Sunday, October 30, 2016

Re: [blind-democracy] Eco-Activist and Filmmaker Josh Fox Opposes a Political Revolution Against the Corporate Parties

Josh Fox is certainly entitled to his opinion. The question for Josh
Fox is, how does trashing Jill Stein and the Green Party help in the
Causes you espouse?
No one ever said that Jill Stein had wings and a halo, anymore than
does Josh Fox. See Josh, we're all people around here. Of course I
know that Jill Stein enjoys a better standard of living than I. By
the same token, some of my close neighbors, close being half a mile,
have far less money than Cathy and I have. Should I be expected to
shut my big mouth and stop advocating for reform, until I have gone
about leveling my own bank account?
Why can't we see past the person and find out what they really stand
for? We're so hung up on personalities that we often lose sight of
what that personality advocates.
Too bad for Josh Fox, if he continues to put his energy into bad
mouthing. He isn't going to get much time with the corporate media,
and that means his own message will be lost

Carl Jarvis


On 10/30/16, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@optonline.net> wrote:
>
> Truthdig
>
> Eco-Activist and Filmmaker Josh Fox Opposes a Political Revolution Against
> the Corporate Parties
>
> http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/josh_fox_opposes_political_revolution_ag
> ainst_corporate_parties_20161028/
>
>
>
> AddThis Sharing Buttons
> Share to FacebookShare to TwitterShare to MoreShare to Email
>
> Posted on Oct 28, 2016
>
>
> By Scott Tucker
>
>
>
>
> If the Jill Stein-Ajamu Baraka ticket wins 5 percent of the vote in the
> 2016 general election, the Green Party will qualify as an official national
> party and get federal funding in the 2020 presidential race. (D. Ross
> Cameron / AP
> (http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Jill-Stein-Campaign/6bfff1e4d13b454a
> a85f412986a99062/1/0) )
>
>
>
> Let's all give thanks to Truthdig for enlightening us about the political
> views of Josh Fox, environmental activist and filmmaker. When Fox was asked
> in a recorded interview with Truthdig
> (http://www.truthdig.com/avbooth/item/dakota_access_pipeline_arrests_first_a
> mendment_rights_20161026) to give his view of presidential nominee Jill
> Stein and the Green Party, he said:
>
>
> I'm sorry. It's immoral what she's doing. And I don't care if I say this on
> air for the very first time-I spent eight years building the environmental
> movement, I spent eight years coast-to-coast building the [anti-]fracking
> movement, I went to 250 cities. I did not see the Green Party having a
> significant hand in the building of that movement.
>
> Fox is still blaming activist Ralph Nader for Democratic presidential
> nominee Al Gore's loss to Republican George W. Bush in 2000. No matter how
> often people like Fox get the math and history wrong, they continue to take
> the easy exit from reality. They always seem to forget that Gore was a
> lousy
> candidate who did not even win his own home state, despite all the deep
> funds of his chosen corporate party. If they really cared about a strong
> foundation for democracy, the partisan Democrats would campaign in earnest
> for public financing of elections and ranked choice voting
> (http://elections.kqed.org/article/24303/explainer-a-ranked-choice-voting-re
> fresher) . The latter reform alone would take away the argument that
> opposition parties and candidates are simply "spoilers" of elections.
>
> Fox claims to make a realistic case for "strategy," but he is only
> repeating
> the talking points of the career politicians and hired apparatchiks of the
> Democratic Party-including the "news" from sites such as The Daily Beast
> claiming that Stein's portfolio is tainted
> (http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/10/26/jill-stein-s-ideology-says
> -one-thing-her-investment-portfolio-says-another.html) by the circulation
> of capital in oil and other capitalist industries.
>
> In arguing against the purity of the Greens-which is, after all, very
> easily
> proved-Fox ends up arguing for an absurd standard of political morality. By
> such a standard, all of us must first become saints or professional
> revolutionaries before opposing the anti-democratic corporate parties.
> Stein, like many people, is looking for ethical ways to save and invest
> money. She is certainly upper-middle class, and in global terms decidedly
> among the rich. But by ruling-class ranking she does not rank at all. Money
> remains money and does not circulate simply by the dictates of our wills.
>
> By the very standard of choosing "the lesser of two evils," which Fox
> otherwise insists is the decisive choice between presidential nominees
> Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, we might also choose to compare the
> wealth
> and portfolio of Stein with the Clintons'-including the "philanthropic"
> Clinton Foundation. Or is this comparison ruled out of order if we refuse
> to
> vote for the candidate (and party) of Fox's choice?
>
> Fox also claims the Green Party only "shows up every four years" to run a
> presidential campaign, without building the base and winning local offices
> in the meantime. False, as the public record shows. But it is surely true
> that the Greens can't compete fairly in big elections without a fair share
> of federal funds, so gaining the threshold 5 percent of votes in the
> general
> election would be a net gain for liberty and democracy. Fox sees that
> percentage result only as a gift to Trump in this election, and thus argues
> in effect that democracy is too dangerous if we must count votes against
> both Republicans and Democrats. He takes no responsibility for the downward
> spiral of retrograde bipartisan candidates in every presidential election,
> though the party of his choice is one of the big reasons for the erosion of
> voter turnout. [Editor's note: Jill Stein writes:
> (http://www.cnbc.com/2016/10/27/why-5-for-the-green-party-is-a-win-for-ameri
> ca-jill-stein-commentary.html) "Just 5 percent of the national vote for
> the
> Green Party Stein/Baraka ticket can be a true game-changer for American
> politics. It will qualify the Green Party for recognition as an official
> national party, and for federal funding in the 2020 presidential race
> proportional to the amount of votes received-at least $8 million to $10
> million. It would also secure ballot access in a number of states that
> automatically grant ballot status if the presidential candidate receives
> anywhere from 1 percent to 5 percent of the vote (varying by state)."]
>
> Activists in the Green Party have been in the trenches of environmental
> struggles far longer than the "eight years" Fox spent in the anti-fracking
> movement. So if Fox is not aware of Green organizers and activists, either
> he is genuinely ignorant or he is a partisan propagandist.
>
> Fox's alliance with Our Revolution, Bernie Sanders' new movement, means he
> followed Sanders right back into the Democratic Party. Despite all of the
> friendly attempts by Stein to communicate directly with the Sanders camp,
> he
> chose not to cross a public and open bridge of communication. And indeed,
> though Stein and Sanders agree on many issues, an abiding contradiction
> separates the Green Party from the Democratic Party. As Stein has noted,
> you
> can't advance a political revolution within a counterrevolutionary party
> (http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/poll_do_you_support_bernie_sand
> ers_our_revolution_20160827) .
>
> Fox says he'd be glad to support various local Green candidates, but he
> calls Stein "immoral" for daring to run as a Green presidential candidate.
> In fact, a presidential campaign is one way to raise funds and awareness of
> the state and local Green candidates Fox claims he would like to support.
> Fox is in no position to be giving "strategic" advice to the Green Party,
> since he is not yet ready to make both a moral and strategic break from the
> Democratic Party.
>
> The Green New Deal is a practical program for peace, economic democracy and
> ecological sanity. A political revolution begins, morally and
> strategically,
> with the power of we, the people. Every day of our lives. Including
> election
> days.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Now More Than Ever, We Must Tell the Truth About the Iraq War
>
>
>
>
> 10 Things Anthony Weiner Did That Were Worse Than Storing Hillary
> Clinton's
> Emails on His Computer
>
>
>
>
> Here Are Six 'Miracle' Drugs Big Pharma Now Regrets
>
>
>
>
> Iraq: Masoud Barzani Pledges Kurdish Forces Won't Enter Mosul
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Truthdig: Drilling Beneath the Headlines
>
>
>
>
>
> C 2016 Truthdig, LLC. All rights reserved.
>
>
> Signup for Truthdig's newsletter
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

The United Nations Children’s Fund has made a deal with six vaccine manufacturers that will cut in half the price of a shot that protects children against five diseases...

Exciting news...for a change.
Anyone questing the value of UNICEF will have a major change of heart
when they read this report. And by the way, this also speaks to our
collective power...should we ever get together and use it.
Carl Jarvis
***

The United Nations Children's Fund has made a deal with six vaccine
manufacturers that will cut in half the price of a shot that protects
children against five diseases, the fund announced last week.

The deal will mean three years' worth of vaccine at an average price
of 84 cents a dose; buyers currently pay about $1.84, according to
Unicef.

