ON WITCHES AND UNICORNS
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BREAKING NEWS, July 5th, 2016. The FBI has just gone on-air to announce they are recommending no charges be brought against Hillary Clinton in the email probe. The Benghazi probe also came to naught. We taxpayers have had money taken out of our paychecks to the tune of over TEN MILLION DOLLARS to fund these witchhunts.
July 1st, 2016. I’m now with HER. Even though I’m not a fan of her husband (who deliberately sabotages her. Bill is her biggest liability), and I don’t agree with her on several issues, most of what’s being said about her are lies, plain and simple. It's a witch-hunt, plain and simple. I’m defending her because the fact that she is being vilified so intensely is transparent and disgusting. I’m defending her because I've had money taken out of my taxes to fund government probes intent on trying to wrongfully convict her. I'm defending her because she’s been fighting for women’s and children’s rights for decades, understands the complexities of international politics and is more qualified to lead than any other man working in our government today, and her envious husband is pissed off about it. I'm standing up for her for a host of other reasons, including her endorsement by my hero Elizabeth Warren. Elizabeth is Wall Street’s most vocal critic and has done far more toward bringing them to task than Bernie’s screaming ever has. And quite simply, having at least a rudimentary understand of how the voting/election process works, I'm with her because neither Bernie or Jill Stein have a chance at being our next President. Wake up, dreamers. It’s between Hillary and the arse-trumpet. And a no-vote goes to the arse.
On a visit to my bank today, a white woman in her twenties dressed in Urban Outfitter’s pants and one of those witch hats that are all the rage was also sporting a t-shirt that boldly screamed "Je deteste Rodham". I froze in astonishment as a vision of trump rubbing his scrawny orange hands in glee popped into my head, with Bernie cackling right behind him.
Although I'm thrilled with Bernie pushing the national conversation to where it truly belongs, I'm deeply disappointed in him for being so bullheaded and condescending when it comes to Hillary, especially with so much at stake in November. He knows his contest with Hillary is over. He could be working with her and Elizabeth Warren, pushing for the issues he is (and we are) so passionate about and diffusing some of this venom against her, but he refuses, thereby buoying her vilification by his followers to the benefit of the right wing. Why? One has to wonder what his agenda really is. Of course no one wants to accuse Bernie of sexism! Perhaps this snippet from an essay he wrote in 1969 explains how he really feels:
"A child has an old bitch of a teacher (and there are many of them), or perhaps he is simply not interested in school and would rather be doing other thing. [sic] He complains and rebels against the situation, which is the healthy reaction. When a person is hurt, no matter what age, he SHOULD rebel… " - Bernie Sanders, 1969
The Hillary-haters on the left refuse to own up to the fact that they are buttressing the right wing in all its xenophobic fury. Today we are watching our own Salem witch-hunt and if you dare to support Hillary, even though Bernie has lost, the fanatics fall into a frothing-at-the-mouth hysteria with mendacious accusations and ridiculous insults about her. Then they attack with a list of issues they don’t understand, and that they believe Bernie, if elected, will snap his fingers and make ‘disappear’. They’ve made Hillary the bad-mommy-witch, and Bernie the benevolent grandpa unicorn. TPP! Fracking! Wall Street! Snap, Daddy BS will fix it for you! How many of them volunteer in their communities to actually help people and work toward the changes they seek? How many of them who scream about fracking drive electric cars or use public transportation so that we need not be dependent on oil? Do they understand the TPP is a complex document with a myriad of dynamics regarding international trade? Does my asking these questions mean I support fracking or the TPP? Hell no! But in today’s climate of insanity (it cannot be called discourse, which requires a modicum of intelligence) there is no room for inquiry into complex issues. It’s simply a laundry list of all the things Bernie will solve, hung around the neck of Hillary as they tie her to the stake. There is absolutely no understanding or regard to what a spoiler candidate is (look up Ralph Nader and the Bush election, 2000, and yes, Gore ran a crappy campaign but the Nader votes did help BUSH), nor is there an insight or a care about what will happen with our already violent country if trump becomes its leader; it’s all about Hillary the witch. I’ve never seen anything quite like it in my lifetime; people so ignorant to the process and to the danger they are playing with. The irony of the girl in the bank’s witch-hat and t-shirt is pretty remarkable. Just like Salem in 1693 where many women were accusing other women of being