More and more people are becoming aware of how screwed the 99% are with no help
to be expected from anyone on the political horizon, no matter the party.
In a constitutionally and systemically created “two party country”, we have allowed the one time “party of the people” to devolve into a co-conspirator that would have us all as slave labor feeding the wealthy, a country where those that have nothing to contribute to the wealth of the few are left to perish as useless eaters. A country where bloody empire for the profit of of an out of control military industry and a thriving new mercenary industry are gorged on the blood of those that are no threat to us in any military sense. A modern form of feudalism that is developing before our eyes, becoming further entrenched, and will destroy our children’s lives and livelihoods (our own as well of course but it is the children I feel will inherit the worst of it) no matter which party is in control, many feel one party is more in favor of such dystopian achievements than the other, yet I find they simply play off each other, taking turns, each party doing what it does best to achieve this neo-feudalism.
The modern Republicans are a blunt instrument and it’s damage resembles smash the skull and grab the wallet and as such are often seen and fought as the more obvious oppressors, but the modern Democrats are just as dangerous with their stealth pick pocket and feigned “hero act” as they achieve via soft lies and barely hidden agreement and dry powder submissions the very same goals often unachievable under blunt force, stolen softly without a fight by using the trust of the “marks” to accomplish their part. It took a Democrat to destroy welfare and fully establish corporate “trade” agreements with the support of those they were destroying, pass race related crime bills that imprisoned half a generation of fathers leaving their children alone in single parent homes and destined for poverty and few alternatives to survive beyond black market economic endeavors ensuring yet more incarceration, there are many more examples seldom discussed. of an unspoken alliance unknown to too many on the watered down American left, a lesson many may never learn is that both parties are more allied behind closed doors than progressives are unified in open or private. Neither party works for the 99%, they work for the same corporate interests that fund them both instead.
Without a party to protect us from the unwavering desire of some to recreate this nation as a neo-feudal fascism, it’s rebirth will continue unabated on it’s course toward the neo-feudal goal.
The 99% are beginning to see that they are on their own now against the purchased post-partisanship that will lead us to that goal faster or slower, but on the same course, ever rightward ever more cruel and ever more a threat to their well being and happiness.
We are almost there and there appears to be nothing to stop it.
I blame those of us on the front of liberal thought for allowing a once progressive Democratic party to so easily be taken over by the republican castaways that dare claim to be more than what they are, purchased lackeys of the wealthy elite.
I blame myself for allowing myself to be used for decades as shamelessly as any poverty stricken GOP member that would support and vote for what is demonstrably against their best interests and the interests of over 99% of the citizens of this country.
I blame the party faithful for so easily adopting and even cheering well known and deeply damaging right wing policy simply because they follow the party line (policies that they are well educated about and once fought against).
I blame the party itself for being so easily bought and co-opted by the policies of the Heritage Foundation and The Chamber of Commerce simply for a pittance in campaign contributions. Without a party to oppose the neo-feudalists, what is left to stop them?
Many may still be sleeping, but the awakening has begun!
Some dreamers have awakened! Many no longer follow the McPravda media and are seeing with their own newly opened eyes as their lives and livelihoods fall apart all around them while the billionaires capture all the wealth created by the work and effort of those that see themselves falling either from middle class into the working poor, or from the poor to the desperately impoverished. while at the same time witnessing the once solid safety nets put into place to keep them safe and fed, free from the horrid conditions of more Dickensian times being ripped to shreds little by little before their eyes, with both parties complicit in their destruction.
One need look no farther than a Republican stump speech or the more cleverly hidden common goals of the new Democrats that have become Vichy collaborators that hide their plans in the open to destroy those safeguards against complete hopelessness by perusing the chapters of the PPI or Third Way sites where they scheme with the (john Birch Society Transformed) Republican party to not only recreate the gilded age (which they have already done).
But to surpass it via the now global neo-liberalism and it’s trade deals to the bottom, it’s austerity, it’s privatization of all the nations commons, it’s near enslavement of all the worlds workers, and it’s desired complete destruction of any semblance of a middle class in an insane attempt to create the wealthiest class ever, which will create the poorest population conceivable.
The new generations are fully awake however and are beginning to feel their power and the power of unity that will in time destroy the depravities and horrors of completely unchecked Capitalism via revolution. The question becomes when and how at this point, the people united win!!! Once after a depression a man and his political revolution saved us from the very same plan at this very same stage, by mixing Socialism with Capitalism and regulating it and thereby defanging the beast of it’s venom.
