SYRIA: URGE YOUR SENATORS TO SUPPORT THE CAESAR SYRIA CIVILIAN PROTECTION ACT OF 2016

This is a civic action we can take in regard to the civil war in Syria, and the horrific attacks on Syrian civilians.

The Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2016 (H. R. 5732) passed the House of Representatives, and has now been referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. 

Here is a link to the membership of the Senate Foreign Relations committee. If a Senator from your state is on the committee, call her/him and say that you support, and urge the Senator to support passage of the Caesar Bill, HR 5732. 

If you live in a state that does not have a member on the committee, call your senator anyway and ask him/her to encourage their colleagues on the Foreign Relations Committee to support the bill. 

The full text of the bill is here. Passage of the bill will result in a variety of sanctions against Syria and it's partners-in-crime Russia and Iran. 

Here is some info about the bill:

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:

(1) Over 14,000,000 Syrians have become refugees or internally displaced persons over the last 5 years.

(2) The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported that since 2012, over 60,000 Syrians, including children, have died in Syrian prisons.

(3) In July 2014, the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives heard testimony from a former Syrian military photographer, alias “Caesar”, who fled Syria and smuggled out thousands of photos of tortured bodies. In testimony, Caesar said, “I have seen horrendous pictures of bodies of people who had tremendous amounts of torture, deep wounds and burns and strangulation.”.

(4) In a June 16, 2015, hearing of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives, United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Samantha Power, testified that there are alarming and grave reports that the Assad regime has been turning chlorine into a chemical weapon, and on June 16, 2015, Secretary of State John Kerry stated that he was “absolutely certain” that the Assad regime has used chlorine against his people.

(5) The Assad regime has repeatedly blocked civilian access to or diverted humanitarian assistance, including medical supplies, to besieged and hard-to-reach areas, in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.

(6) The course of the Syrian transition and its future leadership may depend on what the United States and its partners do now to save Syrian lives, alleviate suffering, and help Syrians determine their own future.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

It is the sense of Congress that—

(1) Bashar al-Assad’s murderous actions against the people of Syria have caused the deaths of more than 400,000 civilians, led to the destruction of more than 50 percent of Syria’s critical infrastructure, and forced the displacement of more than 14,000,000 people, precipitating the worst humanitarian crisis in more than 60 years;

(2) international actions to date have been insufficient in protecting vulnerable populations from being attacked by uniformed and irregular forces, including Hezbollah, associated with the Assad regime, on land and from the air, through the use of barrel bombs, chemical weapons, mass starvation campaigns, industrial-scale torture and execution of political dissidents, sniper attacks on pregnant women, and the deliberate targeting of medical facilities, schools, residential areas, and community gathering places, including markets;

(3) Assad’s use of chemical weapons, including chlorine, against the Syrian people violates the Chemical Weapons Convention; and

(4) Assad’s continued claim of leadership and actions in Syria are a rallying point for the extremist ideology of the Islamic State, Jabhat al-Nusra, and other terrorist organizations.

SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

It is the policy of the United States that all diplomatic and coercive economic means should be utilized to compel the government of Bashir al-Assad to immediately halt the wholesale slaughter of the Syrian people and actively work towards transition to a democratic government in Syria, existing in peace and security with its neighbors.

Thanks everyone.

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THE UNITED STATES IS IN AN ELECTORAL CRISIS AND WE NEED ANSWERS ASAP

December 11, 2016. The United States of America is in an electoral crisis. The facts:

• Donald Trump won the electoral votes for President of the United States;
• Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by >2.5 million;
• The CIA has concluded that the government of Russia, using cyber attacks, influenced the US election in favor of Donald Trump.

Here is the sequence of events that will take place going forward in this election:

• December 19, 2016: the Electoral College in each state will meet to officially cast their votes for President and Vice President of the United States;
• December 28, 2016: the votes from each state must be received no later than this date by the President of the Senate (the Vice President) 
• January 6, 2017: Congress meets in joint session to count the electoral votes (Congress may pass a law to change this date); the President of the Senate (the Vice President) presides over the vote count, and announces the winner, if any, of the contest for President and Vice President; 
• January 20, 2017: the President-elect takes the Oath of Office and becomes President of the United States. 

So how do we move forward in this electoral crisis? Do we ignore the facts listed above and blindly follow the prescribed process? Do the facts listed above call the results of this election into question? Does the Constitution provide any direction for this kind of election? Can the election be contested to the point where another election is called for?

These are important questions. We need, no, we deserve clear answers from our leaders. In my humble opinion, President Obama needs to speak to the nation ASAP and answer these questions, no matter how serious the consequences. Our democracy is at risk. 

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TO DONALD TRUMP: YOU WILL NOT ROLL OVER ME!

I distinctly remember hearing President George H. W. Bush announce that the United States had won the Cold War when the Soviet Union collapsed. I turned to my wife and said: "We didn't win the Cold War, the Soviets lost first." What I meant at the time was that both countries had been on a path towards post-industrial status, and in fact, what we see today in late 2016 is the continuing decline of the late, great United States. One chilling demonstration of this is the result of a new study that clearly shows that people born in 1980 have only a 50% chance of making more money than their parents did at the same age, compared to a 92% chance for people born in 1940 (and those born in every decade since has had a smaller chance).

And now Donald Trump. In what I have called his "Cabinet of Deplorables," Trump is assembling a group of government leaders who will take office with the intent of tearing apart the very fabric of our society. They go into office with the goal of rolling back regulations, greasing the skids for corporations and the wealthy to make even more unfettered profits, establishing economic policies that will benefit the wealthy and harm everyone else. Trump will not and cannot save jobs in America. Trump cannot and will not "make America great again;" whatever that means.

Let me be perfectly clear: Donald Trump is a bad, dangerous person. And as President, he will be a total disaster for America and the world. As I have said before, I respect the office of President of the United States; I do not, and will never respect Donald Trump.  I will not look the other way now. I will not pretend that he didn't say so many horrific things as a candidate. I will not put aside my doubts and fears because he is the President-elect, and we citizens must accept that fact. I will not comply, and I will fight him all the way, until his minions have to pry my copy of the Constitution from my cold, dead hands! 

