Is it Safe to Come Out?

I wonder at the impact of this election result. The effect it will have on individuals, on our country, and on our behavior toward each other.

I find myself more curious than contemptuous.

The responsibility for this outcome is widespread but above all, the mainstream media (MSM) failed the American people. Not because they missed the mark on the general election polls, but because they failed to report the full story to the people throughout the primary, instead promoting the agenda of the DNC without regard to the truth.

They blacked out the most significant political movement since civil rights.

Tens of thousands of people showed up to rallies across the US in support of Bernie Sanders; the MSM was silent. Grassroots movements popped up like daisies mobilizing previously unengaged demographics in politics; the MSM said nothing. Millions of people engaged on social media all over the world spreading the word about Bernie Sanders; still nothing from the MSM.

Fair media coverage alone could have affected the outcome of the primary, and ultimately the general election, by informing the general public of the reality and legitimacy of Bernie Sanders as a presidential candidate.

Fair and relevant coverage would have had the MSM attending and reporting on the massive turn out to Sanders’ rallies, the huge influx of newly registered voters motivated by the Sanders campaign, record breaking engagement on social media and grassroots organizations, thousands of posts that went viral for Sanders, and the hundreds of thousands of people who engaged in the political process for the first time.

It was among  the most significant events in US history, and the because of the corruption of the MSM, the DNC, and the Clinton Campaign, it wasn’t covered.

The Media and the DNC manipulated the system and the people in order to win, their plan backfired catastrophically, they removed a strong, legitimate candidate that could have won, and when the truth surfaced about their collusion, they effectively alienated enough voters to hand the victory, no matter how atrocious, to Donald Trump.

So here we are. Evolution has it’s own painfully slow trajectory.

Having already experienced the agony of waking up to the sad state of our government and media, the results of this election are far from surprising. I’m not shocked or any angrier than I was before. Many of us already knew this was coming.

For many though, the truth of our corrupt government and media was too scary a reality to face, but truth is inevitable. The consequences of our ignorance could be dire, and we will all pay the price regardless of which “side” we are on.

Despite my disappointment, I have great compassion for people in this heartbreaking time.

The moment of disillusionment is a painful one and this moment in history is unsettling to say the least.

They say no progress can be made from a place of denial.

Well America, I hope you’re awake cause we’ve got a LOT of work to do.

Today, I'm Calm

Today I’m calm.

Maybe because I lost all faith in government and humanity months ago during the primaries. I was forced to face the reality of a devastatingly corrupt government, a manipulative mainstream media, and a population so divided it’s hard to imagine how we exist together in relative peace on a day to day basis. That, and the fact that the number of people in power concerned with the well being of the people over profits are too small a minority to matter.

No one cared that the primary was rigged, that millions of votes weren’t counted, that HRC didn’t actually win the popular vote, that the national polls pointed to Bernie Sanders being a landslide winner while HRC was a mere tie at best with some polls showing not-a-chance-in-hell odds at worst.

I didn’t wait until election day to determine that for this shitshow, there is no happy ending.

The disturbing reality of a trump presidency is exactly what we get for creating a system as undemocratic as the electoral college which clearly selects rather than elects a candidate, even if that candidate is statistically weak.

After the cluster-fuck that was the democratic primary, Hillary Clinton could have extended welcoming remarks to Sanders supporters. Instead she further alienated people with her arrogant statements that she didn’t need their votes and the inevitability of her presidency was, in effect, “already done.”

More disturbing than the insulting nature of such a statement from a presidential candidate was the blatant lack of respect for the democratic process and the voices of the people.

Media silence kept the American public uniformed while propaganda kept them misinformed. Throughout the primary the primary objective of the mainstream media was to  push the agenda of the DNC.

It’s an interesting day when even election rigging and media collusion can’t get you elected.  

We’ll blame wikileaks, third party voters, and whoever the “others” are in our minds because we have to face the consequences of our reality and, let’s face it, we’re scared shitless, but the bottom line is; the system is made to serve itself,not the people, the system backfired this time and the jokes on us.

Today is a sad day in America faced with the reality of having a corrupt system, a divided populace, and deep rooted issues of racism and misogyny, but the hard truth is; this reality existed before today, before the primary, even before Trump.

The first days of disillusionment are the worst; the painful reality of where we are verses where we thought we were.

