June 16, 2016

What is “democracy?”

https://johnlaurits.com/2016/06/14/what-is-democracy/

-intro snipped-

What is “democracy?”

Democracy — that’s a word that I’ve heard a lot, having grown up in the United States of America. Like “freedom” or “justice,” it seems to me that democracy is a word that has been used so much & so often that we tend to take its meaning for granted — I think that now would, perhaps, be an excellent time to remind everyone what it really means.

The word has Greek roots — it is drawn from two different words, demos & kratos, meaning “ruled by the people” — as opposed to autocracy, which is “ruled by a single person” (like the word autonomy), or plutocracy, which is “ruled by the wealthy” (ploutos means “wealth”).

I was taught that democracy is a good thing that is worth fighting for and I was taught that the United States was a country that was founded upon the idea of democracy — or, at least, our military seems to be really fond of “spreading democracy” to other countries.

But do we live in a democracy?

-snip-

I want to bring this article back to the Greek word –“demos” — from which democracy is derived. Rule by the people — but demos doesn’t necessarily mean “people” in the general, abstract sense of the word (that’s just what the plutocrats, the “wealthy rulers” want you to believe).

Demos means an assembly of people — demos means crowd.

That is the way that the people rule — that is how democracy works. Just look at what Iceland did in April — they gathered a crowd & they forced their corrupt Prime Minister to resign

.....more at link ...

a concise overview of the state of 'democracy' in our country at this time.

June 16, 2016

John Lauritis: The Math of The Convention

https://johnlaurits.com/2016/06/15/the-math-of-the-convention/

The Math of the Convention


-snip-

The National Convention:
The Math, as it stands on June 15th

The Straight Numbers

First of all, for those of you who may not have heard — C/inton has not clinched the nomination & Super-delegates do not vote until July 25th. She does not have the 2,383 pledged delegates that are needed to clinch — nor will she, as there are no more primaries. Anyone who says otherwise is either a liar or they simply don’t know what they’re talking about.

As of now, June 15th, according to the Green Papers (bookmark them, they’ll never lie to you like the NYT does), the pledged delegate count stands thusly:

Bernie Sanders | 1,833 / 45.2%
Hillary Clinton | 2,218 / 54.8%

-snip-

Something to Keep in Mind…

Remember: now that all of the 4,051 pledged delegates are “accounted for” (they shouldn’t be, but that’s another issue…), every delegate that we gain — whether from state conventions, from recounts, from updated California results, or from whatever else — each delegate is taken from $hillary’s total and added to Bernie Sanders’ total. In other words, while there are 385 delegates between C/inton & Sanders, we only need half of that number to catch up — make sense? We don’t need to gain 385 delegates — we only need to gain 193 delegates to take the lead.

-snip-

....more at link


it is a two way street at the convention. otherwise, it is not democratic.

June 16, 2016

in our country, PEACEFUL demonstrators have been

attacked, beaten, maimed and killed. blood has been shed by peaceful demonstrators while being attacked by militarized police and swat teams.

THIS is what my post meant and why the remembrance and respect of peaceful demonstrators to protect the mother earth were invoked in my post. i did not promise violence in response to a clinton victory.

in a peaceful manner and with a clear commitment, yes, i would not hesitate to put my own safety and life at a gate, or river, or forest, or desert to protect precious resources and to protect the safety of my loved ones and the future of our planet. i will not be armed with anything more than the clothes on my back and a commitment to mother earth and all my relations.

mitakuye oyasin ~ in a good way, hopemountain.

just clarifying a post of mine that was hidden as "Explicitly promises violence in response to a Clinton victory."

Automated Message
AUTOMATED MESSAGE: One of your posts has been hidden by a DU Jury

Mail Message
On Thu Jun 16, 2016, 08:28 AM an alert was sent on the following post:

before she approves keystone and
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1280&pid=213192

REASON FOR ALERT

This post is disruptive, hurtful, rude, insensitive, over-the-top, or otherwise inappropriate.

