Thirty Pieces of Blood-Stained Silver

 

Thirty Pieces of Blood-Stained Silver

by C.A. Matthews

 

If I could regain those two hours I’d gladly take them back and do something useful with them, like clean out my cat’s litter box. But there’s no time machine invented yet that can return those wasted minutes of our lives, so we simply have to live and learn from them.

 

You may ask what is worse than cleaning out my cat’s stinky litter box. I’ll warn you first to hold your nose. It was an event quite odorous. In fact, it stunk to high heavens. Since it involves untrustworthy politicians, that revelation should come as no real surprise to those who are wise to the ways of politics. You’re use to dealing with foul individuals who, by comparison, make mucking out a horse barn a genuine pleasure.

If you go back a couple of weeks and re-read my plaintive cry to the Toledo City Council (TCC) to pass a ceasefire in Gaza resolution (How Much Is A Child’s Life Worth?), you’ll get a feel of what the mood was like when I and a hundred or so fellow activists showed up at the city council meeting on January 31 in anticipation of better news on the matter. I don’t think any of us expected this level of betrayal and sheer heartlessness that awaited us. Many of us had journeyed the day previous to the Tower of Sauron—I mean, One Government Center—a foreboding white skyscraper in downtown Toledo, to give short statements to the council in support of a vote on the ceasefire resolution that had been tabled two weeks previously.

Trusting that our statements of January 30 would be given proper consideration by our elected representatives, we thought we’d be making our case for the ceasefire resolution before most of the council members. To our chagrin, only three council members (and possibly a fourth who snuck in very late in the proceedings to grab something off her place on the dais and then escaped) were actually present. Still, we were making our statements for the record and being video-recorded so that the “absent members” would have a chance to listen to what we said at their leisure.

We were told to return the next day (January 31) for a city council meeting where the ceasefire measure could be untabled and voted upon. At the very least it was implied that a more productive discussion would take place on the matter so the public could understand what the hold up was among the twelve city council members. It’s not like council hadn’t had time to consider the ceasefire resolution before—it was first introduced in November 2023. Think of how many thousands of people have been murdered in Gaza by IDF forces in the three months following its introduction, some of whom were relatives of Toledo area residents.

Toledo, Ohio, has one of the largest concentrations of Arab Americans in the US, so it’s no secret that many Toledo voters aren’t at all happy with their city council members right now. And who can blame them? All they are asking for is a yes vote on a ceasefire in Gaza resolution that numerous other cities in the US have already passed. They want to know if their elected representatives care about them and their extended families, care enough to give them a simple yes vote on the proposed ceasefire resolution.

But it was not meant to be. Our trust in the fairness and compassion of our elected officials was misplaced.

The stench of partisan politics has gassed out all hope that Toledo will ever become a city to pass a ceasefire resolution in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Toledo City Council smells as fragrant as a cow barn after a particularly nasty infection has swept through the herd, giving the cows all explosive bouts of diarrhea. And if you’ve ever walked through a cow barn when the herd is feeling well and taken in a big breath of air then… I don’t have to describe to you how much worse that stench is when they’re sick.

by Mark Taylor -- deMOCKracy.Ink

The first stinky warning sign of betrayal we should have smelled at the January 31 council meeting was the return of its “absent members”. I found it notable that none of the African American council members had been in attendance the day before when the public was allowed to give their statements, and it’s probably even more notable that all of the absent council members, Black or White, are Democrats. The connection between that neoliberal party and the organization run by Mr. Smith* (not his real name), mentioned in my article two weeks ago, cannot be underestimated. The writing of large checks for politicians’ campaign war chests is a great motivator and predictor of their behavior. These council members’ conduct prove no exception to that rule.

After several photo ops and some cursory council business, the comment section of the meeting began. The proposer of the ceasefire resolution did not untable the measure for a vote. Instead, he gave an impassioned speech in its defense and pleaded with his fellow council members to consider the tremendous lost of life in Gaza and the family members of Palestinians living in the city. The audience took to its feet as one and gave him a rousing standing ovation for his remarks.

And that was the end of discussion for the ceasefire resolution.  

