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imagine2015
imagine2015's Journal
imagine2015's Journal
May 30, 2016
Major General Smedley Butler
MUST SEE MEMORIAL DAY VIDEO: "War is a Racket" by Marine Corp Major General Smedley Butler
Smedley Darlington Butler (July 30, 1881 – June 21, 1940) was a United States Marine Corps major general, the highest rank authorized at that time, and at the time of his death the most decorated Marine in U.S. history.
During his 34-year career as a Marine, he participated in military actions in the Philippines, China, in Central America and the Caribbean during the Banana Wars, and France in World War I. Butler is well known for having later become an outspoken critic of U.S. wars and their consequences, as well as exposing the Business Plot, an alleged plan to overthrow the U.S. government.
By the end of his career, Butler had received 16 medals, five for heroism. He is one of 19 men to receive the Medal of Honor twice, one of three to be awarded both the Marine Corps Brevet Medal and the Medal of Honor, and the only Marine to be awarded the Brevet Medal and two Medals of Honor, all for separate actions.
In 1935, Butler wrote a book entitled War Is a Racket
This is a dramatic reading of his powerful "War is a Racket" speech given before the Veterans of Foreign Wars in 1935.
Major General Smedley Butler
May 30, 2016
No, I Won't Work for Hillary Clinton: A Response to Robert Reich
by Jake Johnson
May 30, 2016
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2016/05/30/no-i-wont-work-hillary-clinton-response-robert-reich
No, I Won't Work for Hillary Clinton: A Response to Robert Reich
No, I Won't Work for Hillary Clinton: A Response to Robert Reich
by Jake Johnson
May 30, 2016
To work for Hillary Clinton would be to put aside principled stands in support of campaign finance reform, for instance, or against American aggression overseas, in favor of a candidate who has repeatedly been on the wrong side.
So I will continue to support Bernie Sanders and the movement he has sparked both because I believe it is the right thing to do, and because I refuse to fall in line behind a candidate who has, in just the past few months, repudiated basic standards of transparency, belittled those who fight for ambitious social agendas, turned her back on single-payer health care, courted Republican donors, accepted campaign contributions from Wall Street and the fossil fuel industry, and attacked the core argument against the Supreme Court's disastrous Citizens United decision.
I will also happily join Robert Reich in the fight against Donald Trump. His ignorance is terrifying and his bigotry is reprehensible.
But I will not endure lectures on how refusing to support Hillary Clinton—a candidate who embodies the right turn of the Democratic Party that has had such devastating effects on the same people Clinton now claims to be fighting for—is, in effect, the equivalent of supporting Trump. It clearly isn't.
So I will continue to support Bernie Sanders and the movement he has sparked both because I believe it is the right thing to do, and because I refuse to fall in line behind a candidate who has, in just the past few months, repudiated basic standards of transparency, belittled those who fight for ambitious social agendas, turned her back on single-payer health care, courted Republican donors, accepted campaign contributions from Wall Street and the fossil fuel industry, and attacked the core argument against the Supreme Court's disastrous Citizens United decision.
I will also happily join Robert Reich in the fight against Donald Trump. His ignorance is terrifying and his bigotry is reprehensible.
But I will not endure lectures on how refusing to support Hillary Clinton—a candidate who embodies the right turn of the Democratic Party that has had such devastating effects on the same people Clinton now claims to be fighting for—is, in effect, the equivalent of supporting Trump. It clearly isn't.
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2016/05/30/no-i-wont-work-hillary-clinton-response-robert-reich
May 30, 2016
Establishment Democrats Courting Disaster
by John Atcheson
May 30, 2016
As Hillary falls behind Trump, the Establishment is doing all it can to continue to discredit Sanders -- who beats Trump handily -- and chase him out of the race. Meanwhile, they comfort themselves with self-deluding lies to justify backing the only candidate Trump could beat.
Here’s some of the myths they’re spinning:
Myth #1: Sanders can’t win and his supporters can’t “do the math.”
