Bernie Sanders calls for action on the government shutdown

From Bernie Sanders:

Sisters and Brothers -

Last night at midnight, the Republican House, Senate, and President of the United States shut down the government.

As a result, some 800,000 federal employees may be sent home without a paycheck. In fact, many may be required to continue their jobs — without getting paid.

And let us not forget that these are workers who have kids to feed, mortgages to pay, and health care expenses.

Meanwhile, all over this country, people who access and need government services are at risk of not being able to get them.

And if you think my Republican colleagues are staying up late at night worrying about these people, you would be mistaken.

Because the truth is, just days ago, Republicans and Democrats had a deal to continue funding the government. In the Senate, we passed something called a “continuing resolution” unanimously - one the president had indicated he would sign.

But, as is often the case with our erratic and impulsive president, he flip-flopped after hearing criticism from Rush Limbaugh, Fox News and other right-wing commentators.

And all of this is over a wasteful, unnecessary and xenophobic border wall that will do more harm than good.

In my view, it is long overdue for Republicans in Congress to stand up to Trump. But if that is ever going to happen, my colleagues need to hear from you. They need to know that there is a price to pay for standing with Trump when they should be standing up to him.

So today, I am asking:

Sign my petition: Tell Republicans in the House and in the Senate to fund the government and end this shutdown. Instead of standing with President Trump, it is time to stand up to him.

Ours is a country that faces enormous problems today.

The stock market is struggling, interest rates are rising, and the Secretary of Defense is heading for the exit in response to Trump’s make-it-up-as-you-go foreign policy.

The president’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, is heading to jail, and the Mueller investigation regarding possible Trump campaign collusion with the Russians is coming to a head.

At a deeper level, we remain the only major country on earth not to guarantee health care to all.

Hundreds of thousands of young people cannot afford to go to college, and over 40 million are struggling with outrageous levels of student debt.

Economically, the younger generation will likely have, for the first time in modern history, a lower standard of living than their parents.

And two recent major reports on climate change have told us that we must combat aggressively a growing threat to our planet.

Clearly, this president’s erratic and impulsive behavior is a danger to our country and a major impediment in terms of addressing the crises we face.

His decision to shut down the government is just the latest example of this destructive pattern.

I believe it is time for Republicans in Congress to stand up to him so that we, in a bipartisan way, can fund the government and end this shutdown.

Add your name to say you agree:

Sign my petition: Tell Republicans in the House and in the Senate that instead of standing with President Trump, it is time to stand up to him. Fund the government. End this shutdown.

This government shutdown did not have to happen. But hopefully if we all make our voices heard, it will end soon.

ADD YOUR NAME

John Lennon - Happy Christmas

Jethro Tull - Christmas song

Trump was right—to oppose our Middle East Imperialist policies

By SJ Otto

Trump’s latest declaration is that the US has defeated ISIS (Islamic State) and the US does not need to be in the Middle East. He is right. I don’t agree with him often, but the US is addicted to war and imperialism. The Republican Party, especially, is addicted to the idea that the US needs to be in charge of the entire world. They believe every decision foreign governments make needs to by approved by US leaders. And most Republicans can’t imagine a war they aren’t supporting.

It amazes me that his own party is tearing him up over his stand in Syria.

“We have defeated Isis in Syria,” Donald Trump tweeted on Wednesday, “my only reason for being there during the Trump presidency.”

Trump has taken some real heat from his own supporters for his latest declaration:

“It had to be uncomfortable morning viewing for Donald Trump again Thursday as Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade tore into the president for his shock announcement that he wants to withdraw all 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria—a move Kilmeade slammed as “totally irresponsible” and that would allow ISIS to re-establish its severely diminished power.”

I listened to NPR on the radio today and they can’t find anyone in the US government that agrees with Trump. That includes both Democrats and Republicans. I heard comments such as “shocked’ and “big mistake.”

But this is a country today where no one, Democrat nor Republicans, can imagine the US at peace. We are the world’s bully boys and we have to be fighting and killing those who don’t conform to the US standards.

I don’t care why Trump made this decision, it is the right one to make. The rest of the county’s government leaders need to get over it!

Pix by Wired.   

Trump is ridiculous and the US health care system is badly broken

By SJ Otto

US President Donald Trump would be a funny man, deeply amusing, if he wasn’t such a destructive political force. He is truly despicable. One of the best examples of this is his policies on health care. One of the first things he did when, he took office, was to strip Obamacare (Affordable Care Act) and cost millions of people their health care.