The two other members who had attended the statement-giving meeting made some brief mentions of the citizens who gave statements, but that was it. One of these two made a negative comment about how a certain “red line” had been crossed in the public statement giving. It seems you cannot tell a Toledo City Council member to imagine what it would be like to lose all his loved ones when a bomb is dropped on their home. Mentioning such an everyday occurrence in Gaza just isn’t polite conversation, and he was thoroughly miffed. To quote famous neoliberal AOC: “Your words are violence! (And you need to be censored.)”

The majority “absent members” made zero comments about the public statements. Apparently they had neither the time nor the desire to watch the video or read the transcript. Instead, they spoke on inconsequential matters in their allotted time, mostly of a personal nature that made no sense whatsoever. They drone on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on… You get the picture? When the clock turned six pm. there came a rushed, “No more comments? Council adjourned!” from the council president and a loud gavel knock. They all stood at once and rushed toward the council members’ exit behind the dais.

We were told to attend the second city council meeting because we would hear more about what the hold up was on the voting for the ceasefire resolution. Of course since what was promised didn’t happen, the shitty behavior of the majority of members didn’t sit too well with the audience. Chants of “Shame on you!” began almost immediately. “We will remember in November!” could be heard as well. Obviously the small number of “yes votes” on council must have decided not to untable the ceasefire resolution (once again) because they feared the power to vote the resolution down of the “absent members” along with Mr. “I’m-scared-of-women-wearing-head-scarves-telling-me-to-imagine-what-it’s-like-lose-all-your-family-to-an-Israeli-bomb”. Once again the Arab American population of Toledo has been betrayed by their elected officials, left out in the cold and with little comfort.

The stinkiest aspect of all this isn’t simply that a good portion of Toledo City Council is on the take to Zionists who write big checks to fill their campaign war chests. (You can see just how easily TCC members can be bribed in this article. There’s a pattern here.) No, it’s much stinkier than that. It’s the fact that human beings—especially little children—are dying under horrific circumstances in Gaza and elsewhere in the Occupied Territories right now, and these “faithful party members” of the so-called “Democratic” Party will spit in the eye of their constituents and refuse to even allow a vote on a symbolic ceasefire resolution.

These “absent of empathy” council members can’t even bring themselves to acknowledge that there’s a ceasefire resolution on the table. They can’t even acknowledge the suffering of their constituents who are concerned about their loved ones’ health and safety in Gaza. They won’t even listen to the public statements—particularly those made by their Arab American constituents. They can’t wait to rush out the door to get away from the jeers and the vocal condemnations they received because of their cowardice.

Can you think of any more shittier behavior than that? Can you imagine the betrayal you’d feel if you had voted for these council members in hopes that they’d actually represent you?

In my life, I’ve walked through a cow barn, a horse barn, a pig farm and a chicken house, and I’ve changed millions of baby diapers and I’ve emptied my cat’s litter box at least a thousand times—and even I can’t think of anything smellier, more disgusting, or more foul than these Toledo City Council Members’ behavior toward their constituents in regards to this ceasefire in Gaza resolution.

by Mark Taylor -- deMOCKracy.Ink

The Democrats are so hung up at pleasing “Butcher Biden” in Washington DC that even your local Dems—the ones you might actually see in a grocery store checkout line or attend church with—don’t acknowledge there’s a genocide going on in Gaza. You’d think they’d act somewhat more conciliatory toward Arab American voters in Toledo after the ICJ’s recent ruling of a “plausible genocide”, but they can’t even bring themselves to get off their high horses to acknowledge their Arab American constituents actually exist and have lost loved ones to Israeli bombing.

What should we make of all this shittiness expressed toward us by neoliberals in office?

For certain, now isn’t the time to back down on the protests, the emails, the phone calls, the letters to the editor, and the rambling blogs (like this one). Now is the time to continue exposing the stinky bastards in office and reveal their crappy attitudes to the world. If you feel so moved, please write an email to the members of the Toledo City Council and tell them what you think about their behavior recently. Two of them have since “moved up” into cushy city government jobs, but they were on council long enough and knew what their constituents expected of them. They chose to ignored their Arab American constituents and their suffering family members in Palestine.

