Saturday, November 5, 2016

TWO POLITICAL CLOWNS RING DOWN THE CURTAIN










The political circus of 2016 is winding down and the clowns are doing their best to make it all seem relevant as they engage in mock battle trading insults and innuendoes while many of the spectators, including myself, sense the Republic is in its final death throes. Our great 240 year experiment in Democracy is coming to a close as the plutocracy asserts itself through Citizens United and only the corporate media and clowns perform as the circus tent comes down: Allen L Roland, PhD

 

 

Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage: H.L. Mencken

 

 

Donald Trump is all about harnessing citizen anger and disaffection with politics and the establishment ~ but both Clinton and Trump are card carrying members of the plutocracy and establishment which destroys the true validity of this so-called Presidential contest as well as the perception of either as an agent of change.

 

The only true change agent in this political theater of 2016 is Jill Stein, who I supported and voted for ~ so I share the feelings and words of Viggo Mortensen, in his endorsement letter to Jill Stein, as the clowns ring down the final curtain of the big show.

 




 





Why I am voting for Jill Stein

I’ve been scolded by friends and strangers, sometimes mildly and sometimes with disdain, for supporting Jill Stein in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Some of the attacks I've received publicly and privately have been surprisingly angry and patronizing. I’ve been told that I’m a patsy for Donald Trump, that I’m naïve, misinformed, elitist, ignorant, and worse.

This has been an unusually carnivalesque election so far, from the primary season through to the “main event”, with a premium on vitriol and mendacity, dominated by a frequently disheartening lack of profundity and objectivity from the mainstream media.

This is the poorest two-candidate race for the presidency that I have ever witnessed the corporate media/political Establishment attempt to ram down the throats of the U.S. electorate.

So, why am I voting for Jill Stein?

I previously supported Bernie Sanders because he was, on many levels, a welcome voice speaking truth to power, drawing attention to rampant institutional economic inequality, racism, corruption in the electoral system, and the urgent need to address climate change. Like a lot of people, I was disappointed when Sanders lost the Democratic Primary race to Hillary Clinton.

I hoped at that point that he might join forces with Jill Stein and the Green Party, but he declined that unique opportunity.

Bernie never spoke to the all-important issues of U.S. economic and military imperialism the way that Jill Stein has consistently done, but he was a credible voice for change in many other areas. He made his choice to get on the Hillary Clinton Democratic Party bandwagon because he appeared to feel that it would be the best way to prevent a Trump presidency.

I understand and respect his stance, shared by many other well-intentioned and thoughtful people, but I believe it is short-sighted. It is not enough to simply say “I tried, I voted for Bernie in the Democratic Primary, but now I have to get in line behind Hillary.”

The powerful few who control national politics and the mainstream media by virtue of their overwhelming economic advantages are counting on supporters of Bernie Sanders and other political alternatives to now support the two Establishment candidates.

They are counting on no real change happening in the way this country is run and how average citizens are represented. At some point the system has to be overhauled, and the weeds have to be pulled out by the root. I do not want to reach the end of my life and have to accept that I did not vote my conscience as a citizen when it mattered most.

Democracy is not a fixed thing; it is an ongoing process that must be nurtured, pruned, and actively encouraged to grow or it will gradually cease to yield meaningful progress.

Times are changing and people all over this land - especially younger voters, who are the future of our republic's continuing democratic experiment - are awake and paying attention. They did not go to sleep when Bernie Sanders largely gave up the fight for significant change in our political-economic system.

Like many that supported Bernie, I trust Hillary Clinton about as far as I can throw Donald Trump.

Jill Stein is the only candidate with a serious plan to halt climate change and switch to 100% renewable energy by 2030.

She’s the only candidate, now that Sanders is out of the race, with a plan to release students from impossible levels of debt.

She’s also the only candidate who is talking seriously about Black Lives Matter, institutional racism, and police brutality ~ and she has realistic and workable plans to address these social problems.

She is also taking a stand against unexamined military overspending and the irresponsible and often criminal misuse of those who volunteer to serve in our country’s armed forces.

She eloquently draws attention to the patriots who are forced to fight in illegal, immoral, unnecessary, and unwinnable wars. As she has unflinchingly pointed out, "This results in a multitude of deaths, injuries (both mental and physical) and presents a crisis of conscience situation for many in combat. Following discharge, veterans are much more likely to commit suicide, become homeless, become dependent on drugs or alcohol, and have significantly higher rates of divorce, spousal and child abuse.”

Jill Stein knows that these are problems that have not been honestly addressed, and that it is extremely unfair that those willing to give the ultimate sacrifice for their country are not properly supported or taken care of. Unlike Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, she will never deploy troops into unnecessary or illegal combat.

She cares deeply about our country being truly exemplary - in action and not just in high-sounding words uttered by our political leaders - as a member of the family of nations. For these and other positions that Jill Stein and her running mate Ajamu Baraka hold, I strongly recommend that voters take the time to have a look at the website jill2016.com and follow Jill Stein and the Green Party on social media.

You may agree or disagree with Jill on some points, but I sincerely believe that you are doing your conscience a disservice if you ignore her well-considered and constructive proposals.

So, why am I voting for Jill Stein?

Because I have done my best to inform myself about the many important issues that face our country, because I am following my conscience as an engaged citizen and a passionate supporter of the democratic process.

Because now is the time, not later, because I will not be intimidated by those who operate out of fear of significant change, because I will not be dissuaded by those who are understandably nervous about thinking long-term, about standing firm in the eternal battle for socio-economic justice and true political freedom in this country.

Because I am proud to be part of an ongoing, centuries-old democratic experiment that ought to always stand for fairness, compassion, and strength based on common sense and human decency at home and abroad.

Because all we need to do to help it thrive is to embrace it and cultivate it to the best of our abilities in a conscious effort to eliminate the real obstacles to liberty and justice for all."   Viggo Mortensen

As Jill and Ajamu often say, "We can create a new world. These goals ~ these imperatives ~ are not in our hearts, they're not in our dreams. They’re in our hands.”

And as Chris Floyd correctly writes ~ "So yes, this has been a campaign like no other ~ but mostly because it has brought the systematic decay of the Republic into the sharpest possible relief, and has shown, more clearly than before, that the neoliberal-militarist ascendency offers no hope for a better life, a better world; indeed, that it offers nothing at all ~ except more violence, more bitterness, more ruin, more degradation for us all"  See article ~ http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article45785.htm


A national political campaign is better than the best circus ever heard of, with a mass baptism and a couple of hangings thrown in: H. L. Mencken


ONLY THE TRUTH IS REVOLUTIONARY

Allen L Roland, PhD


 
Heart centered spiritual consultant and advisor Allen L Roland can be contacted at allen@allenroland.com Allen is also a lecturer and writer who shares a weekly political and social commentary on his web log and website allenroland.com. He is also featured columnist on Veterans Today and is a featured guest on many radio and Television programs.

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