Great discussion about Bernie
We've been having this discussion recently here at c99. Here's Jimmy Dore and Lauren Steiner The video is 20 minutes. Sorry there's no text.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeQtwcIxH1w]
She is also involved in the Poor People's Campaign...It isn't just Dr. Barber, it is the people. I feel I "know" many of you in this c99 community and I understand some of you are poor people. She was arrested for livestreaming the event. I know many of you have doubts about the PPC (which I can understand), but certainly you have no doubts about the suppression of free press to tell people about it. Some of you have posted this before, but here it is again if you have an interest...(18 min)
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtOGJ3pyXrw]
Where do we go from here? Bernie does not seem to want to lead. I feel the kind of excitement I felt with Occupy and with Bernie in the PPC. Perhaps I am naive but in Alabama the King legacy is strong. Someone suggested Dr. Barber is a want to be MLK. I want him to be MLK too. I hope he can be an MLK.
You can hear him about 28 minutes in if you missed his DC speech on the mall on Saturday (which is less than 15 min) and want to hear him for yourself
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hawKmTFu7Q8
Forgive the drive by essay, but this seemed so on topic for our recent discussion(s).
Comments
Rev. Dr. Barber is not
a Martin Luther King wanna be. I truly believe he is following in Dr. King's footsteps. No one else has even tried. All I know is that Rev. Dr. Barber is a man who has walked the walk (despite being partially disabled due to a congenital spinal condition) here in North Carolina. I honestly do believe that he is not doing this as some sort of self aggrandizement. He is trying to unite people across all walks of life. Until I learn something about him to the contrary, I wholeheartedly support what Rev. Dr. Barber is doing.
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
I listened to the speech that Lookout pointed to
Well, ok to be honest I listened to the first part of it. But when he started quoting scripture, I had to turn it off. I am sorry if this is wrong to say. Without getting into too much detail, hopefully, I will say that for personal reasons, I have a very, very hard time listening to preachers and bible quotes.
This is clearly a strategy or avenue that appeals to many people. I admit to mixed feelings about that. Motivation is good, but I have pretty strong beliefs in separating church and state, and mixing religion with politics is just not something I’m going to respond favorably to.
I do not want laws made or public policy to be in any way based on religion. I just read a story today, about a young woman with a dead fetus in her womb, who was refused a prescription by a Walgreens’s pharmacist, because filling the prescription provided by her doctor to enduce a miscarriage, and avoid surgery to remove it, was “against his beliefs” — his version of “morality” was based on his version of what his religion dictates as right and wrong. But the pharmacist was within his rights, and his actions are legal here in Arizona, because lawmakers treat religion as the basis to determine the laws.
This is insane... but this is the same road that progressives want to go down, by using the Bible and scriptures to support their political policy aims. I do not personally think this is a good path. I believe in secular government.
Now, I also understand this is my worldview. I know that the south is, overall, extremely Christian and soaked in religion. Which makes me glad I live in Arizona. I just have no frame of reference for relating to rev barbers message. I don’t know what his actual policy aims are, or the goal of his movement. If someone could briefly summarize the goal, without me having to listen to a sermon, I would appreciate it. Wink has said, if I’m remembering correctly, he went to their trainings and strategy meetings, they made specific plans to get arrested, to garner media coverage, and that his takeaway was that’s it is a get-out-the-vote operation. They are targeting certain venues like barbershops to register voters, for example. And I did read the quote from Bruce Dixon about his big take-home message was to “vote like never before” — so I’ve pretty much taken on board that rev Barber is getting a lot of people motivated and energized to GOTV and, I guess... stop trump? See, that’s where I need to make sure I understand, if that’s off base. Then his goal is —?
But whatever the goal, even if it is one I agree with, I’m still not down with the Bible stuff, as a basis for a moral movement... that is not a good idea. People on the other side oppose our rights to chose, our right to birth control, to marry who we want... I just feel that fighting that means making laws and government policy based on science and rational approaches to health, wellness, etc. Trying to out-Bible each other to define morality seems misguided. IMO.
