Day: February 7, 2014

Could We See A 2nd Revolution?

“It is clear to me that the republic no longer functions  Hopefully someone can return it to sanity and compassion before it is too late.”  Who was that perceptive person that uttered these words?  (If you get that reference then you are a bigger geek than you think)…….

It seems that I find myself on the same page as a lot of the Righties out there.  They see the need for another revolution as do I….however we differ on the reasons we need that revolution but we both agree that this country is in dire need of change….the problem is that there can be NO change as long as we elect asswads that owe too much to so few…….with these people the best we could ever do is some incremental reform which in the long run accomplishes nothing.  We need to do some serious rethinking about this system and the lack of progress.

Recently a right wing whack-a-doodle called for a protest across the street from the White House……the guy was one Larry Klayman….he was basically calling for the impeachment of Obama, a new Continental Congress and in essence a 2nd American revolution…….

Larry Klayman predicted that his rally calling for the overthrow of President Obama would draw “millions to occupy Washington D.C.” and that those millions would “occupy parks, sidewalks, public areas” until the president leaves office. In the end, no more than a hundred people showed up for today’s big event.

Nevertheless, Klayman told Tea Party activists that he is still confident that the Reclaim American Now rally will force the president to resign and that grateful Americans will beseech Klayman and his allies to organize a new Continental Congress in Philadelphia.

His protest did not draw the million person that he had hoped for…..the problem was that this was a chance to improve or change our government through peaceful dissent but instead the morons appeared…..

Social issues that have NOTHING to do with the governing of the country is what protests have come to in this era of STUPID!  And you know what the say about stupid?  “Can’t Fix Stupid”!

We all romanticize the revolution for whatever reason….but just how successful was it?

(Newser) – Americans adore their revolution, but former historian Paul Pirie doesn’t think it was terribly successful—at least not if you judge it against countries like Canada (from whence Pirie hails) that kept their monarchies, or by its own stated goal of advancing life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. “The new republic started advancing life and liberty by keeping a substantial part of its population enslaved,” he points out in the Washington Post; British-controlled Canada, by contrast, began abolishing slavery in the 18th century.

Things aren’t looking great today, either. On the liberty front, America has more people incarcerated per capita than any other nation. Pursuing happiness is tricky, too, when you work longer hours for fewer benefits than workers in most developed countries. And the government the Founders installed is now hopelessly deadlocked. “Perhaps it’s time for Americans to accept that their revolution was a failure and renounce it,” Pirie argues. “Alternatively, rather than being wedded to every practice or institution that arose from the revolution” they could “rekindle some of the boldness of the nation’s Founders and create a ‘more perfect’ and happier union.”

We can argue the validity of this persons observation….but the fact is Klayman is right.  It is time for Americans to consider a new revolution….one that will benefit ALL Americans….not just the elitist as the first one did….(this will lead to more post on the constitution….please watch them….I really would like input)…….we need to find a new way of dealing with inequality now running rampant in our society….Klayman was correct but not for the same reasons he cites……and yes we need a new Continental Congress and that will mean a up-grade of the Constitution to reflect 21st century thinking as opposed to 18th century thinking…..

Please understand that revolution does not necessarily mean a huge “bang, bang, shoot’em up”………there is revolutionary thought as well as action that does not contain a violent component……

It seems not much was learned from Klayman’s attempt at a sort of ‘coup’……..come May 2014 there will be another attempt this one attempted by one Harry Riley………

Harry Riley has a dream. On the morning of May 16, somewhere between 10 and 30 million (estimates vary) God-fearing patriots will assemble in Washington, DC, for what Riley, a retired Army colonel from the Florida panhandle, is calling “Operation American Spring.” They’ll protest outside the White House by day and set up in campgrounds and RV parks outside the city by night. They won’t leave until President Barack Obama, along with Attorney General Eric Holder and congressional leaders of both parties, resign and appear before a specially convened investigative tribunal for further disciplinary action—a polite version of a tea party coup.

According to Riley’s introductory note, which he posted on Facebook, about 1 million activists will stick around DC after the march in a nonviolent attempt to shut the city down. According to the the document, the real work will occur after the transfer of power: “Those with the principles of a West, Cruz, Lee, DeMint, Paul, Gov Walker, Sessions, Gowdy, Jordan, Issa, will comprise a tribunal and assume positions of authority to convene investigations, recommend appropriate charges against politicians and government employees to the new U.S. Attorney General appointed by the new President.”

