"They don't seem to want very much"

serfdom.jpg

I remember at the peak of Berniemania many were proclaiming a new era, that a new generation of young people had been energized and they would lead a "political revolution". Many were convinced this time was different, that an awakening had occurred where more and more people had become aware of the rampant inequality and injustices in our country. There was the People's Summit and Bernie's Revolution, with conventions and demands. Hope was in the air.

I also remember voicing my opposition to Sanders because, number one, he decided to run as a democrat with the democratic party. I had long before decided I wanted nothing to do with the democratic party and it was simply part of the oligarchical system that prevented democracy in this country. I had/have other issues with Sanders but that was enough for me.

“We won’t organize any black man to be a Democrat or a Republican because both of them have sold us out. Both of them have sold us out; both parties have sold us out. Both parties are racist, and the Democratic Party is more racist than the Republican Party.”
Malcom X, 1964

Many forget or don't know about the struggles from previous eras and how activists were dealing with the same issues. Many people knew about the evils of this duopoly party system in the sixties and yet here we are fifty years later and the only thing that seems to have changed is that the political system has gotten worse.

"During his presidential run, consumer advocate Ralph Nader related how labor organizer and socialist leader Eugene Debs was asked the question, “What’s your biggest regret?” to which Debs answered, “Under our Constitution, the American people can have almost everything they want… My biggest regret is they don’t seem to want very much…”

http://www.counterpunch.org/2017/02/14/in-a-time-of-executive-orders-uph...

I came across that quote from Debs today and it supported what I've felt for some time, Americans don't seem to fucking care.

Really, it's a human thing, not just Americans. We see it all over. There are those who do care, but a whole lot that don't. Maybe not caring is a bit harsh, as Debs said, "they don't seem to want very much." Maybe that's just the way it is and always will be. We're humans. I read a study summary once that indicated the vast majority of people are content with the basics, Maslow's hierarchy of needs plus a cell phone, and don't want to challenge authority. Some of us do want to challenge authority. Some of us want to take their authority and shove it up their ass.

I've asked the question many times, "do we REALLY want democracy"? Because we sure as hell don't have it now and will never have democracy under this party/representative political system. I don't see how that's possible, not now. The entire apparatus, including the Federal Reserve System, Wall Street, corporate power, the military industrial complex, the institutes, think-tanks, lobbies, clubs, secret societies and down right rich people, uses the party/representative political system to serve their interests and are so ingrained and institutionalized it's hard to imagine anything changing that other than a "clean sweep", a revolution that overturns the entire system.

We've had over 230 years under this political system and here we are, we just had an 18 month embarrassment to the human race exhibition of American "democracy" between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump and now we have Donald Trump as president. We're ruled by the rich, we have no say in the political process other than our votes, which let you pick which political party the oligarchy rules through. People are already talking about the next two elections.

Why should we continue doing the same thing?

I think the American people want democracy. I think they can handle it. I much prefer democracy to this oligarchy/plutocracy (plutarchy) we've got now. Rule by the rich, screw that, enough. I don't think most understand what it really means, not if they think the current system is democracy, or even if they think the current system is supposed to be democracy. But most will go along, those that don't want much. It's up to those that do want much to go get it.

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Big Al's picture

I've always loved history, although I'm no expert. But I find it interesting to read about how they were talking, debating, etc., about the same things we are today. And I think that should tell us something.

"The white liberal differs from the white conservative only in one way: the liberal is more deceitful than the conservative. The liberal is more hypocritical than the conservative. Both want power, but the white liberal is the one who has perfected the art of posing as the Negro’s friend and benefactor; and by winning the friendship, allegiance, and support of the Negro, the white liberal is able to use the Negro as a pawn or tool in this political “football game” that is constantly raging between the white liberals and white conservatives."

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janis b's picture

@Big Al

Is that a quote from Malcom X ?

It sounds very much like the age-long assessment of many, between the difference in Northern and Southern racism in America. Racism is racism wherever it exists.

A random injection of music ...

[video:https://youtu.be/xTlsSXNT2bg]

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Big Al's picture

@janis b ya, Malcom X. I read an article about him tonight with some quotes and kind of riffed on that. I wish I could go back to the sixties. If we only knew then what we know now, we would have tried harder.

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janis b's picture

@Big Al @Big Al

to live in. But I still believe that much is realised in the trying, even when not manifested in the results.

[video:https://youtu.be/dL1GzbUdtfg]

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janis b's picture

@Big Al @Big Al

to live in. But I still believe that much is realised in the trying, even when not manifested in the results.

