More News From North Korea

It seems as if America and its partners have thrown down the gauntlet on North Korea, hitting with the heaviest sanctions to date passed by the Security Council. Apparently North Korea's continued threats of pre-eminent nuclear war has worn thin both Russia and China's patience. To have Russia warn the North that an invasion by the Americans and the South may be jusitifiable is really telling of how close the Korean peninsula is to having war break out. Originally I heard the story from Alex Jones, who has a history with the truth at times, and apparently he was spot on about the Russian response. The Guardian was the first to break this story, and there's no question that if there's a war that starts in that part of Asia, it'll be sanctioned by the Security Council.

It's also telling about how thin China's patience has worn, especially when they really don't want more American military hardware so close to their border. Now whether they'll back international military action is a whole different question, but I'm fairly sure they'll do so if the North Korean nuclear threats don't abate. Like the Russians, the Chinese also are warning the North that if these threats continue then there will be a real justification for invasion. 

New Supreme Court Pick

Having heard that Barack Obama's nominated a new Supreme Court justice, Merrick Garland, to succeed Antonin Scalia, I'm not at all surprised to hear the Senate GOP's squawking about how they won't do their job as described by the Constitution.

Now I can think of one major reason why they won't do it: their base. The base wants to make sure an ultra-conservative succeeds Scalia.  To put it in another way, they want someone on the court who will rule in favor of their beliefs and views. These include a return to Jim Crow and overt racism, denying non-Whites their constitutional rights, belief that Whites are superior to all and that only White lives matter, etc. The bottom line is that these are strongly held convictions in many parts of the country, and many of the people who hold these views want them enacted into law.

After feeding their base racism, and the need to enact it into law, the GOP's now answering for whipping up that same racial prejudice in the forms of Donald Trump & Ted Cruz . What did they think would happen, that someone wouldn't break through and grab the ability to enact such views? Now they have to look to the Democrats to stop Trump, if he is their nominee, which will be unlikely if Hillary Clinton is the Democratic nominee. The last person who should be the one to pick a successor for Scalia is Trump. Guaranteed he'll pick someone who's a strong opponent of racial justice.

That's why there's the campaign telling Senate Republicans to Do Your Job. We need to hold their feet to the fire, by telling them that their scorched-earth obstructionism will cost them the Senate and the Presidency in November.

How 2016 Is A Mirror Image Of 1968

If anyone remembers the break-down of the New Deal Coalition back in 1968, then get ready for a rebooted version this year. Think of Donald Trump as the fill-in for George Wallace, Ted Cruz as Richard "Tricky Dick" Nixon, Bernie Sanders as Eugene McCarthy and Hillary Clinton as Hubert Humphrey.

Now suppose that Cruz were the GOP's nominee, just like Hillary would be for the Democrats, and Trump ran, via as an independent or 3rd-party. Think of the outcome, we'd have Ted in the White House succeeding Barack Obama. The reason I'm saying that Cruz could end up being our President is that Trump would only be successful in potentially syphoning off would be votes for Hillary or Cruz all across the country.

In this analogy, we can see why Donald Trump will not cease to use overt bigotry as a campaign strategy as it's absolutely working for him. Trump's tapped into a very deep White rage that's been simmering under the surface since the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, especially in many parts of the South, Great Plains and both the Mountain & Pacific West. This White rage is much worse than the Black rage we've seen over the past couple of years. These folks want to be free enough to shout out their bigotry at the top of their lungs and feel vindicated that they don't have to hide their true beliefs.

It's also easy to see why Ted Cruz's holding his cards close to him. He knows that he can pose as the savior of the state from all the violence and lawlessness caused by both Trump and the Democrats (the same as the Law and Order platform Richard Nixon ran on 1968). But remember, Cruz would like nothing more than to implement Law and Order, via racial conservatism.

In Bernie Sanders' case, it's real easy to see how he's a reincarnation of Eugene McCarthy. Bernie's been crusading against the sheer inequality of opportunity for everyone regardless of background (be it race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, etc.), and also excoriating the recklessness of both the political and economic establishment. Like McCarthy, Bernie's calling for a dramatic overhawl of many governmental policies and also blasting the establishment's disregard for the real costs of war.

As for Hillary Clinton, she's the re-embodiment of Hubert Humphrey, who has the support of the establishment, but no support from the base. Many of the same voters who would likely turnout for the Democrats would end up staying home. That's exactly what happened in 1968, and what's about to happen if Hillary's nominated now in 2016.

