I've been asking this for a while, as have Palestinian Christians.
Think about this really hard: especially in light of my last post.
A blog dedicated to the rational discussion of politics and current events.
I've been asking this for a while, as have Palestinian Christians.
“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.
This is from Matthew 7:12. He also said something like "God blesses those who work for peace,for they will be called the children of God."
But back to the "do unto others as you would have them do unto you", which is found in other religions and is called "the rule of reciprocity".
So, the basic gist is that it has to apply to EVERYBODY if you are going to say "Never again".
You don't like it when it happens to you, don't do it to others.
Suffering a holocaust and then turning around to do it to another people is a violation of this principal. Likewise, contributing to the holocaust by failing to save lives because they would go somewhere other than Israel is wrong.
Do you want me to speak out if there is another holocaust? Or do you want me to remain silent as you are trying to do with the Palestinians?
I believe that the "new Israel/Jerusalem" is something which needs to be a divine creation. And it's a blasphemy if humans try to interfere in the process.
Remember that you are killing and harming Arabic Christians by supporting these wars.
And maybe you need to stop dovening and start effing thinking.
So, don't bitch about Muslims in your country: especially if you are supporting the wars that bring them to you.
The Dems lost again and the blame game is starting, but are they asking the right questions?
Am I the only person out there that has noticed that this election is on Guy Fawkes Day?
Despite the connection of the gunpowder plot, Guy Fawkes has become a hero of anarchists and those who want to see social change (e.g., Anonymous uses the Guy Fawkes Mask).
James Sharpe, professor of history at the University of York, has described how Guy Fawkes came to be toasted as "the last man to enter Parliament with honest intentions". William Harrison Ainsworth's 1841 historical romance Guy Fawkes; or, The Gunpowder Treason portrays Fawkes in a generally sympathetic light and his novel transformed Fawkes in the public perception into an "acceptable fictional character". Fawkes subsequently appeared as "essentially an action hero" in children's books and penny dreadfuls such as The Boyhood Days of Guy Fawkes; or, The Conspirators of Old London, published around 1905. According to the historian Lewis Call, Fawkes is now "a major icon in modern political culture", whose face has become "a potentially powerful instrument for the articulation of postmodern anarchism" in the late 20th century. Fawkes is regarded by some as a martyr, political rebel or freedom-fighter, especially amongst a minority of Catholics in the United Kingdom.
I have made it clear that the US system of elections is in serious need of reform.
And I am voting for Jill Stein in the hope that debate will finally come out in the open.
Of course, you could be ecstatic that the us has a non-functional government, is wasting money, and generally there isn't any political debate worth calling a debate.
On the other hand, if you want to see a serious shake up of the system: Jill's your woman. Particularly where election reform is a matter. The Green Party is proposing changes to the electoral system which would lead to real voter choices.
There are changes in the US political system which are long overdue and they won't happen unless there is a seismic change in the political landscape.
Terroir is a French concept
to describe the environmental factors that affect a crop's phenotype, including unique environment contexts, farming practices and a crop's specific growth habitat. Collectively, these contextual characteristics are said to have a character; terroir also refers to this character.
Terroir is the basis of the French wine appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) system identifies an agricultural product whose stages of production and processing are carried out in a defined geographical area – the terroir – and using recognized and traditional know-how. The specificity of an AOC product is determined by the combination of a physical and biological environment with established production techniques transmitted within a human community. Together, these give the product its distinctive qualities.
The defining technical and geographic factors are set forth in standards for each product, including wines, cheeses and meats. Other countries and the European Union have similar labeling systems. The European Union's protected designation of origin (PDO and PGI) system has harmonized the protection of all geographical indications and their registration. When labelling wine however, producers may still use recognized traditional terms like AOC, and are not required to display the PDO and PGI logos or terms, mostly for aesthetic purposes.
OK, long definition, but what it ultimately means is that there are certain foods that are specific to an area. It's tied into the concept of slow food, which promotes local foods and traditional gastronomy and food production. Conversely, this means an opposition to fast food and industrial food production. Something which is better for the environment, and definitely better than being vegan and having your quinoa flown in from South America.
But he's basically talking about how the term "terroir" can apply to other regions, which is the short form of what I said above.
Anyway, check out the slow food movement if you like your food by region and season.
A bit of Eurail promotion. Not that I really need it since I would rather sit and enjoy the countryside as I go from city centre to city centre without the hassles.
