Everything You Wanted to Know About Maintaining the Status Quo (But Were Afraid You Already Knew)

by C.A. Matthews

From time to time The Revolution Continues (TRC) likes to do a “man on the street” interview to get a finger on the pulse of the public. What’s on the ordinary person’s mind lately? Here is the transcript of our latest meet-up with an Average American Voter (AAV).

TRC: Thanks for agreeing to speak with us today. You told us earlier that something is really bothering you. You suspect it’s also worrying others, and you want to hear our thoughts on the matter. What’s your concern?

AAV: Well, it’s hard to put into words, but here goes: Why does it seem the more Americans vote the way they tell us to, the worse things get? I mean, why aren’t the Democrats doing anything to stop Trump and his cronies from ruining the economy or stopping arms sales to Israel? I thought the Dems were different.

TRC: Different? In what way are they supposed to be “different”?

AAV: I expected them to take a more active role in protecting ordinary people like me. You know, protect us from being taken advantage of by the billionaires. But they’re just letting Musk tear the government apart. You’d think they’d stand up and stop him from destroying so many social programs, not just talk about it and do nothing of consequence.

TRC: And this inactivity on the Democrats’ part worries you?

AAV: Yes, it does. I’d like to be able to retire and collect my Social Security in a few years if possible.

TRC: Completely understandable. To re-state your concern, you’re wondering why the opposition party doesn’t seem able or willing to challenge the actions of the party in power currently. The Democrats seem to be cooperating more with the Republicans than actually challenging them. Is that right?

AAV: Right. That’s not what I voted for. I want change. I want them to challenge the status quo, not go along with them.

TRC: I see. I think that’s where your misinterpretation of the DNC’s inactivity comes in. Because the Dems have, in fact, been quite active as of late.

AAV: They have? 

 

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The Choice

The Choice

by C.A. Matthews

I attended the Green Party US Annual National Meeting this past weekend. Once again we convened together online to hear what our fellow Greens and others have to say about the state of our nation and our planet. I have to admit that I quite enjoy online conventions. They’re cheaper and easier to attend, and you don’t have to dress up—or at all—if you don’t want to. Given a choice, I’d be happier attending online conventions from now on. This is probably going to be possible even with next year’s Presidential Nominating Convention, as I understand they’re planning a “hybrid convention” with both in-person and online components. Sounds good to me.

But some things in life don’t offer you a choice. You’re stuck with what you’re given, like it or not.

I’m one of those persons who’ll fight against anyone who tells me that I’m stuck with voting for only a “red” or “blue” candidate. Unless “red” means they’re a socialist, I’ll politely decline. And if “blue” means I’m supposed to hold my nose and “vote for the lesser evil,” then no thanks. I’m quite happy voting for the greater good by supporting the Green candidate who follows our Four Pillars of “people, planet and peace not (corporations’) profits.” 

My ability to vote for the candidate of my choice is important to me, as I hope it is to others as well. That’s why I’m volunteering to help out with the 2024 ballot access initiative throughout the US, so voters will have the opportunity to vote Green and not feel stuck voting for one of the “lesser evils.” The more choices Americans have at the ballot box, the better outcomes (I hope) we can expect for our country.

But some things in life don’t offer you a choice. You’re stuck with what you’re given, like it or not.

I repeat that line because that was essentially the theme behind this year’s Green Party keynote address given by NASA climate scientist Peter Kalmus. Peter didn’t give us a choice when he stated quite plainly that Earth is in big trouble, and human beings have caused this big trouble, and we might already be at the point of no return even if we act now. Peter isn’t seeing any nation on the planet taking any real actions to address the climate emergency. He told us, “Don’t lose hope—but don’t have false hope” either. 

That was not a thought I wanted to hear. It takes away our choice to do something to rectify this dire climate crisis situation, but Peter is right. We don’t have a choice today because we have chosen foolishly in the past. We have voted for the “lesser evil” too many times and have received evil in abundance by electing politicians firmly under the control of Big Oil.