Here’s the reality: Sanders needs 885 delegates to get the nomination; Hillary needs 613; there are 930 delegates remaining to be won and it is unlikely that either candidate can clinch the nomination without the aid of superdelegates. Meanwhile, Sanders is surging, while Hillary is self-destructing, so many of those superdelegates may be rethinking their commitment to Hillary. And if they aren’t, they ought to be.
Sanders has pulled even in California, and by the end of June 7, there’s a good chance he may go into the Democratic Convention having won 19 of the last 25 primaries, and certainly he will have won the majority of states in the second half. Try doing that math.
Myth # 2: Sanders’ numbers would drop in the general election:
First, Sanders has been under a concerted and systematic assault in the mainstream media and from the Democratic Establishment since he began to threaten Hillary’s “inevitable” candidacy, yet his numbers have continued to skyrocket up in the polls. There’s little more the Republicans could do in this regard. Which brings us to the Establishment’s second error.
Any political consultant will tell you that the two most important numbers in predicting a candidate’s performance are their unfavorability/favorability ratings and how trustworthy voters perceive the candidate to be.
Here’s why.
If a candidate is widely trusted, and if he or she has a net positive favorability rating, it’s harder to gain traction with negative adds. Sanders has the highest favorability and trust ratings of any candidate, and his freedom from PACs and corporate money, together with more than 30 years of consistently pursuing policies that favor the middle class and the working poor makes him all but bulletproof. There are no flip-flops, no equivocations, no spins, no claims that can be made upon him by moneyed interests. That’s why Sanders’ numbers keep getting better even though the media is doing it's best to burry him.
Myth #3: Sanders needs to drop out; Hillary will do better when she can focus on Trump.
If Sanders’ numbers make him bulletproof, Hillary’s make her a sitting duck. A wounded sitting duck. She has a high net unfavorable rating, and she’s even more distrusted than Trump in some polls, so political attack ads will land on fertile ground.
Her unfavorability and distrust issues are not just the result of the decades long assault on her by what she calls the “vast, right-wing conspiracy,” although that’s certainly real enough. No, Hillary’s problem is that she’s a lousy candidate. In fact, in both 2008 and this year, she got less popular as soon as she began to campaign for the Presidency.
Hillary is seen as an over-scripted, cynically calculating, automaton at a time when people are craving authenticity and passion. This both plays into and increases the distrust and likability issue. And even while she continues to masquerade as a progressive, her campaign is contemplating whether and when to move to the center. Talk about tone deaf.
Trump can only win if voter turnout is low, and Hillary Clinton all but guarantees a low turnout.
It doesn’t help that she has a history of lying, then doubling down on her lies when caught – something she’s doing again with the IG’s report on the emails.
So why is the elite Establishment clinging to Hillary ....? Could it be they are so eager to retain power that they’d rather risk losing than backing someone who is not one of their own?
Read the full article including the writers complete response to the corporate and establishment "myths" regarding Clinton's campaign at:
http://commondreams.org/views/2016/05/30/establishment-democrats-courting-disaster
Democratic Party Leaders Courting Disaster Backing The Only Candidate Trump Could Beat, Clinton
Establishment Democrats Courting Disaster
by John Atcheson
May 30, 2016
As Hillary falls behind Trump, the Establishment is doing all it can to continue to discredit Sanders -- who beats Trump handily -- and chase him out of the race. Meanwhile, they comfort themselves with self-deluding lies to justify backing the only candidate Trump could beat.
Here’s some of the myths they’re spinning:
Myth #1: Sanders can’t win and his supporters can’t “do the math.”
Here’s the reality: Sanders needs 885 delegates to get the nomination; Hillary needs 613; there are 930 delegates remaining to be won and it is unlikely that either candidate can clinch the nomination without the aid of superdelegates. Meanwhile, Sanders is surging, while Hillary is self-destructing, so many of those superdelegates may be rethinking their commitment to Hillary. And if they aren’t, they ought to be.
