A World Without War

Bernie actually said it:

The Iraq War also set a precedent—a very dangerous precedent—that large countries like the United States could attack small countries with impunity. Instead of moving us forward to a world without war, where international conflicts are settled through negotiations and diplomacy, we now see wars all over the world and a significant increase in global military spending. (emphasis added)

In an online address marking the 15th anniversary of the Iraq war promoted as a Global Call For Peace:

In #CallForPeace Address, Sanders Takes on Endless War and Global Oligarchy

Bernie also covered inequality and oligarchy:

Inequality, corruption, oligarchy, and authoritarianism are inseparable. They must be understood as part of the same system, and fought and opposed in the same way.

And pending climate change disaster:

My friends, it is time for us to get serious about this issue. The scientific community is virtually unanimous in telling us that climate change is real, it is caused by human activity, and it is already causing devastating harm throughout the world.

It will require global cooperation to save the planet:

This is a crisis that calls out for strong international cooperation if we are to leave our children and our grandchildren a planet that is healthy and habitable.

The video and transcript with other issues are over at Common Dreams Global Call For Peace

Coming up tonight, featuring Bernie, Liz Warren and Michael Moore:

A Live Town Hall Meeting on Wealth and Income Inequality:
A national meeting on the decline of the middle class and rise of oligarchy.

Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Michael Moore released a video which invites the whole nation to tune into a live town hall meeting on wealth and income inequality. The meeting will take place on Monday, March 19 at 7pm ET and Sanders, Warren and Moore will lead a discussion on the "decline of the middle class and rise of oligarchy," as Sanders states in the invitation video (shared below).

Come one come all:

A National Town Hall Meeting

This is more about changing The narrative heading into the 2018 midterms. For all their faults and shortcomings Bernie and Liz are paving the way and empowering progressive candidates and citizens to speak out and rise up to challenge the Democratic party.

Their efforts to transform the Democratic party are a long shot, but they are giving it the old college try and getting out a powerful message. As we are all well aware of, this is what they are up against:

Margaret Kimberley sums up the ongoing dynamic:

The beat down of Sanders and Stein is a lot more troubling than mere blame shifting and finger pointing. The goal of vilifying them is to clear the field for a rightwing Democrat in 2020 and to silence all dissent. The Democrats are making sure there will be no voice for even the incremental and minimal reforms championed by Sanders. As for the Green Party, the Democrats intend to put them out of business altogether.

Working Americans Need Independent Politics

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Meteor Man's picture

I just ran across this article at In These Times:

The Two-Party System Is Facing Its Biggest Challenge In 70 Years:
From Maine to Missouri, states are bucking the establishment to push radical electoral reforms

This is a lengthy analysis worthy of a separate Diary. I'm tied up for a couple of hours and invite someone to write it up:

The Biggest Challenge To The Two Party System In Years

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"They'll say we're disturbing the peace, but there is no peace. What really bothers them is that we are disturbing the war." Howard Zinn

edg's picture

I thought Obama could change the nation. He either couldn't or wouldn't. I thought Bernie could change the nation. He wasn't allowed to ever try. But if he had been elected, the Deep State wouldn't have allowed him to change anything. He'd be tarred with his own Russia-gate or similar and would be stymied at every turn except on things that TPTB want -- more wars and regime changes, more transfer of wealth to the already wealthy, less democracy and power to the people.

Things change but they always change to be the same old things, dressed up with new slogans and frippery but always the requisite rotten core.

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@edg
But I still have hope that if Berniecrats take 300 house seats and 63 senate seats (in 2024) there's still hope. The worst possible result would be for the Berniecrats to take only 50 out of 225 "Democratic" seats in 2018.
I no longer hate to say it - if America can survive the Democrats havve to lose in 2018, and lose BIG.

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On to Biden since 1973

edg's picture

@doh1304

The cancer runs deep throughout government. At the War Department. The CIA. The State Department. Homeland Security. The Supreme Court. Unless the entire old guard were removed, even Bernie with an overwhelming majority in Congress couldn't change things.

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@edg
I just used house seats as a sshorthand. The Berniecrats need a 1932 level sweep to have any hope to accomplish anything.
I suspect that no matter how badly the corruptocrats are slaughtered in 2018 there will be enough of them left to prevent Bernie from accomplishing serious reforms after he wins in 2020, but that will be the end of the fascists, even the Republican fascists.

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On to Biden since 1973

SnappleBC's picture

@doh1304

We've spent 60 some odd years digging ourselves into this hole. I have a hard time believing that we will dig ourselves out this year or next. I also have a have a hard time believing that anything which happens in the short term is anything other than one move in a long and complicated battle.

I think the Democrats need to lose. I think they need to keep losing until it is obvious that they are no longer viable. I just don't think that is going to happen in 2018 or needs to happen in 2018.

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A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard

@doh1304

Enough to affect things and effect change. That's what Bernie's trying to do, because it's probably the only way through the roadblocks to even enter the fray.