There's one thing we need to bear in mind, unless we want a new version of Kissinger-esque offensive realism, we're better off not repeating the same mistake we made 48 years go.

Donald Trump Getting A Full Pounding For Campaigning On Overt Racism

If it seems like there's a strange alignment of the Earth with both the sun and moon, then you know there's trouble bounding for one Presidential campaign: Donald Trump's. Seems as if the Donald's managed to draw the ire of both The Democrats and the GOP for openly calling for violent White Supremacy and it seems as if those calls are falling on open ears. From the violence at his rallies and campaign events to threats of violence against rival campaigns on both sides of the aisle, it looks like he's about to experience the ultimate form of karma: lost support, at least in the form of minority voters. The fact remains that his call to violence is also having the adverse affect of losing the American electorate, especially those who remember the violence of the mid-to-late 1960s all the way through to the early-to-mid 1990s.

Let me be very clear, we don't need a repeat. Which is why both Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, together with the other Republicans running for President, are right to condemn the Trump campaign's violent rhetoric and incitement to violence against anyone who disagrees with him. It seems almost laughable on Donald's part to pin the blame almost entirely on Bernie, when it's clear that Sanders has given no instructions to his supporters to protest at Trump events; it's entirely their decision. While it's heartening to hear the other Republican candidates (Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, John Kasich) condemn Donald and distance themselves from his violent hate-filled campaign, it's important to remember that they also harbor many of those same hateful views and willingness to legislate on them (with the exception of Kasich). With Cruz, that's completely obvious, as he's actually more hateful and extreme than Trump is. Rubio's not too much different. Kasich, on the other hand, is someone I could think of backing if Hillary gets the nomination. This is because of his platform on a couple of issues: immigration and justice/police reform. On both these issues he's calling for pragmatism and moderation. Add 1 more issue to that: climate change. Now whether to leave regulations to the EPA or the states is a necessary debate to have and one that I'd wish would take place, but with the others largely denying the existence of climate change, that's not likely to happen. On a final note, while he is opposed to "non-traditional" (aka LGBT) marriage, he sees any further fighting to ban it as a lost cause. Which makes me think that if he is President, he may push for further legal protections of LGBT Americans.

Aside from that rant about why Kasich may be a better alternative, the fact remains that if the Donald doesn't end his campaign of hate, he's going to answer for it in the same way George Wallace did back in 1968. This may mean that while Donald does especially well in many parts of the South, he may face a world of trouble trying to win the vote elsewhere in November. Be it in places as hard-right Idaho and Wyoming to center-right Kansas and Nebraska. Bernie's argument about the need for a dramatic change in the political culture in Washington, that's actually responsive to all the people, may cut into Donald's support among Republicans. Imagine if Donald has to fight for those states due to many Republicans largely backing Bernie (especially conservative Republicans) that are turned off by all the hate-filled dog-whistles. Think about what happened to Mitt Romney when he faced Barack Obama in 2012, or when Obama faced John McCain in 2008. The fact remains simple, the Republicans' coalition of both the overwhelming majority of the White South together with the Great Plains and Mountain states (along with both Alaska and Indiana), it's not a coalition that will remain cohesive for very long.

If anything, the American people don't want a Southern-styled form of conservatism, (i.e., racial conservatism or put more plainly: hate-filled corporatism). We largely want to move past the era of racial hatred and Social Darwinism. It also means that we need to end this bankrupt status quo of simply keeping our heads in the sand. This is the type of conservatism being served to us a la Donald Trump and the Republican Party.

Bigotry

One of the worst things that I find distasteful is bigotry, and those who argue for making it national policy yet again.

@silvercallie7 @ChrisGallier85 They're right to be talking race as racism is still a big problem.

— jgsf1987 (@jgsf1987) February 29, 2016

@silvercallie7 @ChrisGallier85 And what exactly is so oppressive about guaranteeing everyone their fundamental rights as citizens?

— jgsf1987 (@jgsf1987) February 29, 2016

@silvercallie7 @ChrisGallier85 For too long White supremacy has shaped who we are, and it's time to confront it and learn from its violence.

— jgsf1987 (@jgsf1987) February 29, 2016

These are tweets I sent earlier to the name on the left, drowning on and on about how the talk of racism is a left-wing/socialist conspiracy that The Democrats are using for political purposes. First of all, the Democrats are right to be campaigning on racism as it's still a massive problem here in America. I've written about its effects extensively on my blog. Especially when it comes to the discrimination and violence that comes along with it. We need to face the elephant in the room here because it's really becoming a problem that's reflecting badly on all of us Americans.