[video:https://youtu.be/dL1GzbUdtfg]

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CB's picture

@Big Al
the 'House Negroes' and the 'Field Negroes'? I wonder what he would have said about Obama in the White House....

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TheOtherMaven's picture

@CB
and he didn't sugarcoat it much if at all.

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There is no justice. There can be no peace.

solublefish's picture

@Big Al "if we only knew then..."
Interesting comment. As one who did not grow up in the 60s (but who is a historian) I am impressed by the degree to which we are now remembering "what we knew then" but have since rather conveniently forgotten.

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@solublefish

Guessing what most needs to be noted, as was so eloquently pointed out in the OP, is the getting on for a half-century of same-old, same-old resulting in worse and utterly entrenched corruption no longer even bothering with the mask...

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Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.

A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.

jwa13's picture

@Big Al ... and some of us got shot for our troubles; others gassed, imprisoned, etc. The plutocracy always has been stickler for enforcing "the rules"; as Buffalo Springfield stated many years ago --

"...step out of line, The Man comes, and takes you away ..."

(would embed a utube link to that great tune, but I am technologically illiterate --)

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When Cicero had finished speaking, the people said “How well he spoke”.
When Demosthenes had finished speaking, the people said “Let us march”.

gulfgal98's picture

@jwa13 [video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjSpO2B6G4s]

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

Big Al's picture

@janis b I like it.

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janis b's picture

@Big Al

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snoopydawg's picture

I don't think it is too harsh to say this about many Americans who have been cheering on the police brutality during people protesting against the bank bailouts, the BLM protesting against the police killing unarmed civilians, the water protesters at DAPL or any other protests or other types of arrests.

They are happy with Trump for keeping his campaign promises to deport immigrants and building up the border patrol.
The hateful comments that I read on these issues shows that many American people have no problem when families are torn apart because an immigrant came here when they were younger and now they are being sent to the country where they were born even though they have no connection with their birth country.

Many of us have been critical of Obamas's foreign policy as he continued PNAC's goals in the Middle East, his drone program because they say that the use of drones is acceptable because less American troops aren't being put in harm's way but they don't bother to question the legality of his use of the drones in the first place.

And now after 8 years of silence from the people who say that what Bush did was wrong but were silent when Obama did the same things and more are now against the actions of the military that has killed civilians because they were done under Trump's orders while he was eating dinner and didn't bother to go to the situation room to watch the troops slaughter the civilians. Do they believe that Obama watched every drone bombing or military action?
Hell if Obama watched as every one of the over 26,000 bombs that were dropped by his orders, he wouldn't have time to do anything else. Such as golfing. Smile

The Obama presidency was marked with secrecy and deception.This constitutional scholar and Nobel Peace Prize recipient blatantly violated human rights and engaged in the destruction of whole countries, while neutralizing opposition with his charm and captivating smiles. As George Orwell said, “in a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act”. Indeed, during Obama’s reign, truthtellers – whistleblowers and publishers who took tremendous risk to inform the public about the government’s betrayal of its own ideals were branded as enemies of the State. They have been subject to unprecedented prosecution by the president who had promised to be the most transparent of all

People are upset about how Putin is killing civilians in Syria, Ukraine and 'annexed' Crimea, but don't want to think about why he is involved in those countries because they would see that it was our country and military that was responsible for him being involved with those countries after we overthrew Ukraine's government and are trying to overthrow Syria's. And that they have been working with the same terrorists that we fought against during the Iraq wars.
Actually they will first have to open their minds for this to happen since the denial of what our country has done to other countries for two centuries wasn't to protect people, protect our country and our freedoms or to spread freedom and democracy. They will have to admit what Smedley told us in his book which he wrote in the 1930's. What is the chance of that happening?

Good essay, Big Al and great article. Thanks.

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Big Al's picture

@snoopydawg seems likes most people, you can tell them and it still won't really register. They don't really want to know.

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janis b's picture

@Big Al

that many don’t really want to know. Knowing is painful, and many are fearful of leaving a space to accomodate pain. What they’re personally protecting is ultimately futile, because acknowledging the pain is one of the ways forward.

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@Big Al They've been told all along that they live in an "exceptional" country.
And you want them to educate themselves to find that it's all a lie?
For too many that's not going to happen.
A lot seem to get stuck in the 7th grade, socially and intellectually. They were once wannabe popular girls or future star quarterbacks at 3A schools. And they were exceptional goddamn it. Don't try to tell them otherwise.