His name was Franklin D. Roosevelt. WE that are awake, those that are awakening, and those of a younger generation not polluted by propaganda must either unite again in a similar political revolution, or else they WILL succeed with their Dickensian utopia until such a time as a different sort of Revolution occurs – one involving a great deal of blood, death, and in the end a victor that may or may not be any better than the ruling elite that it defeats, that is, if it defeats it at all the first go around.
For the sake of us all, I hope we make the better choice for all of humanity as this is history unfolding before us, and history almost always ends up with the bloody revolution. However unlike in the past, we are facing an Extinction level event that threatens many of the lifeforms on the planet including humanity itself and so we lack the luxury of time and blood soaked streets and the turmoil that follows such ever recurring events before things settle and we begin to repair the damage being done to the biosphere that supports us.
Not to be an alarmist, but the alarm has already sounded and we not only need to fight and win a political revolution and defeat the plutocrats, we must restore balance and sanity again, but we must do so quickly.
We must unite as well and stop being divided by minor differences within our species (in truth there is only one human race regardless of melanin content, shape of eye, differences in sex organs, or varying sexualities decided at birth, and we need to wake up from such meaningless differences very quickly if we are to survive) we absolutely must unify and do so quickly.
There is no more time to play history’s games of the wealthy siphoning everything until a revolution occurs, or the games of racism, sexism, or any other isms.
For time is too short and not only must the quality of life of the struggling and ever more impoverished masses be resolved, but unity must happen or not only will the impoverished continue to grow ever more hungry, but the entire human race will cease to exist.
We have run out of time to play the DNC and RNC games and fully awaken not only to live well, but to live at all.
The Younger generation has begun to glean this and so must we all, and unfortunately time is so short that such grand goals with such high stakes must begin by winning unpurchased representatives in each and every election cycle from now on. Our political revolution has nothing to do with parties (unless or until a new unpurchased one is formed) and so the letter or lack of one does not matter, only the individuals vetted, run, and voted for. It has unfortunately been made so unnecessarily difficult by pure, short sighted ridiculous greed of people like the Clintons, their third way and the Republicans. Yet our children need us to fight with them now more than ever.
Let us all awaken now!!!!
Comments
An excellent manifesto for C99%
Very flattering, but manifestos are stagnant things.
Revolution, like evolution is about change, it is dynamic and unpredictable, it often follows random paths leading to extinction, yet somehow always the direction is ever forward, adapting for survival through change.
Not to mention I have written only about a half dozen articles here and could not possibly presume to understand the the overall shared ideals and goals of such a diverse community that barely knows me and which I am only beginning to know myself.
Perhaps there are kindred souls here, I would not dispute that for I have met many, but I leave the manifestos to those that have poured their sweat, blood and tears into evolving this community from it's inception. I would add that any such manifesto would and should evolve with the community and the needs of the whole, and to be successful would adapt to the circumstances and challenges facing all of us fighting for a future as it changes around us, so that a victory of equity and survival can be won.
And how!
(was once a saying to indicate strong agreement)
locally and globally
Locally and globally indeed!
It is not merely a portion of a continent in danger but rather an entire globe.
Politically speaking, even beyond the ecological imbalances caused by a few with power among a single arrogant species, the politics of neoliberalism and oligarchy are a worldwide infection giving rise to austerity and corporate destruction of not only the world's commons, enslaving nearly all humanity via poverty and wars without end. It is also therefore an international fight of the world's 99% to be free of such sociopathic control and destruction.
The world's 99% must enjoin the battle if an infection that ignores boundaries and holds power across many nations is to be defeated allowing sanity and survival to be won and held.
The other species, those that know balance, are counting on us as well. The only comfort I take in the prospect of losing is that some of those species will survive our loss even if our species does not.
There is still a chance that we can survive, as well as far more of those species if/when the vast majority of us find such unity against the very small minority that finds comfort in excess wealth at the expense of as much life lost as is necessary for them to horde even the smallest amount more.
They are very few in number, their power lies only in the fact that we are divided and intimidated enough to allow them to wield it.
The kids are not buying it.
I have three grandsons who wouldn't give you a dime for either party. They all supported Bernie. In the general, one voted for Hillary because OMG Trump and the other two stayed home.