One thing I don't like about the US is its reliance on cars and planes. Especially since the US was once a world leader in high speed rail technology. Sure, DC has a really good public transportation system, but its Disneyland compared to the rest of the US. I don't think there are metros (subways) that go to NYCs airports, but it does have a fairly extensive underground system.
Short form: the English Civil War was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Royalists and Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. To put it in US terms: those who wanted power in the Executive vs those who wanted a popular voice. It was even more radical in France, but the US is closer to England than the continent in its political nature.
According to this video, project 2025 seeks to make the executive branch
the more powerful one.
I know that at least one of my other co-bloggers was buying into Russiagate, but it was the arrogance of trying to run Hilary Clinton in 2008 and 2016 followed by the "nomination" of Joe Biden and then Kamala Harris which was the ultimate sickener for me.
It was also an eye opener since duopoly politics diverts from real issues to "culture wars"/"hot button" issues, while the real problems get worse. It also neglects popular opinion, which in this case is asking the government to follow the laws on the books about genoicide and aid to nations which violate the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
This man explains another reason why Russiagate is BS:
Support for Israel violates §502B & §620I of the Foreign Assistance Act, Under §4 of National Security Memorandum 18, the Conventional Arms Transfer Policy, 18 USC § 1091 and 18 U.S. Code § 2441 (Jen-o-Side), 1961 Foreign Aid Act which prohibits aid to nations which have nuclear weapons.
I hope that the perpetrators and enablers of genocide are convicted of their crimes.
So, Warren Buffet is selling bank stocks for cash because of an impending crash in business real estate.
Maybe that's not the best way to summarise the situation, but it hits a bunch of fallacies.
First off, once someone gets into the millionaire class, they tend to make more money doing nothing than most people do by working. Especially if they are in the Warren Buffet league.
Next is the dislike of fiat currency for something commodity based, which is loaded with fallacies. First, commodites ARE volatile: just do a search on "economic crash commodities" for an eye opener. The Panics of 1869 and 1893 saw quite a bit of controversy around gold and gold reserves. Fiat currency is based upon the stability of the issuing body (usually national, but the European Central Bank issues the Euro, so multinational and definitely governmental).
But the bottom line is that currency is basically a tool for commerce. The best example of this comes from Terry Nation's show Survivors from the 1970s, where a man has a suitcase he is very protective of. He dies during the night and we find out that its full of paper money, which is pretty much useless since most people have died from the plague. The world of Survivors is the libertarian's dream.
Seriously, while many people don't like central banks, they do a fairly good job of keeping the economy running along. Of course, any realistic discussion of avoiding crashes requires that we talk of things that the right likes to term "socialistic" because there is governmental intervention in the economy and people are supposed to play by the rules (e.g., competition laws).
I am talking about the Christian Zionists who support Israel for whatever their misguided reasoning happens to be. This is despite the plethora of evidence that the Zionist state attacks Christians.
FYI, since people in the US happen to be ignorant as hell: The Levant is the cradle of Christianity. This is a definition of the Levant:
an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of West Asia and core territory of the political term Middle East. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is equivalent to Cyprus and a stretch of land bordering the Mediterranean Sea in western Asia: i.e. the historical region of Syria ("Greater Syria"), which includes present-day Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the Palestinian territories and most of Turkey southwest of the middle Euphrates. Its overwhelming characteristic is that it represents the land bridge between Africa and Eurasia. In its widest historical sense, the Levant included all of the Eastern Mediterranean with its islands; that is, it included all of the countries along the Eastern Mediterranean shores, extending from Greece in Southern Europe to Cyrenaica, Eastern Libya in Northern Africa.
And the Levant has quite a few Christians within its territory. Although, recent history has seen them emmigrate. This is expecially true in Palestine. This video comes from the Rev. Munther Isaac:
"An Israeli airstrike injured my sister, Fadwa, and my niece, Maria, as it targeted a house next to Saint Porphyrius church in Gaza, killing women and children from our Muslim neighbors.
Saint Porphyrius church community is yet again in danger by the Israeli murderous military"
The Church of Saint Porphrius is the oldest active church in the city. Located in the Zaytun Quarter of the Old City of Gaza, it is named after the 5th-century bishop of Gaza, Saint Porphyrius, whose tomb is situated in the northeastern corner of the church. A church was built on the site as early as AD 425, but the construction of the current church was undertaken by the Crusaders in the 1150s or 1160s; they dedicated it to St Porphyrius.
