You Cannot Heal Corruption With Corrupt Leaders

Let the countdown continue with focus and vigor! 

And, here is the AWESOME itinerary for Philadelphia!

Events to Support Bernie Sanders @

The Democratic National Convention

in Philadelphia, July 23rd through August 1:

The People's Convention

Saturday, July 23rd, 9AM-4PM. 

320 Arch St. 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106

To learn more about the People's Convention, here is the Link to the People's Revolution:

https://m.facebook.com/PeoplesRev/

March For Bernie in Philadelphia

Sunday July 24th 2PM-4PM. 

1401 John F Kennedy Blvd

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102

https://www.facebook.com/events/1262141703800004/

Bernie Sanders Rally, Philadelphia

Sunday evening, July 24th

Location to be announced.

(WHOO-HOO-HOO! THIS WILL BE MY 4TH BERNIE SANDERS RALLY! FEELING LUCKY...!!!!)

March On DNC

Monday July 25th 12 noon to 3p.m.

Behind 2nd Bank

420 Chestnut St 19106

https://www.facebook.com/events/248664418802949/

Bernie Or Bust

Tuesday July 26th 12noon to 3pm

Thomas Paine Plaza

1401 JFK Blvd 19103

bernieorbust.com

Black Men For Bernie (1)

(After the murders of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling, and the 

attack in Dallas, I expect this event to be especially important 

and in need of positive, nationwide attention and respect.)

Wednesdays July 27th 12-6

Thomas Paine Plaza

1401 JFK Blvd 19103

blackmenforbernie.com

Black Men For Bernie (2)

Thursday July 28th 12-6

Thomas Paine Plaza

1401 JFK Blvd 19103

blackmenforbernie.com

Kshama Sawant and other speakers

Thursday, July 28th, 430PM-10PM. 

1501 Cherry St, Philadelphia, PA 19102-1403, United States

Socialist Convergence

Monday, July 25th, 4PM - Thursday, July 28th, 10PM. 

1501 Cherry Street

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

DC to DNC

July 15th 8am to July 24th

Washington DC

Columbus Cir., 20002

dctodnc.com

Nonviolent Civil Resistance Classes

July 23-28 9am to 11am

FDR Park- Phila.

1800 Pattison Ave.

https://www.facebook.com/events/241372332902529/

Bern Bash

July 25th

FDR Park - under I-95 bridge

1800 Pattison Ave.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1693939094184468/

Occupy DNC 2016

July 25-28 9am to 6pm

FDR Park

1800 Pattison Ave

https://www.facebook.com/events/1659081914349812/

This one's for YOU, my dear and wonderful Bernie supporters!

From near and far, from ocean to mountain, 

from desert to marsh, from city to farm...

Come out for Bernie Sanders! 

Come out for our planet's future...

come out for honesty in the U.S. Government...

come out for all of us who will be in Philadelphia. 

We need you.

March For Bernie USA

July 24th - 12 noon

ALL CITIES

USA

https://www.facebook.com/events/1009394879138368/

Bernie Sanders After Parties!!!

Parties Hosted by Bernie Organizations in Philadelphia!

Evening of July 28th through ~August 1st.

Volunteer - building infrastructure @ HQ

131 S Pemberton Rd, 

Pemberton, NJ 08068

call the HQ - (215)-303-7285

For more information on how to get to Philadelphia 

and about what to do in Philadelphia, please check out the following websites:

https://www.philly.fyi/ 

http://www.journeyforbernie.com/

http://www.phillyawakening.org/

Did you think Berniecrats & Americans focused on making our 

Political (R)Evolution a reality could be fooled by Corporate Media Hype? 

We are awake. We are not fooled. We will not give up. 

And yes...we shall prevail. Why? Because we are together!

#BernieMustBeOnTheBallot

Keeping it Positive & Keeping it REAL!

Let the countdown begin! 

This is how many days we have left 

to influence the actions of the Super Delegates in Philly. 

Do not waste one minute between now and then.

Let's ROCK the last three weeks of this 2016 Primary Season!