Unicef will buy about 450 million doses for 80 of the world's poorest
countries. Low- and middle-income countries purchasing vaccine for
themselves can
also qualify for the lower prices, Unicef said.

The vaccine protects against
diphtheria,
tetanus,
whooping cough,
hepatitis B
and Haemophilus influenzae Type B (known as Hib). Gavi, the Vaccine
Alliance, estimates that the shots will prevent more than five million
deaths by the
year 2020.

In 2001, only one company made the so-called pentavalent vaccine. As
more companies have started offering it, Unicef has forced them to
compete by holding
several rounds of bidding for large contracts and publishing all of
the prices that were offered.

Another advantage of an expanded market is that vaccine plants can
develop sterility problems that force them to shut down for cleaning
and repairs. Having
multiple manufacturers ensures against shortages, which can be
disastrous during epidemics.

Measles
shots and doses of vitamin A are among the chief reasons t the number
of children who die before reaching age 5 has dropped sharply. The
number was
about 10 million a year 10 years ago
; it is now approaching five million a year.

But the diseases prevented by the pentavalent vaccine kill many of the
youngest infants. Progress saving those lives has been slower. The Hib
bacterium
alone, for example, kills about 350,000 children a year.

The pentavalent shot is typically given to each baby three times — at
6 weeks, 10 weeks and 14 weeks.
Measles vaccine
and vitamin A are usually not given until about 9 months.

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Re: [blind-democracy] Re: Jill Stein

Well Frank, and All, it doesn't take much IQ to figure out that there
is no way Jill Stein or any of the "Lesser Parties" can grab the Brass
Ring. And as for Bernie Sanders being a viable candidate?
Balderdash!
No way the Demopublicans were going to allow the likes of a Socialist,
even a wishy washy one, to run under the Empire's Flag.
Picking Jill Stein was, for me, simply the roll of the dice. The
Green Party platform has good sounding stuff in it. And of course it
will never be put to the test. The Democratic Platform has some
decent verbiage, too. But let's all put aside our Pipes for a moment
and face reality. No matter how we organize, and we should, and no
matter how we demonstrate, and we should, no matter that we have
multiple times the numbers, most of the progressive planks on the
Platform will never be heard from again.
But some folks just can't stop dreaming. And that would be good, if
their dreams were at least grounded to reality. If a rod goes through
the engine of my truck, putting in a new rod is not going to put my
truck on the road. There is damage that has to be fixed.
Putting Hillary Clinton or even Jill Stein in the White House will not
get democracy running.
For me the choice was a simple one. Either I could cast my protest
vote for a candidate who I knew could not ever hope to win, or I could
refuse to vote for president.
The vote I want, but will never be allowed to cast, is for a total
overhaul of our government. As Thomas Jefferson was heard to say, "If
it's broke, then fix it!"
Once upon a time someone shot a hole through one of my living room
windows. Even if I stuck something transparent over the hole, the
cracks that radiated from it were very distracting. In short, the
only way to fix that dead window was to replace it. Just as an aside,
the shattered window came just a day or two after someone laid piles
of newspaper in the shape of a cross, on our back lawn, and set fire
to it.
At our agency for the blind, we had several windows on the ground
floor broken, and finally solved the problem by installing break proof
windows. But with anything that is broken, we normally assess the
damage and decide if the object can be fixed, or if we need to replace
it. Of course there is the other option, do without it. But we keep
agreeing that this government is broke, as far as working and lower
class folks are concerned. At best it was merely tolerant of us. But
here we are again, twelve days away from trying to "fix" the darn
thing. It wouldn't matter if we sent the Easter Bunny to the White
House, nothing short of house cleaning is going to do the trick.