The church was sheltering hundreds of people when an Israeli bomb severely damaged one of the four buildings in its compound on Thursday evening, causing its ceiling to collapse and leaving dozens trapped under slabs of concrete, according to witnesses in October of 2023.
This is one of many daily attacks on Christians by the zionist regime which some Christians ignorantly suppport.
These people who claim to be Christians need to pray and meditate on how THEY would feel if they were being subjected to this treatment, yet the world did nothing.
In everything, then, do to others as you would have them do to you. For this is the essence of the Law and the Prophets--Matthew 7:12
Luke 6:31
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
Galatians 5:14
The entire law is fulfilled in a single decree: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
James 2:8
If you really fulfill the royal law stated in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well.
Matthew 22:39,40
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself…
Leviticus 19:18
Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
Isaiah 1:17,18
Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow…
I don't really have a problem with driving in Paris since I usually take public transportation, but this popped up on my social media feed. It's your tough luck if you don't understand Italian.
I do drive, but it got me wondering what I would have to do should I decide to try driving in Paris again.
Which led me to learning that European Union regulations have been imposed on new cars, with the aim of improving air quality since 1992. This means that a car has to meet a certain Euro emissions standard depending upon when it is made. There are charts out there that explain which Euro rating your car is. Finding out whether your car is a Euro 6 diesel or a Euro 1 petrol, knowing your car's rating is more important than ever now, given the increasing number of levies and fines being introduced for older cars, especially diesels.
So, while people in the US are freaking out that there will be changes in automobile emissions standards with a push toward lowering them. That being tied to air quality.
The good thing is that older cars which are not as efficient will be eliminated.
But, yes, your cars in the future may not run on petroleum.
I always thought she sounded stoned, but this is a real scary thought if this is true.
Lesser evil voting hurts the voters. It also doesn't help our political discussion.
This is worth a listen if you don't like US politics and want change.
OK, maybe you don't give an fcuk about Palestinians, but Israelis live high on the hog with universal health care, nice homes, education, and all sorts of other goodies paid for by the US tax payers.
You don't get the "socialism" and "welfare state", but you pay to support a nation that does not act in the US interest.
I thought about posting Tulsi Gabbard ripping Kamala Harris on her record for those people who talk shit about 'Orrible 'Arris being "a real lefty". You can look those up since I disagree with Gabbard's direction these days. And there were questions about whether Tulsi was a lefty back in the day.
But as I like to say, most of "the Democrats are the party of the left" wouldn't spot a lefty if they walked up and smashed them over the head with a "smash the state" sign.
That said, Here is Norman Finkelstein who is a true lefty and the subject of "American Radical: the Trials of Norman Finkelstein"
Kamala Harris is in no way a lefty.
It's too bad the Green Party isn't allowed any publicity because we wouldn't hear nonsense about the Democrats being a "party of the left".
Actually, it's more like they blame Russians for interference even though the 2016 election was thrown by the Electoral College, which comes from the US CONSTITUTION! It's called distraction.
And I don't care how pro-Israel you happen to be: that money would be much better spent here.
Former Labour Party leader, Neil Kinnock as Pinocchio with his wife, Glenys as Jiminy Cricket. |
But the democrats decided to run a three time loser who was beginning to show signs of dementia before the election even began. Then they decided to close ranks to prevent Sanders from getting the nomination.
And don't get me into John Fetterman, who should have withdrawn after his stroke, yet remains in office.
So much for the Dems being "wildly lefty" since what Sanders proposes is pretty much taken for granted outside the US. It's only in the US that people want to work themselves to death because they are heavily in debt. Go figure.
But I digress.
Toss in that his running mate, Kamala Harris, pulled out of the running because she was a poor candidate. All the opposition has to do is to address her record and she's cooked.
But two really bad candidates managed to win an election based on "Trump bad".
I'm not so sure about Tim Walz, but I have the feeling that the Dems picked another "winning" line up.
I was just thinking about the people who like to believe their vote somehow counts in the corrupt US System.
