay with those who aren't invited to their brunch dying en masse? They certainly act like the idea of their working class neighbors going hungry or freezing on the streets this winter isn't a big deal.

I don't know about you, but anyone who is okay with allowing their fellow Americans to starve or die for any reason hasn't earned my respect. Anyone who has the means and the ability to bring an end to the suffering of millions of human beings, and doesn't exercise their abilities for the good of all, doesn't deserve my support at the ballot box or statehouse or in Congress or the White House. 

If the neolibs' affluent lifestyles and self-serving attitudes have become a roadblock  and prevented them from developing empathy, then it's time brunch was suspended-- indefinitely. And it's time for those who brunch to learn what hunger is like firsthand by leaving their comfortable bubbles of suburbia and getting their hands dirty passing out food boxes.

For more on this topic, read Why Are The Rich So Scared of Socialism?

Related Links Revealing the Dangers of Neoliberalism:

Food Banks Are So Overwhelmed That They Are Resorting to Rationing

https://truthout.org/articles/food-banks-are-so-overwhelmed-with-demand-that-they-are-resorting-to-rationing/

According to Feeding America, the largest hunger relief organization in the U.S., more than 50 million people will experience food insecurity by the end of the year. Among U.S. children, the figure rises to one in four. The group, which runs a network of some 200 food banks across the nation, says it distributed over half a billion meals last month alone, a 52% increase from an average pre-pandemic month. 

"It's going to be a billionaire Thanksgiving." Wealth of US Richest Just Hit $1 Trillion Since the Start of the Pandemic

https://www.nationofchange.org/2020/11/26/its-going-to-be-a-billionaire-thanksgiving-wealth-of-us-richest-just-hit-1-trillion-since-the-start-of-the-pandemic/

Potential Biden Officials' Firm Is Promising Big Profits Off Those Connections

https://www.dailyposter.com/p/breaking-potential-biden-officials

"I Lied to Americans to Block Universal Healthcare."  

https://youtu.be/mjHA1h1DeK8 

Biden's Cabinet: War Hawks, Corporate Lap Dogs & Swamp Creatures https://youtu.be/YIDMwaHDHX0 

Biden Taps Neolib Neera Tanden In Slap To Working Class

https://youtu.be/z_wt3x0s2QE

"What Was Your Normal?": Black Activist Goes Viral After Rejecting CNN Commentator's Claim That Things Will Go Back To "Normal" Because Biden Won The Election 

https://atlantablackstar.com/2020/11/10/we-still-have-to-do-the-work-black-activist-challenges-cnn-commentators-claim-that-things-will-go-back-to-normal-because-biden-won-the-election/

Jimmy Dore shows us a way for House Progressives to force a Medicare For All Vote Now. (But will they do it?)

https://youtu.be/iIqw-mTX6ro

 ***

Joe Biden just gave a top environmental job to a man who spent his career helping toxic chemical companies avoid regulation

Sign Now

There exists a poison so powerful, it can't be broken down. Dubbed "the forever chemical," it's present in the blood of nearly every person in the U.S. — it's even found in mothers' wombs and newborn babies. And, on top of everything else, a leading Harvard researcher says this toxin may actually reduce the effectiveness of vaccines against COVID-19, which is terrifying. This chemical is called PFOA and it's produced by mega-corporation DuPont. One of the reasons it's seeped into our waterways with barely any governmental oversight is because of a man named Michael McCabe. Right around the time when DuPont dumped tons of PFOA-laden waste that poisoned the people of West Virginia and resulted in devastating illnesses, it hired McCabe to improve its image. That was decades ago. Now, he's lined up a new job: working for President-Elect Joe Biden as he creates a transition board for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). But as Erin Brockovich, the famed environmental justice lawyer, writes: "It should go without saying that someone who advised DuPont on how to avoid regulations is not someone we want advising this new administration." Tell Joe Biden to dump Michael McCabe and to assemble a team of scientists and true eco-champions instead! Thank you for all that you do,   Miranda B. The Care2 Petitions Team P.S. Joe Biden says he wants to prioritize our health and environment. So why is he hiring an industry insider who helped polluters avoid regulation? Sign the petition!