Carl Jarvis


On 10/26/16, Frank Ventura <frank.ventura@littlebreezes.com> wrote:
> For someone who claims to support a living wage and affordable health care
> it appears Ms. Stein is heavily invested in Home Depot and Merc
> Pharmaceuticals, from:
> https://www.publicintegrity.org/2016/08/06/19882/9-things-know-about-jill-stein
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blind-democracy-bounce@freelists.org
> [mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@freelists.org] On Behalf Of Miriam Vieni
> Sent: Tuesday, October 25, 2016 4:45 PM
> To: blind-democracy@freelists.org
> Subject: [blind-democracy] Jill Stein
>
>
> Ash writes: "Many of our readers are strongly advocating the candidacy of
> Jill Stein. The problem is that, polling at 2% nationally, she has no
> chance
> whatsoever of being elected. In fact, former New Mexico governor Gary
> Johnson, running under the Libertarian banner, has triple the supporters
> Stein has, and he doesn't even appear to be totally coherent."
>
> Green Party presidential candidate Dr. Jill Stein. (photo: American Herald
> Tribune)
>
>
> Jill Stein
> By Marc Ash, Reader Supported News
> 25 October 16
>
> Many of our readers are strongly advocating the candidacy of Jill Stein.
> The problem is that, polling at 2% nationally, she has no chance whatsoever
> of being elected. In fact, former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, running
> under the Libertarian banner, has triple the supporters Stein has, and he
> doesn't even appear to be totally coherent.
> So it isn't really a candidacy at all that Stein's supporters are
> promoting,
> it's more of an ideal or a lecture on political responsibility. The
> candidacy provides the platform for the ideology.
> The reason Sanders succeeded in being viable as a presidential candidate is
> that he was able to convince progressive Democrats that supporting him
> would
> not open the door to another Richard Nixon or George W. Bush.
> American Green Party activists have long understood that the ranks of
> progressive Democrats held the potential for large numbers of third-party
> recruits. What they never understood was that for progressives to come to
> their movement, there had to be a "safe means of transit."
> The Greens think that just because rank and file Democratic voters resent
> the Democratic Party, they're going to leave and join the Green Party. That
> won't happen until the GP infrastructure is in place.
> In fairness to Stein and her running mate, Ajamu Baraka, the platform they
> have crafted is full of wonderful ideas. It's the most socially responsive
> presidential platform of the current candidates. But they knew at the time
> that they crafted it that in all likelihood they would never have to
> materially deliver on any of it. As a result they were free to make a
> purely
> political statement.
> To say that there is no difference between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump
> echoes the disastrous memes of 1968 and 2000. No difference between Hubert
> Humphrey and Richard Nixon? No difference between George W. Bush and Al
> Gore?
> The difference was life and death for millions. The choice of political
> leaders always carries great consequence. The higher the office, the
> greater
> the significance.
> What Sanders understood was that he could push the Democratic Party for
> fundamental political change and reform but he had to demonstrate that he
> would not open the door to a Ted Cruz or a Donald Trump.
> Sanders, a well noted Socialist running within the Democratic Party
> structure and vowing not to go rogue with an independent campaign should he
> fail to gain the Democratic nomination, garnered more progressive
> Democratic
> support than all Green Party presidential candidates combined. He did it
> and
> is still doing it without demonizing anyone.
> Demonizing Democrats as a strategy for building a Green Party has always
> failed, and should be declared dead by anyone who really wants to organize.
> What is needed is "honest organizing." When you have no chance of winning
> and you are staying in the race to garner public attention for what you see
> as socially beneficial policies or perhaps to get enough votes to qualify
> for federal funding in the next presidential election, then you need to say
> that. Painting the Democratic candidate as the devil to achieve those ends
> is ludicrous.
> What the Green Party needs is organizing and infrastructure. The Green
> Party
> can't afford an adversarial relationship with the Democrats. They need an
> alliance. Such an alliance would aid, not deter, Green organizing.
> For those who are serious about an American Green Party, follow Sanders'
> lead. Infiltrate the Democratic Party and make change impossible to ignore.
> Collaborate with Our Revolution and similar organizations. Demonstrate the
> kind of leadership that builds confidence by showing confidence in your own
> ideas.
> The American left is hungry for change - build it.
>
> ________________________________________
> Marc Ash is the founder and former Executive Director of Truthout, and is
> now founder and Editor of Reader Supported News.
> Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work.
> Permission
> to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader
> Supported News.
>
> Comments
> We are concerned about a recent drift towards vitriol in the RSN Reader
> comments section. There is a fine line between moderation and censorship.
> No
> one likes a harsh or confrontational forum atmosphere. At the same time
> everyone wants to be able to express themselves freely. We'll start by
> encouraging good judgment. If that doesn't work we'll have to ramp up the
> moderation.
> General guidelines: Avoid personal attacks on other forum members; Avoid
> remarks that are ethnically derogatory; Do not advocate violence, or any
> illegal activity.
> Remember that making the world better begins with responsible action.
> - The RSN Team
>
>
> +12 # kyzipster 2016-10-25 12:03
> Well said Marc.
>
> I hate to say it but perhaps real progressives should follow the Tea Party
> example. I'm well aware that the Tea Party was a creation of the media but
> it evolved into a real force challenging establishment Republicans in
> Congress and at the state level. They managed to remove some sane and
> somewhat reasonable Republicans from Congress because they were not
> conservative enough for the Tea Party. It could be argued that Trump came
> out of this extremist movement.
>
> Greens could go after establishment Democrats in the same way in the most
> liberal districts the way that an independent socialist like Sanders
> challenged Clinton within the Democratic Party. Dianne Feinstein in
> California comes to mind.
>
> Sanders was wise to run as a Democrat. He had a much bigger impact on this
> election and on the future than Stein.
>
> It's Congress that a progressive revolution should focus on. Had Sanders
> won
> the nomination (and I supported him fully), there's no reason to think he
> could have accomplished much with this Congress. I'm not a fan of Clinton
> but she is a self serving politician above all else. If elected with a
> progressive Congress in place, she wouldn't resist. In the same way that
> Trump will not resist the Ayn Rand extremism of Paul Ryan if elected.
>
> It largely comes down to the will of the people despite the power of
> corporations. The Conservative Movement is still the number one enemy of
> the
> Progressive Movement, establishment Democrats are #2.
>
>
>
> +7 # Johnny 2016-10-25 13:50
> Like all Hillarybots, Kyzipster and Ash completely ignore Clinton's
> inconvenient promise to establish a "no fly zone" in Syria and to attack
> Iran. But, hey, what's a little thermonuclear war when you can elect the
> first woman president?
>
>
>
> +12 # 74andstillaGadfly 2016-10-25 13:56
> Diane Feinstein a progressive? Ouch
>
>
>
> +18 # John Puma 2016-10-25 12:26
> Actually some think the Green's achieving 5% of the vote - and the public
> funding that goes along with it - would go a long way towards building that
> infrastructure.
>
> Can we expect an actual article about Jill Stein as opposed to yet another
> lecture to the Green Party?
>
> Could RSN's continued shabby treatment be part of the poor polling for the
> Greens?
>
>
>
> +3 # moreover 2016-10-25 13:23
> I just attended a lecture by a political scientist about election
> forecasting and polling: the Greens barely register and there is no
> credible
> poll suggesting they might go above 2%. Wish it were different but looking
> at the existing Green infrastructure (our chapter here has monthly meetings
> with between 4 and 12 attendees) I am not surprised.
>
>
>
> +2 # Ted 2016-10-25 14:33
> All the more reason to continue our support and efforts to build the party.
>
> As more and more true Progressives discover the values and policies (not to
> mention integrity that is NOT to be found within the dems) as laid out on
> the Green Party's website;
>
> GP.ORG
>
> I'm sure this recent surge of support will continue to build for years to
> come.
>
>
>
> +9 # Stilldreamin1 2016-10-25 13:10
> We could do without a lecture. How can Marc Ash bring up 2000 as a
> justification for not voting for a third party? Nader made it closer but
> Gore still won the election- the supreme court stopped the count. We all
> know this- certainly Mr. Ash included. Why no mention of strategic voting.
> If you don't live in a swing state, a vote for the best candidate is
> without
> risk- unless everyone did it. Now that would send a message to the Clinton
> transition team that business as usual will not fly this time.
>
>
>
> -5 # Colleen Clark 2016-10-25 13:21
> If most of the Nader votes had gone to Gore the Supreme Court wouldn't have
> gotten the case and Gore would have won. Self-righteousn ess has no place
> in
> politics.
>
>
>
> -2 # Johnny 2016-10-25 14:01
> Quoting Colleen Clark:
> If most of the Nader votes had gone to Gore the Supreme Court wouldn't have
> gotten the case and Gore would have won. Self-righteousness has no place in
> politics.
>
> Now, there's a self-righteous rant.
>
>
>
> -1 # Lolanne 2016-10-25 14:14
> Quoting Colleen Clark:
> If most of the Nader votes had gone to Gore the Supreme Court wouldn't have
> gotten the case and Gore would have won. Self-righteousness has no place in
> politics.
>
> I don't know why you have negative numbers, Coleen Clark. My thumbs up
> eliminated one of them, at least. My reaction to Stilldreamin1 was exactly
> the same as yours. As one who remembers 2000 all too vividly, I do not
> intend to waste my vote this time as I did then!
>
>
>
> +12 # moreover 2016-10-25 13:31
> I just went back to a 2011 recording I made of Tom Hayden (who died
> Sunday).
> He was talking about the Long War, and how our military budgets are bloated
> beyond belief. This and our war debts prevent even willing politicians to
> move toward meaningful action on progressive agendas.
>
>
>
> +10 # Johnny 2016-10-25 13:47
> Ash is right. There is a difference between Trump and Clinton. Trump is the
> Hitler who destroyed the civil liberties of the German people. Clinton is
> the Hitler who invaded Poland and Russia, and burned Germany to the ground.
> Vote for Jill Stein so you can look your children in the face in the few
> months remaining before Hillary incinerates them in the World War she
> advocates.