So, let's start with the elephant in the room:
THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE
I've mentioned this one ad nauseum, but the basic gist is that the popular vote is pretty much irrelevant in electing the president. Most people don't give a shit about this unless it's their candidate who got screwed over. So, I am hoping that Jill Stein can win the electoral vote since she's on enough states' ballots to pull it off. So, a third party upstart winning the Presidential election with around 24% of the vote in a handfull of states might shake things up.
So, if you don't like the system and the duopoly candidates, Jill Stein is your candidate. Her winning the election will stir things up more than Donald Trump beating Hilary Clinton in the electoral college.
Take the test here if you don't think the Electoral College is something that needs to go:
https://www.270towin.com/quiz/
If that doesn't get you to vote for Jill Stein, I don't know what will. After all, what would shake up the US Political landscape more than having a third party upstart win the election...
This isn't in any real order than what is coming to mind, so:
THE PRIMARY SYSTEM
Every wonder why this process drags on so long: especially with modern communications technology? That's because the system is rigged so that candidates that don't have a lot of funding can beat out other candidates. And even someone like Bernie Sanders can get shut out of the nomination because the Political Parties are not governmental institutions, but private entities who make their own rules.
That should be pretty obvious if you have been paying attention for the past 3 presidential elections.
Unless you really believe that Hilary Clinton, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris are the best candidates the US could come up with...
Which brings us to the other elephant in the room:
BIG MONEY IN POLITICS
That kind of goes with the previous aspect to this, but it goes well beyond it as well. The two parties go for who the big donors want, not the people. The "Democratic" party is really obvious about this. The big donors pick and the party tries to whip up enthusiasm for Joe Biden or Kamala Harris. Any candidate who talks about the issues doesn't make it too far in the process. Even someone as tepid as Bernie Sanders, who had popular support, will be pushed out for someone the big donors don't find threatening.
As I like to point out, which you will learn if you take the 270towin quiz, Vermont is a historically red state. And Sanders (along with Leahy) have represented the state.
You get the point.
Sure ranked choice voting is one way to fight this, but I would vote Jill Stein and then write in my dogs if we had that option in this election.
Ok, I could go into way more detail, but I am very frustrated by people who think voting for the duopoly is going to change anything.
Every wonder why she is being pushed as the "democratic" nominee despite not having campaigned or won a vote?
Because she's 'Orribe 'Arris. She had such a poor showing in 2020 that she had to drop out early on.
And for those on the right who believe she is somehow a radical leftist.
Give me a break. You wouldn't know a radical leftist if they smacked you over the head with a smash the state sign.
There's no real difference between her and Trump.
No surprise here. Well, other than that her father is a true radical leftist. But Kamala is estranged from him and has been for a while. So much for Rita Panahi who is someone I think wouldn't know a real lefty if they smacked her on the head with a "smash the state" sign.
Don't try and raise our hopes with someone who is in no way progressive, Rita.
Rita should stick to Oz politics since she has no idea about US politics.
But that pretty much goes for most of the Sky News Oz crowd.
Alas, this is a clip of a much longer show, but Caleb Maupin is on a few others as well. Rita needs to swot up (do Aussies understand that term?) on US politics before she says ANYONE in the "Democratic" party is in anyway "lefty". Start with Real News Network's piece on Undoing the New Deal: the 1944 Coup against Henry Wallace. Bernie Sanders wasn't the first "lefty" to be torpedoed by the duopoly establishment.
Next, Rita, look up "La France Insoumise", they do have translations of the material on the party. You will encounter something closer to the left that wants to nationalise industries and do things that real leftys like.
But steer clear of AI since it is horrible with languages if you need a translator. Mais je me porterais volontiers volontaire pour ce poste.
And while we're at it, this book has been censored by Amazon, which is a LOT OF POSTS relating to how they are something any freedom loving person should despise. Fortunately, you can buy the book at Lulu (https://www.lulu.com/shop/caleb-maupin/kamala-harris-the-future-of-america-an-essay-in-three-parts/paperback/product-zmkjegd.html?q=Caleb+Maupin&page=1&pageSize=4), buying from something other than the monopoly called Amazon is a strike for freedom.
Do your research, Libertarians, Amazon is everything you claim to despise.
Actually, Lulu is having problems processing the orders for this book.
The Dems haven't learned their lesson, but then again there are the people who will "vote blue no matter who" even if the candidate is terrible.
For me, Sanders 2016 run was a confirmation of how bad the process is. The duopoly is pretty bad with the Dems being open about how bad the electoral process is.