My heart didn’t break due to the outcome of this election; my heart broke months ago when millions of California voters weren’t included in the democratic process, when thousands of Colorado voters weren’t heard, when Arizona polling places were closed and moved excluding specific demographics from participation, when New York officials purged hundreds of thousands of legitimately registered voters, when it became clear that DNC was colluding with HRC and the media with the DNC, when Bernie delegates were targeted and removed from the Democratic national Convention and seat fillers were hired to give the illusion of a united party, and when HRC arrogantly dismissed the millions of Sanders supporters.

My heart didn’t break today: it was broken every day for last year.

Evolution is such a painfully slow process.

I’m not happy, but I’m not surprise. This is what the backfire of a corrupt political system looks like. The Democratic and Republican parties have shown their true colors, the people have spoken, it’s ugly, and now the world knows without a shadow of doubt just how fucked things are in the “Greatest” nation on earth.  

Good morning, America. Our dirty laundry is on the line for the world to see.

Truth-Tellers and Terrorists

The people have no power, this much is clear. Chris Hedges points out that the only hope for powerless people is not to gain power, but to create enough fear that the people in power will act; make concessions in response to social demands and human need.

This is the world we live in. It’s not a new story, but it is a devastating one. The people have no real say in the direction of our country. Policies are written for the interests of the corporations regardless of how greatly opposed the public is. And still the politicians stand up and declare their loyalty and dedication to the people, the environment, and the advancement of our country.

What they really mean is, they are dedicated to their corporate contributors who then are granted special access and influence on policy making through their elite connections to our governing body.

This is, incidentally, exactly what happened with the Hillary Clinton while she was Secretary of State (SOS). She claimed there was no overlapping interests between the Clinton Foundation and the her role as SOS, but the emails proved the opposite.

Wealthy contributors made massive donations to the Clinton Foundation and were granted direct access to the SOS of the United States of America in return. In fact, over HALF of the meetings scheduled during HRC’s term were with those who contributed to the Clinton Foundation.

The truth is coming to light just as it did for poor Ryan Lochte, with one glaring difference; he eventually told the truth. He admitted his guilt, took responsibility, and apologized for his behavior.

Not so with Clinton. She reiterates her lies again and again in the face of the American public, pointing the finger anywhere but at herself, villainizing and even criminalizing the ones who reveal the TRUTH.  

She has no intention of “coming clean.” She could care less about the American people, integrity, or the truth. Instead she takes up an offensive position attacking the truth-tellers and creating a culture of fear around them. It’s the oldest trick in the book. Make people afraid of each other and they will align behind you.Not this time, Hillary.

Julian Assange is now being referred to as a “tech terrorist,” a term coined, undoubtedly, just for him: Wikileaks deemed a “Terrorist Organization,” both now under threat of attack, and the charge? Telling the Truth.

If the truth reveals a direct connection between powerful elites in government and the decisions and policies that lead to suffering and loss of human life for the sake of monetary corporate profit, who is the real terrorist?

StandOff

It’s easier to deny the reality of a corrupt government and a democracy long dead, when the majority of the population lives in a bubble of privilege, sheltered from the dire and inevitable consequences of such a system, but what happens when that bubble shrinks and the majority no longer exists within that bubble? When the majority is no longer blinded by propaganda and becomes aware of the unsustainable nature of the societal and governmental policies that exist to benefit the few over the masses?

We have a government aware of issues, some of which have simple and reasonable solutions; we have unparalleled access to technology and financial resources that would render many of the economic, environmental and social problems we are plagued with obsolete; and, yet, they refuse to address those issues because the solutions would interfere with corporate interests and profits.

Our government is not a democracy but an oligarchy of corporations who hold the power to coerce and bribe government officials to promote policies that protect the interests and profits of the wealthy over the rights and welfare of the people, or the environment.

The fact that in the US we are plagued with a population that for decades has been painfully uninvolved and uneducated about the workings of our political system has only amplified the corruption and issues in our government. This makes the reality harder to face, the system harder to change, and the solution harder to achieve.

What we have at present is a population divided, but not necessarily in the way we think. Ultimately the people, I believe, are on the same side and motivated by the same things: 1) a desire to live comfortably and peacefully; and 2) a fear of losing their sense of safety and security.

The dividing point is not what we’re striving for or what we’re afraid of but what we think should be done about it. On this point, we are divided in many ways.

Some people would like to shut everybody up about the incriminating evidence tied to the establishment, tow the line, and ignore all factual information regardless of how bad it is in order to not rock the figurative boat. In this case fear of change outweighs the reality that the boat was already taking on water and that’s what the truth is exposing. The people who are pushing for exposure become the threat because they are the ones rocking the boat, even if they aren’t the ones responsible for the hole.