 ***

 

Let's make certain that we're the ones who make the "cuts" from here on out--starting with cutting "brunch" from the menu.

If you agree that we can't just sit back, fall asleep, and let the neolibs/neocons destroy our country, our lives, and the planet, then please consider making a donation to keep The Revolution Continues going.  Donate at the Paypal.me link below. Thank you and Power to the People!

http://paypal.me/camatthews 

***

 

The Actions of Other Human Beings

It's one of "those weeks" in America. You know the kind--one where people are mowed down in public places by racist shooters and even more are allowed to die because of lack of health care and income inequality. Typical week, really. If we're not watching our neighbor suffer, then what would we do for entertainment? CNN provides an answer:

https://youtu.be/M0lQ1XM30MY

Naomi Karavani in the above video covers some recent mainstream media stories that glorify the suffering of the poor. Why would any empathetic person think this is a good idea?  

The following further drives Naomi's point home:

Jon Sobrino, from Spirituality of Liberation: Toward Political Holiness--

The reality posed by the poor, then, is no rhetorical question. Precisely as sin, this reality tends to conceal itself, to be relativized, to pass itself off as something secondary and provisional in the larger picture of human achievements. It is a reality that calls men and women not only to recognize and acknowledge it, but to take a primary, basic position regarding it. Outwardly, this reality demands that it be stated for what it is, and denounced....But inwardly, this same reality is a question for human beings as themselves participants in the sin of humankind....the poor of the world are not the causal products of human history. No, poverty results from the actions of other human beings.

The Actions of Other Human Beings

by C.A. Matthews

From an early age we learn about the consequences of our actions. Or at least in theory we should.  You grab the squeaky toy from the toddler sitting next to you on the blanket, and she'll whack you hard and make you cry. You peek into your sister's diary--she's going to snitch on you to Mom.  You cheat on a math quiz, and you'll find yourself in the principal's office. 

For every action there is an opposite and equal reaction we hear in physics class. If this is true, what action other than a handful hoarding extreme amounts of wealth could explain the growing number of poor in the world?

The concept that the state of poverty was created to serve a purpose--to bolster the wealth of the elites--doesn't come naturally to most Americans. We want to believe that the poor deserve their lowly state. They're ignorant. They're lazy. They made bad decisions with their money and choice of profession. They're drunks and/or drug addicts. But to simply state the rich are "better" or "smarter" or more deserving of praise than the poor is to deny the reality of the Donald J. Trumps of the world and the harshness of life in 21st century America. 

Poverty is a weapon. It is wielded by those in power to control access to resources. The land, air and water of the masses aren't theirs as long as there are greedy men coveting these necessities of life. Your tiny house is on land they want to build a factory on? Eminent Domain is their tool. Their factory poisons your air and water? A well-placed lobbyist makes sure the laws are in their favor. 

By preventing universal health care for all Americans, poverty is inflicted by the one-percent through the means of life and death itself. It's no surprise that the majority of bankruptcies in the US are due to medical bills. It's what the system was designed to do. 

The gun lobby tells our elected officials that daily mass shootings are necessary to protect our Constitutional rights. What's another dead body when there are  gun sales to be made? A permanent underclass makes for many targets and much in profits.

The time has come to end the suffering of the poor and attack the selfishness of the elites. Choose your side. Choose wisely. Raising taxes on the wealthy never killed (or particularly inconvenienced) a rich person. Your neighbor living on Social Security, however, needs every single penny of it to keep the heat on in the winter.

The actions of other human beings are the source of all misery in this world. It's high time we took action against the misery bringers. It's time to build a new social order--one that doesn't allow the actions of the few to dictate the health, safety and happiness of the many.

Gustavo Gutierrez, from The Power of the Poor in History:

If I define my neighbor as the one I must go out to look for, on the highways and byways, in the factories and slums, on the farms and in the mines--then my world changes. This is what is happening with the "option for the poor," for in the gospel it is the poor person who is the neighbor par excellence....