Not only will they push a candidate, they will push a candidate who hasn't gone through the process of campaigning for office. But that is because Kamala Harris is an awful candidate. I was surprised they picked her to be veep in 2020. Even more surprised when Biden-Harris won the election.
Anyway, Sky New Australia has a good piece on how bad she is and how she is dividing the party, but that began the moment Hilary Clinton ran for president in 2008. I have a long piece on why I don't like the Democrats.
And the Republicans are pretty much the same thing. It takes culture war issues to give the appearance of a difference.
As I said, get ready for Trump II.
From the transcript:
When Americans demand a third choice, or even a fourth choice, it can change and renew the major parties, sometimes making winners into losers and vice versa.
More often than you might think, Americans have looked beyond the two major political parties and reached for a third choice. When they do, big things often happen in American politics and in American life.
Let's start at the beginning. First, why two parties? In fact, why parties at all?
In the beginning, the founders agreed they wanted no parties in their new country.
"There is nothing I dread so much as the division of the Republic into two great parties, each under its leader" - John Adams.
"Ignorance leads men into a party, and shame keeps them from getting out again" - Benjamin Franklin
"If I could not go to heaven but with a party, I would not go there at all" - Thomas Jefferson.
Vote for the duopoly candidates only if you are satisfied with the current situation.
All the people who are thankful that she is running are going to be in for a nasty surprise.
No, I will not vote for a duopoly candidate--especially not this one.
She makes Hilary Clinton look consistent.
Sort of a repeat of the previous post, but a bit more in depth.
What I find interesting sort of goes to my comment in the previous post about the Democratic Party being in no way lefty. They ran when Sanders was running: and he is nothing compared to the left once one leaves the the United States.
Yet, he frightens the Democrats and Fox News loves to say how "socialist" the opposition happens to be.
But don't mention medicare for all...
In the conceptual blog post on how US elections are rigged, the Democratic Party and it's joke primary elections is a prominent feature. The Democrats would rather lose with someone like Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, et al than run someone like Bernie Sanders.
And while Sanders calls himself a "socialist", he's pretty centre on the political spectrum. After all, he does represent a historically red state (and I don't mean that in the way the rest of the world does, which is socialist, communist, and beyond--except for Anarchists, who are black). So, the despite the Fox News attempt to make "socialism" a "bad" word, most people like it.
At least in its more moderate incarnations. On the other hand, maybe people in the US are total idiots.
I mentioned La France Insoumise, the ultra left party, which "won" in the last elections. I have to wonder what people in the US would think about things like:
Even if some of those ideas didn't gain too much traction, it would be fun to see them being debated in an intelligent and informed manner.
I'm trying to find something that shows how poor a candidate Kamala Harris was in 2020. But the ultimate answer tends to be lost. Here's one:
The last time Kamala Harris ran a campaign for the presidency, she dropped out of the contest before a single vote was cast.
After launching her bid in Oakland, California, in front of a crowd of 20,000 supporters in January 2019, she campaigned for 310 days before dropping out of the contest. At the time she left the race, she was polling at 4 percent or lower in polling aggregates — a complete flop.
It was a stunning result: Harris had been seen as a rising star for most of her years campaigning for and legislating in the Senate, questioning Trump administration officials, and was viewed as the possible future of the Democratic Party as she prepared for a presidential bid. She didn’t get close to the nomination in 2020.
Another one gives three causes that stood out.
But the major reason is that she is a really BAD candidate. I heard she didn't even have enough votes to carry California, her home state.
Are you in for a shock if you belong that that group.
Above the purple on the left end of this graph is PCF, which is Parti Communiste Français. LFI is La France Insoumise, which is an even further left-wing to far-left political party in France. It was launched in 2016 by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, then a Member of the European Parliament and former co-president of the Left Party. It aims to implement the eco-socialist and democratic socialist programme L'Avenir en commun.
But, having something to the left of Communism should clue you in for this is a fun ride. You can learn more about them here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_France_Insoumise
And, yes, I do support multiparty democracy which has parties like this one and Marine Le Pen's Rassemblement national, which is what was once known as the National Front. And is pretty extreme right.
I mean, Europe did have fascism. Soooo. And I'm learning about something called Operation Gladio.
And there are 14 other parties in between!