Am about to watch videos
I have watched many Rev. Barber videos however.
It's just the lay of the land here in Texas. A religious message is required. That is because a vastly distorted religious message rules. We have to get past that first unfortunately.
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo
Any belief
in religion is an automatic thumbs down for me as I'm going to hell anyways.
Enjoy the ride and pay for it.
Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.
I live in the buckle of the bible belt
...and I'm not a christian. The rally begins with an Apache singing an Apache prayer. Perhaps that is offensive too?
Dr. Barber is deeply religious...no denying it. But he calls for those of every faith and those of NO faith to join together to address the immoral nature of our nation....starving children in Yemen, half our country in poverty, 1 out of 3 men of color in prison, and on and on. He is driving this conversation out of who and what he is. Just like you reject any mention of religion because of who and what you are. It is a campaign about the 4 evils...racism, poverty, militarism, and environmental destruction. He isn't interested in converting you nor herding you toward the dims.
However we all must act on our own instincts...hopefully working toward a better system and healthier planet. There's plenty to do and multiple avenues. The PPC is active in 40 states now.
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
I was thinking about how Sessions invoked God
(via the Bible) to try to justify separating migrant families and how I and many others are adamantly opposed to bringing religion into the discussion of government actions and operations.
Then I thought about the Poor People's Campaign and wondered why it shouldn't be the same with that. Why should religion be involved at all in a poor people's movement against the oligarchy? Actually, religion has historically been used by the ruling class to keep the poor in their places. Is that what Barber is really doing?
When Barber does stuff like drop bibles off at politicians office, that's just a turnoff to alot of people, including poor people. It's certainly going to limit the potential imo.
IMHO, you nailed it about Rev. Dr. Barber
I have been watching Rev. Dr. Barber for several years and his message has been consistently inclusive, and that includes those who have no religion. He is not trying to convert people. He is trying to motivate people to come together. Preaching a moral message of helping the least among us and of environmental responsibility is something we all should want to see.
On a side note, I live in a county that is 90% white and yet we have an active chapter of the NAACP here, mainly due to the motivational factor of Rev. Dr. Barber who was the long time head of the NC NAACP. The majority of the members of our local chapter are white.
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
Here is what the PPC stands for
According to their press release.
I have said it here many times and I will say it again. If we are to have any chance against the powerful forces who are doing everything they can to keep us divided, we must be willing to form alliances with people that we may not always agree. I see many people here cite Dr. King. We must remember that Dr. King came a religious background too. The same for Dr. Cornel West and for Chris Hedges as well. JMHO
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
This Ain't Happening Anytime Soon
At least, not the "magic" part. I'm going to give Bernie a bit more time. Let him declare his candidacy first, see where it goes, and then, there will be plenty of time to hold his feet to the fire.
Of course, until Bernie is a declared candidate, vigorous discussion about his actions should not be discouraged.
A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma
Great cartoon
Lol
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo
Great Jimmy Dore video!
Laura Steiner is right. We need a Third Party.
I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks
Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa
That video also irritated me tonight
Maybe I’m just in a mood. But I find myself frustrated by these two obviously smart, very dedicated people, wondering why Bernie doesn’t break from the party, saying what he needs to do, knowing he won’t, but then she says she will “dem-enter” again to vote for him as a democrat.
What motivation is there for Bernie, or anyone else, to break from the party and run independent campaigns or build a third party, if so-called “demexit” voters knuckle under and go back to voting for them as democrats? Exit should mean, out. Put some effing pressure on them! If she won’t, then I’m sorry but what does demexit mean exactly.
Lauren Steiner for President
She seems to have Bernie pegged pretty well. Bernie is just a sheepdog the BernieBros for the Dems now. He doesn't want to lose his committee chairmanship. And the Dems give him some perks and visibility he would not otherwise get. Dems are useless and hopeless. They differ from Repubs on the 4Gs (guns, gawd, gays and gynecology) but that is about it. Dems are exactly like Repubs in robbing the working class to feed the rich.
Donnie The #ShitHole Douchebag. Fake Friend to the Working Class. Real Asshole.