witches to deflect suspicions by the men away from themselves, today we have throngs of young women who don’t understand the voting process condemning a powerful, intelligent and capable woman with a load of accusations based on nothing but lies and social media memes. This is what America gets for stripping CIVICS out of public education. An uneducated populace is a controlled populace. Hey, I'm hardly a genius and I have no formal education, but I do try and study up a bit before I make decisions or publicly endorse politicians. I had a Mayakovsky fetish in my twenties and I fought on the front lines of feminism and punk rock in the late 1970s and early 80s, when the amount of violence in the US was a mere raindrop compared to the deluge of today. Today I'm a pragmatist, still fighting. Shocked by the escalating hatred and violence in my country, willing to work toward any solutions to diffuse it. If you want to read a far more intelligent analysis than mine on Hillary and the current climate of insane division, please read Michael Arnovitz, who lays the landscape out brilliantly in two essays that will make you feel a whole lot better about voting for her in November:
July 1st, 2016. I’m now with HER. Even though I’m not a fan of her husband (who deliberately sabotages her. Bill is her biggest liability), and I don’t agree with her on several issues, most of what’s being said about her are lies, plain and simple. It's a witch-hunt, plain and simple. I’m defending her because the fact that she is being vilified so intensely is transparent and disgusting. I’m defending her because I've had money taken out of my taxes to fund government probes intent on trying to wrongfully convict her. I'm defending her because she’s been fighting for women’s and children’s rights for decades, understands the complexities of international politics and is more qualified to lead than any other man working in our government today, and her envious husband is pissed off about it. I'm standing up for her for a host of other reasons, including her endorsement by my hero Elizabeth Warren. Elizabeth is Wall Street’s most vocal critic and has done far more toward bringing them to task than Bernie’s screaming ever has. And quite simply, having at least a rudimentary understand of how the voting/election process works, I'm with her because neither Bernie or Jill Stein have a chance at being our next President. Wake up, dreamers. It’s between Hillary and the arse-trumpet. And a no-vote goes to the arse.
On a visit to my bank today, a white woman in her twenties dressed in Urban Outfitter’s pants and one of those witch hats that are all the rage was also sporting a t-shirt that boldly screamed "Je deteste Rodham". I froze in astonishment as a vision of trump rubbing his scrawny orange hands in glee popped into my head, with Bernie cackling right behind him.
Although I'm thrilled with Bernie pushing the national conversation to where it truly belongs, I'm deeply disappointed in him for being so bullheaded and condescending when it comes to Hillary, especially with so much at stake in November. He knows his contest with Hillary is over. He could be working with her and Elizabeth Warren, pushing for the issues he is (and we are) so passionate about and diffusing some of this venom against her, but he refuses, thereby buoying her vilification by his followers to the benefit of the right wing. Why? One has to wonder what his agenda really is. Of course no one wants to accuse Bernie of sexism! Perhaps this snippet from an essay he wrote in 1969 explains how he really feels:
"A child has an old bitch of a teacher (and there are many of them), or perhaps he is simply not interested in school and would rather be doing other thing. [sic] He complains and rebels against the situation, which is the healthy reaction. When a person is hurt, no matter what age, he SHOULD rebel… " - Bernie Sanders, 1969
The Hillary-haters on the left refuse to own up to the fact that they are buttressing the right wing in all its xenophobic fury. Today we are watching our own Salem witch-hunt and if you dare to support Hillary, even though Bernie has lost, the fanatics fall into a frothing-at-the-mouth hysteria with mendacious accusations and ridiculous insults about her. Then they attack with a list of issues they don’t understand, and that they believe Bernie, if elected, will snap his fingers and make ‘disappear’. They’ve made Hillary the bad-mommy-witch, and Bernie the benevolent grandpa unicorn. TPP! Fracking! Wall Street! Snap, Daddy BS will fix it for you! How many of them volunteer in their communities to actually help people and work toward the changes they seek? How many of them who scream about fracking drive electric cars or use public transportation so that we need not be dependent on oil? Do they understand the TPP is a complex document with a myriad of dynamics regarding international trade? Does my asking these questions mean I support fracking or the TPP? Hell no! But in today’s climate of insanity (it cannot be called discourse, which requires a modicum of intelligence) there is no room for inquiry