I have to admit that true multiparty democracy is a lot confusing, even if you are a fan. So, I can't get too deep into this, but it was not a victory for the far left. It also wasn't a victory for the far right. This is because neither party had a majority. This means that there will either have to be a coalition, or a new election. The government will function, which is what an "executive" branch should do: make sure things tick along.
But, yes. I do support this even if there are extreme parties and run off elections, but at least there are parties which represent the people. There is also a need to work together for the common good.
OK, we now have it out in the open what we guessed happened all along: Sanders was going to win the nomination. So, the Democrats circle their wagons and run two of the worst possible candidates. Of course, they "won" the nomination if you really want to believe that. But doesn't it stink that the DNC that year was VIRTUAL??? I mean an unpopular candidate somehow manages to beat a popular one.
REALLY?
No, vote blue no matter who and get someone who belongs in a memory care unit, not the white house. It's time to look to another party that really represents the people.
As I said, I Demexited in 2016 because the Democrats became too obvious that they don't want to represent me.
And, elections are rigged in the US. The primaries being a really glarring example of it. The US needs to stop funding private elections with public money.
How Do You Do, Fellow Progressives? |
It's been nearly two weeks and Dementia Joe is still the Democratic candidate for president: despite it being REALLY obvious that he isn't fit for the job.
He wasn't in 2020. In fact, both Biden and Harris were weak candidates who somehow managed to defeat a popular candidate from the "left".
Bernie Sanders.
The thing is that Bernie Sanders represents a solidly Red state, with the possible exception of Burlington. In fact, a Sanders candidacy would have shaken the US political landscape quite drastically. But he was suppressed for good reason if you want to keep the joke that is the US political system.
And despite what Fox News and their ilk will tell you, the Democrats are not a party of the left. Otherwise, they would have run Sanders. But the Democrats have a long history of making sure candidates like Sanders don't win (look up Henry Wallace).
There's a reason that "Hot button" issues are the ones being discussed rather than the real issues facing the United States country. This means that pretty much anyone who sides with the Democratic party doesn't have a lot of support from me.
And they are not what I consider to be true progressives.
Because voting "blue no matter who" is what led to this mess.
Trust me, we would have two candidates with felony charges if Biden didn't have dementia. That makes any comment about Trumps being a "man of his convictions" seem ridiculous.
"Trump is a convicted felon..."
"Yeah, well, Biden probably would be as well if he didn't have dementia..."
Jaysus, and you wonder why I am voting for the only third party candidate who stands a chance of winning?
Actually, it was obvious in 2020. I want to write about how rigged US politics happens to be, but Biden "beating" Sanders in the 2020 Democratic primary was a case in point. The "Hidin' Biden" thing came from the liberal media because Biden wasn't doing interviews with even friendly pundits.
Sorry, right wing media, but the Democrats are in no way a party of the "left". They went with Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Biden in 2020. They would rather lose with candidates like these than run someone like Bernie Sanders.
And Sanders is pretty moderate if one leaves the US.
That means a democratic monarchy can have a hereditary head of state who can be totally out of it, which in the case of Britain was King George III. Republics can have out of touch heads of state as well. Case in point: the United States for most of this century.
The truth of the matter is that the US Constitution was a waste of time and paper since the reality is that it is meaningless. Most people have no idea what it means. Toss in that there are dangerous sections which have been misinterpreted to the detriment of public safety. Yet, the Judges did not say this was a case of desuetude, but reinterpreted the constitution.
Having idiots and lunatics as leaders has shown that the executive is pretty much a ceremonial post, the way having a King, Queen, Duke, Duchess, or other ceremonial leader is in a monarchy. The real power is in the legislature. And, as Tip O'Neill said, "all politics is local".
The way to really get change is to elect local legislators who are committed to change.
And the documentation will follow.
No, the "democratic" party is in no way a party of the left. It is no different than the republican party in not serving the voters. They don't want competition from anyone who might break their lock on the political establishment.
But remember the Republicans were once a third party. Third parties can bring the government back to the people.
.
Change does.
The only way to shake up US politics is for a non-duopoly party to hit them where it counts--in the results. Getting just 5% of the vote will assure that the Greens are on the ballot nationwide.
And the electoral college can screw up the popular vote, but the duopoly doesn't care as long as it runs the show. On the other hand, six states can rack up enough electoral college votes to throw a spanner in the system since it takes 270 electoral votes to win. I've written more than enough on how the Electoral college is bad, but no one is listening.