I blame the sheep that keep voting for the lesser of evils. They enabled the Republicans to become insane, and the Democrats Republicans. I just got criticized by Eclectablog, for those of you who remember him from dailykos, on his blog for stating that I was done voting for crappy Democrats because they weren't Republicans. He told me my attitude made me irrelevant. I told him his attitude made the Democratic Party irrelevant. They never change.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
I guess he does
not realize how irrelevant the dems are becoming as they lose more and more elected offices across the nation and offer up more and more repubs (who are registered as dems) to hold offices in big cities.
dfarrah
"Permanent majority"
Remember that? The Dems aren't much more than a regional party at this point.
"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."
The kids are not buying it,
but they will follow those they know to be sincere who speak and more importantly, consistently ACT in their best interests, that is why so many followed Sanders, it wasn't his "good looks" but rather his sincerity of both word and deed that earned their trust.
So many in my generation underestimate a younger generation that has had the entire world at their fingertips and the skills to do their own research.
They have highly evolved bullshit detectors as well IMO, most I speak to see rather clearly that a puppet master uses a tactic of a puppet on each hand that make a play of opposition and choose to keenly observe the puppeteer instead, while so many of my generation observe each hand, fixated and mesmerised thinking they are seperate and compelling opponents rather than two hands of a single con artist.
The puppet masters underestimate our youth at their own peril IMO.
Good job!
I was particularly struck by the part where you accept blame for basically voting against your own interests by going along with lesser evilism propegated by the DNC. I am also guilty of this and though I had been accusing the GOP base of this for years, this past election cycle finally made me realize that I had been just as ignorant as the Republican base I had been blaming. No more. I refuse to buy into ANY sweeping declarations that demonize whole swaths of the 99%. Sure, there are certainly aweful humans lurking in every demographic, but I will no longer participate in aiding the elite in their divide and conquer political system. I now know my real enemies, and they are not the uneducated working class of any race.
There is much blame to go around
Many of us remembered a time decades ago when the Democrats fought for the working class, the rights of the oppressed, we remembered a party that created safety nets and declared a war on poverty, a party that championed civil rights and fought for a woman's right to control what happened to her own body.
It took me too long to understand and investigate the takeover of the party and I voted reflexively for what was rather than what had become. It wasn't until (to my shame) Obama picked his cabinet before I began to investigate more closely Bill Clinton's tenure, all the damage he had done while I was busy not paying attention to why my neighbors were growing poorer and/or going to jail during his time. Eventually I learned of Al From, the DLC, what they actually stood for and traded away and all became clear, revealing my ignorance and furtherance of a right wing agenda simply because I was living in a past that hadn't existed in decades. There is nothing to be done about my past guilty actions, but I am still free not to repeat similar complicity and I refuse to fall in the same trap again.
I have lived and moved through many sub-cultures of both race and diverse beliefs and have learned that we have so much more in common than what in the end are mere cosmetic and extremely thin veneers of differing appearances and beliefs, in the end nearly all save for the sociopathic "masters of the universe" simply want to earn a living, raise a family, and watch their children grow happily while being able to house, feed and clothe their families and themselves. We are so very much the same that such minor differences fall from one's eyes once you see clearly one's very human brothers and sisters for the fellow humans they truly are.
Well done!
I was struck by this
Just the idea that Trump might cut the funding for SNAP, Medicaid and SSDI is so mind numbing. Trump wants to totally eliminate LIHEAP which is funding for gas and electricity bills during the winter. Carson wants to cut HUD when it's already underfunded because the Clintons first raided it when he passed the crime bill. And the social programs have been cut by every congress that has come and gone since then. I finally got a housing voucher last year and I could not find anything to rent for the amount of money I was allocated. Since then, rents have gone up even more, thanks to the Obama administration letting the banks foreclose on 4 million people and not prosecuting the CEOs that were responsible for the global economy crisis. Since then, the banks have bought so much of the housing that was foreclosed on and have raised rents everywhere. Now I am at the back of the waiting list which took close to two years to get one.
And it just seems too convenient that the democrats are in no position to block the legislation. Obama saw over 900 democratic seats at the federal and state levels as well as the governorships.
This happened during the two midterm elections that happened while he was president.
Yep, I'm wondering how much of this was planned?
Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.