Others want to engage in extreme measures of isolationism believing it’s the “others” that pose the threat to their security and therefore must be removed. Whether they be Muslims, Mexicans, Isis, another country halfway around the world, or simply the people who don’t agree with their views, these people believe that the threat comes from these “other” people and in order to feel safe and secure these “others” must be excluded, deported and isolated. They get a greater sense of security from carrying a bigger gun and building a bigger wall.

Still others want to bring the reality of the corrupt system to light regardless of how hard it rocks the boat and how bad the reality is in order to then make real progress and create real solutions for a sustainable future. In this case, the people who are fighting to maintain the status quo and quietly carry on with life as usual become the opposition.

All of these points and perspectives are valid regardless of whether I personally agree with them or not, and all of them carry the same fatal flaw: an “Us against Them” mentality.

We’re in the middle of an epic standoff not just between political parties but between people.

My question is: based on this reality, how do we, as a people, move toward a solution and progressive action that works for all all of us?

Believe it or not, there are some positive implications associated with this shift in our populace and while the struggle is real and the tensions are high, this is a direct result of a rise in our general consciousness around the state of our nation and our world.

The struggle comes from not knowing how to address or resolve the enormous issues we are faced with.

In my opinion, the only unsolvable problem is an avoided problem. Unfortunately, we have many many problems that land in that category.

A people divided is a people conquered and right now we are a divided people conquered by a corrupt government and corporate interests.

As far as I’m concerned, the presidential race has become a sideshow of second rate actors not worth the price of admission-- something to keep us occupied that has nothing to do with the main event.

Perhaps we should start focusing on the real issues which, as far as I can tell, have less to do with who becomes president, and more to do with how we can communicate with each other to facilitate sustainable solutions for a truly  productive and inclusive society.

A NATION DIVIDED

It feels like doomsday.

Incriminating evidence from wikileaks against the DNC and Hillary Clinton keeps on coming and the main stream media does it’s best to ignore the facts while continuing their barrage of propaganda and fear mongering about Trump.

This is like a sick joke being played on the American people and there is only one outcome regardless of which of these two buffoons gets elected; the people lose.

The establishment has their agenda and it’s been the same from the start. Get Hillary elected by any means necessary. Perhaps they wouldn’t have even had to rig the election if this unpredictable wild card, Bernie Sanders, hadn’t shown up like a monkey wrench in what was a well oiled machine.

But he did.

He showed up and captured the attention, enthusiasm, and the hearts of millions of Americans and we voted. Yes, we did. We voted for him. We not only voted for him, we voted for a corruption free government, for a true democracy, and for a system that works for the people, not the corporations. We showed up and offered our allegiance and energy to the Democratic Party and they turned us away. Instead of listening to the voices of millions (as one might expect from the party who claims to be “the People’s Party,”) they doubled down their efforts to shut us up and shut us out.

Now they are doing what they have always done; manipulate and terrify people through the media to make them feel as if there is only one option, effectively creating their own campaign of hate pitting Clinton supporters against anyone who doesn’t support her. Clinton supporters attack Sanders supporters on social media for refusing to back her, openly ridiculing, intimidating, and blaming Bernie Sanders supporters for the inevitable disaster that would be a Donald Trump Presidency.

This kind of intimidation and attempt to influence another person’s vote is not only undemocratic, according to the voter rights act, it’s illegal.

I get it. We are all scared for our future.

What I’m scared of is that the more I understand about our corrupt political system, the more I feel like a disastrous outcome is inevitable. As far as I can tell, this hand has already been played and what’s worse, I don’t actually think it matters who the people vote for.

That has been proven again and again in this primary election.

The DNC stole the election. There is concrete evidence that even they couldn’t deny and yet they refused to rectify their illegal behavior in a way that restored the voice of the people, or the democracy that clearly no longer exists. They could have given the nomination to the legitimate candidate who polled consistently better nationally than the republican nominee, and they chose to ignore the facts and push their own agenda.

They said it themselves, they don’t need the Sanders supporters to win.

In fact, they’ve proven that they don’t need voters to win.

What they need is a populace that can be fear mongered and manipulated into voting for their candidate despite her ill character and illegal history, and people with a low enough moral code to accept pay in exchange for unethical and illegal practices like: closing polling places, purging voters from the ranks, changing voters' registration status, intimidating voters online, allowing the placement of hackable voting machines in areas where there is no paper trail, training poll workers to hand out provisional ballots to people registered Democrat, and paying off the people responsible for counting those ballots to instead throw them in the trash.