Worse yet, even with all the signs and warnings from planetary scientists, we continue to act foolishly by supporting and increasing our dependency on fossil fuels. There is no excuse for our behavior. Americans have had choices and have repeatedly chosen the wrong path. The “global boiling” we’ve witnessed this summer in the oceans full of blanched coral reefs, on land with the hottest temperature ever recorded at 136 degrees F., and in the massive forest fires continually burning in Canada that have blanketed most of the eastern half of the US with smoke particulates, killing thousands though respiratory failure, demonstrates that, when given a choice about our leadership, we choose the wrong leaders.

And look where our wrong choices have gotten us—we’ve put our planet and its inhabitants, including the fish, birds, animals, insects and plant-life at risk of total extinction. I hope buying that gas-guzzling SUV and taking all those air flights and Princess cruises to dump sewage water in the Caribbean were worth it. It hasn’t been for the Earth.

Peter stated that he feels rage particularly at the sheer stupidity of our society. He noted that all the seemingly positive talk politicians make about becoming “Net Zero by 2050!” is dangerously misinformed. There’s no way we will be able to sequester all the carbon already let lose in our atmosphere. Our children twenty years from now won’t be able to to use this mythological “carbon capture” technology, even if it does exist by then.  

Why? Well, it’s simply because they’ll have their hands full of dealing with all the constant flooding, massive heatwaves, ocean level rise, increasingly destructive tornadoes, hurricanes and tsunamis creating billions of climate refugees worldwide. When will they have the time and energy to create this magical tech?

Even worse, if we want to even lessen the impacts these disasters will have on our children in the future, we’d need to start now doing what needs to be done. We’d have to kick the fossil fuels addiction yesterday. That means giving up the family car. That means not flying or yachting about the planet constantly. That means no more disposable water bottles and fast-food wrappers. How easy is that going to be? 

Are you willing to give up your creature comforts so your grandchildren can have a livable planet to live on in the coming decades?

 

Americans—well, all human beings really—love to have choices. But some things in life don’t offer you a choice. You’re stuck with what you’re given, like it or not. We’ve hurt Mother Earth. Badly, perhaps fatally. It’s time to repent and change our ways, drastically change our polluting ways. Or else we’ll become as dead as Mother Earth will be.

Peter made a good point that the tiny number of climate activists currently protesting, shouting at, and standing up to the fossil fuel industries isn’t going to make them shut down. The corporations are protected by governments with big armies and deep pockets. The planet is calling out for planetary leadership that puts Earth first before corporations’ profits.

In the US, we ‘ll need the power of executive branch to ban fracking, end pipeline construction project and stop the disinformation coming from the Big Oil CEOs according to Peter. The president should declare a climate emergency and get our economy on a “war footing” like we did during World War 2, but instead it would be fighting to save our planet and its people.

Peter confessed that he didn’t trust either of the “red” or “blue” teams to be up to the task. He recommended Americans work to enact Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) in order to give an alternative (or “third”) party US presidential candidate a chance of gaining the presidency who is willing to take on Big Oil and do what needs to be done. 

Okay, now that is a choice and an action I can get behind. What do you think?

Peter emphasized that disinformation (or what I’d call “propaganda”) aimed at the working class has made these workers vote against their best interests for decades. The Green Party isn’t widely known as being pro-worker, even though its platform is clearly pro-worker with its support of universal health care and the rights of workers to strike. A “Green-Labor alliance” needs to form. The labor movement, working hard to organize the proletariat in order to enact a general strike, and the environmental movement, working to save our world from further ecological disaster through acts of civil disobedience against Big Oil and others, must come together to take on the “rich sociopaths” destroying our planet.

These rich sociopaths, whose private jets and yachts burning fossil fuels cause a large portion of the carbon building up in our atmosphere, have never been held accountable for their actions under our present system of government. Why? They simply bribe the politicians (through their lobbyists with big briefcases full of cash), as well as gifting jobs and trips to the politicians after they leave office. 

 

If both environmentalists and laborers don’t take them on then what will our children say about us in the year 2040 or 2050? That we cared more about placating the polluting status quo than we cared about our planet and their very lives?

In the end, we all have a choice to make. It is a difficult choice, but we must make it. We will all live with the consequences of that choice, for better or worse. Peter Kalmus says we should never give up. The hour is late, but we must rise up together to save all that we can. Nothing is more important. Our children deserve our best efforts.

Which choice will you make?

 

Peter Kalmus:

“Biden’s refusal to declare a climate emergency and his eagerness to push new pipelines and new drilling — at an even faster pace than Trump — goes against science, goes against common sense, goes against life on Earth.”