Now is the time to muck out the proverbial stable, dump the nasty litter box of politicians, and toss them all into the compost pile of history. Now is the time to support alternative party candidates who will treat all citizens equally and with compassion.

Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss—all for a mere thirty pieces of silver. Our neoliberal electeds would sell us all out for a mere fraction of that price, eagerly grabbing at the blood-stained silver coins without hesitation. It’s time we nailed them to a cross and make sure they never rise again.

Related Articles and Other Interesting Links 

How Much Is A Child's Life Worth? https://therevolutioncontinues.substack.com/p/how-much-is-a-childs-life-worth 

Three former Toledo City councilmembers sentenced for taking bribes for votes https://www.13abc.com/2023/09/05/former-toledo-councilmembers-sentenced-bribery-extortion-convictions/

 

As Palestinians Continue to Die, the History of Their Betrayal by the “Free World” Tells Us Why https://scheerpost.com/2024/02/02/as-palestinians-continue-to-die-the-history-of-their-betrayal-by-the-free-world-tells-us-why/

As Civilians Starve in Gaza, Israelis Block Humanitarian Aid Convoy for Third Day https://www.commondreams.org/news/kerem-shalom-crossing-protests

US and UK also committing genocide crimes in Gaza: Former UN official https://therealnews.com/us-and-uk-also-committing-genocide-crimes-in-gaza-former-un-official

US Is Underwriting Israel’s Crimes — Americans Can No Longer Claim Ignorance https://truthout.org/articles/us-is-underwriting-israels-crimes-americans-can-no-longer-claim-ignorance/

Far-right organizations aid White House in bogus antisemitism investigations of universities https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2024/01/29/ucbv-j29.html

Democrats Are Demented Genocidal War Sluts
https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/democrats-are-demented-genocidal

Five Things Liberals Say To Avoid Taking A Real Position On Gaza
https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/five-things-liberals-say-to-avoid

Israel Bombed Belgian Aid Office in Gaza After Nation Refused to Halt UNRWA Funding https://www.commondreams.org/news/israel-belgium-unrwa

We're expected to believe a UN aid agency is worse than the IDF
https://www.councilestatemedia.uk/p/were-expected-to-believe-a-un-aid

 

The Gaza Method https://tarikcyrilamar.substack.com/p/the-gaza-method

Israeli Army Admits Running Unauthorized Graphic Gaza Influence Op  https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/security-aviation/2024-02-04/ty-article/.premium/israeli-army-its-admits-staff-was-behind-graphic-gaza-telegram-channel/0000018d-70b4-dd6e-a98d-f4b6a9c00000?v=1707098253275

Biden sacrifices American troops, and Mideast security, for US-Israeli hegemony https://www.aaronmate.net/p/unlocked-biden-sacrifices-american  

 

The West: Guilty of Genocide https://julianmacfarlane.substack.com/p/the-west-guilty-of-genocide

Inside The Israel Lobby’s New $90 Million War Chest
https://www.levernews.com/inside-the-israel-lobbys-new-90-million-war-chest/

Biden Says The US "Does Not Seek Conflict In The Middle East" While Actively Dropping Bombs There https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/biden-says-the-us-does-not-seek-conflict

 

UAW members vote on resolution calling leadership to rescind Biden endorsement https://prismreports.org/2024/02/01/uaw-union-rescind-biden-endorsement/

After Historic Strike, UAW Bureaucrats Sit By as Stellantis Lays Off Hundreds of Workers https://www.leftvoice.org/after-historic-strike-uaw-bureaucrats-sit-by-as-stellantis-lays-off-hundreds-of-workers/
 

Climate change has killed 4 million people since 2000 — and that’s an underestimate https://grist.org/health/climate-change-has-killed-4-million-people-since-2000-and-thats-an-underestimate/

It’s Not ‘Inflation’ — We’re Just Getting Ripped Off. Here’s Proof. https://otherwords.org/its-not-inflation-were-just-getting-ripped-off-heres-proof/ 

 

