By SJ Otto

Possibly the most despicable and diabolical actions of President Donald Trump is his attacks on Obamacare (AKA the Affordable Care Act or ACA). In his latest attack, According toCNBC:

· “President Trump's Justice Department supports a federal judge's ruling that President Obama's signature health care law, the Affordable Care Act, is unconstitutional, a court filing shows.

· The Justice Department filed its determination in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in New Orleans on Monday, where an appeal of a judge's opinion on the law is pending.

· "The Department of Justice has determined that the district court's judgment should be affirmed," three DOJ lawyers write in a filing in the 5th Circuit.

President Donald Trump's Department of Justice, going further than it had before, said it supports a federal judge's ruling that President Barack Obama's signature health care law, the Affordable Care Act, is unconstitutional, according to a court filing.

The Justice Department filed its determination in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in New Orleans on Monday, where an appeal of U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor's opinion on the law from December is pending.”

What possible reasons could a politician have for the destruction of this healthcare law? I suppose it saves some tax payers money. It will also protect the profits of the pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies. It is also ideologically pure to oppose any kind of government run health care system. But the downside is that it will cause millions of people to lose their health care. For some of those people, it could mean death or suffering from illnesses that are unnecessary. Again, according to CNBC:

“If courts dismantle the sprawling health care law, it would likely cause millions of consumers to lose health care or face higher costs, in no small part due to the end of Medicaid expansion. Ending Obamacare is a long held Republican goal, which the GOP failed to accomplish in 2017 when the Senate fell short of passing a repeal bill.

Scrapping the health care law without a replacement would lead to 32 million more uninsured people by 2026, the Congressional Budget Office estimated in 2017.”

To cause that many people to lose their health care is just an out-right act of cruelty. To save money and prove he is ideologically pure, he is willing to sacrifice up to 32 million people, causing some of them death or suffer some type of harm. This is an outright human rights violation. It is a mean and spiteful act. Worst of all, this is an action that will be championed by much of the rest of the Republican Party. There are also those working class people who live under the delusion that Trump somehow supports them, as he is a “working class president.”

Trump is a man who seems to place no value on the lives of those who are not in the upper or middle class. He is an outright murderer. It is really sad that this country has working class people who still can’t see this man for what he really is—a con-man, liar and a cheat.

Pix by Donald J. Trump - Winner Of The Asshol.

By SJ Otto

Whenever there is a major news story, it is always helpful to find a source of commentary that can easily explain the obvious. For me it was that TV show, The View. What do we make of a two year investigation that found no smoking gun, no outright proof of collusion between President Donald Trump and the Russian government? But the same report said that Trump was, to some degree, guilty of obstruction of Justice. If any other president did those things, their careers would be over. But to Trump and his loyal supporters, the man can do no wrong.

He’s a crook, a liar and a con man. He seems to be able to stay just one step ahead of the law. He’s slippery and just out of reach for any punishable offences. Those who really know this man, and aren’t conned into believing he is a “working class hero”Know that he is a no good scum bag. The sooner he leaves that office the better. Whether he is impeached or voted out of office—he really needs to go!

From the Daily Beast:

By Matt Wilstein

The hosts of The View didn’t know quite what to make of the first details that have emerged from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Monday morning.

“So, 22 months after Robert Mueller's investigation began, his report has been delivered,” Whoopi Goldberg said at the top of the show. “He found no evidence that the guy in the White House conspired with Russia. He stopped short of exonerating him for obstruction of justice, but you-know-who must not have read that part.”

With that, she cut to footage of Trump falsely claiming “complete and total exoneration.”

For former Fox News host Abby Huntsman, the report’s apparent conclusion was good news.

“It did say in the report that Russiawas clearly trying to impact our elections and that is a serious, serious issue,” Huntsman said. “But what obviously the big finding was that, no, there was no collusion between Trump or any American for that matter when it comes to colluding with Russia, which I would say, whether you like the president or you hate him, that's something we should all be happy about. (Personally I'm not.-Otto) The alternative is our president colluding with the Russian government. That’s a pretty bad place to be.”

For the rest of this click here.