--from Joe Biden must declare a climate emergency. And he must do so now

Related Articles and Interesting Links:

Keynote address from Peter Kalmus https://youtu.be/Subt87Vsp9E 

Joe Biden must declare a climate emergency. And he must do so now https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jul/27/joe-biden-climate-emergency-peter-kalmus

The climate movement has a recruiting and retention problem – here’s how we fix it  https://wagingnonviolence.org/2023/08/climate-movement-recruitment-retention-problem/

There Are Enough Resources In The World To Fulfill Human Needs
https://popularresistance.org/there-are-enough-resources-in-the-world-to-fulfil-human-needs/

US/France threaten intervention in resource-rich Niger: Fears of war in West Africa  https://geopoliticaleconomy.substack.com/p/us-france-intervention-niger-west-africa

SCOTT RITTER: The Atomic Executioner’s Lament
https://consortiumnews.com/2023/08/02/scott-ritter-the-executioners-lament/

Decades later, the US government called Hiroshima and Nagasaki ‘nuclear tests’ https://www.nationofchange.org/2023/08/03/decades-later-the-us-government-called-hiroshima-and-nagasaki-nuclear-tests/

Commemorating Hiroshima And Nagasaki Bombings
https://popularresistance.org/commemorating-hiroshima-and-nagasaki-bombings/

Military.com Op-Ed Calls for Military Draft
https://scheerpost.com/2023/08/02/military-com-op-ed-calls-for-military-draft/

How to Ignore 4.5 Million Deaths
https://fair.org/home/how-to-ignore-4-5-million-deaths/

'Will Literally Change Lives': Massachusetts Legislature Approves Universal Free School Meals https://www.commondreams.org/news/will-literally-change-lives-massachusetts-legislature-approves-universal-free-school-meals

Patrick Lawrence: Reading the Mess the Democrats Have Made
https://scheerpost.com/2023/08/02/patrick-lawrence-reading-the-mess-the-democrats-have-made/

Report Details 'Shocking Pattern' of Abuse by US Agents at Mexico Border https://www.commondreams.org/news/migrant-abuse

The Forever War’s Forever Legacy https://scheerpost.com/2023/08/03/the-forever-wars-forever-legacy/

Deep State? Or American Mafia? https://julianmacfarlane.substack.com/p/deep-state-or-american-mafia

Judge Orders DOI to Move on Rule for Tribes Reapplying for Federal Recognition https://truthout.org/articles/judges-orders-doi-to-move-on-rule-for-tribes-reapplying-for-federal-recognition/


Another 165 million people join more than one billion in poverty as cost of government debt servicing soars
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/08/02/kxiy-a02.html

 
UPS-Teamsters: The Strike That Wasn't, The Tentative Agreement, Union Leadership and The Upcoming Vote | How Did We Miss That? https://indienewsnetwork.substack.com/p/ups-teamsters-the-strike-that-wasnt

Wage Gains at UPS Have Amazon Workers Demanding More
https://www.labornotes.org/2023/08/wage-gains-ups-have-amazon-workers-demanding-more 

Headlines and front lines: How US news coverage of wars in Yemen and Ukraine reveals a bias in recording civilian harm https://theconversation.com/headlines-and-front-lines-how-us-news-coverage-of-wars-in-yemen-and-ukraine-reveals-a-bias-in-recording-civilian-harm-209652

 

Coming soon, the first book from The Revolution Continues blog:  The Little Red Book of Revolution

How can you get your e-copy? The easiest way is to subscribe to The Revolution Continues on Substack as a paying subscriber. Choose what level you'd like to subscribe at via the buttons on any post online at: https://therevolutioncontinues.substack.com

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Seen on the (formerly known as) Twitter:

Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, just recorded a heat index of 136°F (57.8°C) at midnight.

A heat index that high is near the limits of human survival. pic.twitter.com/nFRPhJWyM7

— Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) August 6, 2023

One Trump, Two Trump, Red Trump, Blue Trump

“The hardest thing I’ve ever seen the Democrats fight for is to keep a disabled Marine combat veteran off the ballot.”

