Open Letter to Neo-liberal Election Tyrants by Cindy Sheehan

Dear Neo-liberal Election Tyrants,


This is in response to your recent:

 

An Open Letter to the Green Party About 2020 Election Strategy (L.A. Progressive; January 25, 2020)

 

There is so much to "unpack" so to speak in this excrement-soaked, yet condescending article written by apparent neo-liberal Democrats to "help" form the 2020 electoral strategy of the US Green Party. By the way, did anyone from this autonomous party which is recognized in most, if not all, US states ask for your idiotic opinion in the first place? Or, maybe you all just decided to come out of your Vote Blue No Matter Who Cotillion for a bit to hobnob with the electoral rabble?

 

In full disclosure, I am not a Green (member of the socialist Peace and Freedom Party), so my response to you Tyrants who wrote/signed this letter comes from the perspective of a person who is profoundly interested in true/grassroots democracy, not the version that is being pushed by you all.

 

Your demand that the Greens stand down in "swing states" is so inherently anti-democratic, that in a true democracy, it would be considered treasonous. Of course, in our current failed state, you all seem to consider it Patriotic to stick your Blue noses in where they were not welcome.

 

Your contention that there is a difference between Trump and Clinton is somewhat true. Many believe that a Clinton presidency would have meant MORE war and MORE corruption, and MORE environmental degradation, not less. Of course, there is much verifiable evidence to back up these claims. Clinton has supported every U.S. imperialist war that ever came her way and as her tenure as Secretary of State, she engineered the coup of a legitimately elected government in Honduras and the complete destruction and debilitation of Libya (among many such crimes). The Clinton Foundation has taken more money from oppressive regimes and sown more destruction than could have been dreamed of by any organized crime boss. Of course, Clinton, Inc. are the very epitome of "organized crime," as they went flying by in Jeffrey Epstein's "Lolita Express."

 

For you all to even hint that Clinton would have been a better choice is ludicrous. In my opinion, people who voted for Jill Stein (the 2016 Green POTUS nominee) in "Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan" and not for Trump or Clinton did not "cost" Ms. War Criminal the election, at all. After eight years of a massive transfer of wealth from the bottom to the top and other neo-liberal policies of the Obama regime that saw the war machine grow dramatically and US imperialism blossom like a metastatic cancer, Democrats LOST those states. Honestly, Stein got a little over 1% of the vote nationally in 2016 and if the Democrats couldn't nominate someone that could overcome that small percentage and beat the ridiculous game show host that entered the race on a lark, no wonder they and you pathetic sycophants are searching everywhere for an answer that doesn't point a laser focus right back on them.

 

Also, it appears that you authors/signers of the above referenced letter support the monster Hillary Clinton! I cannot really say enough about her evilness and this alone makes me question the credibility and the motives of you neo-liberals responsible for this dreck.

 

You rely on those tired and already debunked canards of blaming the Greens for 2000 and 2016 and not the system of rigged voting machines, winner-take-all, massive amounts of campaign money, or any of the other Electoral Industrial Complex bullshit that have been designed from the beginning to keep the people's voices out and put either a Trump or Clinton up on top. 

 

Even the upcoming 2020 looming freak-show is pitting worker against worker in ways that further divide us instead of uniting us behind a platform of social activism that could actually have a positive impact like the courageous protests in France or Iraq, for example.

 

You Election Tyrants from this Green "strategy" claptrap seem to believe that the Democrat half of the War Party owns my, or anyone's vote. When, as a matter of FACT, voting for any Democrat or Republican is voting for more murder and more oppression, but you appear to feel that a vote for someone other than the pitiful Democrat nominee is somehow disordered. 

 

Nothing is going to change at all, for the better, if anyone keeps hanging on to the failed strategies of the past, and your outlined strategy not only reeks of rotten hubris, but has proven time, and time, and time, again to be a bad one that hurts people. Can you not see this from your positions of privilege or ivory towers? Do you only care about a political party that shits all over peace, the planet, and all the people? 

 

In trying to silence opposition voices and steering votes to the champions of imperialism and capitalism, you have become the problem.