I was mistaken after 11/8 when I blithely stated that Trump had won the election, and that we all needed to accept that fact and figure out how to deal with it. I still think we need to accept that fact, but we also need to come together around one very clear objective: fight Trump and the Trumpsters every inch of the way. Those of us who are opposed to everything Trump stands for, and I believe our numbers will grow as his term plays out, need to be focused and organized. If we continue to be fragmented into single-issue camps, we will be doomed.

I'm seeing a groundswell of political activity in my circle of family and friends. This is encouraging. This activity will continue to build; we must be up-and-running as soon as The DOTUS (The Donald of the United States) takes office next month. I think many people are rolling up their sleeves, and I'm hopeful that we will resist to the greatest extent possible.

I am also looking for national leadership. I am hoping that progressives in government and citizen groups will pull together and develop a clear strategy for fighting back. We cannot afford to be fractionalized.

As we close out 2016, a year that will certainly be prominent in future history books, let us all resolve to work together, fight back, do everything we can to minimize the damage that looms ahead, and strive to make the world a better place for everyone.

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LET'S BE INTENTIONAL WITH THE WORDS WE USE

I've been thinking a lot lately about the words we use, and abuse. I think it is important to use words carefully, and not fall into a trap of using words that are popular, but not helpful. I think some words are overused, and used incorrectly, which diminishes their value, meaning and impact.

To illustrate this, I'll start with two very commonly used words in our political discourse: racism and Nazi (hoo-boy, just jump right into the fire!).

Racist (racism) - I personally think this term is very much overused and often used incorrectly. By labeling large groups of people and even individuals as "racists," we diminish the true meaning of the term. Example: "people who voted for Trump are racists," or "racism was behind the actions of the Republicans in Congress." It's too easy, and leads to lazy thinking. Paint everything as racism and eventually there is nothing but racism.

We need to think about and understand the distinctions between racism and bigotry, including unintentional bigotry. Here is a short post on the topic; it's a quick and interesting read.

And here are a couple of sociological definitions of racism: "By this sociological definition, racism is about much more than race-based prejudice--it exists when race is used to create an imbalance in power and social status." (1) and, "Policies and practices favorable to a dominant group and unfavorable to another group that are systematically embedded in the form of norms in the existing structure of society."(2)

I've selected the above definitions because they talk about systemic racism, rather than individual actions. Certainly, there are many common definitions of racism that focus on the individual; however, I prefer to look at the more scientific (sociological) meanings.

The term bigotry can be defined as: "Extreme intolerance of another person’s beliefs and opinions particularly racial or religious."(3) Again, this is a sociological definition of the term. A common definition (bigot) is: "a person who strongly and unfairly dislikes other people, ideas, etc., a bigoted person; especially a person who hates or refuses to accept the members of a particular group (such as a racial or religious group)" (4).

So, what's the big deal? Well, I think it is critically important for everyone to understand that there is systemic racism in our society, and also that individuals in our society, most of us in fact, are bigoted, intentionally or unintentionally, when it comes to ideas, philosophies and people not like our own. By using more specific terms, we help ourselves and others understand the sociological and political distinctions, and our discussions are more focused. It is one thing to see blatant bigotry by individuals; it is another to understand how to see racism that is often hidden in plain view within our institutions.

Nazi - What is a Nazi? Standard definitions: "a member of a German political party that controlled Germany from 1933 to 1945 under Adolf Hitler," and, "an evil person who wants to use power to control and harm other people especially because of their race, religion, etc." (5). I prefer the firsts definition, rather than the second, for common usage.

I'll start this by asking you to read this short piece by Mike Godwin, the originator of Godwin's Law: “As an online discussion continues, the probability of a reference or comparison to Hitler or Nazis approaches 1.” (6) In the piece, Godwin discusses the uses of the terms Nazi, Hitler and holocaust in on-line discussions, and specifically regarding Trump.

Once again I argue that using the term Nazi when discussing Trump and Trumpism is not productive, and is actually counterproductive (with the possible exception of asking the question: "Is Trump a Nazi?"). The term is overused, and once again is, in my opinion, a lazy shortcut that doesn't help move a discussion forward. I do agree that there is great value in having the discussion about the conditions in America and American politics in the early 21st century, compared to those in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s. There are certainly similarities, but there are also very distinct and important differences. To simply label Trump a Nazi is not productive.

I prefer to use the terms fascist and fascism. Hitler was a fascist, and many other national leaders have been or are fascists. These are more scientific (there I go again!) and lead to a discussion of political trends and positions and philosophies. Peter Bergen, CNN National Security Analyst, has a good column on this topic. He discusses the criteria of fascism, and concludes that Donald Trump is a proto-fascist, rather than a full-blown fascist; I agree with this conclusion. In my view Trump is not a Nazi; he does not belong to a Nazi party. I have posted to this blog about the trend towards fascism in America since the administration of George W. Bush, and Donald Trump is the current embodiment, and the most serious and dangerous person with fascist tendencies to be elected to be President of the United States.

Conclusion - So dear reader, think and talk about this one. Let's be careful with words. Let's be intentional with words so that we are very clear what we mean, and we can move discussion forward. It is easy, too easy, to simply use labels as a conclusion. It is much more difficult, and also much more important to get beyond labels and look at what's behind the curtain.
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Notes and sources:

(1) http://sociology.about.com/od/R_Index/fl/Racism.htm
(2) http://sociologydictionary.org/?s=Racism
(3) http://sociologydictionary.org/?s=Bigotry
(4) http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bigot
(5) http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Nazi
(6) https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/12/14/sure-call-trump-a-nazi-just-make-sure-you-know-what-youre-talking-about/?utm_term=.63910f56b6dc

WHY PORTLAND'S RESISTANCE IS OFF-TRACK

An organization calling itself Portland's Resistance has been leading protests in the streets of Portland since the election of Donald Trump as POTUS-Elect. The group is an outgrowth of the group Don't Shoot Portland combined with other political activists, which had it's origins in the Black Lives Matter movement. In my opinion, Portland's Resistance is off-track, and is doing more political harm than good.