into complex issues. It’s simply a laundry list of all the things Bernie will solve, hung around the neck of Hillary as they tie her to the stake. There is absolutely no understanding or regard to what a spoiler candidate is (look up Ralph Nader and the Bush election, 2000, and yes, Gore ran a crappy campaign but the Nader votes did help BUSH), nor is there an insight or a care about what will happen with our already violent country if trump becomes its leader; it’s all about Hillary the witch. I’ve never seen anything quite like it in my lifetime; people so ignorant to the process and to the danger they are playing with. The irony of the girl in the bank’s witch-hat and t-shirt is pretty remarkable. Just like Salem in 1693 where many women were accusing other women of being witches to deflect suspicions by the men away from themselves, today we have throngs of young women who don’t understand the voting process condemning a powerful, intelligent and capable woman with a load of accusations based on nothing but lies and social media memes. This is what America gets for stripping CIVICS out of public education. An uneducated populace is a controlled populace. Hey, I'm hardly a genius and I have no formal education, but I do try and study up a bit before I make decisions or publicly endorse politicians. I had a Mayakovsky fetish in my twenties and I fought on the front lines of feminism and punk rock in the late 1970s and early 80s, when the amount of violence in the US was a mere raindrop compared to the deluge of today. Today I'm a pragmatist, still fighting. Shocked by the escalating hatred and violence in my country, willing to work toward any solutions to diffuse it. If you want to read a far more intelligent analysis than mine on Hillary and the current climate of insane division, please read Michael Arnovitz, who lays the landscape out brilliantly in two essays that will make you feel a whole lot better about voting for her in November:
THINKING ABOUT HILLARY – A PLEA FOR REASON
and
THINKING ABOUT HILLARY – A FOLLOW-UP
Click pink for links! In both pieces, Michael lays out the truth about every accusation being hurled her way.
Thank you Michael, for doing the work.
and
THINKING ABOUT HILLARY – A FOLLOW-UP
Click pink for links! In both pieces, Michael lays out the truth about every accusation being hurled her way.
Thank you Michael, for doing the work.
America is the most violent country on earth, thanks in part to a cabal of hysterical men who defend a provision of the Constitution written over two centuries ago. Ever since the arse-trumpet mounted his bully-pulpit, given to him by a media who confuses politics with entertainment, this violence continues to rise. The overwhelming majority of shootings in this country are perpetrated by insane white American male killers and terrorists, not Muslim terrorists. Imagine who will suffer the most at the hands of American violence if arse-trumpet wins? It won’t be the comfortable white kids or pseudo-revolutionaries who despise Hillary and worship at the feet of the unicorn. It will be the people trump gives his followers permission to oppress: Mexicans. Immigrants from Muslim countries. African-Americans. LGBTQ people… and oh, I forgot, women. That’s right, you too shall suffer, girl in the witch-hat. Arse-trumpet wants to strip you of the right to delegate over your own body. Will that make you happy, make you regret your decision to withhold your vote in November? “He’s a joke!” the left-wing zealots screech. The joke will be on them. Maybe this ignorance is accompanied by a hunger for drama. I guess the truth isn’t always sexy. Clearly to some people, neither is empathy.
I'm writing this because recently my eyes were opened to the fact that people I thought were truly progressive and smart would rather throw their vote to a fascist than to vote for the most capable candidate, a woman who agrees with 90% of the changes they desire. In part, because they believe all the lies being thrown on her by the right and the fanatical left, and they refuse to do their research. But also, because she’s a powerful, smart and exceptionally capable woman in a position of authority. When you call these Hillary-haters on what’s really behind their “noble” stance, they can’t give you an answer, never mind an intelligent answer and are insulted if you raise the word SEXISM. They can only parrot lies and Bernie-lists. Do you think a young white woman would have dared to wear a "je deteste Obama" t-shirt 8 years ago? No way, but there she is, parading her hate for Hillary on her chest. Why? Because woman-hating always passes as okay. In this case, it passes loud and proud. In many cases, woman-hating is the big-ass elephant in the room, always passing, and it will remain so until we stand up and shout, IT'S NOT OKAY ANYMORE.
It’s devastating, what’s happened to this country. Violence is born of ignorance and violence is on the rise. How do we diffuse this violence? By joining together and realizing we are NOT AT ODDS (Bernie and Hillary supporters). By being compassionate and empathetic, intelligent and curious about truth.