ALERTER'S COMMENTS

Explicitly promises violence in response to a Clinton victory. Not acceptable even in protected groups.

JURY RESULTS

A randomly-selected Jury of DU members completed their review of this alert at Thu Jun 16, 2016, 08:34 AM, and voted 6-1 to HIDE IT.

Juror #1 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: We need Elad to cancel his scheduled time off.
Juror #2 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: "Promises violence"? What utter bullshit! Perhaps you should take a remedial reading comprehension class before making such an absurd accusation.
Juror #3 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #4 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #5 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #6 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: Ugh. So much for 'hope'.
Juror #7 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: calling for violence is a bridge too far

CONSEQUENCES OF THIS DECISION

You will no longer be able to participate in this discussion thread, and you will not be able to start a new discussion thread in this forum until 9:34 AM. This hidden post has been added to your <a href="/?com=profile&uid=296043&sub=trans">Transparency page</a>.

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June 15, 2016

CLEARING UP SOME MISINFORMATION about Senator Merkley

Senator Merkley's super delegate vote is still pledged to Bernie.
some people here on du are believing the cnn MISINFORMATION that senator merkley is endorsing hillary. he is not. he is "supporting" her. this is the language the sanders campaign is using at this time.

"we" are going to the convention and "we" are doing everything we can to build the dnc platform to reflect the campaign's platform.

senator merkley will not change his super delegate vote for 2 reasons: he is pledged to bernie AND his district and the state of oregon voted overwhelming for bernie in the primary. only one county favored hillary and it was by 1 vote.

please correct persons who continue to repeat the lie that merkley has gone the way of elizabeth warren to camp hillary.

p.s. i feel somewhat responsible because over the weekend i also misinterpreted the cnn report of their interview last friday with senator merkley.

June 15, 2016

now that things are headed in the "general"

direction - seeing the gigantic over sized flags - and multiples of them draped and surrounding the two candidates - make me want to run away in the other direction - as fast has my bad knees will let me.

they remind me of all the photos i saw of hitler, the other fascist dictators, and china's chairman mao tse tung back in the day.

the "set" and "stage" designers should be fired. that look does not belong on a democratic stage and frankly, it does not garner more votes or favor to the candidates.

it literally makes my skin crawl.

June 11, 2016

John Lauritis: Sanderistas, Unite! The Truth Is Coming (Part II)

https://johnlaurits.com/2016/06/10/sanderistas-unite-the-truth-is-coming-part-ii/

-snip-

The #LameStreamMedia wants you to believe that you are isolated, that you are alone, that there is nothing left to fight for — do not believe a word of it!

You are not alone, you are not isolated,
& there is everything left to fight for!

Now, let’s get into some numbers!
We Must Transform Our Strategy

When I first wrote to you all, it was about the delegate math and how it showed that we would be heading into a contested convention — I wrote it because no one else was writing it & because . Despite the tricks, the media’s manipulation, & everything that they could throw at us, that is still true — but barely! I was worried for a moment but, just as I said in that first article, Hillary Clinton does not have the 2,383 delegates needed to clinch the nomination & we are going to Philadelphia on July 25th.

But things are going to be very different than we first thought — in the beginning, I had envisioned us fighting our way to 2,026 delegates (the majority) and going into July, that way. We would have made the argument to the super-delegates that they must respect the majority’s will and, by drawing publicity to our cause, we would have publicly pressured them into joining our revolution — we would have gone on to the general election and defeated Trump easily to uproarious applause –!

We would have — but that has all changed.

My delegate math worked so long as the race was fair — and, by “fair,” I mean “less rigged than it obviously is.” But the DNC, the corporate-media, & the Clinton-Machine have been far more cunning & dishonest (& probably far more criminal) than I had anticipated — there is still a way through but first we must…

UNITE! ... more at link...


lauritis goes over the unsettling and disruption of the sandernista path. he points to the fact hillary does not have enough delegates, the dnc's behavior, and suggests bernie can still win at the convention....