No, Hillary can’t have my vote, but don’t worry; she doesn’t need it to steal the election.

She doesn’t need yours either.

AFTERMATH

This week at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, it seemed the Democratic Party did everything possible to put on public display of just how UNdemocratic the party has become.

Sanders Delegates were in some cases denied admittance to events, or their admittance was delayed while HRC delegates were allowed admittance to reserve seats for other HRC supporters or seat fillers hired to look like HRC supporters. Videos of Sanders delegates being verbally abused by Clinton Delegates emerged, Bernie Delegates were targeted and removed for no reason from the convention, Bernie signs and banners were confiscated from supporters, lights were turned off over sections of the arena where delegates expressed anything deemed unacceptable by the party, and white noise machines were installed to silence the vocal protests of delegates.

One woman was caught on camera telling a Bernie delegate and his 17 year old daughter to “get the f*ck out.”

Witnessing the disgusting behavioral display of the Clinton delegates and despicable actions of the party leaders, I can’t help but notice that if you removed the signage, the scene is all but indistinguishable from a Trump rally, complete with heckling, harassment, even assault on protesters.

Tell me again how the democratic party is ‘better’ than the Republican party?

The DNC hired actors to fill the seats of protesting Bernie delegates and paid them to cheer, wear or present Hillary garb, and promote the desired appearance of party unity for the cameras. I wonder if they’ll pay them to vote too.

North Korea uses similar tactics when allowing visitors into the country. Carefully placing people to project the desired impression of their country while allowing visitors to take only strictly guided tours that limit visibility to anything undesirable.

This is not a democracy, this is some sick combination of an oligarchy and a dictatorship.

Even I didn’t expect such a blatant and obvious display of oppression at the Democratic National Convention.

All week long the Democratic Party took extreme measures to further oppress the people in order to make a false public display of party unity.

The party is more divided than ever.

It’s hard to tell where this race will end up or what the consequences will be, but one thing is clear; we are a long, long way from a unified party despite what the corporate media presented during the convention.

DemEXIT

After a day wrought with disgraceful conduct by the DNC, Bernie Sanders conceded the race to Hillary Clinton and promptly left the convention. Following the official announcement of the nomination for Clinton, thousands of Sanders supporters staged a walk out leaving the convention hall impressively half empty during the victory speeches.

Protests ensued in the streets. Nina Turner was reportedly stripped of her credentials and ejected from the convention, rumors are flying that Bernie Sanders switched his affiliation from Democrat back to Independent, Jill Stein campaigned to the disheartened Bernie Supporters outside the convention hall, and a massive numbers of democrats moved to abandon the Democratic Party in what is being called, “DemExit.”

The DNC was caught rigging the democratic primary process and they did NOTHING to rectify the situation. Yes, Wasserman stepped down (and was immediately hired by the Clinton Campaign, though she was probably already on their payroll), and the DNC did issue an apology letter, but this hardly qualifies as sufficient amercement for rigging a national election.

Bernie called upon his supporters to unify behind Hillary, but the more research I did on HRC, the more it became clear  that she is no less dangerous than Trump. In fact, while Donald Trump sounds [admittedly] terrifying every time he opens his mouth, HRC has an equally terrifying (and proven) track record of consistently poor judgement, dangerous policies, dishonesty, and corruption.

The bottom line is, I have done the research and so have millions of other Americans.

The fact is, our system is corrupt. We have two corporate parties that want us to think our only option is choosing one of these two evils. I honestly don't think there is a "LESSER" in this case.

History shows that even small increases of corruption in government are breeding grounds for civil unrest. I’m sad to say that we are currently standing on that precipice in our country.

I won't tell anyone else how to vote, that defeats the purpose of a democracy. Not that we actually have one.

I will, however, remind people that we do, in fact, have a third party in this country. It’s not a corporate party, it’s the Green Party.

Today I removed myself from the (un)democratic party. At this point I plan to support Jill Stein along with every progressive down ballot candidate I can.

If Trump is elected, it is the DNC, not the Bernie Sanders Supporters, who are responsible.

The People are awake, the People are paying attention, and the People are justified in being pissed off.

I’m sad to say, we still have a long road ahead.

Hold on.

Buckle Up

After the recent wikileaks release of tens of thousands of damning emails regarding the biased conduct of the Democratic national committee, the Democratic National Convention is off to a bumpy start.