Sanders has pulled even in California, and by the end of June 7, there’s a good chance he may go into the Democratic Convention having won 19 of the last 25 primaries, and certainly he will have won the majority of states in the second half. Try doing that math.
Myth # 2: Sanders’ numbers would drop in the general election:
First, Sanders has been under a concerted and systematic assault in the mainstream media and from the Democratic Establishment since he began to threaten Hillary’s “inevitable” candidacy, yet his numbers have continued to skyrocket up in the polls. There’s little more the Republicans could do in this regard. Which brings us to the Establishment’s second error.
Any political consultant will tell you that the two most important numbers in predicting a candidate’s performance are their unfavorability/favorability ratings and how trustworthy voters perceive the candidate to be.
Here’s why.
If a candidate is widely trusted, and if he or she has a net positive favorability rating, it’s harder to gain traction with negative adds. Sanders has the highest favorability and trust ratings of any candidate, and his freedom from PACs and corporate money, together with more than 30 years of consistently pursuing policies that favor the middle class and the working poor makes him all but bulletproof. There are no flip-flops, no equivocations, no spins, no claims that can be made upon him by moneyed interests. That’s why Sanders’ numbers keep getting better even though the media is doing it's best to burry him.
Myth #3: Sanders needs to drop out; Hillary will do better when she can focus on Trump.
If Sanders’ numbers make him bulletproof, Hillary’s make her a sitting duck. A wounded sitting duck. She has a high net unfavorable rating, and she’s even more distrusted than Trump in some polls, so political attack ads will land on fertile ground.
Her unfavorability and distrust issues are not just the result of the decades long assault on her by what she calls the “vast, right-wing conspiracy,” although that’s certainly real enough. No, Hillary’s problem is that she’s a lousy candidate. In fact, in both 2008 and this year, she got less popular as soon as she began to campaign for the Presidency.
Hillary is seen as an over-scripted, cynically calculating, automaton at a time when people are craving authenticity and passion. This both plays into and increases the distrust and likability issue. And even while she continues to masquerade as a progressive, her campaign is contemplating whether and when to move to the center. Talk about tone deaf.
Trump can only win if voter turnout is low, and Hillary Clinton all but guarantees a low turnout.
It doesn’t help that she has a history of lying, then doubling down on her lies when caught – something she’s doing again with the IG’s report on the emails.
So why is the elite Establishment clinging to Hillary ....? Could it be they are so eager to retain power that they’d rather risk losing than backing someone who is not one of their own?
Read the full article including the writers complete response to the corporate and establishment "myths" regarding Clinton's campaign at:
http://commondreams.org/views/2016/05/30/establishment-democrats-courting-disaster
May 30, 2016
MAY 28 POLL
Virginia: Trump vs. Clinton Gravis Clinton 45, Trump 41 Clinton +4
May 28 Virginia POLL: Clinton 45% Trump 41%
MAY 28 POLL
Virginia: Trump vs. Clinton Gravis Clinton 45, Trump 41 Clinton +4
May 30, 2016
by Leanne Mille
CNBC
May 29, 2016
That data and recent events suggest that Wall Street, which currently prefers former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to real estate mogul Donald Trump, may not get the president it wants. According to the Iowa Electronic Markets, a prediction online betting platform, the probability that we'll see a Democrat take the White House in 2016 is shrinking fast.
"The Democratic candidate was all but a certainty to win the presidency less than a month ago—it was at 74 percent and it's down to 58 percent today," said Hickey.
Clinton's chances have dwindled as her campaign stumbles under the weight of a controversy over her use of a private e-mail server while in office, as well as a stiff challenge from Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.
Hickey notes that other betting markets have shown similar but less extreme declines in those odds. Betfair, another popular betting market, shows Clinton's chances dropping from 75 percent to 66 percent.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/clintons-white-house-chances-are-dwindling-heres-why-thats-a-market-negative/ar-BBtCqsG?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=iehp
"The gap is narrowing," said Hickey. "What everyone thought was impossible a few weeks ago, is less and less unlikely now."
