Saturday, March 12, 2016
Thursday, March 10, 2016
Before you use the word SOCIALISM, know its history!
Before you conservatives start tossing around the word, "socialism," as some kind of a pejorative or insult-- know its history in the United States. Know exactly what you are saying. Learn how it was used as a propaganda tool to justify unleashing the full force and might of the United States military against striking American workers. Freedom of expression was suppressed-- it became illegal to fly certain banners. Yes, in America. That word-- "socialism," led directly to the deaths of American men and women who were fighting for rights that we all take for granted today-- the end to child labor, minimum wage, the 40-hour work week, safe working conditions, overtime pay, and even the right to strike itself. That is your history, America. It was called The First Red Scare. Learn about it so that when you say the word, "socialism," we are at least talking the same language and I know precisely where you stand.
Monday, March 7, 2016
Sunday, March 6, 2016
Hillary Gets Most $$$ from Weapons Manufacturers of All Candidates
No other candidate gets more money from weapons manufacturers than Hillary Clinton.
#FlintDebate #FeelTheBern #HillaryClinton #BernieSanders #Hillary2016 #Bernie2016
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Hillary's Scary Lobbyists
Remember when the Democratic Party dropped its ban on lobbyist donations so Hillary could beat Bernie? Bernie petitioned the DNC to urge them to stop rolling back their bans. The petition fell on deaf ears. Here's a bit of background if you are unfamiliar with this news.
DNC rolls back restrictions on lobbyist donations - The Hill
So what has been the result? Well, here's a sampling of some of Hillary's lobbyist donors.
-Michael Pease who lobbies for Goldman Sachs and was once barred from communicating with the House Financial Services Committee.
-Joe O'Neil who lobbies for Bain Capital. Yes, that Bain Capital.
-Theresa Fariello and Lai King Lam who lobby on behalf of Exxon-Mobile.
-Jerry Crawford who lobbies on behalf of Monsanto.
-H. Benson Dendy III who lobbies on behalf of several companies including Raytheon Inc. who makes tactical munitions for drones, and DJI Technologies who makes drones.
-Joseph Pigg for the American Bankers Association.
-The in-house lobbying staff of Commerce Bank.
-Langston Emerson representing private equity firms.
-Thurgood Marshall Jr. who represents the Corrections Corporation of America-- private prisons.
-Michael Driver-- who represents the Red Flat Nickel Corporation that wants to develop nickel laterite mines on thousands of acres of National Forest and BLM land in Southwest Oregon.
-Stuart Eisenstat for the private American military company and security consulting firm Blackwater.
-Ameren Corp which lobbies on behalf of electric companies.
-Sabrina Campbell who lobbies for her client American Electric Power.
-Janet Boyd who lobbies for Dow Chemical.
-Melissa Lavinson who lobbies for Pacific Gas & Electric. Yes, Erin Brockovich's PG&E.
-James Allen who lobbies on behalf of big coal plant owner Puget Sound Energy.
-Bradford Cheney of Glover Park Group who have been criticized for their anti-ethanol lobbying.
-Lobbyists for the Podesta Group, whose clients include Wal-Mart, Wells Fargo, Monsanto, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, big health insurers, big pharma, and much more.
-Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP who represent big media conglomerates.
-Raul Tapia, Melissa Maxfield, Phil Tahtakran, and Edolphus Towns all from Comcast.
-Kenneth D. Salomon who once worked for the FCC but now lobbies for telecommunications companies.
-Vic Fazio from Phillip Morris.
-Shanti Stanton who represents nearly $750 million in dark money, and over a billion dollars in all representing big pharma, Wall Street, and others.
These are just a small sampling, and what it means for our country is just business as usual. If these lobbyists get their way, and they likely will to some extent, then we will have no advancements in alternative energies, no tightening of restrictions on polluters, mining in our national forest, expansion of private prisons, and possibly even net neutrality itself is under threat. And I don't even want to envision the consequences of Blackwater's lobbying efforts.
SOURCE: OpenSecrets
DNC rolls back restrictions on lobbyist donations - The Hill
So what has been the result? Well, here's a sampling of some of Hillary's lobbyist donors.
-Michael Pease who lobbies for Goldman Sachs and was once barred from communicating with the House Financial Services Committee.
-Joe O'Neil who lobbies for Bain Capital. Yes, that Bain Capital.
-Theresa Fariello and Lai King Lam who lobby on behalf of Exxon-Mobile.
-Jerry Crawford who lobbies on behalf of Monsanto.
-H. Benson Dendy III who lobbies on behalf of several companies including Raytheon Inc. who makes tactical munitions for drones, and DJI Technologies who makes drones.
-Joseph Pigg for the American Bankers Association.
-The in-house lobbying staff of Commerce Bank.
-Langston Emerson representing private equity firms.
-Thurgood Marshall Jr. who represents the Corrections Corporation of America-- private prisons.
-Michael Driver-- who represents the Red Flat Nickel Corporation that wants to develop nickel laterite mines on thousands of acres of National Forest and BLM land in Southwest Oregon.
-Stuart Eisenstat for the private American military company and security consulting firm Blackwater.
-Ameren Corp which lobbies on behalf of electric companies.
-Sabrina Campbell who lobbies for her client American Electric Power.
-Janet Boyd who lobbies for Dow Chemical.
-Melissa Lavinson who lobbies for Pacific Gas & Electric. Yes, Erin Brockovich's PG&E.
-James Allen who lobbies on behalf of big coal plant owner Puget Sound Energy.
-Bradford Cheney of Glover Park Group who have been criticized for their anti-ethanol lobbying.
-Lobbyists for the Podesta Group, whose clients include Wal-Mart, Wells Fargo, Monsanto, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, big health insurers, big pharma, and much more.
-Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP who represent big media conglomerates.
-Raul Tapia, Melissa Maxfield, Phil Tahtakran, and Edolphus Towns all from Comcast.
-Kenneth D. Salomon who once worked for the FCC but now lobbies for telecommunications companies.
-Vic Fazio from Phillip Morris.
-Shanti Stanton who represents nearly $750 million in dark money, and over a billion dollars in all representing big pharma, Wall Street, and others.
These are just a small sampling, and what it means for our country is just business as usual. If these lobbyists get their way, and they likely will to some extent, then we will have no advancements in alternative energies, no tightening of restrictions on polluters, mining in our national forest, expansion of private prisons, and possibly even net neutrality itself is under threat. And I don't even want to envision the consequences of Blackwater's lobbying efforts.
SOURCE: OpenSecrets
What will it take?
What will it take? Child labor again? The military's might and force used against striking workers? What will it take? Another Great Depression? Sweatshops? How far do we descend before the American public wakes up for a second New Deal? How many people must suffer before the voters of this country rise up and take back their government? How low must wages go before Americans become fed up? How many human beings in developing countries must we enslave before we acknowledge the consequences of our consumer-driven society? How many bombs must we drop in foreign lands before the hands of peace and diplomacy take control? How many people must go hungry before empathy and compassion dominate our policies? How many? What will it take?
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
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