First: Two factors threaten our survival as a democratic nation. One, a movement now flourishes that calls itself “Christian” and wishes to establish a sharia-like law, based on corrupt interpretation of the Christian Bible. Two, an oligarchy supports the mission of these freaks of the far right because they serve as an effective distraction to the oligarchs' real purpose: To complete their full control over our economy and political process. Second: The only action that can prevent the subjugation of democracy to religious crazies and corporate control are to elect either Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton.
For all that you hold dear, please
realize that the vital debate that must now happen to determine our
presidential nominee must never devolve into ugliness, vitriol and
name calling. This is just the distraction neo-Republicans need to hide
the terrifying reality that all their candidates, even those whose
smiles aren't creepy, are far to the right of 90-95 percent of us.
Not one GOP candidate holds values common even among most
Republicans. But if our political discourse becomes one, loud hate
and fear filled shouting match, those really evil guys sound more
mainstream. So tone it down. Employ the Golden Rule. Check out what
you write before you post it.
This takeover of all that we hold dear
has been happening for decades. But the process is intensifying and
nearing completion. This fact puts us simultaneously in the most
danger ever to lose our country to the forces of fear, hatred and
corruption and in position to grab our greatest opportunity to
reclaim it as a powerful tool to achieve common good and a bright
future for us all.
In the past week, two events starkly demonstrate
what is at stake. A strip mall preacher defined some of what
“Christian” sharia law might include. The Southern Poverty Law
Center did not declare the Republican Party a hate group as some
media outlets have. However, it cited in its annual report “Year in
Hate and Extremism” racist rants and hate speech aimed at inflaming
violent extremists from every remaining Republican presidential
candidate. That second point is the more important, but let's
start with the the preacher because it demonstrates the set up that
blocks us from seeing the stark, immoral behavior of the neo-GOP.
In
Tempe, Arizona, Baptist preacher Steven L. Anderson declared from the
pulpit, “What
do you think they mean by women’s rights? You know what they mean? The
right to divorce your husband is what they mean. ...The right to
rebel and disobey your husband, the right to divorce him, the right
to go out and get a job and make your own money, the right to tell
him what to do, the right to go vote for our leaders as
if women should
have any say in how our country is run, when the Bible says that “I
suffer not a woman to teach, not to usurp authority over the man, but
to be in silence”?
This
same man has prayed for President Obama's assassination, for the
death penalty for all gay people. He's pretty effective, it seems one
of his congregation showed up at an Obama rally with an AR-15 and a
handgun.
And
of course it's not this one guy. In the same month, similar, softer
expressions came from a female panelist on “The View”; a guy in
England scheduled a series of events in America aimed at legalizing
rape. So when we hear this din, we tend to be less shocked, less
inclined to act against news like Gov. Abbott vowing to continue
investigating Planned Parenthood. We might miss deeper assaults on
access to birth control and health care; the right to vote; renewed
attacks on the environments; ability to earn a fair and living wage.
That's why we need to stop shouting at each other, so we can hear the
deadly plotting whispers uttered daily.
That's
also why the SPLC's condemnation of neo-GOP presidential contenders for
their role in escalating violence becomes the most important news of
the year. SPLC has, since 1971, studied, reported and fought against
extremism and hatred. It worships no sacred cows and will call out
any entity of any race or persuasion who threatens another with harm.
They are brave, bold and largely unshockable. When SPLC says pay
attention, that this is quantitatively and qualitatively different,
we better pay attention.
After
remarking on a year of extraordinary violence from domestic
extremists and a 14-percent increase in radical, right-wing hate
groups, SPLC wrote, “The
armed violence was accompanied by rabid and often racist
denunciations of Muslims, LGBT activists and others — incendiary
rhetoric led by a number of mainstream political figures and
amplified by a lowing herd of their enablers in the right-wing
media.”
While
the most odious culprit was, of course, Donald Trump, SPLC listed
each current GOP candidate as either espousing violence and
discrimination against ethnic, political or religious entities or
promoting others within their own organizations who do so.
We
are faced then with the scariest threats to the safe and peaceful
conduct of our lives since at least 1968. And it is into this turmoil
that the oligarchs advance to vanquish our remaining ability as a
democracy to protect ourselves from their greed and power. Since the
1980s, Congress and presidents have removed almost every protection
for individuals, as well as small and mediums sized businesses from
corporate overreach. Those, in some cases, have been replaced with
new, but much less potent laws (for example, Glass-Steagall with
Dodd-Frank). The Supreme Court has defined corporations as persons
and money as speech, perverting the basic documents of our democracy.
Reaganomics has trickled down to drown our middle and lower income
families in debt and poverty. NAFTA and CAFTA and other trade
agreements have sent our jobs overseas and strengthened grinding
poverty in third world countries leaving our desperately poor
neighbors to cross our borders for survival funds. You know the
litany.
The
only solution, then, is to win this election. And to win it big. Up
and down the ballot, as far as we can go. Every race from State Board
of Education and district judges to the Texas Supreme Court, Railroad
Commission and every single member of Congress we can eek out. Shock
and awe at the ballot box.
For either Bernie or Hillary to be
effective once in office will require us to create the political
revolution that Bernie has been talking about since the beginning. WE
are the people who still believe we, and not mega-wealthy private
interests or corrupt clerics, should control our government and
personal destinies. The political revolution means we show up at the
polls in amazing numbers. It means we start being involved now with
demanding (firmly but politely) the Democratic National Committee stop taking lobbyists'
money, as President Obama asked. The political revolution means
committing to finding the money to replace that (and volunteering
lots and lots of time to make up for any shortfall.) More than all of
that, it means saying to our elected officials at all levels, “Have
spine. Have the courage of your convictions. Live up to your
promises. Listen to me because my voice is what matters. Use my money
to make a difference in people's lives; in my life. Invest in the
American future.” Political revolution means holding our elected
officials responsible every day and supporting them every day.
Only two candidates can fend off the
oligarchs in the short run and the racists, misogynists, hate mongers
at our door today. However, only Bernie Sanders offers a way to a
long-term solution, a more perfect democracy, because Secretary
Clinton is too much a part of the system that holds the oligarchy,
the corporatist world in place. If she is nominated, vote for Hillary
as a place saver for someone who can truly bring about a political
revolution in the years to come. I will advocate ceaselessly for polite and intelligent
political dialogue in the nomination process. And I will work like a
dog, a yellow dog, to get every Democratic candidate elected in 2016.
Please join me.
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