"Wall Street may not get the president it wants, Hillary Clinton"
Clinton's White House chances are dwindling. Here's why that's a market negativeby Leanne Mille
CNBC
May 29, 2016
That data and recent events suggest that Wall Street, which currently prefers former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to real estate mogul Donald Trump, may not get the president it wants. According to the Iowa Electronic Markets, a prediction online betting platform, the probability that we'll see a Democrat take the White House in 2016 is shrinking fast.
"The Democratic candidate was all but a certainty to win the presidency less than a month ago—it was at 74 percent and it's down to 58 percent today," said Hickey.
Clinton's chances have dwindled as her campaign stumbles under the weight of a controversy over her use of a private e-mail server while in office, as well as a stiff challenge from Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.
Hickey notes that other betting markets have shown similar but less extreme declines in those odds. Betfair, another popular betting market, shows Clinton's chances dropping from 75 percent to 66 percent.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/clintons-white-house-chances-are-dwindling-heres-why-thats-a-market-negative/ar-BBtCqsG?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=iehp
"The gap is narrowing," said Hickey. "What everyone thought was impossible a few weeks ago, is less and less unlikely now."
May 29, 2016
By Emily Schultheis
Face The Nation
May 29, 2016
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said in an interview airing Sunday that voters will need to take a "hard look" at the State Department audit criticizing Clinton for her use of a private email server, but stopped short of going after her directly for it.
"The Inspector General just came out with a report, it was not a good report for Secretary Clinton. That is something that the American people, Democrats and delegates are going to have to take a hard look at," he said. "But for me right now, I continue to focus on how we can rebuild a disappearing middle class, deal with poverty, guarantee health care to all of our people as a right."
Sanders said he believes he doesn't have to focus superdelegates' attention on the IG report.
"They will be keeping it in mind. I don't have to tell them that," Sanders said. "I mean, everybody in America is keeping it in mind, and certainly the superdelegates are."
Read the full article at:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/bernie-sanders-voters-should-take-a-hard-look-at-clinton-emails-report/
Bernie Sanders on Face The Nation: Voters should take a "hard look" at Clinton emails report
Sanders: Voters should take a "hard look" at Clinton emails reportBy Emily Schultheis
Face The Nation
May 29, 2016
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said in an interview airing Sunday that voters will need to take a "hard look" at the State Department audit criticizing Clinton for her use of a private email server, but stopped short of going after her directly for it.
"The Inspector General just came out with a report, it was not a good report for Secretary Clinton. That is something that the American people, Democrats and delegates are going to have to take a hard look at," he said. "But for me right now, I continue to focus on how we can rebuild a disappearing middle class, deal with poverty, guarantee health care to all of our people as a right."
Sanders said he believes he doesn't have to focus superdelegates' attention on the IG report.
"They will be keeping it in mind. I don't have to tell them that," Sanders said. "I mean, everybody in America is keeping it in mind, and certainly the superdelegates are."
Read the full article at:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/bernie-sanders-voters-should-take-a-hard-look-at-clinton-emails-report/
May 29, 2016
Sanders supporters up in arms over Puerto Rico polling locations
by Rebecca Savransky
May 29, 2016
Supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders are up in arms about the number of polling locations in place for the Puerto Rico primary.
A Sanders supporter tweeted on Sunday that three weeks ago, Puerto Rico had 1,510 polling locations in place for the Democratic primary, but now, it has just 455.
A reddit page created by Sanders For President said that the cuts were "about as bad as Arizona." Several supporters of Sanders were fired up over the cuts.