Be bold and brave and think about the consequences of what you might be doing if you don’t vote AGAINST xenophobia in November. Read about how Ralph Nader helped throw the election of 2000 (to BUSH. Need I say more?). No one is asking that you disagree with anything Bernie or Jill Stein has to say on the issues, by all means. I agree with every change they propose yet I understand the reality of achieving those desires; they will not happen magically. As responsible citizens of this country, we all need to learn how the electoral process works and study the facts, break down the issues so that we understand them.. Sure politics is corrupt game, and the entire process needs a reformation. But guess what? The government is armed to the teeth and so are the white xenophobes, hence the type of revolution Bernie followers are dreaming of is impossible without a bloodbath. Hate, racism, homo-and-xenophobia is already here and we need to fight against it with all our might. Utopia will not come to pass with the snap of a candidate’s fingers. Change happens in increments, and only if WE are willing to do our part to make it happen, physically and emotionally, in our communities. And so I'm asking that we all get our hearts, brains and feet into the game.
Get off the internet and start helping people who are suffering much more than you are. Get an electric car or use public transportation, don’t just bitch about fracking. Read up on the Glass-Steagall Act and petition to have it reinstated. Read up on the TPP and the complications of international trade, which also isn’t going to vanish with the snap of someone’s fingers. And don’t throw your vote to a fascist because you’re too lazy to check the facts, to learn about how government works, or because you’re too self-absorbed and invested in looking ‘cool’ to your mates. Think about the people who would suffer much more than you would under a fascist leader, cultivate empathy. Pay attention when Hillary is exonerated from all the lies and crimes they keep saying she committed. Don’t just keep parroting lies; it makes you look foolish, childish and ridiculous. Look at what is really happening here; how the right-wing white male establishment has created an ugly, misogynistic shit-storm because they are afraid of losing power; in the white house, in the senate, in the supreme court. Don't play into their agenda!
If you’ve wisely decided you’re voting for Hillary in November and you come across some of these zealots who claim she is the devil incarnate, simply ask them about the issues. Be courageous. For example, ask them what Bernie’s solution to the question of international trade is, and ask them if they know exactly where Hillary stands on the TPP. And ask them what legislature Bernie has put forth to fight Wall Street, then ask if they know which US Senator has been the most active and vocal about bringing Wall Street to justice, and whose team is she on? When you see their befuddlement quickly turn into the same old lug-headed mantras and mindless epithets about Hillary, call them on their BS.
Let's all step out of the magical dream, shall we? Hillary is not a witch, and no unicorn is going to transport us to Utopia. We are all in this mess together, in part because we've been extremely lazy about our civic duties as responsible citizens of this country. We bitch, we moan when we could be educating ourselves about the the system, organizing and marching; for free quality education. For reforming the electoral process, the criminal justice system that enslaves people today, the laws that place guns into the hands of madmen. There's so much work to do, so come on now and let's get real -- no one candidate is going to do it all for us.
I will tell you one thing I'm sure of. It really is time for women to lead. There is no politician more capable, more resilient or better equipped to lead than Hillary Clinton, and it's not for us to condemn her. We need to shift. To realize, we are here to help HER, to work with her, to show her who we are, what we want, need, and demand. This is about recognizing the responsibility of being a U.S. citizen and choosing the higher road, instead of the assinine position of acting like a zealot.
Good God what that woman has been through, yet there she is, still standing, strong and brave. And for all you young straight white women who, as Gloria Steinem says, just want to "follow where the boys are" without thinking for yourselves, here’s a very sexy quote to consider, from one of the sexiest men who ever lived who also happened to be married to a strong, amazing woman who thought for herself.
I'm writing this because recently my eyes were opened to the fact that people I thought were truly progressive and smart would rather throw their vote to a fascist than to vote for the most capable candidate, a woman who agrees with 90% of the changes they desire. In part, because they believe all the lies being thrown on her by the right and the fanatical left, and they refuse to do their research. But also, because she’s a powerful, smart and exceptionally capable woman in a position of authority. When you call these Hillary-haters on what’s really behind their “noble” stance, they can’t give you an answer, never mind an intelligent answer and are insulted if you raise the word SEXISM. They can only parrot lies and Bernie-lists. Do you think a young white woman would have dared to wear a "je deteste Obama" t-shirt 8 years ago? No way, but there she is, parading her hate for Hillary on her chest. Why? Because woman-hating always passes as okay. In this case, it passes loud and proud. In many cases, woman-hating is the big-ass elephant in the room, always passing, and it will remain so until we stand up and shout, IT'S NOT OKAY ANYMORE.