But the poor person does not exist as an inescapable fact of destiny. His or her existence is not politically neutral, and it is not ethically innocent. The poor are a by-product of the system in which we live and for which we are responsible. They are marginalized by our social and cultural world. They are the oppressed, exploited proletariat, robbed of the fruit of their labor and despoiled of their humanity. Hence the poverty of the poor is not a call to generous relief action, but a demand that we go and build a different social order.

These quotes come from a book worth reading:
Pathologies of Power, Dr. Paul Farmer, University of California Press, 2005.
www.ucpress.edu

***

Enlist Today!

Poor People's Army

We are building a force of our own to battle the rich and powerful. They have their armies and police, we need our own troops.

(Our side needs just as much training, education, experience, and discipline to fight for justice for poor and working people, though with different, emancipatory tactics.)

We are part of an international movement challenging poverty and capitalism.

Learn More/contact: ppehrcorg@gmail.com

215-869-4753

economichumanrights.org

 ***

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Is Trying to Silence People Whose Communities Are Polluted. Stop This Now!

Sign Now

It's apparently time to rename the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the "Environmental Destruction Agency." Their new mission, under the deliriously corrupt Trump administration, seems to be to utterly wreck the planet as fast as they can. In their latest horrible move, the EPA is planning to weaken rules that enable communities to have a voice in how much pollution is allowed in their area. The EPA currently issues "pollution permits" that entitles power plants and factories to emit specified levels of pollution into the nearby towns and natural environment. This means that the air or water that whole neighborhoods rely upon could end up contaminated. For the past 25 years, though, members of the community have at least had some form of recourse. Individuals or advocates were able to appeal these pollution permits to a board of judges. Now they will not even have that small way of speaking out. Yet, of course, fossil fuel corporations still get a huge voice. Everyday people are the ones who suffer directly from increased pollution. Meanwhile, these companies profit off of their suffering, with absolutely no interest in or regard for these individuals' imperiled health. We cannot let the very agency meant to protect the environment actually work to completely destroy it. We have so little time to address climate change. We must be moving in the right direction — not hurting people while moving away from climate solutions. Sign the petition to ask the EPA not to silence the very people who will suffer from increased pollution! Thank you for all that you do, Miranda B. The Care2 Petitions Team P.S. The U.S. government wants to let corporations poison communities with more pollution, and then silence the very people who are affected. Sign the petition to tell the EPA not to pursue this terrifying policy!

 ***

Your voice is needed. For though the resistance at Standing Rock has been forcibly paused and oil now flows through the Dakota Access pipeline, the struggle to protect the health and safety of the tribe and people downstream isn’t over. Quickly and quietly, Energy Transfer Partners is planning to more than double the amount of oil DAPL carries, to more than a million barrels a day. And they’re doing this — once more — without the consent of the people.

It’s time to stand again with Standing Rock. We interviewed leaders from Standing Rock, Cheyenne River, Pine Ridge, and Rosebud — and together we’re demanding transparency and input through a public hearing. Will you take a moment now to join us? You can use our form to send an email telling North Dakota’s Public Service Commission that the people must be heard!

Lakota leaders (clockwise from top left: Rosebud Sioux Tribe President Rodney M. Bordeaux, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Chairman Harold Frazier, Phyllis Young of LPLP and Standing Rock, and Oglala Sioux Tribe President Julian Bear Runner) have come together to call for a public hearing on a proposed expansion to the Dakota Access pipeline.

Big Oil assures us that increasing oil flow through pipelines isn’t dangerous, but U.S. regulators say their information doesn’t back that claim. And tar sands crude — the type of oil DAPL carries — is a special threat: corrosive to infrastructure, it caused a million-gallon spill into the Kalamazoo River in Michigan not long ago. The United States suffers hundreds of liquid pipeline incidents every year. Why should we trust Big Oil’s word?

Between now and the deadline for input on Aug. 9, we will do everything we can to ensure a public hearing — the first step in stopping DAPL from becoming twice as dangerous. The Black Snake’s presence must not be allowed to fester and grow without pushback from every corner of Turtle Island. Will you stand with us once again to ensure the safety of our people and our sacred land and water?

Wopila Tanka — Thank you for making a difference! Mni Wiconi.

Chase Iron Eyes
Lead Counsel
The Lakota People's Law Project