>
>
>
> +19 # MichiganProgressive 2016-10-25 13:47
> Strange that you never mention in your article, Marc Ash, that getting
> Stein's Election Day numbers up to 5% is in an of itself a worthwhile goal.
> I'm a Green who voted for Bernie Sanders in the Michigan Democratic
> primary.
>
>
> I do NOT believe Jill Stein will be our next President. I'm not stupid.
> Most
> Greens are pretty smart people. We know that we need to build-up the Green
> Party in order for something like that to become possible down the road,
> and
> one way to do that is to get Jill Stein as many votes as possible on
> November 8th so that the Green Pary will have federal matching funds next
> time. It will take a 5% showing on November 8th. We need to do this. Please
> help, don't hinder! Thank you.
>
>
>
> +12 # 74andstillaGadfly 2016-10-25 13:51
> Sorry Marc, I agree that I don't need a lecture right now. The reason I am
> not voting for Clinton is her no real commitment to climate change. Not
> properly addressing environmental issues Now is already too late. Millions
> of lives are and will continue to be endangered. Clinton's complete silence
> on the Water protectors in North Dakota is pretty clear that she is not
> interested in a healthy future for all living things on this planet. She
> has
> spoken for fracking, pipelines and more gulf oil exploration. throw in her
> hawkish military stands, lives are endanger just as you say.
> I agree with your argument about the dangers of a Trump presidency, but the
> global climate crisis is just as bad if not worse. Yes, this planet will
> survive but all living things on it will not. We are past Peak Oil
> predictions and tumbling quickly into the abyss of greed and head in sand
> mentality. Green Party Jill Stein is the only one still standing that seems
> to see the disaster we are mired in.
> I know she doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of getting elected but
> provides a small opportunity for voters like me to say... enough! My
> conscious won't let me do less.
> BTW I have never called HRC the devil, I have been very polite to friends
> who are trying to convince me to vote for her. Won't make a speck of
> difference if the First Woman President is elected to the tune of we girls
> are finally out of the kitchen but we all are still cooked.
>
>
>
> +1 # librarian1984 2016-10-25 14:22
> Gadfly, I love your moniker .. and your thinking.
>
>
>
> 0 # Victhpooh 2016-10-25 14:23
> How will those lives be if Trump wins, has the GOP agenda behind him and 3
> or so Supreme Court justices in the image of Alito?
>
>
>
> +6 # Polisage 2016-10-25 13:53
> Marc,
>
> It does not matter that Jill Stein has no chance, and that should not be
> what RSN is about. It should not be part of the Hillary machine or the
> Trump
> machine. The operative word is "news."
>
> I am a monthly supporter because I think independent news sources are
> important. The MSM has supported HRC in the most coherent (coordinated?)
> manner. Trump is impulsive and opportunistic. Hillary is organized and
> opportunistic. The two-party system has failed the American people because
> it feels entitled and challenge is not tolerated. Jill and Gary are
> unwelcome in their world. The Donald is an aberration because the two party
> system has failed. We need a third party to break the existing monopoly and
> re-empower the voters. RSN has joined the MSM because it has a "position"
> on
> the election? Marc, get back to first principles of RSN. The election is
> disgusting enough--don't discredit RSN by endorsing some candidates and
> dissing others.
>
>
>
> +3 # Polisage 2016-10-25 14:00
> I quote:
> "NO FUNDING FOR RSN, REALLY? - We have to scratch all month long for what
> minimal budget we function on...Reader Supported News."
>
> There's a message there. Narc, pay attention. You're forgetting the "RS" in
> RSN.
>
>
>
> +4 # Polisage 2016-10-25 14:04
> Sorry Marc, the M and N keys are too close together. Didn't mean to call
> you
> a Narc. What would Freud say?
>
>
>
> +9 # JayaVII 2016-10-25 13:57
> I'm glad that this guy focuses his energy on sending 14 fundraising letters
> a day, not on writing about politics. This is a superficial and
> condescending column, more worthy of the corporate media than a supposedly
> left-wing site. It is the Democratic Party that remains the largest
> obstacle
> to positive change in this society; it is the graveyard of progressivism.
> To
> vote for Hillary Clinton is to endorse her positions, including the Iraq
> War, the Patriot Act and all the other neocon and neoliberal actions she's
> taken. This article fills me with disgust. It feels dirty.
>
>
>
> +9 # Ted 2016-10-25 13:59
> Extremely well written and by far the most convincing arguement to fall in
> line with the duopoly I have read yet.
>
> Unfortunately, the premise is wildly off-target.
>
> The current flocking to the Green Party's values and policies has very
> little to do with a contest between the individuals who are the faces of
> the
> parties. The vast difference between ideologies and priorities of the
> dem/repub party and the Green party, which are rarely if ever discussed by
> the the duopoly party talkingheads are what this is about.
>
> I was actually offended that Marc would stoop to using corporate media poll
> numbers (proven to be tampered with by the wikileak of Podesta emails) in
> his arguement when he should know we could very easily counter those biased
> results with more targeted polls (meetwethepeopl e 31percent overall US, 46
> percent California) that show a vastly different sentiment among
> impassioned
> voters.
>
> Quite frankly, I'm not interested in building a stronger democratic party
> from the bottom up, which I see as fatally corrupt at the controlling top
> end.
>
> For me, the Green Party is offering a clean, honest, fresh start, free of
> the deeply embedded corporate ties and their agenda.
>
> Integrity, honesty, proper priorities and people-focussed policies are what
> I will be voting for this year.
>
> The dems blew it. big time.
>
>
>
> +10 # janie1893 2016-10-25 14:02
> Don't vote for who you think might win! (I have never understood the logic
> behind this rationale).
> Vote for the person or party that you want to run our country and keep on
> voting for them. Eventually they will win recognition.
>
>
>
> -10 # No Go 2016-10-25 14:09
> Trump is a repulsive, racist, misogynistic, megalomaniacal nincompoop, and
> anyone who votes for him falls somewhere within that frame of reference, or
> is just plain stupid.
> Stein has taken odd positions on issues, such as praising the Brexit vote,
> then deleting her praise from her website, raised doubts about the wisdom
> of
> vaccines, then backtracked, and, generally, demonstrated that she is not
> qualified to be President.
> Gary Johnson is loopy, plain and simple, and has amply demonstrated that he
> is unqualified to be President.
> Hillary Clinton is highly qualified to be President, and is supported by
> eminent progressive leaders such as Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, John
> Lewis, and Dolores Huerta, as well as millions of other decent, caring,
> progressive American citizens, and for good reason.
> Hillary has articulated smart and progressive policy positions on numerous
> important issues, which, for anyone who can read and is interested, can be
> found at:
> https://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/
>
>
>
> +3 # Ted 2016-10-25 14:23
> Just to clarify (again) the twisting of Stein's stand on vaccines..
>
> Dr. Stein has said, and ONLY said, that she advocates for stronger testing
> oversight of vaccine testing, oversight that does NOT include
> representatives of big pharma that stands to profit immensely from the
> testing of those products.
>
> That is the ENTIRETY of DR. Jill Stein's stand on vaccinatination s, all
> else is lies.
>
>
>
> +2 # librarian1984 2016-10-25 14:31
> Stein was a practicing physician and followed the vaccination schedule with
> her patients.
>
>
>
> +12 # Old Uncle Dave 2016-10-25 14:14
> Over 90% of the female tennis players stand no chance of beating Serena
> Williams. Should they not bother to enter the tournaments?
>
>
>
> +7 # librarian1984 2016-10-25 14:16
> Good grief, Mr. Ash, could you PLEASE tell us what is going on with our
> profile pages and the accounts?
>
> ARE people being censored or banned?
>
> Why can't we see our profile pages? Is that going to change?
>
> Why are posts and threads disappearing? Will you post guidelines?
>
> Is there censoring of anti-Clinton posts?
>
> Why can't RMDC access the site from his/her server? Is s/he banned?
>
>
>
> -3 # alan17b0 2016-10-25 14:18
> I live in Maryland, where HRC has a 30 point
> advantage over DT. Hence I have a Free Vote(TM).
> I plan to vote for Jill Stein, and am urging others
> in my community to do the same. HRC can afford
> to lose 10 points of her advantage, and perhaps
> we can build the Greens here to get 5% oe 8% of
> the vote here.
>
> This argument applies to many many states; e.g.
> MA, NY, CA, IL, . . . A test: if neither HRC or
> DT are campaigning in your state, then your state
> is either solid Blue or solid Red, and you have
> a Free Vote. For those living in Pennsylvania,
> North Carolina, or Florida, drop Jill Stein like
> a hot potato, and beet the bushes for Hillary.
>
> Alan McConnell, in Silver Spring MD.
>
>
>
> -4 # Victhpooh 2016-10-25 14:20
> Thank you Marc, for the guts it took to praise Hillary and point out that
> Stein is not ready to be president. It seems to me that a lot of people are
> 'for Stein' because Bernie lost. Jill Stein is NOT Bernie Sanders. If she
> was, he'd be supporting her. As sorry as I am that Bernie lost, I'm not
> about to vote for someone who is just simply not ready or able to be
> president and hasn't got a chance. I'm also disappointed with her VP choice
> who has said some anti Semitic things and has called Bernie Sanders a
> 'white
> supremacist'. The first choice you make as a candidate is choosing a
> competent and qualified running mate and in my opinion, she failed 'bigly'.
> I'm voting FOR Hillary and at the same time, AGAINST Trump.
>
>
>
> +3 # librarian1984 2016-10-25 14:29
> And Hillary's VP is anti-choice, pro-TPP, pro-Wall Street and pro-fracking,
> while HRC is pro-war.
>
> How is THAT not a problem?
>
>
>
> -3 # elizabethf 2016-10-25 14:31
> A vote for Jill Stein is a vote for Trump.
>
>
>
> 0 # Ted 2016-10-25 14:37
> Wait! Wait! My turn!
>
> Eating an Apple is actually eating an Orange!
>
>
>
> 0 # Anonymot 2016-10-25 14:36
> MARC ASH:
>
> I think something has gone wrong here and that you need to put in a large
> COMMENT at the top to clarify if the DNC or someone has bugged or hacked
> the
> RSN site.
>
> If you are closing RSN, say so.
>
> If you are banning or censoring, say so.
>
> If there's simply a technical problem, tell your readers.
>
> NOW!
>
>
>
> 0 # guomashi 2016-10-25 14:38
> A disgustingly disingenuous article.
> Example:
>
> "To say that there is no difference between Hillary Clinton and Donald
> Trump
> echoes the disastrous memes of 1968 and 2000. No difference between Hubert
> Humphrey and Richard Nixon? No difference between George W. Bush and Al
> Gore?
>
> The difference was life and death for millions. "
>
> So apparently Mr. Ash has been reading comments here, but not understanding
> them.