He is still at it, determined to destroy health care for millions of people. He is determined and has worked diligently to destroy the one act to provide common people of medium and lower class workers to health care. The US is about the only industrialised country in the world that does not have any program to provide health care for its working poor.[1] For the last 50 years various presidents and politicians have tried to pass laws that would change that, but the various corporations that profit off of this country’s sick people have managed to destroy such attempts.

It was almost two weeks ago that aTexas judge ruled Obamacare to be unconstitutional, a move that could leave millions of Americans uninsured and without any health care. If that ruling stands, it could be a disaster for millions of Americans and yet Trump was crowing about it being a “great ruling for the country.”

 “It was a big, big victory by a highly respected judge, highly, highly respected in Texas,” President Trump said in response to a question from ABC News during a visit to Arlington Cemetery Saturday.

Just a few days ago, Jay Bookman, writing for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution gave a really accurate description of Trump:

“Whatever else it will say about him, history will see Donald Trump as a marker in time that divides what came before him from what will come after him. He is a ridiculous figure, especially as president, but the fact that he was elected anyway demonstrates the bankruptcy of that previous era and the repudiation of an approach to politics that had grown stale and unresponsive…..

…… Through incompetence, ignorance and no small degree of malevolence, Trump is hastening the destruction of that previous world. Alliances, networks and understandings that had stood for decades are falling apart, quickly, but the truth is that all that was fated by time to crumble anyway. Wiser leadership would attempt to manage that decline while building replacements, but for the moment that is not the leadership that we have given ourselves.”

Bookman doesn’t spell out the direction he thinks the Democrats should go, but he seems to be fairly accurate about Trump and his contributions to politics. Trump is ridiculous. What is really amazing is that anyone who does not have a lot of money would actually vote for him and continue to support his presidency. A lot of people who will lose their health care actually voted for him and many still support him. It almost seems to be an act of self loathing to support this man and his destruction of the working class. As Bookman points out, many people are seriously unhappy with the direction of this country and already feel they are being attacked by the mainstream political establishment. Trump represents working class people who are jumping from the frying pan into the fire. Trump talks about fixing this county’s health care system and yet the Republicans have done nothing but preventing any positive change for health care. We can expect more of the same.

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[1] For an example for some of this see; “Estes just wants insurance companies to profit off of the sick and dying.”

"Weird Al" Yankovic - Christmas At Ground Zero

INCLUDE A NEW PEACE DEAL IN THE GREEN NEW DEAL

Once again I have an opportunity to try and oppose imperialism. Imperialism is a terrible policy and we live in a highly militarised society where killing people are just a polite policy. Join me in supporting this letter. -SJ Otto

From Code Pink:

We love and wholeheartedly support Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal AND we suggest some additions to address the environmental impact of militarism and the bloated Pentagon budget as a source of revenue. Sign your name to our letter below!

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Dear Congresswoman-Elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,

We are thrilled with your draft of a Green New Deal and support it wholeheartedly. We would, however, like to suggest some additions to acknowledge the existence of the U.S. military as an environmentally destructive force, and the enormous U.S. military budget (over 60% of discretionary spending) as a potential source of revenue for the green initiatives this nation so desperately needs.

1. We suggest changing this:

The Plan for a Green New Deal (and the draft legislation) shall recognize that innovative public and other financing structures are a crucial component in achieving and furthering the goals and guidelines relating to social, economic, racial, regional and gender-based justice and equality and cooperative and public ownership set forth in paragraphs (2)(A)(i) and (6)(B).
to this:

The Plan for a Green New Deal (and the draft legislation) shall recognize that much of the 60% of discretionary spending now going into the environmentally destructive project of militarism can be moved to environmental protection, and that innovative public and other financing structures. . . .

2. We suggest adding this:

• a major transition away from the environmental destruction of war and war-preparations, including the closure of most of the U.S. military bases abroad and within the United States and the thorough cleanup of the land and water in those locations.
  