 

Signed

Cindy Sheehan

 

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SPEAKING TRUTH TO EMPIRE W/DAN YASEEN (JANUARY 2020 EDITION

 JANUARY 2020

https://soundcloud.com/speaking-truth-to-empire/200115-speaking-truth-to-empire-medea-benjamin

 
On “Speaking Truth to Empire” on KFCF 88.1 independently owned and locally operated since 1975 in Fresno, Dan Yaseen interviews Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODEPINK and Global Exchange. Topics of discussion include worsening U.S. – Iranian crisis and the fallout from Trump’s ill-advised murder of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. Medea is a human rights advocate, an author and a peace & justice activist. She has worked for social justice and human rights in Asia, the Americas, and Africa for over 30 years.

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Soapbox Special Edition: From Iran with Journalist Marzieh Hashemi (Soapbox Podcast 1/9/2020)

January 9, 2020

Breaking from Iran with journalist Marzieh Hashemi

For this Special Edition of The Soapbox, Cindy connects

with PressTv journalist Marzieh Hashemi.

 Marzieh is US-born now living in Iran and she is a journalist with PressTv. Last year, Marzieh was kidnapped by the FBI while visiting her family in the US. She was illegally detained without charges but, with her human and religious rights routinely violated. Eight days after her abduction, she was released.

Cindy and Marzieh chat about the current situation in Iran--this is a very important discussion for those who are seeking real news.

FURTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST

Freedom Rider: Iran and the Need for Black Activism

Margaret Kimberley, BAR senior columnist

08 Jan 2020

Freedom Rider: Iran and the Need for Black Activism

Black Americans, as perpetual targets of US lies and attacks, should be the first to reject Washington’s rationales for war with Iran.

“The days of outspoken progressives in the Congressional Black Caucus are long gone.”

Even the most disparaging Donald Trump critic, such as this columnist, can still be shocked by the president’s rash behavior and inexplicable decision making. Such was the case when Trump ordered the assassination of Iranian Quds general Qassem Soleimani and Abd Mahdi al-Muhandis, commander of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces. 

The drone attack in Baghdad killed the two men and eight others. The United States was well aware that Soleimani was on a diplomatic mission. His goal was to start an Iraqi brokered peace process between Iran and Saudi Arabia. But he was set up by the U.S. and Israel like the victim of a mafia hit job. Of course, U.S. foreign policy is always very gangsterish.

The mood in the nation has been grim ever since this story broke. Fears of World War III and terror attacks came to mind for most people. Anti-war groups had struggled to gather large numbers of people but within two days more than 80 actions took place in 38 states. That achievement should be tempered by memories of 2003, when hundreds of thousands protested the invasion of Iraq, but quieted their stance in order to get a pro-war Democrat elected in 2004. In 2008 they lost all common sense when a smooth talker was successfully marketed as a peace candidate.

“Soleimani was set up like the victim of a mafia hit job.”

The corporate media parrot every word coming from the Trump White House and State Department. People who never heard of Soleimani are now convinced that he killed American soldiers. Of course the claim is a lie as is every statement emanating from what Iranians refer to as the Great Satan.

And what of black America in this moment? We have been reduced to producing social media memes begging Iran not to harm us. We harken back to the seizure of the United States embassy in Teheran and the decision to free the black hostages in 1979. Ayatollah Khomenei correctly stated , “...blacks for a long time have lived under oppression and pressure in America.”

For most of American history black people could be counted on to oppose United States war making abroad. If no one else spoke up in defense of countries declared enemies, we would. Posturing about strategic interests, the Cold War or the War on Terror brought sneers and disbelief even as the rest of the country swallowed lies and supported aggression.

“If no one else spoke up in defense of countries declared enemies, we would.”

But that was before a black secretary of state, Colin Powell, told very big lies and made the case for the invasion of Iraq. The black face in the high place had credibility no white man would have. Otherwise intelligent people suddenly made excuses for conduct they would never have accepted in the past.