That's my opinion tonight. Tomorrow I might be more forgiving.
Might.

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@snoopydawg @snoopydawg @snoopydawg @snoopydawg

the extraordinary craziness.

That Obama is described with those words is insane.

Dog help us, cause we are in trouble deep.

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CB's picture

Since 9/11 this nation has devolved into a proto-police state that has almost unlimited power of control over every aspect of our lives.

The Illusion of Freedom: the Police State Is Alive and Well
Brace yourself.

There is something being concocted in the dens of power, far beyond the public eye, and it doesn’t bode well for the future of this country.

Anytime you have an entire nation so mesmerized by the antics of the political ruling class that they are oblivious to all else, you’d better beware. Anytime you have a government that operates in the shadows, speaks in a language of force, and rules by fiat, you’d better beware. And anytime you have a government so far removed from its people as to ensure that they are never seen, heard or heeded by those elected to represent them, you’d better beware.

The world has been down this road before.

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Raggedy Ann's picture

@CB @CB
This is what we're up against - a citizenry that will follow as long as their life is not interrupted. Who will stand for them when the rest of us are gone? That's the bottom line. As long as we are not living our humanity, we are doomed as a society.

As I watched the PBS News Hour last night, a piece on refugees was aired. I looked at Raggedy Andy and said, we are all refugees, now. I believe that. We are contemplating where we might go if things get bad. My take is, who will want the fleeing American? Stay close to friends in other countries - you might need a sponsor in coming months.

Things must change, are changing, so if we want a say, we better start talking, we better start being heard or we, and our children and grandchildren, will be silenced. It's already happening.

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"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

@Raggedy Ann

from what is happening.

I felt then what the the people of Iraq (of many) have felt for a while now.

It makes a difference.

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Hillbilly Dem's picture

@Raggedy Ann The late Nina Simone defined 'freedom' as living without fear. Fear. Fear of the other. Fear of the police. Fear, fear, fear. That's what politicians promote. It's what we have in America. Under Nina's definition, and mine, we are not free in this country.

I was talking to a political "agnostic" this week. He was opining as to whether Trump might eventually take drastic steps like martial law (or something very much like martial law, but either otherwise described or "just short" of martial law). I said that if that happens, I will not be afraid of the military, nor the National Guard. The police? That's a whole 'nother story. And at every level. State police, county deputies and city cops. It'll see Savak+Stasi+KGB+Baldwin-Felts and then some.

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"Just call me Hillbilly Dem(exit)."
-H/T to Wavey Davey

@Raggedy Ann

This is a global hostile corporate take-over in process. They will destroy it all in the taking and are too non-reality-based to understand or care, because Super-Jesus/Super-Tech will save them, only them, in the nick of time.

There is nowhere to escape to for any of us, only the home-ground on which we each stand. If we do not understand this, we are lost in misdirection, leaving suicidally murderous mad-men at the helm; at least, so I strongly believe.

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Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.

A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.

gulfgal98's picture

@CB and the parallels are very frightening. I highly recommend everyone read your link.

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

snoopydawg's picture

@gulfgal98 and I was saying the same thing that was mentioned in this article when the TSA came out and started harassing people in airports and then continued to expand their power.
If people would have boycotted flying when this first started happening then maybe it wouldn't be in every activity that attracts a crowd.
And then there were the people who said and are still saying that they have nothing to hide so what is the big deal that the government is spying on us?
I hope people will read this article because it does show the parallel of the USA with Hitler's Germany.

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

@snoopydawg
routinely abuse and take advantage of people who are without authority, their claim to legitimacy is false. Though they may possess the ability to dominate and coerce others, they do not possess the right to do so -- no matter what law is used to justify the abuse, or how much force is used to apply it. The water protectors at Standing Rock already know this. I wish everyone did.

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native

@snoopydawg

As always, thank-you!

... If people would have boycotted flying when this first started happening then maybe it wouldn't be in every activity that attracts a crowd. ...

Exactly! This could have been stunted and choked off as it began. The difference now is that there will nobody left to wonder, as there was the last time, why the (then-German) people failed to protest in time, in defense of their democracy. Yet Homeland InSecurity has now taken all American electoral processes away from any possible oversight or independent verification and people still speak of starting a new party to vote for...

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Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.

A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.

@CB

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ggersh's picture

@CB first link is Black Agenda Report which has a link to Obama's "private briefings".the The more I learn about Obama the "house negro" the angrier I get. The "most transparent president" has the most private briefings.

http://blackagendareport.com/corporate_media_enemies

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/04/us/politics/calculated-candor-inside-...