> No one has said Trump and Clinton are not different. No one.
> As for Mr. Ash's second paragraph: yes, indeed! The difference between
> Trump
> and Clinton will be life and death for millions. Now let's see if Mr. Ash
> can guess which one wants to start WW III and kill millions?
>
> Refresh comments list
> RSS feed for comments to this post
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> ready to comment. All you need is a Username and a Password of your
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> and you are free to comment whenever you like! Welcome to the Reader
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>
>
> Name: * Username: * E-mail: * Password: * Confirm
> password: * Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required.
>
>
>
>
>
> FOCUS: War or Peace?
> Dennis Kucinich, World Beyond War
> 22 October 2016
>
> FOCUS: Bernie Sanders Is the Most Popular Politician in America
> Matt Karp, Jacobin
> 24 October 2016
>
> Documenting Trump's Abuse of Women
> Jane Mayer, The New Yorker
> 22 October 2016
>
> North Dakota Police 'Out of Control' in Crackdown on Dakota Access Pipeline
> Protests
> Kit O'Connell, MintPress News
> 23 October 2016
>
> FOCUS: Our Hillary
> Stephen Eric Bronner, Reader Supported News
> 23 October 2016
>
> Michael Moore: It's Not Just Trump on the Ballot. Racism and Misogyny Are
> Also on the Ballot This Year.
> Jason Newman, Rolling Stone
> 22 October 2016
>
> The Republican Party Owns Donald Trump's Actions on Election Day
> Frank Rich, New York Magazine
> 24 October 2016
>
> FOCUS: The Truth About My Arrest at the Dakota Access Pipeline Protest
> Shailene Woodley, Time
> 24 October 2016
>
> Why President Hillary Will Not Stop the Slaughter in Syria
> Steve Weissman, Reader Supported News
> 23 October 2016
>
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>
> Green Party presidential candidate Dr. Jill Stein. (photo: American Herald
> Tribune)
> http://readersupportednews.org/http://readersupportednews.org/
> Jill Stein
> By Marc Ash, Reader Supported News
> 25 October 16
> any of our readers are strongly advocating the candidacy of Jill Stein. The
> problem is that, polling at 2% nationally, she has no chance whatsoever of
> being elected. In fact, former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, running
> under the Libertarian banner, has triple the supporters Stein has, and he
> doesn't even appear to be totally coherent.
> So it isn't really a candidacy at all that Stein's supporters are
> promoting,
> it's more of an ideal or a lecture on political responsibility. The
> candidacy provides the platform for the ideology.
> The reason Sanders succeeded in being viable as a presidential candidate is
> that he was able to convince progressive Democrats that supporting him
> would
> not open the door to another Richard Nixon or George W. Bush.
> American Green Party activists have long understood that the ranks of
> progressive Democrats held the potential for large numbers of third-party
> recruits. What they never understood was that for progressives to come to
> their movement, there had to be a "safe means of transit."
> The Greens think that just because rank and file Democratic voters resent
> the Democratic Party, they're going to leave and join the Green Party. That
> won't happen until the GP infrastructure is in place.
> In fairness to Stein and her running mate, Ajamu Baraka, the platform they
> have crafted is full of wonderful ideas. It's the most socially responsive
> presidential platform of the current candidates. But they knew at the time
> that they crafted it that in all likelihood they would never have to
> materially deliver on any of it. As a result they were free to make a
> purely
> political statement.
> To say that there is no difference between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump
> echoes the disastrous memes of 1968 and 2000. No difference between Hubert
> Humphrey and Richard Nixon? No difference between George W. Bush and Al
> Gore?
> The difference was life and death for millions. The choice of political
> leaders always carries great consequence. The higher the office, the
> greater
> the significance.
> What Sanders understood was that he could push the Democratic Party for
> fundamental political change and reform but he had to demonstrate that he
> would not open the door to a Ted Cruz or a Donald Trump.
> Sanders, a well noted Socialist running within the Democratic Party
> structure and vowing not to go rogue with an independent campaign should he
> fail to gain the Democratic nomination, garnered more progressive
> Democratic
> support than all Green Party presidential candidates combined. He did it
> and
> is still doing it without demonizing anyone.
> Demonizing Democrats as a strategy for building a Green Party has always
> failed, and should be declared dead by anyone who really wants to organize.
> What is needed is "honest organizing." When you have no chance of winning
> and you are staying in the race to garner public attention for what you see
> as socially beneficial policies or perhaps to get enough votes to qualify
> for federal funding in the next presidential election, then you need to say
> that. Painting the Democratic candidate as the devil to achieve those ends
> is ludicrous.
> What the Green Party needs is organizing and infrastructure. The Green
> Party
> can't afford an adversarial relationship with the Democrats. They need an
> alliance. Such an alliance would aid, not deter, Green organizing.
> For those who are serious about an American Green Party, follow Sanders'
> lead. Infiltrate the Democratic Party and make change impossible to ignore.
> Collaborate with Our Revolution and similar organizations. Demonstrate the
> kind of leadership that builds confidence by showing confidence in your own
> ideas.
> The American left is hungry for change - build it.
>
> Marc Ash is the founder and former Executive Director of Truthout, and is
> now founder and Editor of Reader Supported News.
> Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work.
> Permission
> to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader
> Supported News.
> http://e-max.it/posizionamento-siti-web/socializehttp://e-max.it/posizioname
> nto-siti-web/socialize
> Comments /component/jcomments/feed/com_content/39876Error! Hyperlink
> reference not valid.
> We are concerned about a recent drift towards vitriol in the RSN Reader
> comments section. There is a fine line between moderation and censorship.
> No
> one likes a harsh or confrontational forum atmosphere. At the same time
> everyone wants to be able to express themselves freely. We'll start by
> encouraging good judgment. If that doesn't work we'll have to ramp up the
> moderation.
> General guidelines: Avoid personal attacks on other forum members; Avoid
> remarks that are ethnically derogatory; Do not advocate violence, or any
> illegal activity.
> Remember that making the world better begins with responsible action.
> - The RSN Team
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/kyzipsterhttp://read
> ersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/kyzipster
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not
> valid.+12 # kyzipster 2016-10-25 12:03
> Well said Marc.
>
> I hate to say it but perhaps real progressives should follow the Tea Party
> example. I'm well aware that the Tea Party was a creation of the media but
> it evolved into a real force challenging establishment Republicans in
> Congress and at the state level. They managed to remove some sane and
> somewhat reasonable Republicans from Congress because they were not
> conservative enough for the Tea Party. It could be argued that Trump came
> out of this extremist movement.
>
> Greens could go after establishment Democrats in the same way in the most
> liberal districts the way that an independent socialist like Sanders
> challenged Clinton within the Democratic Party. Dianne Feinstein in
> California comes to mind.
>
> Sanders was wise to run as a Democrat. He had a much bigger impact on this
> election and on the future than Stein.
>
> It's Congress that a progressive revolution should focus on. Had Sanders
> won
> the nomination (and I supported him fully), there's no reason to think he
> could have accomplished much with this Congress. I'm not a fan of Clinton
> but she is a self serving politician above all else. If elected with a
> progressive Congress in place, she wouldn't resist. In the same way that
> Trump will not resist the Ayn Rand extremism of Paul Ryan if elected.
>
> It largely comes down to the will of the people despite the power of
> corporations. The Conservative Movement is still the number one enemy of
> the
> Progressive Movement, establishment Democrats are #2.
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Johnnyhttp://readers
> upportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Johnny
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not
> valid.+7
> # Johnny 2016-10-25 13:50
> Like all Hillarybots, Kyzipster and Ash completely ignore Clinton's
> inconvenient promise to establish a "no fly zone" in Syria and to attack
> Iran. But, hey, what's a little thermonuclear war when you can elect the
> first woman president?
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/74andstillaGadflyhtt
> p://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/74andstillaGadfly
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not
> valid.+12 # 74andstillaGadfly 2016-10-25 13:56
> Diane Feinstein a progressive? Ouch
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/John
> Pumahttp://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/John Puma
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not
> valid.+18 # John Puma 2016-10-25 12:26
> Actually some think the Green's achieving 5% of the vote - and the public
> funding that goes along with it - would go a long way towards building that
> infrastructure.
>
> Can we expect an actual article about Jill Stein as opposed to yet another
> lecture to the Green Party?
>
> Could RSN's continued shabby treatment be part of the poor polling for the
> Greens?
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/moreoverhttp://reade
> rsupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/moreover
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not
> valid.+3
> # moreover 2016-10-25 13:23
> I just attended a lecture by a political scientist about election
> forecasting and polling: the Greens barely register and there is no
> credible
> poll suggesting they might go above 2%. Wish it were different but looking
> at the existing Green infrastructure (our chapter here has monthly meetings
> with between 4 and 12 attendees) I am not surprised.
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Tedhttp://readersupp
> ortednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Ted
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not
> valid.+2
> # Ted 2016-10-25 14:33
> All the more reason to continue our support and efforts to build the party.
>
> As more and more true Progressives discover the values and policies (not to
> mention integrity that is NOT to be found within the dems) as laid out on
> the Green Party's website;
>
> GP.ORG
>
> I'm sure this recent surge of support will continue to build for years to
> come.
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Stilldreamin1http://
> readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Stilldreamin1
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not
> valid.+9
> # Stilldreamin1 2016-10-25 13:10
> We could do without a lecture. How can Marc Ash bring up 2000 as a
> justification for not voting for a third party? Nader made it closer but
> Gore still won the election- the supreme court stopped the count. We all
> know this- certainly Mr. Ash included. Why no mention of strategic voting.
> If you don't live in a swing state, a vote for the best candidate is
> without
> risk- unless everyone did it. Now that would send a message to the Clinton
> transition team that business as usual will not fly this time.
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Colleen
> Clarkhttp://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Colleen Clark
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not
> valid.-5
> # Colleen Clark 2016-10-25 13:21
> If most of the Nader votes had gone to Gore the Supreme Court wouldn't have
> gotten the case and Gore would have won. Self-righteousn ess has no place
> in
> politics.
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Johnnyhttp://readers
> upportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Johnny
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not
> valid.-2
> # Johnny 2016-10-25 14:01
> Quoting Colleen Clark:
> If most of the Nader votes had gone to Gore the Supreme Court wouldn't have
> gotten the case and Gore would have won. Self-righteousness has no place in
> politics.
>
> Now, there's a self-righteous rant.
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Lolannehttp://reader
> supportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Lolanne
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not
> valid.-1
> # Lolanne 2016-10-25 14:14
> Quoting Colleen Clark:
> If most of the Nader votes had gone to Gore the Supreme Court wouldn't have
> gotten the case and Gore would have won. Self-righteousness has no place in
> politics.
>
> I don't know why you have negative numbers, Coleen Clark. My thumbs up
> eliminated one of them, at least. My reaction to Stilldreamin1 was exactly
> the same as yours. As one who remembers 2000 all too vividly, I do not
> intend to waste my vote this time as I did then!
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/moreoverhttp://reade
> rsupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/moreover
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not
> valid.+12 # moreover 2016-10-25 13:31
> I just went back to a 2011 recording I made of Tom Hayden (who died
> Sunday).
> He was talking about the Long War, and how our military budgets are bloated
> beyond belief. This and our war debts prevent even willing politicians to
> move toward meaningful action on progressive agendas.
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Johnnyhttp://readers
> upportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Johnny
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not
> valid.+10 # Johnny 2016-10-25 13:47
> Ash is right. There is a difference between Trump and Clinton. Trump is the
> Hitler who destroyed the civil liberties of the German people. Clinton is
> the Hitler who invaded Poland and Russia, and burned Germany to the ground.
> Vote for Jill Stein so you can look your children in the face in the few
> months remaining before Hillary incinerates them in the World War she
> advocates.
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/MichiganProgressiveh
> ttp://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/MichiganProgressive
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not
> valid.+19 # MichiganProgressive 2016-10-25 13:47
> Strange that you never mention in your article, Marc Ash, that getting
> Stein's Election Day numbers up to 5% is in an of itself a worthwhile goal.
> I'm a Green who voted for Bernie Sanders in the Michigan Democratic
> primary.
>
>
> I do NOT believe Jill Stein will be our next President. I'm not stupid.
> Most
> Greens are pretty smart people. We know that we need to build-up the Green
> Party in order for something like that to become possible down the road,
> and
> one way to do that is to get Jill Stein as many votes as possible on
> November 8th so that the Green Pary will have federal matching funds next
> time. It will take a 5% showing on November 8th. We need to do this. Please
> help, don't hinder! Thank you.
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/74andstillaGadflyhtt
> p://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/74andstillaGadfly
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not
> valid.+12 # 74andstillaGadfly 2016-10-25 13:51
> Sorry Marc, I agree that I don't need a lecture right now. The reason I am
> not voting for Clinton is her no real commitment to climate change. Not
> properly addressing environmental issues Now is already too late. Millions
> of lives are and will continue to be endangered. Clinton's complete silence
> on the Water protectors in North Dakota is pretty clear that she is not
> interested in a healthy future for all living things on this planet. She
> has
> spoken for fracking, pipelines and more gulf oil exploration. throw in her
> hawkish military stands, lives are endanger just as you say.
> I agree with your argument about the dangers of a Trump presidency, but the
> global climate crisis is just as bad if not worse. Yes, this planet will
> survive but all living things on it will not. We are past Peak Oil
> predictions and tumbling quickly into the abyss of greed and head in sand
> mentality. Green Party Jill Stein is the only one still standing that seems
> to see the disaster we are mired in.
> I know she doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of getting elected but
> provides a small opportunity for voters like me to say... enough! My
> conscious won't let me do less.
> BTW I have never called HRC the devil, I have been very polite to friends
> who are trying to convince me to vote for her. Won't make a speck of
> difference if the First Woman President is elected to the tune of we girls
> are finally out of the kitchen but we all are still cooked.
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/librarian1984http://
> readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/librarian1984
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not
> valid.+1
> # librarian1984 2016-10-25 14:22
> Gadfly, I love your moniker .. and your thinking.
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Victhpoohhttp://read
> ersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Victhpooh
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.0
> # Victhpooh 2016-10-25 14:23
> How will those lives be if Trump wins, has the GOP agenda behind him and 3
> or so Supreme Court justices in the image of Alito?
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Polisagehttp://reade
> rsupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Polisage
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not
> valid.+6
> # Polisage 2016-10-25 13:53
> Marc,
>
> It does not matter that Jill Stein has no chance, and that should not be
> what RSN is about. It should not be part of the Hillary machine or the
> Trump
> machine. The operative word is "news."
>
> I am a monthly supporter because I think independent news sources are
> important. The MSM has supported HRC in the most coherent (coordinated?)
> manner. Trump is impulsive and opportunistic. Hillary is organized and
> opportunistic. The two-party system has failed the American people because
> it feels entitled and challenge is not tolerated. Jill and Gary are
> unwelcome in their world. The Donald is an aberration because the two party
> system has failed. We need a third party to break the existing monopoly and
> re-empower the voters. RSN has joined the MSM because it has a "position"
> on
> the election? Marc, get back to first principles of RSN. The election is
> disgusting enough--don't discredit RSN by endorsing some candidates and
> dissing others.
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Polisagehttp://reade
> rsupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Polisage
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not
> valid.+3
> # Polisage 2016-10-25 14:00
> I quote:
> "NO FUNDING FOR RSN, REALLY? - We have to scratch all month long for what
> minimal budget we function on...Reader Supported News."
>
> There's a message there. Narc, pay attention. You're forgetting the "RS" in
> RSN.
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Polisagehttp://reade
> rsupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Polisage
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not
> valid.+4
> # Polisage 2016-10-25 14:04
> Sorry Marc, the M and N keys are too close together. Didn't mean to call
> you
> a Narc. What would Freud say?
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/JayaVIIhttp://reader
> supportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/JayaVII
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not
> valid.+9
> # JayaVII 2016-10-25 13:57
> I'm glad that this guy focuses his energy on sending 14 fundraising letters
> a day, not on writing about politics. This is a superficial and
> condescending column, more worthy of the corporate media than a supposedly
> left-wing site. It is the Democratic Party that remains the largest
> obstacle
> to positive change in this society; it is the graveyard of progressivism.
> To
> vote for Hillary Clinton is to endorse her positions, including the Iraq
> War, the Patriot Act and all the other neocon and neoliberal actions she's
> taken. This article fills me with disgust. It feels dirty.
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Tedhttp://readersupp
> ortednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Ted
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not
> valid.+9
> # Ted 2016-10-25 13:59
> Extremely well written and by far the most convincing arguement to fall in
> line with the duopoly I have read yet.
>
> Unfortunately, the premise is wildly off-target.
>
> The current flocking to the Green Party's values and policies has very
> little to do with a contest between the individuals who are the faces of
> the
> parties. The vast difference between ideologies and priorities of the
> dem/repub party and the Green party, which are rarely if ever discussed by
> the the duopoly party talkingheads are what this is about.
>
> I was actually offended that Marc would stoop to using corporate media poll
> numbers (proven to be tampered with by the wikileak of Podesta emails) in
> his arguement when he should know we could very easily counter those biased
> results with more targeted polls (meetwethepeopl e 31percent overall US, 46
> percent California) that show a vastly different sentiment among
> impassioned
> voters.
>
> Quite frankly, I'm not interested in building a stronger democratic party
> from the bottom up, which I see as fatally corrupt at the controlling top
> end.
>
> For me, the Green Party is offering a clean, honest, fresh start, free of
> the deeply embedded corporate ties and their agenda.
>
> Integrity, honesty, proper priorities and people-focussed policies are what
> I will be voting for this year.
>
> The dems blew it. big time.
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/janie1893http://read
> ersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/janie1893