This is a very important moment in modern U. S. History, in which we are poised to have a man in the office of President who will rebuild government in what history will certainly see as a negative direction. Many people will be harmed by the Trump administration, and U.S. democracy could be set back decades. This is a time that calls out for people to be united around basic principles of democracy, and to be organized at the community level to push back against egregious policies and directives that will certainly issue from the office of the President and the Republican-dominated Congress.

Portland's Resistance, originally conceived, I think, as a response to the Trump election, has instead gone to battle with the City of Portland. They have organized demonstrations that they have, in some ways, and to their credit, tried to keep peaceful. Some of these almost daily demonstrations have attracted known anarchists and provocateurs who are intent on vandalism and disruption. However, the organizers also seem to think that closing streets, bridges and freeways is an effective strategy. The resulting "peaceful" protests encourage people to disobey laws and police orders, and has resulted in more than 100 arrests. These disruptions of traffic are more than an "inconvenience" to Portlanders, as the organization and it's sympathizers claim. These actions are disruptions that have negative effects on people's lives, and do not garner support from those whose lives are disrupted. (And before you challenge me on this, dear readers, by disruptions I'm talking about people who are kept from getting to work on time, being on-time to pick up their children, getting to critical jobs at hospitals and nursing homes, and etc.)

How does closing down a street, bridge or freeway have any effect on the ascendency of the Trump administration? How do these actions bring our community together? Why are these actions positive in any way?

And now Portland's Resistance has shifted it's focus and declared the Mayor, the Police Bureau and even the City Council as the enemy!

The fascists are loving this. The actions of Portland's Resistance and similar groups are the wedges that keep progressive people apart, instead of uniting us. As an example, the Portland mayor announced a city-sponsored gathering of peace for today that was widely announced and supported by many groups and organizations in our city. It was announced at a huge community gathering of Christians, Jews, Muslims and other people a couple of nights ago, and hundreds, if not thousands of people pledged to attend. This morning, however, the Mayor pulled the plug on the peace gathering because Portland's Resistance called for a counter-demonstration against the gathering, on the basis of their claim of police brutality and lies from the Office of the Mayor in regards to the Portland's Resistance unruly demonstrations (three of the group's leaders were arrested yesterday during a demonstration).

I have posted previously about the trend of disrupting public meetings and gatherings in Portland. We are on the cusp of losing opportunities for police reform and other positive changes as a direct result of the disruptions to civic discourse by small bands of disrupters and provocateurs. This is not only disheartening, it is a clear sign that, unless we can figure out how to come together as a community around larger issues, we are doomed to suffer whatever the Trumpsters dish out.

I admire the political convictions of the Portland's Resistance leaders, and I applaud all people who see the need and take positive political action in this strange time. But goals and strategies need to be clearly developed in order to unite rather than fragment the majority of people in this country. We lost this election to extremists for a variety of reasons. A major reason is our fragmentation, our single-issue focus, our quickness to jump on political bandwagons without careful scrutiny.

Folks, we're in for a storm of political backwardness in this country. We need to switch into a build mode, not a destroy mode, and do it quickly.

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POST-ELECTION GATHERING NOVEMBER 12, 1PM

POST-ELECTION GATHERING

NOVEMBER 12, 2016

1PM for an hour or so.      Laurelhurst Park (see map)

Friends and family: many of us are reeling from the election results this week. I have a need to gather with like-minded people simply to talk. So I am inviting everyone to meet tomorrow for a short time just to touch in.

Facebook doesn't do it for me. I need to shake your hand, give you a hug, talk to you face-to-face, and meet people I don't know yet. What I have in mind is simple and not structured: no speeches, no rants, no signs, no marching, no disrupting of traffic - instead, people-to-people conversations. What are we feeling? How can we support each other and all of our neighbors? What are we each thinking in terms of how to move forward, what political actions to take? What organizations are we already aligned with that are doing good work? How do we communicate and build progressive community? 

I have no specific expectations for this gathering, I just want to talk to people. 

If you feel the same need, or have an interest in this, please stop by; I will be there.

It might rain a bit, so I will bring some umbrellas. I will also bring a few folding chairs for those of us who can't stand for long. Please bring the same if you want. 

Thanks, and I hope to see you there. Maybe we can start a trend that is real, not virtual. 

Tip: street parking on or south of Oak Street is the easiest access into the park.

POTUS-ELECT TRUMP: THE BLAME GAME

Who is to blame for the election of Donald J. Trump to be President of the United States? The answers posted on the internet are legion, but I have my own opinion, of course.

Of the eligible voters in America, just under 100 million (100,000,000) DID NOT VOTE. I settled on this website for data, but there are others that might have somewhat different numbers. It is interesting to look at the data table at that link. Here is a quick summary:

Total number of Voter Eligible Population (VEP) in USA = 231,556,622
Total ballots counted (estimated)                                        = 131,741,500
Number of VEP that did not vote                                       = 99,815,122
Percent of VEP that voted                                                   = 56.9%

The state with the highest VEP turnout:  Minnesota 74%
The state with the lowest VEP turnout: Hawaii 34%

My state of Oregon: 64%
Your state? ___%

Democracy only works as well as the voter turnout.  As of this morning, the popular vote count was:

Clinton: 60,467,245
Trump:  60,071,650
Difference between the two:  395,595 votes

(Note: don't try to add and compare numbers from different sources; they don't add up. Instead, look at the general trend or magnitude, that's the real story.)

And then there's this:

http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/national.php

CONCLUSION: The Finger of Blame (Digit of Disgrace?) can be pointed in many, many directions. I don't agree that the blame lies with voters who checked the box for a third-party candidate, or wrote-in their own candidate (like Harumbe). No, I tend to look at the number of voters who voted for Donald Trump. As Nate Silver pointed out, if 1 of every 100 Trump voters (1%) had instead voted for Clinton, she would now be the President-elect.

(Also, the number of votes does not determine the winner, it is the Electoral College votes, so it is difficult to translate a raw number of votes into actual electoral votes. In other words, if every write-in vote instead went to Clinton, that doesn't necessarily mean she would have won the election.)