By SJ Otto
It might seem a noble idea to try and stop hate speech. But the results of such an effort may end up being censorship. The European Union has claimed “progress in the fight against online hate speech, saying major technology companies have significantly increased their ability to combat the phenomenon,” according to DW.com. Most of this comes from technology that “assessing 89 percent of flagged content within 24 hours, and promptly act to remove it when necessary," said Andrus Ansip, European Commission vice president for the digital single market.
The question I have is how can we be sure that this content is actually hate speech. Without a human to interpret what is being looked at, there are bound to be mistakes. I had my Facebook site closed down for a few days last year when I reported on someone else’s hate speech. I was closed down as if I were the person making the hate speech. There was no way to get a response by Facebook or address my concerns. The action was taken—end of discussion.
We also have to wonder what types of speech will be censored. Will it be strictly hate speech, or will it be ideology as well. If it includes ideology, will it eventually mean attacks on left-wing sites, such as Black Block Anarchism or types of Marxist-Leninism? So far all the censorship has been on the right. But that could easily change.

So from DW.com:

Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have streamlined their ability to respond and remove hate speech content on their platforms, according to EU officials. But some see the crackdown as an attempt at online censorship.

EU officials on Monday hailed progress in the fight against online hate speech, saying major technology companies have significantly increased their ability to combat the phenomenon.

"Companies are now assessing 89 percent of flagged content within 24 hours, and promptly act to remove it when necessary," said Andrus Ansip, European Commission vice president for the digital single market. "This is more than twice as much when compared to 2016."

Technology companies, such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Microsoft, are removing 72 percent of flagged content within that period, up from 28 percent in 2016. EU officials said a Code of Conduct to tackle online speech established that year has proved successful, but noted more needed to be done.

"The fight against illegal online hate speech is far from over," said Vera Jourova, European Commission for justice. "We have no signs that such content has decreased on social media platforms. But we do have signs that the Code of Conduct is a tool which can contribute to robust response to the challenge."

For the rest click here.

By SJ Otto

The present Labour Party leadership is headed by Jeremy Corbyn, a democratic socialist who is very similar to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC). Much of the Labour party is a lot like the Democratic Party in the US, where the majority support middle of the road or left of center politics. At times the party’s members can be quite conservative. So it is not surprising the conservatives inside and outside of that party are determined to destroy Labour’s left-wing. Much of what is happening in Britainis very similar to what is happening in the US with AOC and Bernie Sanders trying to push the Democratic Party to the left, while the more conservative in and outside of the party are struggling to keep US politics to the right and to the center. Both some Democrats and Republicans are united in opposing any real USleft-wing.

From Democracy and Class Struggle:

WitchHunt: Controversy Over Anti-Semitism and the British Labour Party

From the Israeli Embassy in UK - to MI5/MI6 all part of current political manipulation in UK during Brexit background crisis we have weaponising of anti Zionism as anti Semitism.

Also moving Labour's Momentum to the right through infiltration and manipulation.

Breakaway groups from Labour Party supported by United States NGO funding.

In your face infiltration and manipulation in the UK by foreign powers supported by "British" intelligence which of course is an oxymoron.

We see the internal contradictions in the Labour Party becoming more antagonistic as a result of outside interference - interference by specialists in manipulation from Foreign and Domestic Intelligence Services.

From Blairites to Far Right they are destroying not only the Labour Party but bourgeois democracy in Britain.

Wake Up it is 2019

By SJ Otto

House Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is covered almost daily at Fox News. It would be easy to believe they have a fetish for her at that news outlet. She is a rising star in the Democratic Party and she is a Democratic Socialist, which is likely to ruffle the feathers of all of those conservatives at Fox News.

I have to agree with CHARLES P. PIERCEof Esquire, when he wrote:

“I never will understand the conservative obsession with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She's a first-term congress critter from New York City. She's bright, but they keep trying to make the case that she's stupid, and she keeps feeding them into the social-media wood chipper. And then they decide to heckle her and forget that she was an NYC bartender and, as such, she has the clapback instincts of a rake that gets stepped on. And now, formerly Very Important People are getting into the act.”4

Almost every week Fox News reports that some spokesperson has accused Ocasio-Cortez of being 'financially illiterate,'[1] and calling for her to be removed from office. If she can’t understand the wonders of capitalism and if she doesn’t just love a system where wealthy people run everything and make sure everything works for their benefit, she must be illiterate. That makes people like me illiterate also. A lot of us are illiterate if we just don’t adore rich people and their system that supports them. Ocasio-Cortez is real good at answering back her critics. Here Rep. Ocasio Cortez Responds to Fox New' weird obsession with her:

For many of us, Ocasio-Cortez is doing what we want her to do.