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not
> valid.+10 # janie1893 2016-10-25 14:02
> Don't vote for who you think might win! (I have never understood the logic
> behind this rationale).
> Vote for the person or party that you want to run our country and keep on
> voting for them. Eventually they will win recognition.
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/No
> Gohttp://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/No Go
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not
> valid.-10 # No Go 2016-10-25 14:09
> Trump is a repulsive, racist, misogynistic, megalomaniacal nincompoop, and
> anyone who votes for him falls somewhere within that frame of reference, or
> is just plain stupid.
> Stein has taken odd positions on issues, such as praising the Brexit vote,
> then deleting her praise from her website, raised doubts about the wisdom
> of
> vaccines, then backtracked, and, generally, demonstrated that she is not
> qualified to be President.
> Gary Johnson is loopy, plain and simple, and has amply demonstrated that he
> is unqualified to be President.
> Hillary Clinton is highly qualified to be President, and is supported by
> eminent progressive leaders such as Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, John
> Lewis, and Dolores Huerta, as well as millions of other decent, caring,
> progressive American citizens, and for good reason.
> Hillary has articulated smart and progressive policy positions on numerous
> important issues, which, for anyone who can read and is interested, can be
> found at:
> https://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Tedhttp://readersupp
> ortednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Ted
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not
> valid.+3
> # Ted 2016-10-25 14:23
> Just to clarify (again) the twisting of Stein's stand on vaccines..
>
> Dr. Stein has said, and ONLY said, that she advocates for stronger testing
> oversight of vaccine testing, oversight that does NOT include
> representatives of big pharma that stands to profit immensely from the
> testing of those products.
>
> That is the ENTIRETY of DR. Jill Stein's stand on vaccinatination s, all
> else is lies.
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/librarian1984http://
> readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/librarian1984
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not
> valid.+2
> # librarian1984 2016-10-25 14:31
> Stein was a practicing physician and followed the vaccination schedule with
> her patients.
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Old Uncle
> Davehttp://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Old Uncle Dave
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not
> valid.+12 # Old Uncle Dave 2016-10-25 14:14
> Over 90% of the female tennis players stand no chance of beating Serena
> Williams. Should they not bother to enter the tournaments?
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/librarian1984http://
> readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/librarian1984
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not
> valid.+7
> # librarian1984 2016-10-25 14:16
> Good grief, Mr. Ash, could you PLEASE tell us what is going on with our
> profile pages and the accounts?
>
> ARE people being censored or banned?
>
> Why can't we see our profile pages? Is that going to change?
>
> Why are posts and threads disappearing? Will you post guidelines?
>
> Is there censoring of anti-Clinton posts?
>
> Why can't RMDC access the site from his/her server? Is s/he banned?
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/alan17b0http://reade
> rsupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/alan17b0
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not
> valid.-3
> # alan17b0 2016-10-25 14:18
> I live in Maryland, where HRC has a 30 point
> advantage over DT. Hence I have a Free Vote(TM).
> I plan to vote for Jill Stein, and am urging others
> in my community to do the same. HRC can afford
> to lose 10 points of her advantage, and perhaps
> we can build the Greens here to get 5% oe 8% of
> the vote here.
>
> This argument applies to many many states; e.g.
> MA, NY, CA, IL, . . . A test: if neither HRC or
> DT are campaigning in your state, then your state
> is either solid Blue or solid Red, and you have
> a Free Vote. For those living in Pennsylvania,
> North Carolina, or Florida, drop Jill Stein like
> a hot potato, and beet the bushes for Hillary.
>
> Alan McConnell, in Silver Spring MD.
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Victhpoohhttp://read
> ersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Victhpooh
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not
> valid.-4
> # Victhpooh 2016-10-25 14:20
> Thank you Marc, for the guts it took to praise Hillary and point out that
> Stein is not ready to be president. It seems to me that a lot of people are
> 'for Stein' because Bernie lost. Jill Stein is NOT Bernie Sanders. If she
> was, he'd be supporting her. As sorry as I am that Bernie lost, I'm not
> about to vote for someone who is just simply not ready or able to be
> president and hasn't got a chance. I'm also disappointed with her VP choice
> who has said some anti Semitic things and has called Bernie Sanders a
> 'white
> supremacist'. The first choice you make as a candidate is choosing a
> competent and qualified running mate and in my opinion, she failed 'bigly'.
> I'm voting FOR Hillary and at the same time, AGAINST Trump.
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/librarian1984http://
> readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/librarian1984
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not
> valid.+3
> # librarian1984 2016-10-25 14:29
> And Hillary's VP is anti-choice, pro-TPP, pro-Wall Street and pro-fracking,
> while HRC is pro-war.
>
> How is THAT not a problem?
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/elizabethfhttp://rea
> dersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/elizabethf
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not
> valid.-3
> # elizabethf 2016-10-25 14:31
> A vote for Jill Stein is a vote for Trump.
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Tedhttp://readersupp
> ortednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Ted
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.0
> # Ted 2016-10-25 14:37
> Wait! Wait! My turn!
>
> Eating an Apple is actually eating an Orange!
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Anonymothttp://reade
> rsupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/Anonymot
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.0
> # Anonymot 2016-10-25 14:36
> MARC ASH:
>
> I think something has gone wrong here and that you need to put in a large
> COMMENT at the top to clarify if the DNC or someone has bugged or hacked
> the
> RSN site.
>
> If you are closing RSN, say so.
>
> If you are banning or censoring, say so.
>
> If there's simply a technical problem, tell your readers.
>
> NOW!
> http://readersupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/guomashihttp://reade
> rsupportednews.org/user-profile/userprofile/guomashi
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.0
> # guomashi 2016-10-25 14:38
> A disgustingly disingenuous article.
> Example:
>
> "To say that there is no difference between Hillary Clinton and Donald
> Trump
> echoes the disastrous memes of 1968 and 2000. No difference between Hubert
> Humphrey and Richard Nixon? No difference between George W. Bush and Al
> Gore?
>
> The difference was life and death for millions. "
>
> So apparently Mr. Ash has been reading comments here, but not understanding
> them.
> No one has said Trump and Clinton are not different. No one.
> As for Mr. Ash's second paragraph: yes, indeed! The difference between
> Trump
> and Clinton will be life and death for millions. Now let's see if Mr. Ash
> can guess which one wants to start WW III and kill millions?
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
> RSS feed for comments to this post
>
> THE NEW STREAMLINED RSN LOGIN PROCESS: Register once, then login and you
> are
> ready to comment. All you need is a Username and a Password of your
> choosing
> and you are free to comment whenever you like! Welcome to the Reader
> Supported News community.
> javascript:;javascript:;
> /component/comprofiler/lostpassword/component/comprofiler/lostpassword
>
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>
>
> &/component/comprofiler/registers/component/comprofiler/registers
> /component/comprofiler/lostpassword
> javascript:;
>
>
> javascript:;
>
>
>
> /opinion2/277-75/39822-focus-war-or-peace/opinion2/277-75/39822-focus-war-or
> -peace
> FOCUS: War or Peace?
> Dennis Kucinich, World Beyond War
> 22 October 2016
> /opinion2/277-75/39858-focus-bernie-sanders-is-the-most-popular-politician-i
> n-america/opinion2/277-75/39858-focus-bernie-sanders-is-the-most-popular-pol
> itician-in-america
> FOCUS: Bernie Sanders Is the Most Popular Politician in America
> Matt Karp, Jacobin
> 24 October 2016
> /opinion2/277-75/39819-documenting-trumps-abuse-of-women/opinion2/277-75/398
> 19-documenting-trumps-abuse-of-women
> Documenting Trump's Abuse of Women
> Jane Mayer, The New Yorker
> 22 October 2016
> /news-section2/318-66/39847-north-dakota-police-out-of-control-in-crackdown-
> on-dakota-access-pipeline-protests/news-section2/318-66/39847-north-dakota-p
> olice-out-of-control-in-crackdown-on-dakota-access-pipeline-protests
> North Dakota Police 'Out of Control' in Crackdown on Dakota Access Pipeline
> Protests
> Kit O'Connell, MintPress News
> 23 October 2016
>
> /opinion2/277-75/39839-focus-our-hillary/opinion2/277-75/39839-focus-our-hil
> lary
> FOCUS: Our Hillary
> Stephen Eric Bronner, Reader Supported News
> 23 October 2016
> /opinion2/277-75/39829-michael-moore-its-not-just-trump-on-the-ballot-racism
> -and-misogyny-are-also-on-the-ballot-this-year/opinion2/277-75/39829-michael
> -moore-its-not-just-trump-on-the-ballot-racism-and-misogyny-are-also-on-the-
> ballot-this-year
> Michael Moore: It's Not Just Trump on the Ballot. Racism and Misogyny Are
> Also on the Ballot This Year.
> Jason Newman, Rolling Stone
> 22 October 2016
> /opinion2/277-75/39857-the-republican-party-owns-donald-trumps-actions-on-el
> ection-day/opinion2/277-75/39857-the-republican-party-owns-donald-trumps-act
> ions-on-election-day
> The Republican Party Owns Donald Trump's Actions on Election Day
> Frank Rich, New York Magazine
> 24 October 2016
> /opinion2/277-75/39859-focus-the-truth-about-my-arrest-at-the-dakota-access-
> pipeline-protest/opinion2/277-75/39859-focus-the-truth-about-my-arrest-at-th
> e-dakota-access-pipeline-protest
> FOCUS: The Truth About My Arrest at the Dakota Access Pipeline Protest
> Shailene Woodley, Time
> 24 October 2016
> /opinion2/277-75/39848-why-president-hillary-will-not-stop-the-slaughter-in-
> syria/opinion2/277-75/39848-why-president-hillary-will-not-stop-the-slaughte
> r-in-syria
> Why President Hillary Will Not Stop the Slaughter in Syria
> Steve Weissman, Reader Supported News
> 23 October 2016
> . PRIVACY POLICY
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> . CONTACT US
> . WHO IS THIS?
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> C 2016 Reader Supported News
> a
>
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>

