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
