A Response to the Signatories of the "Open Letter: Dump Trump, Then Battle Biden"

It comes down to this: in ten years or less, climate change will pass the point of no return. Billions of deaths will become inevitable, and human civilization will not survive. But Joe Biden won't even ban fracking.

And we don't even have ten years. The fossil fuel industry must be shut down as quickly as possible. Worldwide action on a scale never before seen in human history is an absolute necessity if we're to have even a SMALL chance for humanity to survive. The signatories of this letter know this.

We don't have time to support Biden and then protest Biden. It won't work. The media will ignore the protests. Biden will use his enhanced powers to crush protesters, just as he and Obama did to the Occupy Movement and the water protectors of the DAPL. This letter is a recipe for human extinction.

I don't know how old many of the signatories are. Maybe they're all of an age where extinction doesn't matter to them, because they'll die before it happens. But I have a child, and I care about what happens to the children of the world. As a parent, I will not accept the murder-suicide of our species.

Our only hope for human survival is revolution, beginning with a #GeneralStrike. As for the signatories of this letter, they've shown themselves to be either hopelessly unrealistic, or simply cynical and manipulative. I'm sorry to have to say that, because I've admired some of them in the past. But if they've decided to give up on humanity, it's incumbent on them to get out of the way - not to try to take down the whole species with them.

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/09/23/open-letter-dump-trump-then-battle-biden

https://commons.commondreams.org/t/open-letter-dump-trump-then-battle-biden/82463/105?u=pmaranci

Competing with America's slaves

 America's for-profit prison system has effectively enslaved millions of Americans - primarily black, brown, and poor Americans - to the enrichment of massive corporations. Those corporations have the legal right to torture any of their prisoners who refuse to work; they can be put in solitary confinement, which the UN classifies as torture.

Those corporations also lobby politicians to increase their supply of slaves by imprisoning more and more Americans. They provide generous campaign donations to highly-placed politicians in both parties.

But one thing that's also interesting is that those work camps (which is what for-profit prisons really are) exert downward pressure on the wages of ordinary American workers. If you can rent the services of slaves for a fraction of the cost of hiring a non-slave worker, what good businessman would hesitate? And what does that do to the bargaining power of free workers?

Extended text conversation with two Biden volunteers

L: Hi Peter, I'm Lisa, a volunteer with the Democrats. Election day is less than 50 days away! We're counting on folks like you to step up and take action with us. Can you make calls to help us win big in November?

P: Not until the Democrats get behind Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and return the fossil fuel subsidy ban to the platform and stand behind it. Oh, and ban fracking.

L: Got it. Respectfully, I believe it will take all of us working together to defeat Donald Trump and make progress towards affordable health care and college, clean energy, a strong middle class, and reforms to strengthen our democracy. Does that resonate with you?

P: No. I'm too familiar with Biden's record, and the DNC has demonstrated too many times that they work for the oligarchs - not the people. In 10 years climate change passes the point of no return. You are working for someone who refuses to even ban fracking. Maybe that's something you should think about.

L: May I ask who you are supporting?

P: I expect to vote for Howie Hawkins. Down-ballot I will only vote Green or other progressive third-party.

L: Got it. Thanks for sharing.

P: I have a son. The DNC, RNC, and the fossil fuel industry that they serve is stealing his future, and that of all the children of the world. How could any parent support that? Anyone with a conscience?

L: I have kids too. That is why I am focused on defeating Trump.

P: I understand. But I can't overlook what the Democrats are also doing - or rather, NOT doing - about the environment. By 2030 it will be too late to give our children a habitable planet. The increase in the Earth's temperature will kill billions of people. Civilization won't survive that. And in the face of all that, Joe Biden insists that he won't ban fracking and wants a middle way on climate. I know that Trump is much worse on climate, but extinct is extinct either way.

My son is a good boy. But NO child should have to face having no future. I can't accept the Democrats' refusal to take the necessary action on climate change. It's unforgivable.

They were supposed to be on our side - the side of the people. But they've been working for Wall Street and their big donors almost exclusively for decades, while we, the people, get nothing but lip service and kente cloths.

I come from a family of passionate lifelong Democrats. I took a degree in political science. I can't pretend that I don't see what has been happening. Unions betrayed. The 1994 crime bill, authored by Joe Biden, turned millions of black, brown, and poor Americans into slaves in all but name - working in privately-run for-profit prisons. The corporations that run those work camps - which is what they are, let's be honest - have donated generously to the Biden campaign. That's not the Democratic Party I supported. It is unimaginably cruel and inhumane.

I'm sorry to go on like this, but I care about this very intensely. The DNC has forced us to choose between two scenarios of extinction for our children. NO. I absolutely cannot accept that.

...how can you?

B: Hello Peter, This is Betsy another volunteer from the Democrats.  Thank you so much for being so passionate on these issues.  I am too.  I'm voting for Biden because it is critical for our country to get Trump out of office with a clear victory.  After that we can stay involved to make sure the Democrats do this important work.  If Trump wins we have no chance.

P: The DNC and the Clinton campaign promoted Trump as part of their "pied piper" campaign. Fear of Trump has been used as a weapon to terrorize Americans into voting for two terrible candidates. Bad as Trump is, I won't accept the argument that I should give up my principles to support a candidate who is as bad as Trump in many ways - if not worse, in some areas.

B: I understand.  I appreciate your passion.  Have a great day and stay safe.

P: The DNC presented America with an intolerable choice, twice. No offense, but doesn't that trouble you?

Take care.

Rage Junkies

 

Have you noticed the rage junkies?

They're self-described leftists who prefer a feeling of moral superiority and hatred towards the ignorant and poor who've been taken in by the right, rather than reaching out to try to convert those among them who can be reached. Even though our power is numbers, and increasing those numbers (without diluting our principles) is the most effective thing that we can do.