During the Convention, I will post 3 video reports (a day) to my YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVT8UnXsS0ty7wn3wnKiEyQ

During the Convention, I will post 1 written report around 8pm PST, per day.

Here on my blog, of course! 

PLEASE CONSIDER SHARING MY "ON THE GROUND" REPORTING

OF THE COMMON AMERICANS WHO WILL BE IN PHILLY,

PEACEFULLY SEEKING A BETTER FUTURE.

And, remember...turn off the TV. 

(1) Corporate Media Will Be Lying All Week Long

(2) The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

Yes! Let Us Make History Again!

Yes, let's!

Philadelphia is the city where British subjects faced the hard reality that they had NO VOICE in the government that ruled them. Some British subjects became brave enough - enlightened enough - aware enough - and committed enough...to choose a different path. Without asking for permission, they stepped out of the box and The United States of America was born.

In 1787, Thomas Jefferson -- who was then living in France -- wrote a letter to his friend William Smith. In the letter Jefferson wrote the following words: "If they remain quiet under such misconceptions it is a lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty."

If Thomas Jefferson were to join us in Philadelphia, who doubts that he would stand with Bernie Sanders and his fellow Political (R)Evolutionaries?

Of course, he is not here in the flesh, but he is here in thought & in word! He wrote diligently and excessively, so that we could benefit from his life of action, as he knew that the pursuit of a better trajectory for a troubled world...never ends.

One more quote from that same letter: "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots & tyrants. It is it's natural manure."

America Has a HUGE Mass Transit System (Don't believe me? Read on...)

Welcome to America's Mass Transit System

We all know, deep down, that there is value to travel. Seeing not just the sights and eating strange new foods…but watching how people live. That’s the real “gold” that’s out there, waiting to be found. Sometimes, we don’t even know we’ve found it until we return home.

“Did you rent a car?”

That simple and all-too-American question caught me entirely off guard. “Oh, God. No!” My surprise was reflected in the raised eyebrow of my casual interviewer. “Who would want to rent a car in Denmark?” The incredulous words fanned a spark of an idea into a flickering flame, as they left my lips.

That was the moment when I saw, for the first time, that America has a HUGE mass transit system. Only, it’s not made up of multiple-passenger vehicles (trains, light rail, metro lines and buses). No, the American mass transit system (which may be the largest in the world) is almost entirely made up of individually owned vehicles.

Most people casually define a mass transit system as: “A system of tax & user-fee funded vehicles running on a pre-described route on a regularly timed schedule with a driver to passenger ratio that is quite high (1 to 30 per bus, 1 to 300 for a metro line, maybe 1 to 1,000 for a train), etc.”

I propose, for the sake of conversation, that we reframe our concept of a “mass transit system” to “that system which moves humans about.”

The need to move humans from here to there is, perhaps, one of the most important issues of our time. Yet, in America, the conversation about how best to do this has become stymied by multiple variables. Not the least of which is the profitability of the current system.

Where there is money to be made, there are minds to change, ideas to cultivate, emotions to manipulate, fears to feed and beliefs to plant. Basically, our purchasing choices are being hunted, and for over a century, corporations have employed the combined efforts of sociologists, psychologists and advertising specialists to do that and more. Their ultimate goal is to also control the political landscape, and, in this, they have succeeded. 

The result? Americans are actually paying more money for what can quantifiably be defined as the worst transportation system of any “advanced” society on Earth, and they’re happy about it.

Across America, the individually owned vehicle is perceived (and presented) as a symbol of freedom, status and independence. Ridiculous car commercials showing beautiful, healthy and calm drivers traversing upscale city streets devoid of any other forms of life (animal, human or vehicular) ricochet across our television screens with mind-numbing frequency. The result? We buy into the fantasy. Hook, line and sinker or…as may be more appropriate…gas bill, insurance bill and maintenance bill.

And what do we get in return? 

