caucus99percent

There is a division within the Democratic party, this is well known, but it extends far beyond any party or lack thereof. Among those that proclaim to be “left” within the party, one can see on a smaller scale the true division and choices facing us as citizens regardless of party affiliation and so I will use the party division to explore the two main paths that are currently struggling to shape the party to better explore the larger picture.

The Clintonite vision is of course neoliberal and tactically they attempt to gain power via “identity politics”, claiming that if one champions economic progressive values then one is somehow inherently against progressive social values, this is to be expected from that camp when one understands their ideals as laid forth since the rise of the DLC, the third way, and all other associated false flag infiltrators of a once proud party of the people (no longer even recognizable to those of us that remember an earlier time).

California has some new regulations that have been approved during the past year by the Department of Fair Employment and Housing. These regulations expand workplace protections for transgender and gender variant people.

The Saker has a very good article on the upcoming G20 conference at which Trump and Putin are scheduled for talks on the sidelines. In it he outlines the extremely low possibility that there will be meaningful discussions, mostly due to the intransigence of those that have taken complete control of the Executive Branch of the US government.

4th of July. Fireworks. Hotdogs, parades, veterans, flags, songs, parties, illusions, delusions.

Go ahead and party Americans. You are the king of the world, the purveyors of righteousness and democracy. The "exceptional nation" gets to throw down it's hair and tell the world, "look at us! we're free! and you're NOT!!"

Do you recall how just last year Britain was being overwhelmed by racism?
The mainstream news media, particularly the center-left leaning media, insisted that just one thing, and only one thing, could explain the Brexit vote.

One of the things I hate about summer is that the frequency of murders of transgender people tends to pick up.

Police in Lynchburg, VA have reported that Ebony Morgan was found with multiple gunshot wounds around 1 a.m. yesterday.

...at least when it comes to foreign policy.
Except for ageing progressives, Democrats have abandoned progressive foreign policies.

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) yesterday called the the Pentagon's move on Friday to delay allowing transgender troops to enlist in the military "outrageous" and argued that it was done "without providing any evidence."

Is it even possible to astroturf an already artificial, corporate political movement?
It appears that we are about to find out.

Trump wrestling body-slam tweet 'encourages violence against reporters', CNN says

I am not going to repost that sad video here, you can watch it in the link.

Being a Citizen of the Evil Empire
...misdirected and ill-informed

Perhaps war and greed is endemic to being human. Many years ago, a middle east scholar suggested the pattern of civilization is conquest, consolidation, expansion, degeneration, and back to conquest. The middle east certainly has the history to support that theory. Watch this 12 minute video tracing the story of empires in the region before the advent of Islam. Is anything new? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBpQiJt3MUQ

From Naked Capitalism. After covering the weakness in consumer spending, the Republican threat to the health care Industry, silicon valley, energy and fracking Jim Chanos summarizes:

It could all just be a soft spot in an ongoing expansion — time will tell. But the narrative we were told is that animal spirits would take us to the next level of economic activity. That clearly is not happening in mid-2017.

There is a new NRA Facebook video out that I can't quite figure out. Is it stirrring the shite to turn people against each other. Is it a cynical ploy to sell more guns for its primary sponsors? Or is it something worse, as Bill Moyers' says. Here's the vid:

Earlier today a jihadi rebel group in southern Syria accused the Damascus government of a chemical weapons attack.

A day after she introduced and then withdrew an amendment to the military budget intended to deny transgender Americans from serving in the military, Rep Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) was on the radio with Tony Perkins of the hate group Family Research Council

Trans servicemembers, she warned, are a “threat” to the country — a threat rivaling our biggest international foes.

I've long ago concluded that the American public is subjected to the most sophisticated system of mass propaganda the world has ever known (or suffered), bar none. And, I've concluded that ALL social dysfunction can be traced back to the effects corporate-owned media propaganda has on the population.

The families of two Yemeni men killed in a drone strike in 2012, an imam and a police officer, sued the federal government.
They didn't seek any money. Their objective was simple: they wanted a court declaration that the strike violated international and US law.
They didn't win.

More below:

These people amongst so many others played with the truth over the years in the name of ratings. They helped create the monsters that rule us, they have helped divide America for their own hubris and greed. So many of these media fakes have made their fortunes by spreading falsehoods, they are no better than Alex Jones and his ilk; just a little less obvious.

Damn!

Ava Le'Ray Barrin of Athens, Georgia has been called "a brave young woman who feared nothing; nobody, and especially not being herself. She had dreams of making a career for herself on stage.

Clinton's "17 US intelligence agencies" may be the biggest, most immediately disprovable wopper ever intentionally made during a debate.

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) October 20, 2016

It turns out that both HRW and the OPCW relied on the purported 'NGO' called the White Helmets to provide samples, descriptions, photographs as well as witnesses to the event. Neither agency had their own investigative teams on the ground where the supposed attack actually occurred. Wholly depending on parties that have an invested interest in convicting the Syrian government goes against all norms of jurisprudence.

It is in this light that Scott Ritter looks at the claims being made of the purported Sarin bombing at Khan Sheikhun. What we discover is that the OPCW report rests almost entirely on evidence and testimony given by the White Helmets.

No, I'm not referring to the infamous Trump Tweet yesterday about Mika bleeding from a face lift, and the resultant uproar, I'm referring to what their response to that tweet on "Morning Joe" this morning revealed - that they had been told by "three people at the top of the White House" to either apologize to Donald Trump for their unflattering coverage or face the consequences of a National Enquirer expose.

Of course Trumpcare is awful. Trumpcare is cruel. If Trumpcare passes thousands more will die.
Because of Obamacare millions have subsidized health insurance that otherwise wouldn't.
All of this is undeniably true.

The problem is that the conversation usually stops there.