Decisions 2024 (Interviews with Jill Stein and Cornel West)
https://www.youtube.com/live/E4DTv0e-B-k?si=18BZc3Vubfg6W32M

Sabby Sabs: Kamala Bans Muslims From Vegas Event (clip)
https://youtu.be/wFNH6YHKu40?si=MRBfN_t2-MFa9y-z
 

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A Revolutionary Act: Democracy Day 2019

 "In an age of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." 
--George Orwell

Welcome to Democracy Day, a day where citizens can address the Toledo City Council (and even the mayor this year) about matters near and dear to their hearts. Inspired by the Move to Amend movement to overturn the Citizens United ruling, you better believe there were several testimonies given about the Lake Erie Bill of Rights and how unfairly the citizens' initiative was treated by certain elected council members who shall remain nameless. Literally.

Council members sit high above the speaker's podium in a judge-like manner.

No kidding--there's some kind of "rule" we were told by the at-large councilman chair of Democracy Day that individual council members could not be named by their names when addressing city council. I don't know about you, but how the heck can you ever hope to get your representatives to change their ways if you can't call them out by their actual names? How would they know you are talking about their nefarious actions? They might assume you're talking about someone else and go about their business as usual, right? 

Revolutionaries need to keep vigilant in these days where bought-off politicians think they're beyond reach and act like they are beyond caring what happens to their poorer constituents. Whenever and wherever you have the opportunity to speak truth to power, grab it. Grab it and speak out. Run with it and don't look back.  The future to believe in is almost here. Onward!

And now, here's an example you can follow, an address given to Toledo City Council on Democracy Day by yours truly. --C.A.M.

Stefania bravely addresses city council.

Democracy Day 
 March 13, 2019

words and photos by C.A. Matthews

The Citizens United Supreme Court ruling essentially made bribery of elected officials legal in the United States of America. If "money is speech," as Citizens United proposes, then no average working class human being has the means in which to "out speak" the corporations and Wall Street banks that have bought off our representatives at all levels of government.

The author speaks before council.

We've witnessed just such a situation locally with the arduous journey the Lake Erie Bill of Rights had to travel until it came before Toledo voters on February 26--when it was handedly passed. Over ten thousand plus signatures were submitted--and sufficient numbers approved--to place this citizens' initiative on the November 2018 ballot initially. The petitioners did their job well, and the voters were excited that their drinking water could be protected through the means of becoming guardians and stewards of Lake Erie. But of course, it wasn't going to be that easy.

 

Our "nameless" city council president (rt.)

There was no real reason why the Lake Erie Bill of Rights could not be on the November ballot other than our so-called "representatives" at the Lucas County Board of Elections threw up roadblocks to slow its progress. Here at Toledo City Council we suffered the negative bias of our city council president whose membership in a union, that took exception to the Lake Erie Bill of Rights, took precedence over his supporting democracy and defending his constituents' right to vote on the measure.  

Why would the Board of Elections and our city council president attempt to thwart the will of the people? The people clearly demonstrated their will in their enthusiastic support of the Lake Erie Bill of Rights when they signed the ballot petition in great numbers. 

So, what could motivate city council and BOE members to so boldly disappoint their fellow Toledoans and jeopardize the health and futures of everyone who drinks water from Lake Erie?  What could make these politicians forget the events of August 2014? What could make them blind to the annual toxic blue-green algae blooms that cover our beautiful Great Lake? The answer, simply put, is "money talks," and obviously it talks quite loudly in the ears of Toledo area politicians. 

 

Our "nameless" city council president exited after a second call out by a citizen.

While our local politicians are deafened by lobbyist money to the cries of their constituents who fear Toledo will become yet another Flint, Michigan, factory farms continue to dump endocrine disruptors such as atrazine on fields. Concentrated Animal Farming Operations or CAFOs allow their animal wastes to flow into our rivers and streams unimpeded, feeding the blue-green algae that blooms into toxic cyanobacteria. Fracking waste water creators and oil pipeline builders (through disastrous leaks) permit their polluting products to pour into our wetlands, rivers, lakes and streams, killing our Yellow Perch and Walleye. Destroying the enjoyment of fishermen and the entire $1.1 billion annual tourism industry on Lake Erie's shores is but a small price to pay for allowing this dark money to flood our democracy, or so it seems.