The commonwealth initially had 1,510 polling locations. But on Friday, it announced it was cutting back its polling locations to 455 ahead of the June 5 primary.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/sanders-supporters-up-in-arms-over-puerto-rico-polling-locations/ar-BBtCm6A?ocid=spartandhp
The obvious purpose is to reduce the turnout of voters in the Democratic Party which will help Clinton's campaign. They prefer low voter participation and exclusionary primaries. imagine2015
Democratic Party officials in Puerto Rico Cut June 5th Primary Polling Places from 1,510 to 455!
The HillSanders supporters up in arms over Puerto Rico polling locations
by Rebecca Savransky
May 29, 2016
Supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders are up in arms about the number of polling locations in place for the Puerto Rico primary.
A Sanders supporter tweeted on Sunday that three weeks ago, Puerto Rico had 1,510 polling locations in place for the Democratic primary, but now, it has just 455.
A reddit page created by Sanders For President said that the cuts were "about as bad as Arizona." Several supporters of Sanders were fired up over the cuts.
The commonwealth initially had 1,510 polling locations. But on Friday, it announced it was cutting back its polling locations to 455 ahead of the June 5 primary.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/sanders-supporters-up-in-arms-over-puerto-rico-polling-locations/ar-BBtCm6A?ocid=spartandhp
The obvious purpose is to reduce the turnout of voters in the Democratic Party which will help Clinton's campaign. They prefer low voter participation and exclusionary primaries. imagine2015
May 29, 2016
by Linda Stasi
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Saturday, May 28, 2016
If the Democrats want to save themselves the indignity of a total slaughter, Hillary Clinton should drop out of the race. After last week, a Hillary-led ticket has as much chance of winning the White House as Trump has of losing the white vote. Sanders can beat Trump. And Hillary can’t — not anymore.
Too many scandals, too many years of Clinton fatigue, and now, after the latest email revelations, just too many lies chasing her like Van Helsing on Dracula.
But The Donald lies too — and he’s killing it, right?
So yes, the two presumptive candidates (well, he no longer needs to presume) lie like cheap rugs.
The difference is that Hillary lies and sticks to it, and Donald lies and gets away with it.
If the Dems didn’t have such a giant death wish, coupled with fear of the Clinton machine, the party leaders would force her to drop out.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/stasi-latest-email-disaster-time-clinton-drop-article-1.2653391
"Sanders can beat Trump. And Hillary can’t — not anymore."
After latest email revelations and endless dishonesty, time for Hillary Clinton to head for the hillsby Linda Stasi
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Saturday, May 28, 2016
If the Democrats want to save themselves the indignity of a total slaughter, Hillary Clinton should drop out of the race. After last week, a Hillary-led ticket has as much chance of winning the White House as Trump has of losing the white vote. Sanders can beat Trump. And Hillary can’t — not anymore.
Too many scandals, too many years of Clinton fatigue, and now, after the latest email revelations, just too many lies chasing her like Van Helsing on Dracula.
But The Donald lies too — and he’s killing it, right?
So yes, the two presumptive candidates (well, he no longer needs to presume) lie like cheap rugs.
The difference is that Hillary lies and sticks to it, and Donald lies and gets away with it.
If the Dems didn’t have such a giant death wish, coupled with fear of the Clinton machine, the party leaders would force her to drop out.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/stasi-latest-email-disaster-time-clinton-drop-article-1.2653391
May 29, 2016
Video: Andrea Mitchell: E-mail scandal is "devastating". Mika Brzezinski "she's lying, straight out"
May 29, 2016
Press Release
Sanders Draws Big Crowds at Southern California Rallies
May 29, 2016
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Saturday crisscrossed Southern California with rallies at Santa Barbara, Santa Maria and here at the Kern County Fairgrounds.
Aiming to speak to more than 200,000 Californians during the month before the June 7 presidential primary election, Sanders already was more than half-way to that goal after he 6,000 supports sprawled across a lawn at the coastline campus of Santa Barbara City College, 7,500 sat in the blazing sun at the Santa Maria High School football field and 4,100 packed the fairgrounds grandstands in Bakersfield at the southern end of California’s Central Valley.