But I also have to point the finger at eligible voters who don't vote. There are certainly people who want to vote but cannot because of personal situations, or because they are intentionally kept from the polls by local politicians; however, that cannot be the case for 100 million eligible voters. And we seriously need election reform in this country. In Oregon, we vote by mail, and I wonder if this is why we have a higher than average turnout. 

Interesting stuff to ponder as we try to deal with the Trump New Order. 

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United States

56.9%

131,741,500

231,556,622

DEAR TRUMP SUPPORTERS: WE NEED TO TALK

November 9, 2016. It is a new day in America and in the world. Donald J. Trump has been resoundingly elected as the next President of the United States of America. 

Many Americans are elated because their outsider candidate actually won. And many Americans are in shock, trying to figure out what happened and how to handle this. 

Every contest has winners and losers. We always say that each side should be gracious to the other, should reach out and pull together. Even President-elect Trump read this in his victory speech last night. And so here goes.

Dear Trump supporters: congratulations on your victory. You have been fighting against the political establishment, the insiders, the political left, political correctness, godlessness and a host of other things, and you won. I have so many questions to ask you now that you are on top.

I am the first to admit that I live in a comfortable bubble here in Portland, Oregon. I don’t know who you are, dear Trump supporters. I think I have one, and only one Facebook friend who I assume is one of you. And so yes, my circle of friends and family is predominately people who think like I do. This is a very big problem.

The age of digital social media reinforces the bubbles of isolation. My digital crowd is made up of people like me; your digital crowd is made up of people like you. In some ways, probably too many ways, the digital age has isolated us more than united us. I go to web sites for information that I know are very different from the ones you go to for your information. How can this be a good thing?

I really do want to know and understand you. What I’ve seen in the media - the media I look at - is hate and anger at Trump rallies. I’ve seen people chanting things like “Lock her up!” “Jew-S-A” and other hateful things. I’ve seen people handled roughly or even beaten up because they have questioned or protested Trump. I’ve heard our President-elect use the most hateful speech towards Mexicans, Muslims, immigrants, women, Jews, people with disabilities - basically anyone who isn’t white and Christian. Is this who you are? 

Seriously. Does the paragraph above describe you? I need to know the answer to this question. Are you really so filled with hate that you support a man who spews such things? Or have you turned the other way in the face of this vitriol and simply supported Mr. Trump because you wanted someone different, someone from outside the establishment, someone who will shake things up and make America great again? I need to know who you really are if I am to seek common ground with you.

I am on the losing side this time. I very clearly remember feeling shocked and dismayed when the Cheney-Bush team was elected, and then elected a second time. In my humble opinion, that administration changed history in serious negative ways, and the world is still adjusting to those changes. But this time is different. This political win was based on ugliness, bigotry, hatred and fear-mongering. This political win was based on incivility the likes of which we have not seen in our lifetimes. Watch the Presidential debates; is this the model for civil discourse? 

So tell me the truth; what will this country be, starting in January? Do you support deporting 11 million people? Do you support jailing women who have an abortion? Do you support keeping all Muslims out of this country, and monitoring all Muslim-Americans? Do you support isolationism and tearing up all trade agreements? Do you support torture? Do you support bombing the hell out of ISIS, no matter the collateral damage? Do you support the problems in our inner cities by putting more heavily-armed police on the streets? I need to know these things. I need to know how to talk with you. I need to know if we have anything in common. And I truly hope we do. 

I don’t want to blame anyone for this election result. I understand that we are a country divided in many ways, and this time my side of the divide lost. If you read this blog, you know that I have a certain level of stoicism that helps me deal with evolving history. And so today I understand that Donald Trump will be the next POTUS. I understand that people on my side of the divide need to pull together and weather the next 4 years or more. And I need to understand history.

The Trump ascension didn’t happen overnight. It has been building for a long time. It started with Ronald Reagan becoming President. It built through the years since. We’ve seen an administration invade and occupy another country, Iraq, with no provocation, and get away with it. We’ve seen that same administration use torture, and find legal justification for it. We’ve seen the rise of the Tea Party whose only goal seems to be to deconstruct government. We’ve seen a Republican-led Congress promise to not let President Obama get anything done, and even close down the government to carry out that partisan plan. We’ve seen leading Republicans dance on a thin wire of credibility in order to support Trump while not supporting the concept of Trump. Here in Oregon, we’ve seen a gang of white, Christian, armed people take over a federal wildlife refuge and be acquitted by an all-white jury. We see young black men gunned down in the streets by police officers, seemingly for the crime of walking or driving while black. We have seen increasing attacks on minorities and women. 

What astounds is that, even in the face of the above, we have also seen very progressive things happen. Same-sex marriage is legal in the United States. A broad spectrum of politicians have found common ground on the need to reform the justice system to remove the inherent bigotry that has resulted in so much pain in minority communities. We have a health care law that, while not perfect, has righted many of the wrongs that kept so many people from getting the health care they needed. A growing number of states have legalized recreational marijuana which will shift the focus of law enforcement and the legal system to crimes that are actually serious. 

Will all of the above be undone under President Trump? Does a majority of Americans want to unwind history? 

And so dear Trump supporters, you have a lot to talk about, many questions to answer. And I’m serious about this. People like me need to talk with people like you. We need to listen in order to understand. We might not agree on many things - I guarantee we won’t - but I have to believe that there are values we share. History moves forward moment by moment. We can’t stop it; we can’t rewind it. We can only try to understand it and try to influence it. I will do my best to remain hopeful. 

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ELECTION EVE 2016: READ MY OPINION

It is time to take a deep breath, have one or more drinks or, if you live in Oregon, Washington or Colorado, some long drags on the pipe, joint or vaporizer. Relax, the world will not end tomorrow, even if our next President is named Trump. Yes, there will be a dramatic shift in domestic and world politics, but seriously folks, the world will not end until the sun explodes and turns Earth into vapor, not something we need to be concerned about at this moment.