Not nearly as much as we are promised. Comparatively, a mass transit system made up of individually owned vehicles is less safe, economically less efficient, environmentally more polluting, entails greater travel time (not less), must be replaced more often (is less resilient as an infrastructure), is actually much less convenient, and generally results is a lower quality of life for the people that use it. The only reason this strategy hasn’t gone the way of the dinosaurs is that it’s the only option we have. By gutting our political will to support publicly-funded systems of transportation (trains, metro, light rail and significant bus routes), the impossible has been made possible: Americans actually prefer the worse option.

In Denmark, they have the better option. Since the 1970’s, three generations of Danes have said, “Yes, Yes, Yes!” to a tax-funded system of trains, metro, light rail and buses. The results? You would NEVER want to rent a car, when visiting Denmark and, if you’re lucky enough to live there, your family might own one car…maybe…but two? Highly unlikely. In fact, a significant portion of the country prefers a carless existence.

Based upon my calculations, the average American contributes $5,000 a year to the “commuter car mass transit system.” The average Dane appears to pay about $925 more (in taxes and user fees) per year, for the pleasure of a wide-flung, reliable and extremely frequent system of trains, metro, light rail and buses. Yet, most Danes celebrate their good fortune. After all, who wouldn’t pay $925, to get back 200-300 hours spent in relentless rush hour traffic…every year?

In short, America’s system of “mass transportation via individually owned vehicles” is:
More expensive
More accident-prone
Less healthy
More stressful
Doubles or triples commute times
Reduces overall happiness
And consumes huge swaths of land, devoted to freeways which (during rush hours) better resemble a parking lot.

Over the past year, as Americans have toyed with the idea of “doing things better,” I have often been the first to say, “There is no such thing as free lunch, free education, free medical care, or free anything!” Everything costs. Including all forms of transportation. The question we need to answer is: “How much does it cost, and which system gives us the most for our hard-earned buck?”

When Americans say “less taxes,” they often forget to follow that up with, “more individual out-of-pocket expenses.” America’s mass transit system (comprised of individual vehicles) may not raise our taxes, but it drains us of funds, health and energy on a daily basis. The sooner we accept the fact that some systems are better off being funded by taxes, the sooner we can begin the important work of evaluating (with a clear head) which is which. One way or another, everything is getting paid for and I’d like to believe that Americans are capable of choosing the more fiscally sound & environmentally sustainable option…whatever it might be.

Why do we appear to be stuck in an endless argument that leads to no new solutions? I suppose it might have something to do with (1) discouragement of citizen involvement, (2) well-funded lobbyists, (3) lack of campaign finance reform, (4) an increasingly under-educated population, and (5) the financial interests of those who profit from the current system.

All of which are reasons to read up on Bernie Sanders’ Campaign Platform and to get involved. Right now. Today. Change is always hard. But, in 2016, not changing is the choice that will hurt the most.

Responding Politely (to that Bernie-Hating Family Member)...

Hi All!

I've got this brother-in-law who I really actually like a lot. But, he's a very white, very tall man in his early 70's with German Immigrant Parents who, after thirty-plus years of being an atheist is now a born again Mormon. And...he comes across a bit like your least favorite Right-Wing Talking Head. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. So, what's a woman to do when he's cherry-picking just about everything on the planet that can cast Bernie Sanders (and everything the Political (R)Evolution stands for) in a bad light? 

First off, I got my husband to stop "email debating" with him. Whew. My husband loves our brother-in-law, too, but when it comes to politics and social justice...they are water and vinegar. And, my evenings are too precious to sit around listening to my husband rant and rave about his latest email back and forth, blah...blah...blah.

Secondly, I keep in mind that the man is different from the philosophy. It's like loving your sister-in-law, even though she spends the weekend picketing the local abortion clinic or remaining cordial with your homophobic brother-in-law who cracks Ellen "Degenerate" jokes at family gatherings. Oh, and don't forget the Republican, Anti-Hispanic Immigrant rantings of the guy who married your Mexican Immigrant Sister-in-Law. I mean, seriously...was I expecting logic and continuity of thought?