Months ago, the Bernie Sanders Campaign made statements calling out Wasserman for her HRC bias which she, and the Clinton Campaign, adamantly and repeatedly denied.  The most recent evidence of the DNC scandal proves that not only is Debbie Wasserman unfit to hold the position of DNC chair due to her pathetically lacking moral code, but that her dishonesty is fit for only one thing; a top position on Hillary Clintons campaign.

Is anyone else dumbfounded by the implications of such a move by HRC? DWS steps down as DNC chair for corruption and is immediately hired by HRC and backed by Obama himself with high praise and glittering references?

Excuse me while I vomit.

It only seemed to add insult to injury when this morning, in Sanders opening address to his delegation, he reiterated his earlier support for a Hillary Clinton Presidency.

Perhaps he is still playing by the rules and making the necessary statements to assure he is not stripped of his speaking slots throughout the convention, but it’s not an easy pill to swallow for the Sanders supporters who are watching concrete evidence come to light about the corruption in the DNC. Evidence that the DNC is guilty of undermining the entire democratic primary in favor of Hillary Clinton with no apparent repercussions.

Bernie Sanders may not be able to scream aloud for justice against the corrupt political party, but his delegation certainly is, and so are millions of his supporters.

Directly after Bernie’s speech Jane Sanders was heard on the still hot mike saying what sounds like, “They don’t know your name has been put in nomination. That’s the concern.”  

It may be a small consolation after an epically disappointing speech, but It IS only day one after all. By the end of the week we’ll know whether the die hard Bernie supporters will get to vote for him in November on the Democratic ticket, or whether they will ultimately be the new foundation of the Green Party for Jill Stein.

Crumbling

Despite the disappointment of Bernie’s endorsement of Hillary, I am still with Sanders all the way through the convention.

I also just donated to Jill Stein. 

Some will agree with my decision, some will not. Either way, it's okay. I support your decisions to do what you think is best. That's what democracy is all about. 

I have no idea how this will end, and believe me when I say it scares the crap out of me. 

Our current government has amplified and created more issues then they have resolved. They have created more threats than they have extinguished. They have created more poverty than they have ended, and they have certainly killed more people than they have saved.

They continuously put their financial interests ahead of the interests of the people or the environment. They have created such a disastrous state of affairs that we are on the verge of catastrophic and irreversible climate change, and unsustainable living conditions.

I’ve said it before; the state of our nation is a disgrace. The rampant racism, police brutality, poverty, mental illness, homelessness, and inescapable debt (among many other things) are all indications of a failed and corrupt government. 

I can’t turn on the radio without hearing of another senseless attack, another innocent person shot down or brutally beaten. I watched a video of a teenage boy, not much older than my own son, being tazed in the head for an extended period because a police officer couldn’t control his own emotions. The offense? Being obstinate, which is annoying but not illegal last I checked. That kid is permanently brain damaged. 

Yesterday, another terrorist attack took place in France. A truck plowed through a festive crowd killing over 80 people. 

It’s devastating and what’s worse-- We contributed to the ongoing unrest that has produced the extremist people and organizations that now plague our communities.

We created this problem when we unjustly invaded Iraq and nothing we have done since then has served to de-escalate or resolve the issues. 

We’re afraid of becoming the target, afraid of losing our sense of security, but we’re way past that. 

I don’t know what the solution is, but I know that what we have been doing isn’t working. 

It feels like we’re on a path of total self-destruction on every level. From our own local communities with growing poverty and increased economic hardships, to police brutality and intolerance, to our government who manages somehow to accomplish nothing despite the secure paychecks they collect from our tax dollars, to the wars and terrorist attacks taking place all over the world, to the environment that we have all but destroyed with our greed. 

Greed is not sustainable. Intolerance and exclusion are not sustainable. Endless wars are not sustainable. Our way of life is not sustainable. And our corrupt government is certainly not sustainable.

We are not powerless, they just want us to think that we are. 

I have no idea how this will turn out, what will happen at the convention, or what will happen in the general election in November. 

I know that Bernie’s Endorsement of Hillary did not provide the results the DNC hoped for. More people are fleeing the Democratic Party in favor of the Green Party and Hillary is dropping steadily (and remarkably low) in key polling states. 

If Sanders comes out the victor of the Democratic nomination, he still has my unwavering support for the presidency. Meanwhile, I am going to work hard to get Jill Stein the support she needs to be included in the debates for the presidential race. She’s well on her way.

I refuse to cast my vote for fear. I will cast my vote for progress. 

We are standing on the precipice, and we don’t have any more time to waste.