And I’m not being flippant about this; President Trump is a disaster no matter how you look at it. But after the worst disasters, the survivors roll up their sleeves, pick up the pieces, and rebuild. It would not be easy, it would not be pleasant, it would not be without pain, but it will be done.

Of course if you, dear reader, are a Trump supporter, then a Trump win tomorrow will not be a disaster for you and your co-supporters. You will get your historic moment in the sun, and maybe things will go your way, whatever way that is. But your progress would also not be easy, because half of your countrypersons will feel the same resentment you will feel if your guy loses. 

Tomorrow is a brief moment in the history of the day after tomorrow and the infinite number of days after that day. Tomorrow will be a turning point no matter the outcome, a moment in history that future historians will dwell on and analyze and write theses about. Keep in mind that we live history every moment of our lives. Our collective votes tomorrow will determine history, so we are the makers of history. 

There is a very important, actually very critical thing that must be said this evening: we will survive election day; but our best bet, no matter the vote outcome, is to move forward in a civil way, using the tools of our democracy to resolve conflicts. Unfortunately, the Trump campaign has not set the stage for civil discourse. Trump rallies are models of incivility, filled with hate speech, violence against “others,” bigotry targeting anyone who is not white and Christian, attacks on women…the list goes on. We cannot sink to their level. We must uphold democratic values while we try to find common ground, heal old wounds, lift up those who have been beaten down, understand the deep-seated reasons for these expressions of fear and hatred, and most importantly understand that our most perfect union is not so perfect and needs to be fixed. 

I am amazed at the number of people I know who are suffering PTSD - PRE-traumatic Stress Syndrome, as a result of the run-up to the 2016 election. It has become terrifying to contemplate both a Trump victory and a Trump defeat. A storm is coming, and there is no good place to seek shelter from it. Will civil war break out in the event of a Clinton win? Will civil war break out in the event of a Trump win? Is each outcome a lose-lose? Too many of us think so.

If you vote, you are fulfilling the basic responsibility of living in a democratic society. Your vote counts; numbers are important. If you have discussed the election with friends and family, you have gone an extra step. If you have donated to a campaign, another step. If you have worked for a campaign, yet another step. Find comfort in your efforts, understand that you have done your best, know that the outcome will be what it is and we will survive to continue making history day by day. 

Every contest has winners and losers. It is what it is. We do our best, then we move forward. We need to keep that in mind for tomorrow. 

Good luck; see you on the other side of election day. 

—- 

DONALD TRUMP IS THE BEST CANDIDATE TO BEAT DONALD TRUMP

It is no surprise to most people when, every one or two days, Donald J. Trump says something, or something is revealed about him that makes jaws drop world-wide. His vulgarity, crudeness, bullying, name calling, misogyny, rudeness, business practices, tax evasion and lying are astounding, and can't possibly get worse, we think, until it does. 

I have predicted that the snowball of backlash rolling down the political hill would reach a point where it suddenly started to grow so large that impending doom would be certain. I think that point has been reached. Donald J. Trump is going to lose the 2016 election by an historic margin to Donald J. Trump. And the President-elect will be Hilary R. Clinton; thank you Donald.

The Trump campaign will have it's own special place in the history books and the tutorials for political campaigning as the best example of how to beat yourself in an election. Perhaps the Donald's self-destruction is an expression of the probable fact that he never thought, and never really wanted to be President of the United States. After all, he would certainly have to give up running the Trump business empire, take a huge pay cut, have to put his tax returns on public display every year, actually do hard work every day, and behave in a manner uncharacteristic of himself. What a bummer that would be! 

So even though nobody, including Donald, ever imagined Donald Trump would last long in the field of Republican candidates, and certainly not make it to the final few, and never, ever, ever be the actual nominee of the Grand Old Party...well, as Jeb said, stuff happens! `So now what? I think we are witnessing his answer to his own question. 

And by the way, does the J in Donald J. Trump really stand for Jerk?

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PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE NUMBER 1: MY TAKE

First, let me say that I don't think of these televised spectacles in terms of winner and loser; the voters will decide that. Here is my very simple take on this first matchup:

1. Mrs. Clinton did what I assume her campaign wanted her to do. She showed her base that she is smart, tough, not easily rattled, very well prepared, and an excellent choice for POTUS. She did not change any minds in the Trump base; however, it is possible that thoughtful, open-minded, undecided voters might give her a closer look.

2. Mr. Trump stayed true to the Trump Way, which is what appeals to his base. He was arrogant, sometimes rude, loose with facts, not well prepared, and slippery. He did not change any minds, with the possible exception of people who were undecided, leaning his way, but also thoughtful and open minded who might question voting for him after seeing this performance.

3. Any candidate running against Trump populism, and who has been in government, has a serious problem that was very clear in this debate. Mr. Trump wants to make America great again. Mrs. Clinton consistently said that government/we need to do better, need to work on this and that, need to improve; this simply validates Mr. Trump's position that things are not good, and need to be fixed, and that the reason things are the way they are is because politicians and political hacks have screwed it up. "You've been in government for almost 30 years and you haven't fix it" was the Trump refrain. 

In fact, there is some truth to the Trump assertions. Mass incarceration didn't just happen by itself, government made it happen, and therefore "we need to fix the justice system (Mrs. Clinton)." Poverty, the recession, gang violence, jobs going overseas, trade imbalances, national debt, and etc. didn't just happen, government made or allowed it to happen. Because he has never been in government, Mr. Trump can point the finger at any and every politician who has, and place the blame for every grievance people have with government. 

If nothing else, the first debate lived up to our expectations - Trump was Trump. 

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BAD REPORTING ON THE WELLS FARGO BANK SCAM?

This is an example of news reporting that, in my opinion (remember, that's what you're entitled to!) doesn't tell the complete story. And not telling the complete story leaves a news consumer like me without some important information.

Wells Fargo, one of the top three financial institutions in the USA, was found to have cheated it's customers by setting up accounts for them without the customers knowledge, and assessing fees for these accounts. 

The big story is that, not only did Wells Fargo get caught, but that they were fined a total of $185 million, including a $100 million penalty by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. This is the largest penalty imposed by the Bureau in it's 6 year history.