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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.

snoopydawg's picture

I too thought that Obama's presidency was going to turn the country around and when I saw what he did with what we gave him, I gave up. Now after watching the things that Trump and congress is doing, I can see that the USA is deliberately self destructing. From the wanton wars and not a care for the lives that they affect, to seeing congress vote to approve people that they know want to destroy the regulations of their agencies, to the upcoming defunding of the social programs and ignoring the danger of climate change, what will voting change do for me?

Add in this world wide propaganda campaign against Russia and then Iran and China that could bring us a hellish nightmare. I thought about this last night. How long until the bombs start dropping? Any warning? Every person who is telling us that knows very well that it's not true. Think about that.

The people who still believe in this two party dance and are hanging on to the hope that Mueller is going to save them from Trump and then the democrats are going to reverse what the republicans have done are in for a big disappointment. They are not acknowledging that the democrats are voting for what Trump and the republicans want, they have voted against impeaching Trump. Isn't that the whole idea of the Mueller investigation? To get Trump and then Pence out of office? Not. Going. To. Happen.

Bernie is telling me things that I already know. Is he saying how he is going to change anything?
My $.02

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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 and focus on the bigger issues. See beyond deep state and duopoly and concentrate on ways to make this a better world, in spite of the ptb's. Moving forward and fighting for our survival means more than the crap drama.

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Meteor Man's picture

@snoopydawg @snoopydawg

The cancer runs deep throughout government. At the War Department. The CIA. The State Department. Homeland Security. The Supreme Court.

Could President Sanders change course even with a Democratic majority in Congress?

Not right away and maybe probably not even after two terms. There's a whole lot riding on a Progressive Wave in the 2018 midterms. The House has to flip for starters. Will enough progressives win to challenge the Democratic establishment?

Will Democrats flip the Senate too? I read an article that suggested the GOP could actually pick up a few more Senate seats and increase their majority.

I think it all depends on Democratic progressives winning big and Trump voters realizing they have been swindled. That's two long shots coming through by 2020 and threatening the political survival of incumbants in both parties.

An economic recession and continued miltary failure that results in a catastrophe could provide the wake up call and they are both likely. I am not optimistic, but I will keep fighting the bastards.

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"They'll say we're disturbing the peace, but there is no peace. What really bothers them is that we are disturbing the war." Howard Zinn

Meteor Man's picture

@snoopydawg

Bernie is telling me things that I already know. Is he saying how he is going to change anything?
My $.02

Here at c99p everybody already knows. A lot of people still don't know what's really going on.

I am curious how many views the Townhall got and how many social media comments it generates. The media ignores the problems discussed so we have to spread the news any way we can to the uninformed.

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"They'll say we're disturbing the peace, but there is no peace. What really bothers them is that we are disturbing the war." Howard Zinn

earthling1's picture

@Meteor Man
and raise it a dollar.
Just changing the players in Washington isn't going to cut the musterd.
The rot is so intrenched that it is no longer an uphill battle, were facing a cliff. Why else do we see the arrogant smirks on all their faces. They know they have complete victory over us within their grasp.
Credexit.
We MUST open a flank on them. Attack their source of money, us.
Too many people are STILL dealing with banks, when we should all be exiting the banking industry and fleeing to credit unions. Even local community banks would be a hit to the power center.
In addition, we MUST stop buying from corporations, period. Even if we pay more, buy local. Keep our greenbacks local. Shop small businesses and let them know why. I tell all the small business owners that I purchase from "I know I can get this cheaper from Lowes, but I want you to stay in business as part of our community". I always receive a heartfelt "Thank you so much".
Reduce our consumption. Of everthing possible. The corporate lifeblood is an ever expanding economy. We must take that away from them. Repair, repurpose, recycle, before you replace. Attempt to replace with used.
The notion that this will cost American jobs is negated with the FACT that most every consumer item is now manufactured overseas.
Which brings us to buy American. Stop buying Chinese crap. Or Korean, Japanese, or any foreign country.
Save your money. Stop buying every little trinket shown to you on tv.
Stop trying to keep up with the Joneses. Every family has differing degrees of resources, accept it.
This is a battle. It is not a battle for just us, it is for our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. It is a fight for our Democracy.
We cannot face a superior force strait on. We must attack from the flanks too. Confront our enemy from as many directions as we possibly can conjure.
It's how we defeated the Redcoats.
We must get these battle plans distributed as widely as possible as soon as we can. Because soon, our only remaining means of communication will be denied us, the free and open internet, which means checkmate.
Credexit, a way of life. Pass it on.
IMHO.

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Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

CB's picture

80% of the American people agreed to this carnage based on a pile of lies and deceit. The sad part is that many failed to learn the lessons. Maybe that is because the true horrors of war have never been experienced in the homeland. War to Americans is a virtual experience. When the video is turned off, the war is turned off and we sleep well.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxgaYlkC2do]

If you have the time, watch the following to get a small taste of what the USA has done in a part of the world that was absolutely no threat to it or its citizen's.

Invading Iraq - Part One: How Britain And America Got It Wrong (Modern Military Documentary)

Invading Iraq - Part Two: How Britain And America Got It Wrong (Modern Military Documentary)

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