 

Alyx speaks truth to power!

These polluters are all well-represented in Columbus and in Washington D.C. by an army of lobbyists carrying big, fat checkbooks. Our Toledo politicians, backed by corrupt political parties that welcome lobbyists' loot into their campaign war chests, have apparently fallen under the big, fat checkbook's spell. They seem all too eager to do the lobbyists' bidding for a chance to line their pockets for another run for office before retiring elsewhere where they and their families won't be threatened by polluted Lake Erie water. Toledo politicians' actions demonstrate an unwillingness to break away from the status quo and a refusal to be transformed into true public servants ready to go to bat for the health and safety of all citizens.

Dennis presents facts on Medicare for All.

But We the People are wise to the ways of lobbyists and corrupt politicians. That's one reason why we're here today to celebrate Democracy Day. By holding the polluters responsible for the pollutants they dump without punishment into the Maumee River Watershed, that feeds into Lake Erie, which everyone knows is the Toledo area's drinking water supply, We the People are practicing democracy in its purest form. 

 

Toledo's original charter & by-laws, 1837

We are standing up against the Big Money interests that don't care how they harm our lake's ecosystem. We the People are standing up against amoral corporations that hold all life in contempt through their indifference to poisoning our city's water supply.  We are revitalizing democracy by putting power into the hands of the people and local government and not into the hands of disinterested and callous billionaires.

The Lake Erie Bill of Rights demonstrates just how strongly Toledoans feel about their responsibility to protect our precious natural resources. Our elected--and appointed--representatives here in Toledo should cherish the beauty of democracy as much as We the People do. Our representatives should also cherish and protect the health of Lake Erie and its people, and they should stop cherishing lining their pockets with lobbyists' cash.

From flag, left to right: Toledo mayor, councilman-at-large chair, council clerk, a councilwoman

It's time. It's time to enact the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and repeal Citizens United. It's time to put to death the notion that "money is speech" and "corporations are people." Only living things such as human beings and ecosystems should have rights to thrive, flourish and grow healthy--not billionaires' bank accounts.

Related articles (that name names):
https://www.toledoblade.com/local/politics/2019/03/13/Toledoans-air-grievances-on-Democracy-Day/stories

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Revolutionary acts don't happen in a vacuum. Become a part of them!

 

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BIG NEWS: We The People Amendment Introduced in 116th Congress!

Move to Amend is excited to announce that the We The People Amendment was introduced by our champion, Rep. Pramila Jayapal in the last week of February! HJR 48 currently has 23 co-sponsors and the list grows every single week!

But here is also where we need your help. If your representative is not on the list, you can click the links below to send a quick pre-written message and even view a call script with their phone numbers to let them know they need to get on board!

All you have to do is ask them to sign up to become a co-sponsor to HJR 48 and take a stand against corporate rule!

Send a quick message to your Representative!!!

Send a quick message to your Senator!!!

If you have time, you can also take a moment to send a thank you message to the lead sponsor of the We The People Amendment, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal! She is super busy being the champion for the amendment and other critical issues like Medicare for All but she always appreciates your messages of support!

Send a thank you message to Representative Jayapal!

We give our heart-felt thanks to all the democracy champions who are co-sponsoring the We the People Amendment in the 116th Congress
Pramila Jayapal (WA) • Betty McCollum (MN) • Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC) • Peter DeFazio (OR) • Ro Khanna (CA) • Tim Ryan (OH) • Earl Blumenauer (OR) • Mark Takano (CA) • Janice D. Schakowsky (IL) • Suzanne Bonamici (OR) • Tulsi Gabbard (HI) • Mark DeSaulnier (CA) • Jared Huffman (CA) •Barbara Lee (CA) • Seth Moulton (MA) •  Ilhan Omar (MN) •  Mark Pocan (WI) • Paul Tonko (NY) •  Jamie Raskin (MD) •  Chellie Pingree (ME) •  Debra A. Haaland (NM) • Jesus "Chuy" Garcia (IL) • Stephen Lynch (MA)