Wow! That's a big story, and that's a big fine! 

Unfortunately, here is the information that the news media, including NPR and the NY Times (from the reports I heard and read) leaves out.  

In 2015, Wells Fargo had a profit of 22.89 billion dollars. That's $22,890,000,000. Profit. 

In 2015, the Wells Fargo CEO compensation package was 19.3 million dollars. That's $19,300.000.

A fine of 185 million dollars ($185,000,000) is 0.78% of the 2015 profit made by Wells Fargo; that's less than 1 percent.

A fine of 185 million dollars is 9.3 years of the 2015 compensation of the Wells Fargo CEO; however, during the years that this consumer scam was going on in his company, the personal stock holdings in the company held by CEO John Stumpf increased by over $200 million!

So what do you think; is a fine of $185 million painful for Wells Fargo, or a footnote on their balance sheet? And as for the CEO, should he continue to have his job, and make over $9 million a year, and retain the value of the Wells Fargo stock he holds? 

This is the context missing from the news stories about the Wells Fargo fraud, and I think it is bad journalism.

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DEAR TRUMP SUPPORTERS:

I seriously don't get it. Why do you support Donald Trump to be President of the United States? From what I've read, here are possible reasons, and my comments :

1. We need an outsider, someone who isn't part of the D.C. political establishment, to put this country back on track.

OK, I kind of get that. But wouldn't it be better to "hire" someone to be POTUS who actually has some experience governing and in politics? If you checked into the hospital for major surgery and as they wheeled you in they explained that a real estate developer was going to do your surgery, would that be OK? Folks, Trump doesn't have a clue about how government works.

2. We need someone, like Trump, who is going to look out for the interests of the middle and working classes instead of the wealthy elite.

Yeah, that's a good one, putting an alleged billionaire in charge to look out for the little people (the fox running the hen house)! Have you paid attention to all the news stories about how Trump has cheated small business contractors out of money he owed them for building his hotels and casinos? How about his exploitation of immigrants? How about his line of clothing that is all made in China? And on and on. This guy has absolutely no interest in the little people, he simply exploits them every chance he gets.

3. Trump represents my values.

I understand this, if you are a bigot, a misogynist, a narcissist, an egomaniac, a cheater, a liar, a bully, one who thinks your privileged status makes you so much better than everyone else. If the above doesn't describe you, then I don't get it.

4. I dislike Hilary Clinton.

You can dislike whomever you want, but do you love your country? Are you willing to put your country in the hands of a man like Donald Trump (see 1 through 3, above)? In a very crazy world like ours, with terrorism and climate change and economic instability and wars and waves of refugees.....does Trump really seem to be the person to out in charge? Really?

So, dear Trump supporters, explain this. Truly. I don't get it.
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THE VERY IMPORTANT THINGS BERNIE SAID AT THE CONVENTION

Excerpts from Bernie Sanders speech at the Democratic National Convention, 

July 25, 2016

[For those who did not listen to the speech by Senator Sanders, I have excerpted what I think are the key points. Bernie’s speech was spot on, in my humble opinion. He gave credit to the millions of people who voted for him, the thousands who worked for and donated to his campaign, and to those delegates for him present at the convention. Bernie did two major things in his speech: 1) he outlined the basics of the political revolution his campaign started and vowed that it would continue, and 2) he clearly and very strongly endorsed and pledged his support to the campaign of Hillary Clinton for President of the United States. 

Below are my excerpts from his speech.

I understand that many people here in this convention hall and around the country are disappointed about the final results of the nominating process. I think it’s fair to say that no one is more disappointed than I am. But to all of our supporters – here and around the country – I hope you take enormous pride in the historical accomplishments we have achieved.

Together, my friends, we have begun a political revolution to transform America and that revolution – Our Revolution – continues. Election days come and go. But the struggle of the people to create a government which represents all of us and not just the 1 percent – a government based on the principles of economic, social, racial and environmental justice – that struggle continues.

Let me be as clear as I can be. This election is not about, and has never been about, Hillary Clinton, or Donald Trump, or Bernie Sanders or any of the other candidates who sought the presidency. This election is not about political gossip. It’s not about polls. It’s not about campaign strategy. It’s not about fundraising. It’s not about all the things the media spends so much time discussing.

This election is about – and must be about – the needs of the American people and the kind of future we create for our children and grandchildren.

[The following list is excerpts from Bernie’s speech. For each of these points, he stated that Hillary Clinton understands and will work towards change.]  

This election is about:

• ending the 40-year decline of our middle class; 
• the reality that 47 million men, women and children live in poverty;
• understanding that if we do not transform our economy, our younger generation will likely have a lower standard of living then their parents;
• ending the grotesque level of income and wealth inequality that we currently experience;
• remembering where we were 7 1/2 years ago when President Obama came into office after eight years of Republican trickle-down economics;
• not forgetting that as a result of the greed, recklessness and illegal behavior on Wall Street, our economy was in the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression;
• which candidate understands the real problems facing this country and has offered real solutions – not just bombast, fear-mongering, name-calling and divisiveness;
• overturning Citizens United, one of the worst Supreme Court decisions in the history of our country. That decision allows the wealthiest people in America, like the billionaire Koch brothers, to spend hundreds of millions of dollars buying elections and, in the process, undermine American democracy;
• the Supreme Court justices that Donald Trump would nominate and what that would mean to civil liberties, equal rights and the future of our country;
• the thousands of young people I have met who have left college deeply in debt, and the many others who cannot afford to go to college;
• climate change, the greatest environmental crisis facing our planet, and the need to leave this world in a way that is healthy and habitable for our kids and future generations; 
• moving the United States toward universal health care and reducing the number of people who are uninsured or under-insured; 
• the leadership we need to pass comprehensive immigration reform and repair a broken criminal justice system;
• making sure that young people in this country are in good schools and at good jobs, not in jail cells; 
• bringing our people together, not dividing us up.

We need leadership in this country which will improve the lives of working families, the children, the elderly, the sick and the poor. We need leadership which brings our people together and makes us stronger – not leadership which insults Latinos, Muslims, women, African-Americans and veterans – and divides us up.