[1] Fox News,

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ocasio-cortez-slammed-as-financially-illiterate-at-sharpton-event-over-amazon-faces-calls-to-be-ousted-from-office To use this link, you will have to copy it and post it. You can't just click on it. Apparently Fox News doesn’t want me to use hyperlinks to their news sites.

By SJ Otto

When it comes to US foreign policy, it seems there is no such thing as justice or fair play. President Donald Trump does whatever he wants and the entire congress, with the acception of Representative Ilhan Omar and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, just goes along, especially when it comes to Israel. That country is an abomination, a nation that continues to elect leaders who are bent on fighting wars with their neighbors, such as Iran and shooting unarmed Palestinian protesters. While its supporters like to point out that Israel has been a stable “democracy” for its entire history that is about the only thing that keeps that country from being an outright fascist dictatorship.

Even the most liberal Democrats seem to turn a blind eye to the human rights abuses committed by the Israeli government. Omar is one of the first congress person to actually call Israel on its abuses of Palestinians and in return she has been ridiculed by Trump, she has been labeled “ignorant” and “anti-Semitic” by other congress people and some of them have called on her to resign, some from her holding office and others want her to resign from the Foreign Affairs Committee she sits on. All of this over her criticism of Israel. Many of those congress people ignore the fact that many US citizens, including myself, have serious criticism of Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been running for re-election and he has said that he will annex Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank if he is re-elected. The building of settlements on Palestinian land is nothing more than stealing from those people. Since the election of both Trump and Netanyahu there has been absolutely no effort put in to a peace process. If anything, the peace process seems to be moving backwards away from the “two state solution” that many people have been supporting for the Jews and Palestinians.

Trump has been openly supporting Netanyahu against his main opponent, Benny Gantz, who is also a right-wing political figure, although he might be slightly less obnoxious than Netanyahu. One thing Trump did to help Netanyahu was to declare Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps, a powerful arm of the Iranian military as a foreign terrorist organization. This will cause some confusion for neutral countries or adversaries who already aren’t happy with the sanctions Trump has placed on Iran.

Trump has had it out for Iran since he got elected. He pulled out of an agreement that was meant to keep Iran from building nuclear weapons. He has also sanctioned Iran, which will cause hardship for that counties people. As in Venezuela, Trump is willing to use sanctions, which are part of the reason that country has so many shortages. Trump and his supporters are willing to use the hardship of other people as a weapon to get the foreign policy outcomes they want. Those kinds of tactics have become common place for US foreign policy, And NO ONE—no other country can do anything about US policies. Our leaders do what they want and the rest of the world just has to go along and put up with it.

Another out-right lie by Trump!