It’s devastating, what’s happened to this country. Violence is born of ignorance and violence is on the rise. How do we diffuse this violence? By joining together and realizing we are NOT AT ODDS (Bernie and Hillary supporters). By being compassionate and empathetic, intelligent and curious about truth.
Be bold and brave and think about the consequences of what you might be doing if you don’t vote AGAINST xenophobia in November. Read about how Ralph Nader helped throw the election of 2000 (to BUSH. Need I say more?). No one is asking that you disagree with anything Bernie or Jill Stein has to say on the issues, by all means. I agree with every change they propose yet I understand the reality of achieving those desires; they will not happen magically. As responsible citizens of this country, we all need to learn how the electoral process works and study the facts, break down the issues so that we understand them.. Sure politics is corrupt game, and the entire process needs a reformation. But guess what? The government is armed to the teeth and so are the white xenophobes, hence the type of revolution Bernie followers are dreaming of is impossible without a bloodbath. Hate, racism, homo-and-xenophobia is already here and we need to fight against it with all our might. Utopia will not come to pass with the snap of a candidate’s fingers. Change happens in increments, and only if WE are willing to do our part to make it happen, physically and emotionally, in our communities. And so I'm asking that we all get our hearts, brains and feet into the game.
Get off the internet and start helping people who are suffering much more than you are. Get an electric car or use public transportation, don’t just bitch about fracking. Read up on the Glass-Steagall Act and petition to have it reinstated. Read up on the TPP and the complications of international trade, which also isn’t going to vanish with the snap of someone’s fingers. And don’t throw your vote to a fascist because you’re too lazy to check the facts, to learn about how government works, or because you’re too self-absorbed and invested in looking ‘cool’ to your mates. Think about the people who would suffer much more than you would under a fascist leader, cultivate empathy. Pay attention when Hillary is exonerated from all the lies and crimes they keep saying she committed. Don’t just keep parroting lies; it makes you look foolish, childish and ridiculous. Look at what is really happening here; how the right-wing white male establishment has created an ugly, misogynistic shit-storm because they are afraid of losing power; in the white house, in the senate, in the supreme court. Don't play into their agenda!
If you’ve wisely decided you’re voting for Hillary in November and you come across some of these zealots who claim she is the devil incarnate, simply ask them about the issues. Be courageous. For example, ask them what Bernie’s solution to the question of international trade is, and ask them if they know exactly where Hillary stands on the TPP. And ask them what legislature Bernie has put forth to fight Wall Street, then ask if they know which US Senator has been the most active and vocal about bringing Wall Street to justice, and whose team is she on? When you see their befuddlement quickly turn into the same old lug-headed mantras and mindless epithets about Hillary, call them on their BS.
Let's all step out of the magical dream, shall we? Hillary is not a witch, and no unicorn is going to transport us to Utopia. We are all in this mess together, in part because we've been extremely lazy about our civic duties as responsible citizens of this country. We bitch, we moan when we could be educating ourselves about the the system, organizing and marching; for free quality education. For reforming the electoral process, the criminal justice system that enslaves people today, the laws that place guns into the hands of madmen. There's so much work to do, so come on now and let's get real -- no one candidate is going to do it all for us.
I will tell you one thing I'm sure of. It really is time for women to lead. There is no politician more capable, more resilient or better equipped to lead than Hillary Clinton, and it's not for us to condemn her. We need to shift. To realize, we are here to help HER, to work with her, to show her who we are, what we want, need, and demand. This is about recognizing the responsibility of being a U.S. citizen and choosing the higher road, instead of the assinine position of acting like a zealot.
Good God what that woman has been through, yet there she is, still standing, strong and brave. And for all you young straight white women who, as Gloria Steinem says, just want to "follow where the boys are" without thinking for yourselves, here’s a very sexy quote to consider, from one of the sexiest men who ever lived who also happened to be married to a strong, amazing woman who thought for herself.