– Matthew Hoh, Green Party candidate for US Senate from North Carolina

One Trump, Two Trump, Red Trump, Blue Trump

(or The Future of the So-Called Democratic Party) 

by Coast Watcher

Frankly, the so-called US Democratic Party should be sued for flagrant misuse of the term democratic. They are without doubt the most undemocratic institution in the United States. It’s no secret that the party has a standing order to challenge the right of any third party to be included on electoral ballots, federal, state, or local. With friendly judges in their pockets these iniquitous attacks by Democrats on the right of the American people to have a choice frequently succeed.

As if this wasn’t bad enough, the Establishment Party (composed of the so-called Democrats and their good friends, the Republicans or GOP) have succeeded in placing their members in positions of authority in county electoral boards and changed the rules so no other parties can sit on such boards. These are the people who decide who does or does not qualify to be on the ballot. Naturally, the GOP and the Democrat candidates always qualify. But people running for third parties? Not so much.

Take the case of Matthew Hoh, Green Party candidate for US Senate to represent the people of North Carolina. (More details on this story at Whatever This Is, It's Not a Democracy.) A disabled Marine Corp veteran, Hoh is an excellent candidate for high office. An articulate, intelligent man, Hoh has "seen the elephant" in war. With such experience, his is a voice of authority when it comes to espousing the deep desire for peace and an end to the American government’s policy of constant warfare. Hoh’s campaign has gained a great deal of traction to the point that it looks like the Green Party is becoming a real challenger to the Establishment Party in NC. 

This, of course, doesn't sit well with the "Demopublicans."

The North Carolina Green Party workers went the extra mile in ensuring that all petition signatures for inclusion on the ballot were legitimate, collecting far more than the minimum required. The counties' election boards approved of the Green Party's signature petitions to be on the ballot and sent them onto the state board of elections for final approval. When it came to the state electoral board to certify the counties' findings, the chairman muted the Green Party’s legal representative to prevent him from asking questions and rejected the NCGP's certified signature petitions out of hand. 

The Greens are protesting the railroading of their candidate, but with the courts firmly in the hands of the Establishment Party, do you really think they'll decide in the Greens' favor before the ballot deadline? 

Matthew Hoh’s horrible experience isn’t the only such example. There have been many others across the country, some of which are described in this excellent article. The Establishment-owned electoral boards not only run interference against perceived challengers to the Democrats, they also reject petitions on behalf of Libertarians who are seen to be challengers to the GOP.

This constant denial of ballot access is draining Americans of the right to participate in their own government. It disenfranchises millions of voters who are not affiliated with either wing of the Establishment Party. It also appears to be the sign of the so-called Democratic Party in a death dive. 

Consider this: if the Establishment's policies are oh-so wonderful and beneficial to the American people, why do Democrats and their GOP allies act afraid of any challengers on the ballot? Could it be they realize their policies are actually harmful to working class Americans, and they rightfully fear revolution? Could the handwriting already be on the wall, and those currently in the status quo know they'll be first in line at the guillotine?

The rot has set into the so-called Democrats in a big way. Young adult support for the Dems has hemorrhaged. The current figures make woeful reading for the party leadership. According to a New York Times poll released last Sunday, 94 percent of voters aged 18-29 do not want Biden to run again in 2024. Biden’s betrayal of his election pledge to lessen student loan debt is coming home to roost.

His age is also against him. Biden will turn 80 in November—assuming he makes it that far. The signs aren’t good. You only have to look at his recent performances on TV to see there’s something badly wrong with the man’s health, both physical and mental.

End quote: Repeat sentence. Quite.

Support among Black Americans is also in free-fall. Biden pledged to end police violence against Black citizens. Instead he supported increasing police budgets and allowed police departments to siphon off money intended for COVID relief to fund their own projects. For instance, federal COVID funds are being used to pay for things such as security cameras instead of improving ventilation and filtration systems in schools and public buildings.

Misuse of public funds doesn’t end there. Over half a million Americans are homeless. Many more are insecure in how long they can remain in their dwellings, facing rent or mortgage hikes far beyond their ability to keep up with payments. Many states and local authorities are responding to this crisis by effectively criminalizing homelessness. Over 11 million children are food insecure. Over 17 million people lack even adequate healthcare coverage. Most Americans are but one unexpected $600 bill away from financial ruin. 