By these measures, any objective observer will conclude that – based on her ideas and her leadership – Hillary Clinton must become the next president of the United States. The choice is not even close.

It is no secret that Hillary Clinton and I disagree on a number of issues. That’s what this campaign has been about. That’s what democracy is about. But I am happy to tell you that at the Democratic Platform Committee there was a significant coming together between the two campaigns and we produced, by far, the most progressive platform in the history of the Democratic Party.

Our job now is to see that platform implemented by a Democratic Senate, a Democratic House and a Hillary Clinton presidency – and I am going to do everything I can to make that happen.

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BUT SERIOUSLY, ABOUT TRUMP

I sat and watched parts of the Republican National Convention (RNCon), and even watched a number of the speakers on YouTube. It was painful, but I subscribe to the theory of know thine enemy. And I have grasped some things about them. Especially Donald J. Trump, the RNCon nominee.

Mr. Trump. is not a politician, and he does not have the skills or knowledge of a politician. He might have a rudimentary grasp of politics, but he doesn't care about the art of politics. Trump is a business man, the type that sees an opportunity and tries to turn it into wealth for himself. And it is the "himself" part of the description that is the most important. Trump is for Trump, no matter what he says about being the voice of the American people.

But it is more nuanced than that. In his run for POTUS, Trump sees himself as a corporate fixer, a specialist brought in to turn a losing enterprise into one that, at the least, can generate wealth for the corporate elites who own/run it. These fixers don't always have in mind keeping the entity they are fixing in business; their goal is to turn things around enough to make a profit for themselves and anyone else who is a major shareholder or top executive, and then get out. (And, by the way, Trump isn't the first corporate fixer to run for POTUS - remember Mitt Romney?)

So think about it for a moment; Donald Trump has only one kind of job experience: he is a wealthy generator of wealth, using real estate development, casino building, and a number of other dodgy endeavors to make himself wealthier. And he has also raised some wealthy kids in the same mold.

Trump approaches his bid to be POTUS as another business deal. His Plan, such as it is, is to fire and hire his way to better governance, to make superior deals when it comes to foreign policy, to fix any and every problem or thorny issue by bringing in experts to make things work better, by instituting human relations policies that keep the work force limited to certain types of people. Immigration issues? Start a capital project (build a wall) and send the bill to someone else. Illegal immigrant issues? Lay off (deport) everyone who does not fit the job description (native born or legal immigrants). Institute hiring criteria that exclude certain applicants (Muslim immigrants). Retool supply and sales agreements (import and export treaties) to maximize corporate (government) profits and protect company (national) interests.

The Trump campaign is voracious. It feeds on bigotry, anger, fear, jingoism, white privilege and a range of other negative emotions of a mostly-white, Christian demographic. A major contradiction of Trumpism is the calling out of the billionaire class by a family of billionaires, and the buy-in to this by people in lower classes. This is classic autocracy.

I don't know if Trump sees himself the way I, and many others, see him; in fact, I doubt he does. He likely does not see himself as a dictator, but rather as the aspiring Director or CEO of a privately-held large company. And the Director of a privately-held company often is the equivalent of a dictator.

Let's be clear; the Trump phenomenon is a perhaps logical extension of the trend in America towards corporatization of government. It is no secret, and it has been demonstrated and proven many times, that the government of the United States is run for and by corporate interests. Follow the money. So it is perhaps logical then to go to the next step in the corporatization process and elect a corporate Director to run the business, the business being the United States of America. It would be great to at least elect a more benevolent Director than Trump, but if he wins, it is game over.

This is the biggest challenge the other candidate, Hillary Clinton, has in this contest. I think running against Trump's negatives is the wrong strategy. Mrs. Clinton is a career politician, not a career corporatist. As such, she needs to convince voters that retaining professional politicians to run the country is better than installing a corporate Director to run the company/country. After all, everything said at the RNCon about the ills of America, and the need to Make America Safe/Work/Strong/Great Again is easy to agree with on the surface. There are a lot of things wrong in the world today, and America is not in the same global position it has been for the past half-century or more.

In other words folks, we have a problem!

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DEAR YOUNG, INTELLIGENT, ANTI-HILLARY PROGRESSIVES: READ THIS

This post is directed to young, progressive and intelligent people who fall into the "Bernie or Bust" and similar categories. You are young people who ardently supported Bernie Sanders and his ideas, his political revolution, and who now say that you will not vote for Hilary Clinton. Some will not vote at all for a candidate for president, some will vote for Jill Stein; I hope none will vote for Donald Trump.

What I want to say to you young, progressive people is: "Why won't you vote for Clinton?" Whose narrative have you listened to, whose talking points have influenced your opinion, and, perhaps most importantly, have you truly considered what will happen if Clinton loses the election to Donald Trump?

I was, and remain, an ardent supporter of Bernie Sanders - the ideas, no longer the candidate. I agree that we need a political revolution in America - I have written about this for years. But now the political reality in America is that we have an important choice for the next POTUS: Clinton or Trump.

Let me also say something I say to young people like you. This is a democracy. Vote for the candidate of your choice - that is what democracy is all about. I often argue with those who tell me that Al Gore lost the election to George W. Bush because some Democrats voted for Ralph Nader. My point is that the people who voted for George W. Bush are to blame for his ascendency.

However, even with the above paragraph in mind, it is very important to carefully weigh the importance of your vote this time, because the stakes are so very high. We are faced with a Trumpocalypse, an historic shift that has already released the demons of hate and racism and nationalism, and allowed them to be public and prominent in the media. The Trumpocalypse has sanctioned hate, and whether or not Trump becomes President, it is too late to put it back in the bottle. (see footnote 1)

So I ask you to ask yourselves: "Where have I gotten the information about Hillary Clinton that makes me not willing to vote for her?" This is an important question. Anti-Hillary writings and talking points have been the bread and butter of Republican strategists for many years. They hate The Clintons - always have, always will. They have spent years honing the anti-Hillary message, until it is inculcated in "common knowledge." Is Hillary perfect? No, and I have often said that. Is Hillary an establishment politician? Yes, no doubt about it.