Even worse, a black man would be president. When Barack Obama destroyed Libya and killed its leader, the people who once spoke up in protest were suddenly silent.
Donald Trump has no such support. He is seen as an existential threat to black people and is dismissed and despised. But the damage has been done and black politics has been effectively neutered. The days of outspoken progressives in the Congressional Black Caucus are long gone and we are left with useless drivel about Trump asking permission to go to war. 

If he did ask he would in all likelihood get an answer in the affirmative. CBC members and other traitorous Democrats fall back on claims that they want to assert constitutional authority. But they also gave Trump an additional $730 billion for the military and refused to end the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) which was passed in the wake of the September 11 attacks. It is still the pretext for invasions and occupations and Democrats didn’t fight Republicans to end it. Of course they won’t fight what they support themselves. 
“
CBC members and other traitorous Democrats gave Trump an additional $730 billion for the military.”

It is heartening that thousands of people turned out on short notice to demand that the U.S. cease its aggressions against Iran and finally leave Iraq. But the absence of fundamental opposition to American aggression leaves that movement prone to repeating the mistakes of the past.
The enemies of peace are many and powerful. The corporate media work hand in hand with the duopoly to convince Americans that war is peace and freedom is slavery. Black misleaders and well paid pundits are supported at every turn while truth tellers struggle to be heard. CBC members are rightly afraid of facing well funded opponents if they end up in Zionist lobby crosshairs. 

The people must be independent of all these forces. The common sense forged by the common experience of oppression must be resurrected. If no one else reacts with revulsion and anger at the next Trump act of aggression, we must. We can’t wait for the CBC or others designated as leaders. When Ayatollah Khomeini freed the black hostages we all applauded and with good reason. We knew he was telling the truth about our history. If we are going to remember anything about Iran let it be that moment.

Margaret Kimberley’s Freedom Rider column appears weekly in BAR, and is widely reprinted elsewhere. She maintains a frequently updated blog as well at patreon.com/margaretkimberley and she regularly posts on Twitter @freedomrideblog. Ms. Kimberley lives in New York City, and can be reached via e-Mail at Margaret.Kimberley(at)BlackAgendaReport.com.  
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U.S. Imperial Wars

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CINDY SHEEHAN ON PRESSTV
Youtube has blocked PressTv, so this content is unfortunately no longer available

  

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The Soapbox looks Back and Forward with Caleb Maupin (Soapbox Podcast January 5, 2020)

January 7, 2020

Guest: Caleb Maupin

Topic: Imperialism in 2019 and Prospects for 2020

This week Cindy chats with RT journalist Caleb Maupin about US foreign policy, especially in the Middle East and Caleb analyzes the impeachment debacle.

Unfortunately, a few hours after the interview was finished, the US assassinated Iranian General Soleimani while he was on a diplomatic mission in Iraq.

THE SOAPBOX STATEMENT ON THE ASSASSINATION:

First of all, we send our deepest condolences to the family of Qassem Soleimani and the people of Iran and our sincerest apologies that the nation we live in has decided to assassinate him (and others) in a blatant attack which should be prosecuted at the highest levels of international law. 

We also stand in solidarity with the people of Iran who are in the streets protesting this current crime by the hundreds of thousands. 

We’d also like to honor the memory of General Soleimani and the many sacrifices he made fighting US-led or fomented terrorism in the Middle East. Although we oppose war, we also recognize the right of the people to resist violence and occupation and we oppose 

US imperialist mis-adventurism and violence most of all.

Since Soleimani was in Iraq to help Iraqis battle terrorism when he was murdered, we’d also like to show our solidarity with the people of Iraq who have been resisting US imperialism for many decades. 

We join our voices with theirs to demand a full and rapid withdrawal of US troops, independent mercenaries, and all CIA operatives from their country. The government of Iraq must listen to the voices of its people and not the demands of the bully-nation that has been destroying it for profit.

As we are already seeing the stock of “defense” contractors skyrocket along with the price of oil, March on the Pentagon also strongly condemns the ghoulish profiteers and oppose any further carnage on their behalf.

Iran has long been the “cherry on top” for the neoconservative US/Israeli imperial project, and only the people of the world, united in solidarity against this newest outrage, can stop the disaster looming on the horizon. 

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LINK TO CALEB'S NEW BOOK:

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