This ain't no democracy!

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I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish

"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"

Heard from Margaret Kimberley

Big Al's picture

@CB Freedom. What ever happened to freedom?

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and what has the organization that Malcolm founded accomplished in the past fifty or sixty years? What was the Step 1 in Malcolm's X's grand plan to accomplish more than MLK, Jr? Why was Malcolm X putting down MKL, Jr. in 1964, months after the August, 1963 March on Washington? And was Malcolm X right?

Haven't African Americans advanced since the March on Washington in both the South and the rest of the country? Among many other things, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 became law, ending legal segregation; the Voting Rights Acts passed; the Constitution got amended to eliminate poll taxes, etc. How many African American billionaires were there in 1964? How many TV or radio newscasters? How many national magazine or newspaper owners? How many highly paid entertainers ? How many highly paid sports figures? And African American POTUS or FLOTUS?

For its part, the Constitution was written before the Constitution had a reason to address the power of political parties--and probably would not have curbed their power, anyway. IMO, it's total bs that, as a practical matter, some colonial blacksmith or farmer could have done anything he wanted against the likes of John Hancock and slave owners, like Washington and Jefferson, slave owners being some of the wealthiest people in the world then.

Those people deliberately wrote the Constitution to disempower everyone but the plutocrats. The Bill of Rights? In 1789, the people had to demand the very same stuff English nobles got from evil King John in 1215 C.E. Whooptie frickin' do--and the government does what it feels like with the Bill of Rights, anyway. If the Constitution allows us hoi polloi so damned much, why can't very smart leftists, even today, figure a peaceful, step-by-step way out of the morass?

As for Nader, Sanders tried to discourage Nader from running against Bubba in 1992; they both have been advocating voting for Democrats, Sanders at least since 1992, and Nader later than Sanders. They both ran for President. Yet,Nader did precious little to encourage Sanders when Sanders ran as a Democrat. Instead, Nader sent Sanders (cc to media) a scolding, scathing letter when he could have picked up the phone to give Sanders the benefit of his experience. So, as similar as they and their histories are, they can't even agree with each other. Typical.

Yes, Malcolm X was an influential and inspiring figure, but so was MLK, Jr. And MLK, Jr. was organizing, a little Southern church at a time, forming a team, bringing people together, putting pressure on politicians and actually getting stuff done. When MLK, Jr. was killed, he was going toward bringing together the equal rights movement, the economic justice movement and the anti-war movement (which, IMO, is the reason he was shot to death).

I would never reject out of hand a plan of action I could take seriously. However, I think the left has spent more than enough time and energy pointing out what is wrong with America, Obama and Trump without putting forward solutions or plans of action. (I don't consider grand schemes without a hint of a strategy for practical implementation to be solutions.)

A poetic revolutionary, which is how I see Malcom, certainly has a place, especially when people are not awake, as was true of many blacks and whites of goodwill during the 1950s. However, IMO, at this point, we could use fewer Malcolms and many more Martins, Bayards, J. Philips, Mahalias and LBJs--people who know how to get things done and actually do the necessary work--especially on the left. JMO

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sj3szUt8Ak width:300 height:300]
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gulfgal98's picture

First, I just want to say that we are in the final stages of capitalism and the oligarchs are not going to let it die quietly which is why they are desperately trying to find ways to keep the money train going. This has caused a lot of the anxiety we are seeing among our citizens.

I am not sure people really do not care, but simply do not know enough to care. They know things are very wrong, but they do not understand why. We have a country in which half of our citizens are living in poverty and close to poverty. People are struggling to just hold their lives and families together to seek the truth that is and has been withheld from us by our supposed journalists.

I seriously doubt most people really understand the causes for their situation and so they are desperate and look to shift blame to the wrong people. This country has been bombarded with propaganda since 9/11 designed to make the population be afraid of everyone and everything that is foreign to them. This is purposeful. People living in fear do not make rational judgments and can be easily manipulated.

I am basing my opinions upon talking to people in the years I spent with a weekly Peace vigil. I talked to many self described conservatives who were grossly misinformed about our wars OF terror and most were shocked at just how much these wars were costing us and the sheer numbers of people we were killing for no reason.

Call me naive, but I still believe in the humanity of most people. It is that they just do not want or can deal with the horrors of the reality in which we all find ourselves.