  To the following list:
  
  The Plan for a Green New Deal (and the draft legislation) shall be developed in order to achieve the following goals, in each case in no longer than 10 years from the start of execution of the Plan:
• 100% of national power generation from renewable sources;
• building a national, energy-efficient, “smart” grid;
• upgrading every residential and industrial building for state-of-the-art energy efficiency, comfort and safety;
• decarbonizing the manufacturing, agricultural and other industries;
• decarbonizing, repairing and improving transportation and other infrastructure;
• funding massive investment in the drawdown and capture of greenhouse gases;
• making “green” technology, industry, expertise, products and services a major export of the United States, with the aim of becoming the undisputed international leader in helping other countries transition to completely carbon neutral economies and bringing about a global Green New Deal.

• Click here to see this site.

Working In A White House Wonderland—By RICHARD CROWSON

By SJ Otto

I was driving along in my car and I heard this song on the radio channel KMUW, 89.1, Wichita’s NPR station. I managed to find it on the internet, so here it is—a great little ditty to listen to for a good laugh. To actually hear this song, click here and look for the music play button.

The Lyrics:

 (A song, to the tune of Winter Wonderland)

Going away is John Kelly
He took a swift kick to the belly
You'd think it takes a real chump
To want to join up with Trump
Working in a White House Wonderland

In the meadow Trump can build a snowman
And offer him the job of Chief of Staff
But when Trump tries to hire him he’d say, “No, man!
I’d have to be insane! Don’t make me laugh!”

Later on, Trump will perspire
‘Cause there’s no one left to fire
Eating Big Macs with cheese
Among blood-red Christmas trees
Working in a White House Wonderland

Maybe there’s somebody who will do it
Work extra hard for pay that’s cut in half
If I were Trump I think I’d look into it
Hire an undocumented immigrant chief of staff!

Gone away are so many
It used to be that there were plenty
As Mueller tightens the knot
Nobody wants to get caught
Working in a White House Wonderland

DSA Bread and Roses Holiday Potluck

The Bread and Roses Holiday Potluck was held  by the Wichita Democratic Socialist of America, last Sunday.

Plight of immigrants explained by Claudia Amaro, at the Peace and Social Justice Center’s Annual Dinner

By SJ Otto

US meddling in foreign countries, whose people now flock to the US, was discussed by Claudia Amaro, a leading activist and organizer in the Latino community of Wichita, who spoke to the Peace and Social Justice Center, for their Annual Dinner, last Friday.

Each year devoted supporters and members of the Peace and Social Justice Center gather for a dinner and speaker.

“It is too bad we have such a president” (as Donald Trump), said Amaro. “Immigration has always existed. It is as broken system that comes from years ago.”

Amaro discussed many of the bad laws that have been passed over the years that have contributed to the immigration problems of today.

She gave the example of NAFT (North American Free Trade Agreement).

“It created great hardships,” Amaro said.

She added that US Corporations went to Mexico to avoid taxes and to dodge paying workers minimum wage. The agreement undermined labor laws.

Amaro reminded people that it was Ronald Reagan who attacked the countries of El Salvador and Guatemala, as well as Honduras.

Honduras had a coup in 2009[1] to remove a progressive president, Manuel Zelaya. Amaro pointed out that the US has a history of using military coups to remove progressive leaders and replace them with military dictators.  Continuous, interference in Central America has helped to create the situation we have today. Violent gangs dominate day to day culture in much of Central America.

“People are determined to get a better life for their kids,” Amaro added. “There was a coup in Honduras and every country in the world has condemned it, accept the US.”

Amaro is a US citizen today, but she said that not all of her relatives are citizens.

“I moved to the US when I was 12 years old,” Amaro said. “I was born in Mexico, but my home is the US.”

While she has been a citizen most of her life, her husband was not and she had to help him gain his US citizenship. She now helps other non-citizens to get their citizenship. She often deals with people who are in detention centers, where she said the conditions are terrible.

“People go through hell,” she said.

Amaro explained that people need to share the stories of these immigrants so that the common citizens of this country understand what life is like for these people.

She also said that voting is important.

“Some politicians just want my vote,” Amaro added.

She suggested people check out a politician’s history is on immigration. If their record is bad voters need to expose them for that.

Amaro explained that ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) plays a destructive role in immigrant’s lives and this country has developed a culture of hate that needs to be countered.