It's time to take a stand against the GOP and say that enough is enough when it comes to exploiting racial anxieties and hatred for political gain. It's sickening to think that in the year 2016 we're still fighting the same battles we fought back in the mid-to-late 1960s. It is time to confront our violent past under the banner of White supremacy and all of the damage it caused here at home.

Seeing The Right Destroy Itself

As primary season heats up, so to will the right-wing's death-spiral. Granted, this is news to no one following the right's internal war, or who relish in our nation's political culture. What was once the party of pragmatism has devolved, and I'd say for the worse, into a fundamentalist know-nothing organization hell-bent on destroying the very nation they profess to save.

Apparently, this internal war has started to drive out mainstream conservatives, and that's beginning to say a lot. To be a Republican these days is to be a fundamentalist hate-filled corporatist who aspires to give all wealth/power to the elites and to create a nation of, by and for White people. It's sickening to think that there are people living here in America that actively cheer as corporations profit off of the suffering of others. Privatized prisons are one shining example.

Apparently this is the new Republican Party. That is unless a fair number of mainstream conservatives can claim the party back and expand the base to different ideologies like Ronald Reagan did back in the 1980s.

The Reason To Elect Bernie Sanders As POTUS

Electing Bernie Sanders would do America a lot of favors as he's the only candidate who has any kind of plan for dealing with many of the issues we face today. Moreover, he's shown clearly that he's not letting himself be bought off by Corporate America (note the redonating of Martin Shkreli's donation back in September), nor is he trying to win their affection either.

The fact is that Bernie's plan for helping Americans still struggling to get by is the most feasible and it would help turn things around in the right direction, but it can only happen with the involvement of all of us get involved in the political process. It's on us to pressure Congress to do the right thing, or to elect a Democratic Congress alongside Bernie. We need to make the point clear that we're not going to take anything the GOP throws at us sitting down, not even the most vile of overt racism that we've seen in 5 decades.

Bernie's been the only candidate thus far who's released a plan for putting people back to work by fixing our crumbling infrastructure (all the roads and bridges) and clamping down on the greed and recklessness of not only Wall Street, but the entirety of Corporate America. For too long Corporate America has been cutting corners just to make a quick buck with impugnity, and that needs to change. We need to clamp down on big business and end their attempts to game the markets to their advantage. Bernie's the only candidate with a plan to do just that, as we need to put clear rules in place to govern how the markets function.

For more information on why to elect Bernie as POTUS, check out his website.

Taking On The Establishment

After a couple of hard-won victories in New Hampshire for both Bernie Sanders  and Donald J. Trump for President, it's clear that people have woken up to all the corruption that's manifested itself into the political establishment and they're highly disgusted by it. None of this should come as a surprise, since there's been an enormous amount of anger directed at Washington over the last 40 years. It's only now that we're seeing the anger boil over. This is why we're in for an interesting election should both Bernie and Donald get their parties' nominations this summer.

Dispelling The Myth That Racism Is Respectable

I'll be very clear, there are many people in America who absolutely think that racism and race-baiting is respectable. These people in my opinion need to have their heads examined. If anything, we in America are tired of race-based dog-whistle politics and we're tired of it being used as a distractionary tactic from the thievery that's been happening in Washington. Americans are tired of having these Southernized politics for a clear reason, it's an ugly reminder of how horrid we behaved in the past when it came to race.

It's not respectable to go around making dog-whistle calls, or for that matter, start to shout "White Power!" at political rallies. White supremacy has made an ugly stain on our past, and the best way to overcome it is through understanding the experiences of people on the receiving end of its most violent forms. This is why we need to make our voices heard to the racial demagogues and White supremacists that we soundly reject their calls to reestablish a racial caste system yet again.

Let's make 2016 the year that we reject the old racialized establishment we've inherited from our parents and grandparents.

Superbowl 50

I have to say that having Superbowl 50 here in the San Francisco Bay Area is mega sweet. However, I've heard from some people I know that getting around in San Francisco is an absolute nightmare, which is a non-surprise in itself. Granted going anywhere in the city by car can be an obsticle course, but it's crazier now that people are here for the big game on Sunday.

Then again, it does a lot of good for the Bay Area's tourism industry.