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

@gulfgal98

they don't know what to do about it. I think the left needs to focus more on solutions and less on trying to school people on every nuance of why they are so miserable. Trump didn't try to explain the provisions of TPP and detail exactly how they kill jobs and state law.

Like every Presidential candidate I know of before him, including Dick Nixon, Bubba and Barack Hope and Change, Trump told people he would fix the things that are making them unhappy. I doubt he will. So people will, IMO, be more ground down and hopeless than ever when the current snake oil POTUS leaves office--even though the PTB/msm have focused the attention of many of them on demonstrating to hasten that day.

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Thanks for this essay. The Autobiography of Malcolm X did further politicize my thoughts and actions. I think I was in Jr. High, heh. It really left an impact. Highly recommended. Smile

Bernie in fact won all of my district CA-02 (pretty pretty big), I voted for him. Of course on election night it was reported that Clinton won the district, but after most all of the counting it was Bernie 53.1, Clinton 46.3. Disgusted, I voted Stein in the general. And Huffman is still shilling for Clintons it's a bummer. I thought Bernie was smart to use the D infrastructure, Actblue to fund his campaign, so I gave some money too. I love what he talks about, but he is no Malcolm X. Probably why he is still alive. I remember he lost almost all of his family in the holocaust so forgive him endorsing Clinton too. I have a lot of empathy for his legacy, what he carries with him every day, keep going. Me, I'm done and think it's all bullshit, about money. Poof! There goes my vote.

Yeah and it hurts a lot, like I have to break up with mother nature too, I don't know how people keep going. The struggle is just way too much sometimes, who the fuck wants peace anymore? (raises fist)

"Here's to us, who's like us, damn few, and they're all dead."
Ordinary Pain - Stevie Wonder
"You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war." --Einstein

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@eyo

millions of people who donated and volunteered for him, to start a new party. He had their names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses. However, since at least 1992, when Bill Clinton ran, Sanders has endorsed and campaigned for the Democratic nominee every time. So, either Bernie is a lesser of two evils type and/or it's part of the deal he made with Democrats. http://caucus99percent.com/content/spoiler-candidates-and-protest-votes-...

As far as the Holocaust, even one victim is far too many. Thankfully, Bernie's mother's side was not involved at all. Bernie's father had come to the U.S in the 1920s, so the Holocaust did not affect him directly, though it certainly impacted him horrifically in that some of Bernie's relatives on his father's side perished in the Holocaust.

I researched it early during the primaries, after some of Hillary's surrogates made Bernie's religion and/or lack of a conventional religious belief an issue on a Sunday talk show. Plus some real asshats on message boards were both making anti-Semitic comments about Bernie and calling him a Nazi.

Anyway, I don't recall the number now, but I am almost certain that it was fewer than 6 relatives on his father's side. IIRC, two of them were his father's brothers, or Bernie's uncles, with no "removed." Again, even one relative killed in the Holocaust would have been too many. However,I am not sure what having lost relatives in the Holocaust has to do with endorsing Hillary.

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@HenryAWallace that's an interesting opinion to have, I'm glad you took the opportunity to voice it.
As far as campaign infrastructure experience, I think I know what I'm talking about but maybe not, so thanks for the input on how you think it should have happened. Have a great day!

Peace

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@eyo @eyo @eyo @eyo

Holocaust did not affect him directly, though it certainly impacted him horrifically

tweet-tweet. foul!

edit. Not that HW needs my help.

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@irishking

It's one thing for me to object to that kind of attempt. It's another for an objective member of the community to call a foul. Thank you. I will bookmark because I am awful at remembering names and I want to remember you stood up for fairness.

As a total aside and purely rhetorical question: What does it say that, as I type, five posters have uprated the post with a deceptively chopped and taken out of context quote, while only one uprated your honest, accurate comment? smh

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@eyo
Why such bad faith and snarky posting, eyo?

You claimed that Bernie's endorsing Hillary was sconnected to most of Bernie's family's having been wiped out in the Holocaust, a comment that was both inaccurate factually and puzzling. I tried to correct it on the facts.

You took what I posted in correcting it far out of context to try to make me look heartless about the Holocaust, then ended with have a great day and "Peace." Really? You think a reply distorting my post to to make me seem callous about the Holocaust has something to do with peace? or wishing me a great day?

What I actually posted:

As far as the Holocaust, even one victim is far too many. Thankfully, Bernie's mother's side was not involved at all. Bernie's father had come to the U.S in the 1920s, so the Holocaust did not affect him directly, though it certainly impacted him horrifically in that some of Bernie's relatives on his father's side perished in the Holocaust.