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[1] The 2009 Honduran coup d'état, part of the 2009 Honduran constitutional crisis, occurred when the Honduran Army on June 28, 2009 followed orders from the Honduran Supreme Court to oust President Manuel Zelaya and send him into exile. Zelaya had attempted to schedule a non-binding poll on holding a referendum on convening a constituent assembly to rewrite the constitution. Zelaya refused to comply with court orders to cease, and the Honduran Supreme Court issued a secret warrant for his arrest dated 26 June. Two days later, Honduran soldiers stormed the president's house in the middle of the night and detained him, forestalling the poll. Instead of bringing him to trial, the army put him on a military aeroplane and flew him to Costa Rica. Later that day, after the reading of a resignation letter of disputed authenticity, the Honduran Congress voted to remove Zelaya from office, and appointed Speaker of Congress Roberto Micheletti, his constitutional successor, to replace him. -From Wikipedia.

We all should get to celebrate the holidays we want— and for me that is Winter Solstice

By SJ Otto

It is getting close to December 25, the traditional date for Christmas in this country, and as much as I love this festive season, I have to put up with those who have deemed themselves holy crusaders to keep Atheists and similar views out of the holiday season.

It has gotten harder to understand whether the hard core Christians want us non-Christians to not celebrate their holiday or whether they want us to be forced to celebrate "Christmas."

Some time ago people in this country realized that Jews don’t celebrate Christmas, so some people began trying to include Chanukah in these holidays. In some cities as in New York there are a lot of Jews. There are menorahs and many people say “Happy Chanukah.” There is also the newer holiday called Kwanzaa. Maulana Karenga created Kwanzaa in 1966, as the first specifically African-American holiday. According to Karenga, the name Kwanzaa derives from the Swahili phrase matunda yakwanza, meaning "first fruits of the harvest", although a more conventional translation would simply be "first fruits".

A few years ago I studied various pagan beliefs. Most celebrate some kind of version of the holiday known as Winter Solstice. I later decided to go back to my traditional humanist approach to spirituality and I adapted the doctrines of Epicurus. Epicurus did not deny the existence of god(s) but decided that gods take care of gods and humans need to take care of themselves. He also told people we should learn not to blame everything on gods. ‘If your house is crushed by an earthquake it isn’t the anger of the gods, you built your house in an earthquake prone place.’ And he didn’t believe in an after-life.

I still like the fall holidays, I still celebrate Samhain for Halloween and for Christmas I celebrate Winter Solstice or Yule, which at one time was also celebrated as Saturnalia. Saturnalia or the solstice was actually the December holiday that was taken over by the early Christians, when Rome converted to Christianity. Many of the old symbols are still used—such as putting a tree in the house and decorating it. And also having some kind of father character which we now call Santa Clause.

I’m sure many atheists celebrate these holidays as well. It is a good and festive celebration. Why should we not take part in such a holiday. After all it is in the dead of winter when we could use some cheerfulness. So why then do some Christians get so angry if non-Christians want to celebrate this holiday? Why the blatant hatred against all of us by conservative Christians?

Consider these arguments from Life Site News:

"Support our Christmas campaign today and help reach millions with pro-life and pro-family news"

"Atheist objections to public Nativity scenes are nothing new, but a leading atheist group has shown a pattern this year of challenging displays of the Christmas message.

Several actions, legal and otherwise, have been initiated across the country this Christmas season by the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF)....

....Elsewhere in Indiana, the FFRF was behind an “atheist nativity” erected in late November at the Franklin County Courthouse.

The display, a “Bill of Rights nativity” containing George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and the Statue of Liberty with the Bill of Rights in a manger, was to go up next to the traditional Nativity.

Franklin County, Indiana, commissioners drafted an ordinance allowing multiple displays on the courthouse lawn after the FFRF sued last year, according to Breitbart.com, implementing a permit application process resulting in some nine different displays approved this year so far....."

  

Another article in the Huff Post where the president of a Kentucky creationist museum told Fox News that Christmas was a “time to take on the atheists” who used their free speech rights to doubt the existence of God;

“Well, it wouldn’t be Christmas without someone complaining about Christ,” Fox & Friends host Elisabeth Hasselbeck told Creation Museum President Ken Ham, noting that atheists had put up a billboard in Time Square which suggested that Christ was not needed during Christmas.

“You know, the atheist who are a very small minority in the population have been trying to impose their religion of atheism on the culture now for quite a while,” Ham explained. “You know, getting Bible, prayer out of schools. Christian symbols out of public places.”

On The other hand there is the blog for American Atheists who make the argument:

"American Atheists posted new billboards in Memphis and Nashville on Friday that read “Dear Christians, I share my toys. Why won’t you share the season? Happy Holidays for all!” The new message is in response to an anti-atheist billboard placed by a group of Christians on Thursday evening in Memphis that parodies the atheists’ first billboard that launched Monday and that accuses atheists of sacrilege and claims Christians are being bullied.

