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Secession, Trump, and the Avoidability of Civil War

The Governor of California has joked about building a wall all the way around his state if Donald Trump becomes president of the other 49. Secession would not be a joke had it not been given an undeserved bad name. It would not have that bad name but for our universal acceptance of imperialism and of an overly simplistic history of the U.S. Civil War.

The Execution of Berta Caceres, the United Fruit Company and the US Military: A Historical Timeline Identifying Some of the Perpetrators

The following quotes (except as noted) are from: https://newrepublic.com/article/120559/honduras-charter-cities-spearheaded-us-conservatives-libertarians

 

“In the early 1950s the United Fruit Company hired legendary public relations expert Edward Bernays to carry out an intense misinformation campaign portraying then-Guatamalan president Jacobo Arbenz as a communist threat.” -- Scott Price, IC Magazine

 

Obama's Seven Slaughters: It's a Disease, Not a Doctrine

 

Former Israeli prison guard Jeffrey Goldberg's "The Obama Doctrine" in The Atlantic presents President Barack Obama's view of his own foreign policy (with input from a few of his close subordinates). Obama views himself as a radical leader in military restraint, in brave resistance to war mongers, and in scaling back excessive fear mongering in U.S. culture.

The U.S. President who has overseen the highest Pentagon budget in history, created drone wars, launched wars against the will of Congress, dramatically expanded foreign arms sales and special operations and the arming of proxies, claimed to be "really good at killing people," and openly bragged about having bombed seven nations that are inhabited largely by dark-skinned Muslims, bolsters his "doctrine" by offering accurate antiwar assessments of Nixon, Reagan, and George W. Bush's wars. (He essentially admits to Reagan's October Surprise negotiations with Iran that sabotaged the 1980 U.S. elections.) Obama's and Goldberg's discussion of Obama's own wars does not display the same accuracy or wisdom.

Understanding Self-Hatred in World Affairs


If you have ever wondered why the global elite hoards their wealth instead of using it to help break down the violence and injustice in our world, I would like to suggest an answer to your question: self-hatred.

If you have ever wondered why weapons manufacturers make weapons to kill other living beings and destroy the Earth, I would like to suggest an answer to your question: self-hatred.

If you have ever wondered why politicians serve elite interests, I would like to suggest an answer to your question: self-hatred.

If you have ever wondered why a parent is violent towards their own child, I would like to suggest an answer to your question: self-hatred.

The explanation for violent and exploitative behaviors always includes self-hatred. Let me explain why.

Conscious self-hatred is an intensely unpleasant feeling to experience and, consequently, people who feel self-hatred learn to fearfully and deeply suppress their awareness of it when they are very young. Having learned to do this, subsequent opportunities for this self-hatred to be felt are progressively more easily suppressed.

Human Rights Hypocrisy

Big eye poster with words "Venceremos"

In advance of President Barack Obama’s historic visit to Cuba on March 20, there is speculation about whether he can pressure Cuba to improve its human rights. But a comparison of Cuba’s human rights record with that of the United States shows that the US should be taking lessons from Cuba.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights contains two different categories of human rights – civil and political rights on the one hand; and economic, social and cultural rights on the other.

Civil and political rights include the rights to life, free expression, freedom of religion, fair trial, self-determination; and to be free from torture, cruel treatment, and arbitrary detention.

Economic, social and cultural rights comprise the rights to education, healthcare, social security, unemployment insurance, paid maternity leave, equal pay for equal work, reduction of infant mortality; prevention, treatment and control of diseases; and to form and join unions and strike.

Toledo Move to Amend victory

Toledo Move to Amend logo

On Tuesday, March 15 nearly 64% of Toledo’s citizens voted YES on ISSUE 1 in support of a constitutional amendment to abolish corporate constitutional rights and money as speech.

As a result of this initiative, Toledo will hold its first annual Democracy Day in 2017 - a public hearing on the corrupting influence of moneyed interests in politics that the Mayor and at least one member of City Council must attend.  Afterward, the Mayor is required by law each year to send a letter to our elected representatives in Congress on our behalf urging them to pass a Constitutional amendment declaring that corporations are not people and political contributions are not free speech (meaning they can be capped/regulated).

Voters Face Challenges at Polls During March 15 Primary Election: As Polls Close in North Carolina, Illinois, Florida, Ohio and Missouri, Election Protection Received Over 2,100 Calls

Washington, D.C., March 15, 2016 – The nationwide nonpartisan Election Protection voter hotline, 866-OUR-VOTE received more 2,100 calls as voters in five states headed to the polls during March 15 presidential preference primaries as of 6 p.m. EDT. The hotline received a steady stream of calls throughout the day with voters seeking information and requesting assistance on a range of issues that resulted from poll worker misinformation, voter ID requirement implementation, long lines and last minute polling place changes.

Ohio end of primary Election Day – News Alert

vote image

A visit to the Driving Park Library polling site in Franklin County found that the presiding judge said that there the primarily black precincts had 24 provisional votes, between 5-10% of total votes at approximately 1pm.

At the polling site at the King Arts Complex in Columbus’ inner city, the precinct judge reported that four voting machines would not boot up at the beginning of the day and the BOE had to send in technicians. The machines were running by the time the polls opened. She reported between 30-40% provisional votes by approximately 1:30pm.

A forwarded report to the Free Press noted that in Bexley, Ohio, a voter was told that there was no Green Party ballot.

Ohio primary election - News Alert

These are the initial voting problems reported to the Free Press.

Reports came in during early voting, prior to primary Election Day:

* The Franklin County Board of Elections (BOE) (Columbus) "accidentally" mailed completed absentee ballots to some voters. The Franklin County BOE reported that it would be contacting those voters.

* An Election Protection worker attempted to see all three Party sample ballots - Democrats, Greens and Republicans. A Franklin County BOE absentee ballot official incorrectly informed her that the Green Party did not have a ballot. The problem was corrected by a BOE supervisor.

* An incumbent Franklin County Green Party Central Committee member and candidate on the Green Party primary ballot went in the Franklin County BOE early voting site and asked for a Green Party ballot. She was initially told there was no Green Party ballot. She had to demand they find and give her a Green Party ballot.

* The Free Press got a call from a Franklin County voter reporting that the home page of the Franklin County BOE did not list early voting hours for the Saturday, Sunday and Monday prior to the Tuesday, March 15 Election Day.

Hey old people! This is why American youth Feel the Bern

Bernie Sanders talking to young people

Hey old people! This is why American youth Feel the Bern

 

By Sam Lagana

Bernie Sanders’ appeal to so many young people is uncanny to older Americans. As if the Democratic candidate with the socialist message has a secret energy that’s driving them to flock under his banner. No other presidential candidate has such influence over our young adults and even those who are not of voting age. After pressure from Sanders’ team and a lawsuit, an Ohio judge ruled last week that teenagers who turn 18 before Election Day can vote in Ohio’s primary.

What’s mind-boggling is that while the support for Bernie from young people is unwavering, older generations are left scratching their heads and scoffing. How can our youth be so loyal to a 70-something white man who works in Vermont? How can a card carrying Democratic socialist be so well liked by a generation that’s so in love with their connected devices and video games? Don’t these young voters know about the Red Scare? Older Americans often ask my friends and me: Don’t you know about the failed socialist and communist experiments that nearly drove the world to the brink of extinction?!

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