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Open Letter to President Barack Obama

Miriam and I collaborated on a letter to president Obama. In checking
on-line, I was assured that the president is most easily reached via
email. So I posted the letter to the address given. I received a
note telling me that this preferred email address was no longer
preferred. But a new address was provided. Again I confidently sent
off the letter. No response that the letter had been received. So I
went back, checked carefully to see that I was indeed following the
instructions that would assure me that my president did receive my
letter. No answer. Every other letter I've sent to one worthy
politician or another has been noted by return email. But not our #1
leader.
So below this rant is the letter. If you read it and like it, perhaps
you could copy it to the president. If enough of us try, maybe one
little copy will cross his desk.
And if you read it and don't like it, then send it to Hillary Clinton,
with instructions to open it when she enters the Oval Office.
Carl Jarvis

*****

Dear Mister President,

 We are writing to request that you use your executive power to pardon
Edward Snowden so that he may come home to the United States, the country
that he loves and that he has tried to serve by telling the American people
about how the NSA has been overstepping its legal authority .  indeed,
already you have recognized his contribution by requiring that changes be
made in how the NSA functions. Edward Snowden would have been willing to
stand trial here if the trial procedure allowed him to explain his reasons
for his action. But since he would not be allowed to explain his
motivations, any judgment would be unfair because it would be based only on
his actions and would not take into account the patriotism which motivated
him.

We ask that you also pardon Chelsea Manning.  The information that Manning
gave to the public exposed the illegal actions of our armed forces in Iraq,
as well as the behind the scenes foreign policy manipulations of our
government. Manning wanted the public to understand what our government is
doing in our name. True Democracy requires an informed public. Chelsea
Manning is being punished for showing us the true human cost of our wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan.   .

 We also ask that you pardon Jeffrey Sterling who was accused of leaking
information to a journalist, but who asserts his innocence of this charge.
A man who dutifully served his country as a member of the CIA, and who is
now very ill in prison, and may die before he receives treatment.
We would also request that you cease the government actions aimed at Julian
Assenge, since he is not an American citizen, nor has he been acting on
behalf of another country. Therefore, it is a travesty to accuse him of
espionage. Our government asserts that is supports the freedom of the press.
WikiLeaks is a journalistic enterprise, not a malevolent foreign entity.

 Mister President,
Too often we forget that this great Land of ours was settled by men and
women fleeing the laws that they felt oppressed them.
And it was the descendants of those same immigrants who later violated the
Established Laws of the Land and rose up against the King of England.
And when we think of the ending of slavery in our nation, and of the many
courageous Black Slaves, owned as if they were nothing more than the
personal property of Law abiding White men, Slaves who violated the Laws of
the Land and dared to run away from their Lawful owners, in search of
Freedom.
And too often we gloss over the fact that the equally brave folks who
constituted the
Underground Railroad, aiding and protecting those unlawful runaways,
were also breaking the Law.
And when we think of those bruised and battered men and women who dared to
stand against the unjust rules and laws set down by their oppressive bosses,
and organize Unions.  Men and women who stood in unity as the Company Goons,
state militias and even Federal Troops attacked them.
And when we think of those young men and women who left the safety of their
Northern states and headed South, to stand up for the Right to Vote by the
Black Citizens of this Great Land.
Mister President, when we think of all of this, and so much more, we are
reminded that the great social advances fought for and won, and defended
against constant attack, were never handed down from on high, but were
passed up from below, and set in place by courageous men and women who
dared to violate the established laws and demand the respect they
believed was their right.
We know that as President, you are sworn to uphold the Laws that govern this
nation.  But as a Human Being, do you ever question whether some of those
laws are unjust and set in place to protect the Establishment against the
American People, rather than to support and defend them?
As you prepare to leave your office, isn't the time right to let history
know that in your own heart you are truly a defender of the American People?
And in that Spirit, you will pardon those brave men and women whose
 love of their People brought them to that place in the road where they had
to take a stand.

Sincerely,

 Miriam Vieni
miriamvieni@optonline.net

Carl Jarvis
carjar82@gmail.com

my response to senator patty murray

While I've always voted for Patty Murray, even when she does stuff I
wish she didn't do, nonetheless I am getting cranky over some of the
piles of begging letters. Senator Murray begins by telling me(she
calls me by my first name!) that she just loves hearing stories about
why folks love living in Washington State. Then she turns to me and
begins begging for money. The rest of her email is a long laundry
list on how to give, where to send it and on and on and on.
But hey! I went back to that short little sentence at the top of her
email, and I found her return address, and I wrote her an answer.
Just in case she doesn't put it on the National News, here is what I
wrote:

Dear Senator Murray,
Well, since I'm unable to send money to support your re-election, I
will send you a response regarding why I would live nowhere else than
in this glorious part of Planet Earth.
Of course being born in Spokane in 1935 does have lots to do with my
bias. But most of my life has been on the Western slopes and most
recently here on the great Olympic Peninsula. My wife, Cathy and I
provide services to older low vision and blind people. This free
service is through money provided by the Department of Education, sent
to the Department of Services for the Blind, and contracted to the
University of Washington, with whom we contract. We've been doing
this for almost 22 years, serving around 3,000 persons. Currently we
cover Clallam, Jefferson and Kitsap counties, and Gig Harbor. This is
down sized from having also included Mason and Grays Harbor for many
years. But age takes some accommodating. Besides being totally
blind, I am well into my 81st year. Cathy and I are rehabilitation
teachers, and have both worked at the Department of Services for the
Blind, for years prior to my early retirement and a move to the
Peninsula.
So, with that short introduction, I will tell you that we have always
supported you and others like you. If we had our way, we'd clone you
at least another 80 or 90 times, and put you all in Congress.
The thing that is even more glorious than our amazing scenery, we live
on ten acres near the Olympic National Forest, are the people. Our
work brings us close to folks who have been solid citizens their
entire lives. They are folks who mostly brought us through a Great
Depression, a World War and Rock and Roll. These men and women have
not only done the work of keeping America strong, they have put up
their tax dollars year after year to ensure our nation had the
wherewithal to provide support to all citizens. Sadly, we seem to be
looking at a period in time where some citizens feel that they are
special and above all others. They have manipulated our laws to make
certain that their Greed is satisfied...and may the rest of us be
damned.
I know that putting the Ship of State back on an even keel is far more
than one Senator can be expected to do, but if you have any clout at
all in our nation's social services, please do what you can to
increase the support to the older blind and low vision folks. This
population is growing rapidly. Yet the level of services, never even
close to enough, is falling further behind with each bomb we sell off
to our "allies". Senator Murray, how can we claim to be "defending
our shores" when we are allowing our people to slowly fall into
poverty?
My wife and I provide a free service, even dipping into our own
pockets to do what we can to ensure that folks are able to maintain
their independence.

Again, thank you for doing the job you do, Senator Murray.

Carl Jarvis, Director
Peninsula Rehabilitation Services
2510 Snow Creek Road
Quilcene, WA 98376
Phone: 360-765-4239
email: carjar82@gmail.com