The Christian campaign’s spokesperson Marshall Hart also accused American Atheists of “using children” to spread its message, despite using the photo of a three-year-old girl on its own billboard.

“The hypocrisy is unbelievable,” said American Atheists President David Silverman. “Millions of American children are forced to go to church under the threat of being denied meals, losing household privileges, having their college tuition cut off, or being kicked out of their homes. Many atheist adults are forced to go to church under threat of divorce or lose custody of their children. We must ask the question, who are the real bullies? Those who are unafraid to stand up for our views on billboards, or those who destroy families from the inside out?”

I haven't seen as much "War on Christmas" blather this year as I have in years past. The real point to this is that we have every right to celebrate this season and holiday under any name we want. It is not up to others to decide what everyone gets to celebrate. No one is stopping people from celebrating Christmas, that is the holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, despite the fact that that the actual date has never been completely narrowed down. Picking a date for such a celebration is just fine. It is symbolic and I have no problem with that. Just let the rest of us celebrate as we want to. I like celebrating the Winter Solstice and I get to do all the fun stuff, such as decorating a tree, putting lights on my house, toasting with wine, and giving a few gifts to close friends. My spirituality does not come from a god. It comes from within those who share my beliefs. That works for me and I plan to stick with that.

SO:

Have a Happy Winter Solstice! —Or Christmas/ Saturnalia, etc!

Keep The Merry, Dump The Myth!  - Peter D'Angelo

Jethro Tull BBC Promo Vid for Solstice bells 1976

I love putting up Winter Solstice lights.

A repost from December 2017-We should all get to celebrate the holidays we want— and for me that is Winter Solstice

Mehdi Hasan on George H.W. Bush’s Ignored Legacy: War Crimes, Racism and Obstruction of Justice

The Kinks - Father Christmas

George H W Bush—a war criminal—but not as obnoxious as the other Republicans

By SJ Otto

George H W Bush was a capitalist, an imperialist and a Republican, all things that I dislike about people who are those things. He was a war criminal, he picked a fight with the government of Iraq and its leader, Saddam Hussein (يتي صدام حسين عبد المجيد التكر ) conquered the country of Panama and illegally removed its leader, Manuel Noriega. It was the US at its worst arrogance and Bush was in charge. He invaded Iraq, killing hundreds of thousands and losing only a few Americans. Statistically that looks good, until we realize with all our new fangled high tech weapons it was like shooting fish in a barrel. It was a lopsided victory by an international bully.

And still, Bush was the least obnoxious Republican president we have had since the new conservative era began, with Ronald Reagan. Reagan was way more destructive and he really hurt working people. Bush’s son, George W. Bush was an idiot a really stupid person and he was also a war criminal—like father, like son. And compared to Donald Trump—we can say he wasn’t total jack ass. H W was just a lot easier to tolerate. He seemed like a nice guy. It would seem a person can be a bloody imperialist and still seem like a nice guy.

Still, I’m sick of hearing about him. He died. He wasn’t a saint, he wasn’t really a very good president. He was just not as bad as the other monstrosities. All the other mainstream politicians and journalist have acted as if he was the best thing since sliced bread. I guess he did have some redeeming values. And it is if the journalist and some politicians almost have to admit that Reagan, W. and Trump are monsters in comparison.

And for me—that says it all.

Peace and Social Justice Center Annual Dinner Annual Dinner is this Friday

The Peace and Social Justice Center will have its Annual Dinner This Friday, December 7, at 6pm. At Lorraine Avenue Mennonite Church, 655 S Lorraine Ave.

This year’s theme will be "A Community Raising its Voice" with leader and activist Claudia Amaro.

Claudia Amaro is a leading activist and organizer in the Latino community of Wichita.  Part of her story is featured in three books including Dreamers: An Immigrant Generation's Fight for Their American Dream. Claudia has a weekly community Radio Show on La Raza 99.7 FM, called Planeta Venus. Every Monday night she invites members of the community to come on the show to share their stories. Planeta Venus is one of the few media that inform the Latino community about local events and news. 
Dinner is $25. Please RSVP at 316 263-5886. Seating is limited.
https://wichitapeace.org/event/peace-and-social-justice-center-annual-dinner/