By SJ Otto

It was back in the 1980’s that I heard a lecture about reviving small town economies. I was in the town of Windsor, MO. The population was 2,893 as of the 2010 census. It turns out that a lot of what is needed amounts to checking out a company or person or persons before inviting them to come and relocate in the town. It also included making sure that money comes into the town and stays in rather than just passing through it.
Towns often give out tax abatements to entice a company to relocate in a town. Sometimes an abatement is for a percentage, such a 10 or 15%. Other times the abatement is 100%. They are often for a set amount of time, such as Ten years, which is a common time period. So if a company comes in with a complete 10-year tax abatement that means they pay no taxes for ten years. Some cities or towns even give free water and electricity. A company can move to a town and pay nothing for 10 years. In that time they are using the streets, the sewers and other resources. All of that is free for the 10 year period. In that time, the city is losing resources to that company.
There are companies that go to a town, move in and in 10 years later they move out. Then they look for the next town waiting to entice them. It’s like a scam. Small towns get so eager to entice new business that they give away too much and become corporate chumps and they get taken advantage of. Small towns need to be careful who they give these tax abatements to and whether a company is really going to benefit the town or just take away a lot of free stuff.
Another thing towns need to look at is where a company is going to put its money. A company moving in should make use of the local bank or banks. Some companies use their own bank in their headquarters’ town. If they are not putting money in the local bank, they are just letting it go through the town to somewhere else. The trick to any economic development is to bring money into the town, but also to keep it from leaving. If the only thing a company is doing is paying some local workers, but the company doesn’t use the local bank or rely on other business in the town, then most of the money is leaving the town. It is passing through the town and not really helping the local economy.
In Windsor there was a convenience story that had located there. They didn’t even carry the local newspaper. All they did for the town was provide a few jobs. They contributed little to the towns overall economy. Other things a company should do is to make use of all the town’s resources, including tools, from local stores or companies. If there are farms near by the farmers need to grow anything that a company may use. An example of this was a town that had a potato chip factory. At first that factory imported potatoes from a different state. Eventually local farmers turned to growing potatoes in order to sell to the factory. That made more sense.
While many companies hire people from the town, they may use a bank that is in another town. Many companies use banks where their main company is located, possibly in another state. A company should also be using local companies for their day to day business. They may use the local newspaper for advertising. They may be buying supplies and tools there. The author gave an example of a potato chip factory that had been importing potatoes from another state. Local farmers got together and decided they should grow potatoes to be sold to the potato chip factory.
Another thing to look at is how many employees a company plans to bring in to help run things. It may make sense to bring in some experienced managers from the company’s other plants. But they should be developing a pool of local talent. They can either train local people to be managers or send people to schools to be educated for certain jobs in the company, book keeping for example. People who move into a town do rent apartments and houses. It is important that local people be used for labor as much as possible.
A company’s labor relations are important also. If a company has a record of bad employee relations, they don’t need to relocate in the town. Whether they allow unions is important. If they are anti-union or non-union, it makes sense not to invite them in. They will only encourage bad relations with unions that already operate in the town. A lot of conservatives will claim that is not really important, but it is.
US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was slammed by conservative organizations and news outlets for pushing away a deal with Amazon. That company decided not to relocate in her district. But chances are she knew a lot about these various aspects of bringing in corporations to build up local economies. Amazon was an anti-union business and that does matter. Ocasio-Cortez was right to pass on having them in her district. A businesses treatment of unions does matter.
So this is why people need to be careful and selective when choosing companies for their town or community. Don’t just listen to conservatives who believe in doing anything to get a corporation to move in.

I have seen the film that was posted from Chelsea Manning and Julian Assange. The film clearly shows soldier intentionally shooting civilians. One man was shot while trying to rescue some men who were wounded. It was disgusting and none of those trigger happy murderers will spend any time in jail, while Manning and now possible Assange, face prison time for exposing these human rights violations.

The US government has made a habit of ignoring human rights. Just last month this blog reported:

(Secretary of State Mike) “Pompeo will not allow anyone to go into a foreign country that the

occupies and check on allegations of torture or other forms of war crimes. He also included Israel.” -SJ Otto

UK politician Diane Abbott responds to Julian Assange's arrest in the Commons

By SJ Otto

My phone seems to take me to Fox News a lot and that is as problem for me. They seem to focus a lot on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and in fact they seem obsessed with her. Then they seem to like to create controversial issue where they really don’t exist at all.

Last week, Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas attacked Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn for saying she said something outrageous about 9/11. He claimed Omar was characterizing the 9/11 terrorist attacks as “some people did something.” She was addressing a crowd over discrimination that Moslems go through here in the US. Her remarks were taken out of context and he made a mountain out of a molehill. I think for the average person that comment is nothing terrible. But Crenshaw claims otherwise. He is a very conservative Republican and he has gotten a lot of attention from Fox News.

AOC came to Omar’s defense and that immediately causedFoxNews to pull out all the stops:

“Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., faced mounting criticism Thursday for feuding with freshman colleague Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, over his response to domestic terrorism.”

They act like people all over the country are up in arms about this, but the reality is that they are focusing on criticism from conservatives only. If anything, the reaction to Omar’s comments prove just how prejudice some Americans are over Moslems. This whole controversy would have never come to light if Omar was not a Moslem and a Democrat.

From Yahoo News:

Beright

send her and both of her radicalized co-freshman with her, oh AND HER BROTHER HUSBAND past our borders forever.

NOCANFINDNAME

Pack up Omar and her hajib and send them to Guantanamo.

12gauge

Omar is wrong, she is not an American she is a US Citizen

paul

Are you sure?

Who Dat?Very good point.
She didnt even become a naturalized citizen until the year 2000.
Up until 1998 she was a Somali refugee living in a refugee tent city in Nigeria.
With that unfortunate background theres no way she can see ANYTHING from an "average American" point of view….