A Jill Stein win will be shouting in their ears. But we don't need a win--we just need to show that the system is broken.
Everybody knows that Netanyahu is using this to avoid prosecution, but it's wild how Gaza dried up criticism about Creepy Joe and his upcoming renomination.
Then, Trump is found guilty of all charges in his felony trial. Not a word about Biden's corruption though. That's been silent in the media.
And you wonder why I support Jill Stein? There's another post coming about that, but change isn't coming from the duopoly.
The politicians need to realise that they took an oath to the US Constitution, not any other country. They represent the US people and THEIR interests, not another country's.
Article 21
- Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
- Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.
- The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.
There is another provision Article 20 (2) which states that: "No one may be compelled to belong to an association." I guess that's a good place to start on how US elections are rigged since some states have closed primaries which require people to belong to a party before they can vote in them. That is a violation of several provisions since it requires stating party affiliation, being compelled to belong to a party, and using public funds for a private organisation.
And I have news for you if you think that the democratic party is anything beyond the left of centre, if even that far left.
The primary process is another part of rigging elections in that they drag on interminably, which means that any candidate needs money to run a campaign through to the end. But even that doesn't guarantee that a candidate will get anywhere as Bernie Sanders demonstrated in 2016. The upshot is that the primary process is a sham which could easily be run in one day with modern technology. The only reason it drags on so long is to allow for the appearance of anything other than a coronation rather than a truly democratically chosen candidate.
And if money isn't enough of a barrier, then the duopoly has their ways to shut down insurgent candidates: whether it is the primary or nomination process.
Ballot access to third parties is another way the democratic process is thwarted. Let's take Green Party candidate, Jill Stein's, race to get on the ballot in all 50 states. As she will point out, the duopoly are already on the ballot: it's the third parties which have to petition to get on the ballot.
And they have to do it on a state by state basis. The Green Party of New York needs to get 45,000 valid signatures by May 28, with at least 500
or 1% of enrolled voters coming from at least half of the congressional
districts for Jill Stein to be on the ballot. The Green Party is collection 90,000 signatures to make sure that they will have enough. This is because New York lawmakers increased the number of required petitions
from 15,000 signatures to 45,000 in 2020. Under former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, the
rules were also changed for party qualifications for ballot access from receiving at least
50,000 votes in gubernatorial elections to getting 2 percent of the vote
for the top office in elections every other year.
So, here's an answer if you are wondering why the candidates and duopoly parties suck so much. They don't have to do a lot to be assured that's what you are going to be served up in an election. In fact, because of Gerrymandering, some parties don't even bother running a candidate. That means we have the ultimate one party system.
Sure, there are lots of ways to shake up the system if you are tired of crappy candidates. For one, vote for Jill Stein even if her politics aren't yours. She may be the first third party candidate in nearly 200 years to be able to win a presidential election (ever hear of the republican party???). Since one of her platforms is election reform, that would definitely get it on the radar.
Secondly, people need to realise that the US is actually a parliamentary democracy with the legislature holding the power of the purse. Having a serious government shutdown would turn it from a de facto Westminster system to a de jure one--especially if these principals are present:
Of course, the US may go through governments faster than Italy or Belgium until it gets its act together, but would that be a bad thing?
This has to get out there. These are her words (with a bit of editing).
Jenan Matari made this speech on 16 October 2023 and it's still relevant. Nearly 7 months later and this is still as relevant as ever because nothing has changed within the media other than more discrimination and the firing of Arab and Muslim journalists from their positions and the continued vilification of people demanding liberation and justice for the indigenous.
Are politicians and the media sure they want to describe the protests against the Genocide this way?
The Jen-o-side supporters don’t get how hypocritical it is to say “never again” while committing €thnic cleansing and Jen-o-side.
Or to put it another way...
Do you condemn the ŻOB? This is what happened then: “The left-wing Jewish Combat Organization (ŻOB) and right-wing Jewish Military Union (ŻZW) formed and began to train. A small resistance effort to another roundup in January 1943 was partially successful and spurred Polish resistance groups to support the Jews in earnest.”
Let's make the comparison a bit more obvious...
The opening words of the declaration represented the first public expression of support for Zionism by a major political power. The term "national home" had no precedent in international law, and was intentionally vague as to whether a Jewish state was contemplated. The intended boundaries of Palestine were not specified, and the British government later confirmed that the words "in Palestine" meant that the Jewish national home was not intended to cover all of Palestine.Here is the actual document, please read it...