They prefer to fight fellow leftists rather than take effective action. A favorite tactic is to come up with some label that they feel renders some person or group an irredeemable enemy, and then attack anyone who questions their logic.

It's a very absolutist attitude. Sometimes I wonder if these rage junkies realize that they're helping the oligarchs. And sometimes I wonder if they're all (or almost all) working for David Brock.

To Those Who Agonize Over Trump vs Biden:

 What more does the DNC have to do to prove that voting is meaningless - shoot anyone who tries to vote? They've rigged the primaries twice now (at least), and between voter roll purges by both parties, black box machine voting, gerrymandering, selective polling station closures, and mysterious ballot disappearances and reappearances, only an idiot would believe that our voting system is even remotely accurate or honest. The only thing that makes the general election results even slightly questionable is that the two crooked parties oppose each other - at least, theoretically.

But the fact remains that the 2020 Presidential election is ALREADY fixed. Either way, the oligarchy will get a loyal servant. Climate change will continue on unopposed, and the election system will not be reformed. Voting is literally meaningless, except as an empty ritual to allow the unaware to believe that they have some sort of control over their destinies. Oh, and to allow the parties and various other advocacy organizations to raise money from suckers.

It's far too late for politics to make a difference. Humanity is going to die, unless revolution comes damned soon. Don't forget, by 2030 climate change passes the point of no return. The Earth's temperature will rise to a point where most of Earth's surface will be uninhabitable, and there won't be anything that we can do about it.

We need a revolution. It has to happen soon. Your vote doesn't mean a damned thing, in that context. Get ready to take to the streets, if you care about your future, your children's future, and the future of the human race.

Oh, and stop arguing about voting for the lesser evil. That's just stupid. You're wasting valuable time - your own, and everyone else's.

Ruth Bader Ginsberg

Don't panic. The oligarchy has owned the Supreme Court for quite a long time now. And we were going to have to revolt, anyway. This really doesn't make any difference.

Ginsburg was a reliable corporate vote anyway. She was only "progressive" on issues that the oligarch Masters didn't care about, i.e. identity politics.

A lot of people are already freaking out over this, but please, don't. You don't need to. This is not changing anything. And you have enough stress to deal with as it is! 🤗

Joe Biden, Man of "The People"

Joe Biden's crime bill literally made slaves out of millions of Americans. How many of them died in prison? Nobody knows.

Biden's support for the Iraq war caused hundreds of thousands of deaths, including many thousand American troops.

Biden's credit bill financially ruined millions of American families. How many people died early of diseases of despair? How many committed suicide? Again, nobody knows.

What we do know is that Biden apparently doesn't give a shit. He still insists that he will veto Medicare for all. He still supports fracking, which will kill off most if not all of the human race along with uncounted numbers of other species.

Does that mean that Trump is good? No. He's vile and evil and stupid. But it does mean that many people have successfully been tricked into supporting blue Trump out of fear of red Trump. They  have been played. Too many Americans have been played. And until enough people wake up and take to the streets, none of us will have any hope for the future.

I hope to God they wake up soon.

The Tragedy of the Sheep

A lot of us have been attacked lately by friends and acquaintances online: victims of the DNC's long-term propaganda campaign to convince the uninformed that the entire corrupt system is all Trump's fault. To them, Trump is Satan, Beelzebub, Hitler, and Mephistopheles all wrapped up in one stupid package. That fear is driving them to mindless support for the Democrats' equivalent of Trump, Joe Biden. Friendship and courtesy mean nothing in the face of that overwhelming terror.

They don't realize that they have allied themselves with the same forces that gave us Trump; the same oligarchs that are killing off the planet. No, they are just dancing along like obedient puppets, screeching their blind rage at anyone who opposes Biden or points out that the two candidates are virtually identical.

They have become unwitting servants of the agents of their own destruction, and the destruction of any children for grandchildren that they might have. They are tragic, although they don't realize it. But we will continue to fight to save the world - including them! - from Trump and Biden and the oligarchy behind them, because we have no other choice.

It comes down to this: Revolution or human extinction. If they don't see that yet, they will eventually. I just hope that it doesn't come too late.

Necessity

 

Realistic UBI?

The only way that Universal Basic Income would work would be if it was pegged to a realistic standard of living - and NOT dependent on Congressional approval for adjustments. Otherwise it would quickly end up like the minimum wage: completely out of date and gutted by inflation.

It's like any other proposed fix. As long as the current corrupt system of capitalism continues to exist, it will swiftly corrupt and destroy any proposed reforms. Assuming that any reforms even make it through the legislative process.

In other words, as long as the oligarchy and capitalism exist, humanity has no hope.

The Decline of Facebook

Facebook is getting bad fast. I've created groups for Facebook expats on a couple of alternative social media sites.

DreamWidth - Leftist Refugee Camp - https://leftistrefugees.dreamwidth.org/

MeWe - Facebook Refugees - www.mewe.com/join/facebook_refugees2

MeWe - Change the World (progressive politics) - www.mewe.com/join/change_the_world1

None of them have a lot of members yet, but they're there if needed!

The Fascists

Jo

Joe Biden's Crime Bill literally made slaves out of millions of black, brown, and poor Americans.

SLAVES.

And the slave masters - the for-profit prison corporations - rewarded Joe generously with plenty of campaign donations.

Biden IS a Fascist. How many of those slaves were raped and killed? Do you think he actually cares?

What are those for-profit prisons but work camps and death camps?

I'd no more vote for Biden than I would for Hitler. Or Trump. And I damn well DO judge those who vote for Biden and urge others to do the same. Something's seriously wrong with those people.