But here is the take away: our political system is establishment politics, and no matter how hard we try to wish it to be different, no matter how many primary votes a Social Democrat got, our system is still establishment politics. And there is no doubt in my mind that Hillary Clinton is a very good establishment politician. There is also no doubt in my mind that the Bernie Sanders candidacy, and continuing political revolution, has pushed Hillary, as well as the Democratic Party establishment, to the left. No, a Clinton presidency will not result in Democratic Socialism in America; however, with the continuing political action by young, progressive people like you, a Clinton presidency can be a step in that direction. A Trump presidency will be many steps in the opposite direction, and will wreak unimaginable havoc on our system for years to come.

Here is an assignment; find and read a recent article on Vox by Ezra Klein titled "Understanding Hillary." I respect the journalistic integrity of Ezra Klein, and this article is worth reading because it helps us understand Hillary the person for who she is and how she works, based on interviews with many people who have worked with her.

Hillary Clinton was not my first choice for POTUS for a variety of reasons, and I have some concerns about a Clinton administration (just as I have been very concerned about some aspects of the Obama presidency). But know this well, I now support Hillary Clinton and will vote for her. For me, the choice is clear.

I ask you, the young progressives who state that you will not, cannot vote for Hillary Clinton, to apply your considerable intellect to an honest appraisal of how and why you got to this decision, and what the political situation today in America demands you do. Then vote your choice. And then stay politically active, carry on the political revolution that we so desperately need. Your job will be easier in the future if Trump is not elected.

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Footnote 1. In some ways, I think it is a good thing to shine the public light on hate, because once it is so much out in the open, we have to deal with it. Many of us are afraid of it, as we should be, but when it was mostly hidden from every day view, we could more easily ignore it. Now that Trump has brought it out from under the rock, we have an opportunity to try to squash it.  

HEART BERN? TAKE AN ANTACID. BERNIE SANDERS AND THE POLITICAL REVOLUTION

“OK Bernie, we get it about your political revolution, but can’t you be nice about it? Can’t you just step down for the sake of Party unity? Can’t you just endorse Hillary already, for gosh sakes? I mean, after all, you lost!”

I think a lot of people are feeling this way, especially people who are in the Hilary camp. And don’t get me wrong, I understand it, and it’s OK. You are entitled to your feelings, just as I’m entitled to my opinion (which you happen to be reading). 

I, too, had been wondering what Bernie Sanders would do once Hilary got past the magic number and was labeled the “presumptive nominee.” Bernie, however, has been very clear about this for a long time; he will continue campaigning to get as many votes and delegates as he can, and then take his political revolution to the Democratic Party convention. 

And why not? After all, what is a political party presidential convention? It used to be a gathering at which delegates from every state cast their votes for the candidate of their choice. It used to be a gathering at which political ideas met head-on in order to pound out a Party platform that the selected nominee would champion. It used to be a gathering at which delegates cast votes for the candidate they represented based on the votes of their state’s voters (there are a number of permutations of this last point, based on the state). Maybe it is still this way, and so let’s let the process roll on.

If you think that Hilary Clinton is now the nominee of the Democratic Party, you are wrong. She has the delegate count, but the delegate votes have not been cast. If you think the race is over, then why have a convention? In other words, it ain’t over ’til it’s over. Yeah, I know, the convention is just the formality that seals the deal; however, how many of us are hoping the Republican convention is not a done deal, and that somehow, magically, Donald J. Trump does not emerge as the nominee? 

“Yes, but it’s so different this time because of Donald Trump. The stakes are so high, we can’t risk a divided party!” Yes, it is different, Trump is a dangerous man, the stakes are very high; however, does that mean we should toss democracy out the window? And isn’t this an opportunity to stage a political revolution? 

I don’t know Bernie Sanders (I wish I did). There are people in politics who I respect who do know and support Bernie, including Robert Reich and Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley. I also know that Bernie perfectly represents my political thoughts and ideas. I called for revolution in a blog post during June, 2005; and pointed out that the definition of revolution is "a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving.” Drastic. Far-reaching. The state of American politics, the ascendency of Donald Trump, the excesses of the moneyed class, the great disparity in wealth between the top 1-percent and the rest of us, global warming and energy use, poverty, education and on and on - all of these issues define the political realities of our nation at this time and fuel the large-scale discontent of both the right and left ends of our political spectrum. 

I understand the Bernie Sanders strategy at this time. I think it is very simple: do not concede to and endorse the presumptive nominee, but rather, maintain a position of strength backed by 12,000,000 primary votes and carry that into the convention for maximum influence. After all, the Bernie campaign is based on building a political revolution, whether or not Bernie Sanders becomes President. 

Bernie has said in interviews that he will vote for Hilary Clinton, and he will do everything he can to stop Donald Trump from being elected. These are significant statements, and should be enough prior to the convention to allay fears that he will go rogue and split the party. In his “where do we go from here” speech, Bernie outlined ideas to continue building the political movement. He asked people to sign up if they are interested in thinking about running for political office, such as local school board, city council and others. It looks like there has been a large response to this. Bernie has a set list of issues and programs; he has been hammering away with them for the entire campaign. In my opinion, he is capitalizing on his primary success to continue building a political movement, with a focus on younger people. I agree with this goal.

As far as I am aware, there is no law of nature that guarantees human societies can be governed in a way that benefits every member of the society. Many systems have been tried; most, if not all have failed. Maybe it is not possible. Maybe only the strong, the greedy, the evil, the lucky, the manipulative or some other trait succeed. But that doesn’t mean humans shouldn’t try to build an egalitarian society. I’m not talking about classic models of socialism, communism, capitalism, monarchy or anything else that’s been tried before. The Bernie Sanders model is not fully fleshed out; it has a basic framework of common-sense ideals that we can strive towards. 

So let’s do our best between now and November - and beyond. Feel the Bern if that floats your boat. Be thrillery for Hillary, if that rolls your Prius. Stay engaged, keep your cool, be thoughtful and wise. 

What an amazing election! 

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