No. When it comes to crazy family members who rub us the wrong way, we've got a choice. We can love the person and ignore/dislike/hate the sin (to use a catch-all phrase) or we can lose the relationship and "stop talking" to this or that person who is, otherwise, a sweet, loving and kind human being. To me, America's Political (R)Evolution is about maintaining the love, so that the door to new information is always open...after all, one day, maybe I'll say something in a way that resonates, right?

So, below is my reply to my brother-in-law asking me what I think about the following article (as it was proof that "left-wing demagogues" are out to destroy society as we know it). And yes, I literally laid out my email as you see it below. I find that avoiding "casual conversation" and focusing on an essay-like, breakdown and analysis of the content makes for my disagreements to come across less as personal attacks and more as a debate about the issue at hand.

Article Referenced by my Brother-in-Law:
http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/27861/

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey there! So, here are my thoughts about the article you shared with me.

Source:
The College Fix: 
Original - Student Reported - Your Daily Dose of Right-Minded News & Commentary From Across The Nation

Writer: 
This article was written by a woman named Kate Hardiman who is a student at Notre Dame (A Catholic Private College). She had an email conversation with a man and has written the article from that 2nd-hand information. I have no idea whether the Dartmouth Professor actually supports what she has written.

Bias: 

This article was written for a venue which has a self-expressed bias toward anything that supports a "conservative/right-wing ideological viewpoint." A topic generally hated and vilified by this demographic is unlikely to be covered in an accurate way on such a website.

Confusing Marxism & Socialist Democracy: 
The quotes from this professor are written to suggest that he is pretty stupid. I doubt that he is. He's probably been very poorly represented by Kate Hardiman. In particular, she suggests on his behalf that he sees Marxism and Socialist Democracies as being the same thing...while the quote from his email includes a list of countries which are clearly more "Marxist," such as: China, Cuba, Eastern Europe and Russia.

Force versus Choice:

The article tries to suggest that Socialist Democracy, itself, leads to cruelty, injustice and the loss of freedom. But, when you read the entire quote, it becomes clear that the professor is blaming 'revolutionary' imposition of a particular approach to governance as that which leads to cruelty, injustice and the loss of freedom. Of course, in America today, we see cruelty, injustice and the loss of freedom across the land...in most cases, as a result of institutionally empowered demographics having the ability to "impose" power upon less-empowered demographics.

Religious Focus:
The author of this article is a student at a strongly religious University (Notre Dame), so it's not surprising to find a religious argument in this narrative. According to the professor being quoted, "People seem to feel the need to believe in something, and when intellectuals abandon traditional religion, as most have done, they tend to seek substitutes." 

This statement is huge and arrogant. Mostly because the difference between "faith-based" belief and "evidence-based" belief is paramount. In general, the traditional belief that the Earth is the center of the Universe has not stood up to the scientific study of our place in the Universe and few, to none, retain the previous "traditional" beliefs. Does this mean that everyone is seeking a substitute? Or does this mean that people have come to accept certain provable realities about the natural world? Like the Professor of Astronomy, a Professor of Economics or Social Welfare is not required to negate and ignore data and evidence that run counter to "traditional" beliefs. So, the whole argument being presented is based upon the writer's nicely Catholic assumption that "traditional" is better. 

While this man seems to have grown up during the social unrest of the 60's and may now be questioning the volatile and challenging choices that young people of his era chose over the predominant ones offered at the time (Jim Crow South, WWII, Vietnam War, Bigotry, Sexism, etc.)...he does not speak from a place of special knowledge when it comes to Socialist Democracy. 

Jack Stauder - UMass Dartmouth

As you can see from his bio page, after studying in England, the rest of his research was based in African and South America. Neither of which offers examples of successful socialist democracies. Which means that his experience cannot be called upon to illuminate our understanding of the successes of Northern European Socialist Democracies.

I would like to add that much of the medical care that your parents likely enjoyed (or were certainly eligible for) in their later years was provided by our tax dollars, as a social benefit for all. Suggesting that some broad-scale, social programs (when chosen willingly and knowledgeably by American Citizens) can be a good idea.

Sincerely,

March