In spite of these somber statistics, billions of dollars are being sent to prop up a proxy war in Ukraine with nothing more than the rubber-stamp approval of Congress. Obviously, keeping the military-industrial complex profitable is more important to the Establishment Party than making sure all Americans are housed, fed, and have access to adequate health care.

So what is the future of the so-called Democratic Party?

From the way things are shaping up, I see it merging with the Republican Party before too many years are out. Ideologically they are growing ever closer until, like sunset and sunrise, there soon won’t be any daylight between them.

And the persecution of third parties and their candidates? Parties that offer Americans real choices on the ballot will continued to be harassed by the threatened Establishment. Vicious attacks on social media against alternative voices are at an all time high. It seems when neither wing of the Establishment Party can come up with a good policy to address the pressing needs of suffering Americans all the Demopublicans can do is post nasty tweets and broadcast mudslinging TV commercials. Casting doubt and blame on newcomers who come up with brilliant ideas comes naturally to those mired in the status quo.

A lot of the propaganda that went into the Cold War against the former Soviet Union was based on the USSR’s "One Party State" system. So tell me, how is the United States of America any different from the USSR in denying its citizens a choice on the ballot and a real say in their government? 

BIO: Coast Watcher is very observant. Not much gets past his eagle eyes when it comes to what the Establishment Party says and what it actually does. By forcing voters into choosing between the "lesser evils," evil itself has been baked right into the whole corrupt system of government. It's time to throw out the inedible bad cake and let the people decide how to bake things themselves.

 

Related Articles:

The Democrats' Third-Party Massacres https://www.counterpunch.org/2022/07/15/the-democrats-third-party-massacres/ 

Whatever This Is, It's Not a Democracy http://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2022/07/whatever-this-is-its-not-democracy.html 

Biden Snaps at Reporter Over Low Poll Numbers (video) https://youtu.be/8TYVyQv5qXA

We Are Sooo F*cked... (video) https://youtu.be/p1IVJUdjBY4  

If Trump Jumps Into the Presidential Race Before Midterms, All Bets Are Off    https://truthout.org/articles/if-trump-jumps-into-presidential-race-before-midterms-all-bets-are-off/

Noam Chomsky: Biden's Middle East Trip Contains Echoes of Trump's Policies   https://truthout.org/articles/noam-chomsky-bidens-middle-east-trip-contains-echoes-of-trumps-policies/

Neo-Cons: Genesis to Ascendency  https://scheerpost.com/2022/07/15/neo-cons-genesis-to-ascendency/ 

The Corporatization of Just About Everything  https://scheerpost.com/2022/07/17/the-corporatization-of-just-about-everything-including-the-climate-crisis-and-outer-space/

Seen on Twitter:

"Why do you criticize Biden so much and not Trump?"

Good question, thanks for asking. It's because I understand how linear time works, and at this point in linear time, Joe Biden is the President.

— Lee 🖖 Carter (@carterforva) July 16, 2022

The people: Can you guys at least try to do something about the staggering amounts of wealthy inequality?

Congress: We’re working on it! We’ll let you know as soon as we figure out how to shrink that gap through massive increases in corporate profit and shareholder value! 🥰

— mousdrvr (@mousdrvr) July 17, 2022

Homer Simpson - America, take a good look at our candidates, they're all corrupt

Candidates - It's true, we are corrupt, but what are you going to do about it, it's a TWO PARTY SYSTEM, YOU'LL HAVE TO VOTE FOR ONE OF US pic.twitter.com/TJeSS5LRc3

— Compton Jay (@ComptonMadeMe) July 16, 2022

You outnumber your oppressors 12 to 1. You can not only relieve yourselves from the consequences of this accursed system, you can absolutely abolish it. You can put yourselves in control of the government, take possession of your own, and emancipate yourself from slavery

— Eugene V. Debs (@DebsEbooks) July 18, 2022

I don't expose Biden because I like Trump, I expose Biden because people believe he is a better person than Trump

— Black in the Empire (@blackintheempir) July 19, 2022

FICTION: A third party can’t win.

FACT: There’s currently 127 Green party candidates holding elected office in 19 states & since 1985 the @GreenPartyUS has won 1347 races.

So please take your duopoly talking points & throw them in the trash where both corporate parties belong!

— Ryan Knight ☭ (@ProudSocialist) July 16, 2022