June 11, 2016

Cornel West: Don’t let media say you’re crazy because you don’t support Hillary

http://politicsbreaking.com/cornel-west-dont-let-media-say-youre-crazy-dont-support-hillary/


Cornel West, a Sanders ally who is a member of the Democratic National Committee’s 15-person platform drafting committee, laid into Donald Trump at a Bernie Sanders rally in Washington, D.C., Thursday evening — and hit at Hillary Clinton, too.

“We know that Trump is a narcissist neofascist. … Don’t let corporate media convince you that simply because you’re not crazy about the milquetoast neoliberal sister Hillary that there’s something wrong with you,” said West, who was appointed to the platform drafting committee by the Vermont senator.

“But we know the difference between a neofascist and a neoliberal, so you make your own decision. I’m simply here to say that I love brother Bernie no matter what he decides, but you’re a free man and woman, make your decision based on your love for poor and working people.”

The rally came the same day that President Obama met with Sanders and then quickly endorsed Clinton. Following the meeting, Sanders said he would speak with Clinton about how to fight against Trump but declined to endorse her or drop out of the presidential race.

source: http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/282972-cornel-west-calls-clinton-a-milquetoast-neoliberal-sister

June 11, 2016

John Lauritis: Sanderistas, Unite! The Truth Is Coming (Part II)

https://johnlaurits.com/2016/06/10/sanderistas-unite-the-truth-is-coming-part-ii/

-snip-

The #LameStreamMedia wants you to believe that you are isolated, that you are alone, that there is nothing left to fight for — do not believe a word of it!

You are not alone, you are not isolated,
& there is everything left to fight for!

Now, let’s get into some numbers!
We Must Transform Our Strategy

When I first wrote to you all, it was about the delegate math and how it showed that we would be heading into a contested convention — I wrote it because no one else was writing it & because . Despite the tricks, the media’s manipulation, & everything that they could throw at us, that is still true — but barely! I was worried for a moment but, just as I said in that first article, Hillary Clinton does not have the 2,383 delegates needed to clinch the nomination & we are going to Philadelphia on July 25th.

But things are going to be very different than we first thought — in the beginning, I had envisioned us fighting our way to 2,026 delegates (the majority) and going into July, that way. We would have made the argument to the super-delegates that they must respect the majority’s will and, by drawing publicity to our cause, we would have publicly pressured them into joining our revolution — we would have gone on to the general election and defeated Trump easily to uproarious applause –!

We would have — but that has all changed.

My delegate math worked so long as the race was fair — and, by “fair,” I mean “less rigged than it obviously is.” But the DNC, the corporate-media, & the Clinton-Machine have been far more cunning & dishonest (& probably far more criminal) than I had anticipated — there is still a way through but first we must…

UNITE! ... more at link...


lauritis goes over the unsettling and disruption of the sandernista path. he points to the fact hillary does not have enough delegates, the dnc is corrupt, and suggests bernie can still win at the convention....

June 9, 2016

US Uncut: How 107 Superdelegates Robbed 11 Million Democratic Voters

http://usuncut.com/politics/superdelegates-robbed-voters-primary/

ow 107 Superdelegates Robbed 11 Million Democratic Voters

Tom Cahill | June 7, 2016

-snip-

The Associated Press (AP) has prematurely called the Democratic primary for Hillary Clinton, despite some 11 million Democrats still waiting to vote in six states and one territory, based off the opinion of superdelegates who have yet to vote.

The dominant media narrative is that Sanders is asking superdelegates to thwart the will of the public in order to win the Democratic nomination. But the AP came to their conclusion by a phone survey of the 712 superdelegates, meaning Clinton was declared the winner due to private conversations between reporters and a relatively small handful of Democratic party bosses who won’t actually vote for a nominee until the end of July.
Clinton’s nomination depends on superdelegates defying their state’s voters

-snip-

All of these arguments are right in that Bernie Sanders will need to rely on superdelegates to switch from Clinton’s side to his in order to become the Democratic nominee. But all three authors neglected to report that Hillary Clinton reached 2,383 delegates only with the help of 107 superdelegates from states Bernie Sanders won, who actively thwarted the will of millions of Democratic voters in their own states.