The plan remains the same, excessive wealth for the few
paid for by austerity and suffering of the many. I do not think Trump was part of the plan, he has brought undue attention to issues ignored under a Democrat, or a saner more predictable version of a Republican. People are beginning to oppose those cuts of his, they are even beginning to question the surveillance state, both of which and many other things (including illegal warfare) that were either ignored or cheered under a Clinton or Obama.
Strange thing how NAFTA was opposed prior to Bill's ascension then accepted as a pragmatic and even clever necessity when Clinton signed it into law, also strange is how hard so many fought against illegal wars and NSA overreach under Bush, but accepted the expansion of both meekly under Obama.
Many still don't know this, but I am sure many here do, Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich had already made a deal to privatize SS until a media engulfing blow job stopped nearly all "business as usual".
That is not to say they would have preferred only Hillary Clinton to Trump, I believe they would have been just as happy with a Jeb Bush in office. It is not the party, but the ability of the "front man" and his talent for working the system that they strive to install.
That which we fight is above party yet control both, they purchase policy with no actual regard as to which of the two hands implement those policies. Either Trump will play ball more effectively or they will find a way to replace him with Pence.
Our enemy is an Oligarchy that controls a form of government known as Inverted totalitarianism. Our enemies are purchased by those that wield the true power and our only hope is to overwhelm the purchased politicians with unpurchased ones that would endeavor to work for the 99% rather than those that buy entire governments as casually as one might purchase a car.
Some believe one of the parties can be saved from purchase and retaken, others believe a new party that is not for sale must be formed and become one of the two in a two party system.
As for myself I believe in individuals, unpurchased and loyal to the people, no matter the party, should to be supported, a progressive coalition if you will that might in some cases wear a (D), a (G), an (S) an (I) or nothing at all save integrity.
This is no longer about party but rather intent and integrity.
Occupy America!
Great essay, thanks!
"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."
Occupy the World!
And thank you for taking the time to read.
I worry the awakening is but brief and the sleeping will
resume as soon as someone or party who/which appears appropriate, lulls many back into slogging away in a stupor.
Not sure what it will take to create a permanent eyes wide open citizenry.
Too many are still backing a horse that won't ride, and if Trump is relieved, hope that same horse will come out running hard.
I see no evidence the status quo elites (oh the Bilderbergs are meeting to grade Trump quite soon) will let go of their power and would elect the next group of politicians even if 50+% sit out elections. Easy peasy for them.
So about that waking up, questioning, digging, looking for new sources of information and new representatives: how will that happen?
You may choose to look the other way, but you can never say again you did not know. ~ William Wiberforce
If you can donate, please! POP Money is available for bank-to-bank transfers. Email JtC to make a monthly donation.
I worry that you misunderstood what I wrote
I offer no guarantees of a permanent awaking, nor do I offer great odds on the success of the mission foisted upon us. What I offer is a dose of reality. All aristocracies fall after their greed inflicts too much pain on those they feed off of, their "reign" shall end as with all such reigns based on sucking dry a population that far outnumber those that would enslave and extract everything from them, including hope, because once the pain grows too severe the serfs tend to rise up bearing pitchforks and guillotines while history is rewritten in blood, often replacing one group of asshats with another rather than providing a real solution.
The reality I offer is that even if such gread inevitably falls to the angry, hungry, desperate and afflicted masses that far outnumber those that would oppress them, we no longer have the luxury of time for such an inevitable conclusion.
I offer the truth that long shot or not (and believe me I am cognizant of our meager odds of success), the only way we adapt to survive this bit of history, likely to be the last bit, is if we do find a rebirth of thought, a peaceful revolution brought forth only if we are fortunate enough to have a new awakening at least on par, but likely of necessity, far more potent than the renaissance and the enlightenment period combined.
There are signs that we may enjoy such good fortune, but odds and wealth are against us, as is time.
One thing I doubt we would have to fear beyond a generation or two is
Because if that happens the game will be over as will the ability to survive the ecological impacts resulting from the lack of a new enlightenment, the time spent waiting for that end will not be pleasant as it will be filled with bloody revolution, or warlords fighting over water, slowly poisoning to death along with what remains of a dying civilization and species.
The Republican pol is like a mugger
who knocks you down and roughs you up before robbing you of your wallet. The Democratic pol is like a Good Samaritan who comes along and helps you get up, at the same time he is stealing your watch and your car keys.
native
LOL, well I certainly can't argue with that
I only hope we can find the company of honest people that would help us to our feet without robbing us and fill our bellies simply because it is the right thing to do.