In a tightening California contest with Hillary Clinton, Sanders already has won primaries and caucuses in 20 states. He said a win in the Golden State with its prize of 475 pledged delegates would give his grassroots campaign a big boost heading into this summer’s Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. “We’re going to go in with momentum and we’re going to come out with the Democratic nomination,” Sanders said.
He also taunted Donald Trump for his on-again, off-again response to Sanders’ challenge to debate in California. Trump had twice agreed to debate Sanders but then backed down.
“You’re a big macho guy,” Sanders said of Trump. “If you have any guts come on down and let’s debate the issues.”
Sanders proposed a televised encounter with the Republican Party presidential nominee after Clinton reneged on her agreement to debate Sanders in California in May.
Before the sunset rally here in Bakersfield, Sanders met with Latino community leaders and residents for a discussion of immigration reform, farmworkers’ rights and other issues.
“It is very clear to me that we have a broken immigration system and we need comprehensive immigration reform and a path toward citizenship,” Sanders said at the meeting at the Kern County Fairgrounds. “The goal should be to unite families, not divide families.”
The Vermont senator also fielded questions about dilapidated housing and the health consequences of pesticide exposure and groundwater contamination.
“I don’t believe there is any member of the Congress with a stronger pro-labor voting record. I’ve been on more picket lines than I can recall,” Sanders said.
He also recited his work on behalf of farm workers laboring under “deplorable” circumstances in Immokalee, Florida. Sanders traveled there in 2008 and based on that first-hand experience he later chaired a Senate hearing into how the agricultural industry was taking advantage of workers who were denied decent wages, decent working conditions and decent housing.
Sanders Draws Big Crowds at California Rallies. Aiming to speak to more than 200,000 before June 7th
Press Release
Sanders Draws Big Crowds at Southern California Rallies
May 29, 2016
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Saturday crisscrossed Southern California with rallies at Santa Barbara, Santa Maria and here at the Kern County Fairgrounds.
Aiming to speak to more than 200,000 Californians during the month before the June 7 presidential primary election, Sanders already was more than half-way to that goal after he 6,000 supports sprawled across a lawn at the coastline campus of Santa Barbara City College, 7,500 sat in the blazing sun at the Santa Maria High School football field and 4,100 packed the fairgrounds grandstands in Bakersfield at the southern end of California’s Central Valley.
In a tightening California contest with Hillary Clinton, Sanders already has won primaries and caucuses in 20 states. He said a win in the Golden State with its prize of 475 pledged delegates would give his grassroots campaign a big boost heading into this summer’s Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. “We’re going to go in with momentum and we’re going to come out with the Democratic nomination,” Sanders said.
He also taunted Donald Trump for his on-again, off-again response to Sanders’ challenge to debate in California. Trump had twice agreed to debate Sanders but then backed down.
“You’re a big macho guy,” Sanders said of Trump. “If you have any guts come on down and let’s debate the issues.”
Sanders proposed a televised encounter with the Republican Party presidential nominee after Clinton reneged on her agreement to debate Sanders in California in May.
Before the sunset rally here in Bakersfield, Sanders met with Latino community leaders and residents for a discussion of immigration reform, farmworkers’ rights and other issues.
“It is very clear to me that we have a broken immigration system and we need comprehensive immigration reform and a path toward citizenship,” Sanders said at the meeting at the Kern County Fairgrounds. “The goal should be to unite families, not divide families.”
The Vermont senator also fielded questions about dilapidated housing and the health consequences of pesticide exposure and groundwater contamination.
“I don’t believe there is any member of the Congress with a stronger pro-labor voting record. I’ve been on more picket lines than I can recall,” Sanders said.
He also recited his work on behalf of farm workers laboring under “deplorable” circumstances in Immokalee, Florida. Sanders traveled there in 2008 and based on that first-hand experience he later chaired a Senate hearing into how the agricultural industry was taking advantage of workers who were denied decent wages, decent working conditions and decent housing.
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