The Balfour Declaration was a public statement issued by the British Government in 1917 during the First World War announcing its support for the establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine, then an Ottoman region with a small minority Jewish population. The declaration was contained in a letter dated 2 November 1917 from the United Kingdom's Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour to Lord Rothschild, a leader of the British Jewish community, for transmission to the Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland. The text of the declaration was published in the press on 9 November 1917.
Immediately following Britain's declaration of war on the Ottoman Empire in November 1914, it began to consider the future of Palestine. Within two months a memorandum was circulated to the War Cabinet by a Zionist member, Herbert Samuel, proposing the support of Zionist ambitions in order to enlist the support of Jews in the wider war. A committee was established in April 1915 by British Prime Minister H. H. Asquith to determine their policy towards the Ottoman Empire including Palestine. Asquith, who had favoured post-war reform of the Ottoman Empire, resigned in December 1916; his replacement David Lloyd George favoured partition of the Empire. The first negotiations between the British and the Zionists took place at a conference on 7 February 1917 that included Sir Mark Sykes and the Zionist leadership. Subsequent discussions led to Balfour's request, on 19 June, that Rothschild and Chaim Weizmann submit a draft of a public declaration. Further drafts were discussed by the British Cabinet during September and October, with input from Zionist and anti-Zionist Jews but with no representation from the local population in Palestine.
But you're not letting the Palestinians exercise their "Second Amendment" right to fight an oppressive, occupying government which is ethnically cleansing them?
How fucked up is that?
OK, All you Christian Zionist out there who somehow believe this project is a partnership. Well, it is one, but it's parasitic.
Realise that you are aiding in the ethnic cleansing of Christians from the Holy Land.
You are condoning the destruction of ancient churches and religious texts.
Hi, just remember that US politicians repeat Zio atrocity propaganda which has been discredited. This question needs to be put to US Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, who repeated the lies. And all the other US Politicians who repeat Zio lies.
I never really got the idea of Easter since, unlike other Christian holidays, it didn't fall on the same day every year. It wasn't until I was married to a Jewish woman that I figured out it was a passover Seder that was geared to fall on Sunday.
One of the big differences between Passover and Easter is the reading of the Seder. I was curious about the Gaza Liberation Haggadah being read by the Columbia Students. I wasn't able to find the exact text, but there are a lot of suggestions for how to conduct the seder this year.
Reading these suggestions make it clear that Zionism isn't Judaism. In fact, it is very contrary to the tenets of Judaism. For example, the quoted texts come from the Australian New Israel Fund's Haggadah Supplement for Pesach 2024:
The Rabbis taught that it was wrong to celebrate the death of anyone, even an enemy: (Proverbs 24:17) “Rejoice not when your enemy falls and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles”. This idea led to the Ashkenazi tradition of removing one drop of wine for each plague. We can not celebrate “with a full cup” knowing we have achieved freedom through the suffering of others.
The Zionist state talks of Amelek, but there is this:
Near the end of the Passover Seder, as we open the door to welcome Elijah the prophet, we recite the shefokh khamatkha, Pour Out Your Wrath: a prayer in which we request divine vengeance be poured upon those who persecute us. In general the idea of vengeful retribution is a challenging text to discuss, but even more so this year.
and this:
For those who believe in God, we can see this as a prayer to remove the need for vengeance from our hearts by relinquishing this to the Divine. Weare not the ones who are able to effect justice adequately in this world, instead we must trust that just responses to evil will be pursued by Hashem. With this faith we can free ourselves from the bitterness of pursuing revenge and instead focus our energies on our journey out of slavery and into freedom.
I've been on quite a few of these protests and have yet to see any real "anti-semitism". What is see are mobs of "Anti-semitic" Jewish students protesting lsraeli actions. Jews protesting against Zionism.
Of course, criticism of the Zionist state and Zionism is smeared as "anti-semitic" by Zionists since they want to try to stop any scrutiny. On the other hand, Zionism is one of those things that fall apart when under scrutiny.
It's sort of undeniable. It's not anti-semitic to point out that Zionism is a racist ideology. Actually, like the ethnic cleansing and genocide, it's pretty obvious. Just read Herzl's Mauschel. Talk about self-loathing Jews!