"Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of State and corporate power." Benito Mussolini, Fascist dictator of Italy

By Mussolini's definition, North Dakota is a fascist state. Yesterday, indigenous people and their allies were shot, maced, tasered and assaulted with concussion grenades and eardrum piercing sound cannons. This was all done because Big Oil bought the ND governor and legislature years ago. They are 100% corrupt.

I believe we have a moral imperative to stand with the people of Standing Rock, as well as a pragmatic duty to serve and protect the Missouri river, future generations and the earth herself. The key to this whole issue is President Obama. One phone call from the WH to the US Army Corps of Engineers will stop Dakota Access Pipeline construction and the people and the earth will win a victory for survival. Wall Street is funding DAPL, so there are major forces on the other side. We need protests, rallies and demonstrations across America to win. Every day is precious because the DAPL corporation is trying to finish construction by December 1. The Water Protectors up north are desperately seeking nationwide assistance. Will you help us by taking action in your community?

The revolution is only beginning. It will continue to grow due to relentless economic repression from the oligarchs who control the political structure and economy of the USA. How it will evolve, I have no idea, but I hope to see the day when the people re-take control of the American government.

The “Democratic” Party is now controlled by an alliance of Third Way elites.

This was facilitated by the Koch brothers who partially funded the DLC and staffed its board.

Voter suppression by both parties is not a bug, it is a feature.

Democracy’s last stand for restoration in this cycle is either a landslide in California or a leaked FBI recommendation for indictment of Hillary based on her private email server. We need to phone bank in California, donate and hope for the best, imo.

A DU purge seems likely if Hillary gets the nomination. I don’t want to wait around for that, so I probably won’t post on DU for the foreseeable future. To paraphrase George Harrison, “All Things Must Pass Gas.” I will probably still lurk here because it remains a treasure trove of information not available via Corporate Media. I think most people here are great. Every open cycle we have had full-contact debate and that’s OK, perfectly understandable. But I feel that the number of people who are either unaware or only mildly concerned about our accelerating ecological crisis, is disturbing. So, best wishes to all. I hope we make it as a species and as a biosphere, but the odds get longer every day.

As a lifelong Democrat (prior to this week), I will keep an open mind about changing my registration back. But my standard for belonging to a political party from now on is that it must realistically address the conservation of the biosphere. Not gonna happen this cycle without Bernie as standard barrier, imo. So, assuming Bernie is not the nominee, I will work for progressive candidates in my region and cultivate my garden. Good luck. #Bernieorbust

If not, it certainly should be. I'm sure the thugs involved covered their tracks. If caught, I would like to see them dealt with by the harshest measures. This campaign cycle has devolved from multiple crimes to treason.

AP—
April 25, 2016
New York

Ms. Aristophana Satirica was found dead in her home in New York City today. Her personal physician, Dr. Anthony Borowitz stated that she died peacefully. “Her last days were marked by depression and despair. She felt she had nothing left to contribute and no one seemed to recognize her anymore.”

Stephen Colbert expressed his admiration in a press release. “She was my mentor and chief inspiration. I don’t know how I will carry on without her. Her passing was brought on by a world which can no longer be adequately mocked, but she will be sorely missed.”

Ms. Satirica is survived by one sister, Ms. Prima Amendment, who is also reportedly terminally ill. The family has requested that rather than sending flowers, donations should be made in her name to The Third Way, a political think tank.

On his latest show, Maher read this polling result with two questions for Berniecrats: 1) Would you be in favor of free public college tuition if it meant paying $1,000 extra in taxes?; and 2) Would you be in favor of universal single payer if it meant $1,000 extra in taxes? Maher said Berniecrats responded against raising taxes. The first question has a false premise. Bernie pays for public college with a speculation tax on Wall Street, of course. No raise on taxes except for filthy rich hedge fund parasites.

The second question was framed improperly. "Would you favor paying $1k in taxes for a net benefit of $2.5k by eliminating your health insurance premium?" Caveat, I don't know the average net out-of-pocket savings.

This is effectively push polling if Maher's rendition of the questions is accurate. I wonder who did the poll he is referring to. David Brock? Corporate Media? Same difference.

#YosemiteHill

In this historic campaign cycle, and in a limited sense, I believe the answer may be “yes.”

Consider Charles Koch's recent response in this exchange:

Koch, in an interview to air on Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” program, said that in some respects Bill Clinton had been a better president than George W. Bush, who Koch said had increased government spending. Then when asked if Hillary Clinton would be a better president than the Republicans currently running, he said, “It’s possible, it’s possible.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/koch-clinton-president-republicans_us_571c35c5e4b0d912d5fee371

Also consider that the Koch brothers played a role in the DLC:

One member of the DLC’s executive council is none other than Koch Industries, the privately held, Kansas-based oil company whose namesake family members are avatars of the far right, having helped to found archconservative institutions like the Cato Institute and Citizens for a Sound Economy. Not only that, but two Koch executives, Richard Fink and Robert P. Hall III, are listed as members of the board of trustees and the event committee, respectively–meaning that they gave significantly more than $25,000.

The DLC board of trustees is an elite body whose membership is reserved for major donors, and many of the trustees are financial wheeler-dealers who run investment companies and capital management firms–though senior executives from a handful of corporations, such as Koch, Aetna, and Coca-Cola, are included.

http://americablog.com/2010/08/koch-industries-gave-funding-to-the-dlc-and-served-on-its-executive-council.html

“Reality has a well-known liberal bias.” – Stephen Colbert

Hillary and her backers keep asking for a specific instance where accepting tons of cash from bankers and other criminals has influenced her voting record. This is artful obfuscation. Corrupt politicians and lobbyists are evil, not stupid. In the rare case of an actual quid pro quo, they would cover their tracks very carefully.

Today's system of legalized bribery is more inchoate, what pundits refer to as "access." So you don't purchase every vote with a constant stream of cash, just the ones you need.

More importantly at the Executive Branch level, campaign contributions mean you, as a filthy corporation, may write legislation and regulations. After you type it up, your errand boy or girl will get it enacted. Better yet, these purchased politicians will even appoint one of your lobbyists or executives as the head regulator in a given agency.

This is why both parties routinely fill up the Treasury Department and other finance-related federal agencies with Goldman Sachs execs. It's a great system which works out swell for all but 99% of us. And remember all you unicorn lovers: there is no quid pro quo!