From : http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/01/harry-riley-operation-american-spring-fox-news

Have you gotten your invite yet?

I want my readers to consider the possibility of another revolution……..I would like as many opinions as I can get……we need to answer many questions…..and that is after all……. WHY I AM HERE!

Is There a Revolution Coming? Americans Finally Realize Global Capitalism Is a Murderous Sham | Alternet

If one truly wants change, not reform, but serious changes in the way our government goes about doing business…..then the word …REVOLUTION has to be considered……(spoiler alert!)………and that will be the next post……..

Is There a Revolution Coming? Americans Finally Realize Global Capitalism Is a Murderous Sham | Alternet.

What Happened To Democracy?

Let’s play politics today……there is plenty of chatter but little dialog…….

There is a lot going on in this country, the good old US of A, you know that shining light of democracy that we love to point to as the cure for all ails?

Before I go any further….please if you want to attack this post do NOT use the BS of “we are not a democratic country but rather a republic and a representative republic at that…….if you believe this then everyone needs to cease the use of the words “democracy” and “democratic”  (notice that is a small “D”)….it is that simple…..cannot have both no matter how much one desires.

One of the main tenets of a democracy is the free and unhindered elections and the right to vote.  In the last years there seems to be a push to make voting more difficult……I am not talking about the elimination of the right just that there are laws that make it a wee bit more difficult to do so……another thing….please do not use the voter ID thing as a defense……that has nothing to do with what I am writing.

This is what I am writing about……..

The Presidential Commission on Election Administration has released its report and recommendations, and reasonable people everywhere rejoice. The bipartisan commission was formed by Barack Obama following the 2012 election, which was a bit of an embarrassment for a nation that considers itself something of a model democracy. Across the country (but mainly in urban areas and black and Latino neighborhoods), Election Day featured hours-long lines, broken voting machines, inaccurate voter rolls and confusing ballots.

“The Editors” of Bloomberg View declare the report “so resolutely practical that it’s hard to imagine its recommendations stirring much debate, much less controversy.” (They acknowledge that “not all politicians want to make it easier for Americans to vote,” but they fail to specify that that’s more or less part of the Republican Party platform.) Jeffrey Toobin calls it “an unexpectedly bold document.”

The commission’s key recommendations are eminently reasonable: Expand online voter registration, expand early voting, improve and modernize voting machines, and improve efficiency and alleviate wait times at polling places with better training and techniques that have been proven to work elsewhere. Everyone should be able to support all of this, and, best of all, the commission’s recommendations don’t require any federal action at all. They just need to be voluntarily implemented by state and local officials. And how hard could it be to convince state and local officials to make voting easier?

Okay, for Obama haters this will be a point of contention…….only because it is a presidential report….which is just silly……I have read many reports from many states and most of them have some sort of voting “reform” and most of them either want to close polling stations or lessen early voting or shorten the hours or……I am sure you get my drift here.  None of these have anything to do with voter fraud…….they are attacks on the rights of citizens to vote……..PERIOD!

With this assault on our democratic right there is an idea that has more than a little merit……that is a new movement for Americans to embrace….a pro-democracy movement……

What would this movement detail?

One–get rid of cash!  Citizen’s united must be repealed or blown up or whatever we have to do to rid the process of all that cash….it is destroying what little integrity we had……

Two–open up the voting process……..

Three–Prosecute ANY breeches in ethics!…..and that means even minor breeches.  (Think Vitter, Ensign and the coke dude from last week)

Four–Make elected officials work at their job, not at making contacts……(force to work at least 150 days a session)

Five–If you truly want a democracy then go to a direct democracy where the people are involved at almost every stage…..

Without substantial change…..nothing will be repaired…the country will stay in the grips of those that we all profess that we dislike……as long as the money remains….so will be the buying of election….as long as the Congress works less than 150 days a year then no substantial laws will be enacted…..obstructionism will be the rule of the day……as long as the voter is being taken out of the equation there can be NO democracy and less representation…….

So ask yourself…..what has happened to our democracy?