In Utah, where Sanders won by a 79-20 margin, two of the state’s four superdelegates are backing Clinton.

11 of 16 superdelegates in Minnesota are supporting Clinton, even though Sanders won the state’s March 1 caucus by a 62-38 margin.

While Sanders blew Clinton out of the water by a 73-27 margin in Washington State, Clinton has 10 of 16 super-delegates, Sanders has zero.

Six of Wisconsin’s ten superdelegates are supporting Clinton, while only one is backing Sanders. The Vermont senator won the Badger State’s primary by 14 points.

All nine superdelegates in Rhode Island have committed to supporting Hillary Clinton, even though Bernie Sanders defeated the former Secretary of State by a 12-point margin.

Sanders also has only one superdelegate in Alaska, same as Clinton, even after winning the state by an 82-18 margin. One Alaska superdelegate backing Clinton patronized and belittled a Sanders supporter who asked her to cast her superdelegate vote with how her state’s residents voted.

Comparatively, only 14 of Sanders’ 49 superdelegates have come from states Hillary Clinton won. Two of those superdelegates came from Arizona, where the US Department of Justice is conducting an official investigation due to widespread complaints of election fraud and voter suppression.

...more at link.

June 9, 2016

US Uncut: How 107 Superdelegates Robbed 11 Million Democratic Voters

http://usuncut.com/politics/superdelegates-robbed-voters-primary/


How 107 Superdelegates Robbed 11 Million Democratic Voters

Tom Cahill | June 7, 2016

-snip-

The Associated Press (AP) has prematurely called the Democratic primary for Hillary Clinton, despite some 11 million Democrats still waiting to vote in six states and one territory, based off the opinion of superdelegates who have yet to vote.

The dominant media narrative is that Sanders is asking superdelegates to thwart the will of the public in order to win the Democratic nomination. But the AP came to their conclusion by a phone survey of the 712 superdelegates, meaning Clinton was declared the winner due to private conversations between reporters and a relatively small handful of Democratic party bosses who won’t actually vote for a nominee until the end of July.
Clinton’s nomination depends on superdelegates defying their state’s voters

-snip-

All of these arguments are right in that Bernie Sanders will need to rely on superdelegates to switch from Clinton’s side to his in order to become the Democratic nominee. But all three authors neglected to report that Hillary Clinton reached 2,383 delegates only with the help of 107 superdelegates from states Bernie Sanders won, who actively thwarted the will of millions of Democratic voters in their own states.

In Utah, where Sanders won by a 79-20 margin, two of the state’s four superdelegates are backing Clinton.

11 of 16 superdelegates in Minnesota are supporting Clinton, even though Sanders won the state’s March 1 caucus by a 62-38 margin.

While Sanders blew Clinton out of the water by a 73-27 margin in Washington State, Clinton has 10 of 16 super-delegates, Sanders has zero.

Six of Wisconsin’s ten superdelegates are supporting Clinton, while only one is backing Sanders. The Vermont senator won the Badger State’s primary by 14 points.

All nine superdelegates in Rhode Island have committed to supporting Hillary Clinton, even though Bernie Sanders defeated the former Secretary of State by a 12-point margin.

Sanders also has only one superdelegate in Alaska, same as Clinton, even after winning the state by an 82-18 margin. One Alaska superdelegate backing Clinton patronized and belittled a Sanders supporter who asked her to cast her superdelegate vote with how her state’s residents voted.

Comparatively, only 14 of Sanders’ 49 superdelegates have come from states Hillary Clinton won. Two of those superdelegates came from Arizona, where the US Department of Justice is conducting an official investigation due to widespread complaints of election fraud and voter suppression.

...more at link.