.....

Anyway, I don't recall the number now, but I am almost certain that it was fewer than 6 relatives on his father's side. IIRC, two of them were his father's brothers, or Bernie's uncles, with no "removed." Again, even one relative killed in the Holocaust would have been too many. However,I am not sure what having lost relatives in the Holocaust has to do with endorsing Hillary.

Your unfair and misleading reply, complete with out of context "quotation":

" so the Holocaust did not affect him directly"

@HenryWallace that's an interesting opinion to have, I'm glad you took the opportunity to voice it.
As far as campaign infrastructure experience, I think I know what I'm talking about but maybe not, so thanks for the input on how you think it should have happened. Have a great day!

Peace

Point was, neither Bernie, Bernie's parents nor Bernie's brother were not Holocaust survivors or victims. Neither was most of Bernie's family wiped out in the Holocaust, as you claimed. Still, even one victim was too many; and the impact of several deaths was horrific. What the eff is wrong with what I actually said? And if what I actually said was so bad, why did you need to distort it with such a misleading, out of context and truncated "quote?"

On the much less important point, you said Bernie was smart to use the Democratic infrastructure and I said Bernie could have used his own infrastructure. I did not say what should have happened. Only you did that. So, another distortion from you. Apparently, you think I had no business even mentioning the existence of a possibility other than the one you described as "smart." I don't think that's how message boards work.

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when I am king: conservatives, neoliberals, libertarians, democratic socialists, and those busy Dancing With The Stars.

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

@dkmich

for Iraq, before Biden became President.

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@dkmich
\
. . . Those Busy Dancing With The Stars.

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Vowing To Oppose Everything Trump Attempts.

detroitmechworks's picture

For those who haven't read it in a while...

The Iliad opens with rich assholes arguing over who gets to keep the loot from a war.

It doesn't get much better than that. All the good people die, and nobody comes out looking good. Even the best people end up in exile for years before finally returning home to a home ransacked by those who didn't fight the war.

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

jwa13's picture

@detroitmechworks pretty much just out of nowhere, and shoots down the 108 "suitors" who are stealing him blind and want to rape his wife.

Hmmm... is there a lesson here, somewhere?

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When Cicero had finished speaking, the people said “How well he spoke”.
When Demosthenes had finished speaking, the people said “Let us march”.

the rest of our Country from us, the Democrats are providing the side shows and distractions.

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Beware the bullshit factories.

Even a casual sweep of the popular "culture" of the United States will reveal that the average person has no use for democracy.

We are rabid about sports, which have nothing democratic about them. They are dictatorships, for only the coach or manager has any freedom of thought and action.

We flock to corporations for our sustenance and livelihoods, which actively destroy anything resembling democracy in their actions. Check out how easily Boeing stifled the IAM organization drive in South Carolina, and how "the way things have always been" prevents the UAW from organizing at VW in Tennessee.

We aspire to admire and submit to royalty, whether real like Kate and Wills, or imaginary like The Bachelorette or the Kardashians.

The average American has no use for freedom and democracy, for to take up with either requires not only adopting the other, but also accepting the responsibility for any consequences which occur. We as a society would rather Let George Do It, then bitch bitterly about how he did it all wrong.

If for some reason the entire global economy were to collapse, few would survive it. Once they are done settling scores they won't have enough left undestroyed to manage survival for very long. Few know how to exist in a primitive post-industrial wilderness no matter how many times they have watched Mad Max or Zombie Apocalypse.

I find that over the past couple of years, I no longer care whether or not humanity destroys itself. It's had plenty of time to grow up and learn how to both prevent calamity and to improve life here for everyone. Primitive greed prevents this, and ensures that destruction be our lot. My only regret is that it will take me down with it when it goes.

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Vowing To Oppose Everything Trump Attempts.

@neoconned

... Few know how to exist in a primitive post-industrial wilderness no matter how many times they have watched Mad Max or Zombie Apocalypse. ...

Hate to be a Debbie Downer, but without a prompt and drastic outbreak of democracy overcoming fascism/military 'globalism' and sane regulation and oversight of industry, there's a complete ecological/natural life support system collapse in the works in the VERY near future - anywhere from perhaps less than a decade to likely within the next few decades... don't count on having a wilderness to not know how to survive in. Or sufficient oxygen to support life.

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Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.

A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.

@Ellen North If you read what I wrote?

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Vowing To Oppose Everything Trump Attempts.