……

Can you imagine the mainstream media reaction if a white congressman or congress woman described the assasination of MLK as someone did something to some man...?

IrishAmericanPsycho

Or if a non-white person lied and said thousands were dancing in the streets celebrating the Pearl Harbor bombing?

Frank J

American's don't marry their brothers...

Anna

SHE SHOULD RESIGN! THE COMMENT SHE MADE SHOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT HER!

edward

Traitors both to the oath they swore To protect and defend the US Constitution.

It doesn’t take long to see by these comments how prejudice and narrow minded these conservatives, who left these remarks, are. They have written comments that only could apply to a Moslem and there is no respect for Omar at all. These are probably the people that Fox News claims that AOC has “faced mounting criticism.”

Fox then said of AOC:

“That prompted Ocasio-Cortez to defend her Minnesota ally, going after the Texascongressman for not co-sponsoring the 9/11 Victim’s Compensation Fund.

“In 2018, right-wing extremists were behind almost ALL USdomestic terrorist killings. Why don’t you go do something about that?” Ocasio-Cortez told Crenshaw….

….That sparked an avalanche of outrage, many pointing to Crenshaw’s service as a Navy SEAL in the war in

Afghanistan

as well as his sacrifice.”

Then Fox News provides their own examples of tweets in defense of Crenshaw. For the most part, it seems that Crenshaw was a Navy Seal and fought in Afghanistan. Therefore he is above criticism. Because he served in the imperialist army, taking people’s sovereignty away from them and killing and pillaging the people of

Afghanistan

, he is a brave hero who is still easily offended and should not be subjected to such offenses.

✔@nataliejohnsonn

AOC implying @DanCrenshawTX, who served combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan(where he lost an EYE) in the wake of 9/11, hasn’t done enough for the victims of September 11 terrorist attack is astounding, though not shocking….

Ryan Saavedra

✔@RealSaavedra

AOC is attacking Dan Crenshaw for not fighting for 9/11 victims

Crenshaw is a decorated war hero, who, as a Navy SEAL, lost his eye fighting terrorists in Afghanistan and earned 2 Bronze Stars (one with Valor), the Purple Heart, and the Navy Commendation Medal with Valor

Crenshaw maybe brave on the battle field, but here at home, in his political niche, he is a big cry baby who is easily offended by non-issues. He needs to get over himself. The right-wing trolls who follow him not only need to get over themselves, but they need to lose their narrow minded prejudices.

By SJ Otto

Democratic Socialist of America (DSA) member met last Saturday to discuss elections for General Assembly. Most of the seats are not contested, but members can vote against those names, should they not want those persons to serve. Besides all the names there are also some questions, Should the local DSA accept the proposed Code of Conduct, (to be found here, https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FwlivaK8Psl7Olvntzp_vF0-bQsHP-7Gcaxf3mWP-Ws/edit?usp=sharing) and proposed change to the constitution:

“Item II OFFICERS OF WichitaDSA

Section 1 Definition
The officers of the Wichita DSA shall consist of two (2) Co-chairs, designated Chair 1 and Chair 2, a Recording Secretary, a Social Secretary, an Activities Coordinator, and a Political Education Coordinator. The Co-chair positions have specific gender requirements. For the officers’ slate as a whole, the members of Wichita DSA are encouraged to strive for balance in race, class, sexual orientation and other factors relating to relative power in the community at large. Members nominated for officer positions shall self-identify as they see fit.
Reason for change:
This is an oversight in the original writing. Activities Coordinator is included in the document already, but not mentioned in the Definition section.”

Names on the ballot include:

Social Secretary:

The Social Secretary is responsible for the membership lists, KS DSA member at-large lists, contact lists, and all social media and email accounts owned by Wichita DSA. (note: Except for matters of public record, these lists are confidential.) The social secretary, with volunteer help if desired, sends required notice for membership meetings, calculates the quorum number, registers attendees, and determines if there is a quorum. The social secretary will always have membership materials, including means of payment, available at membership meetings so that non-members may join. If a division or paper ballot is needed, the social secretary will assist the recording secretary by determining eligibility of all who vote.

Nominee(s):

Corina T.

The Recording Secretary:

The Recording Secretary is responsible for the agendas and minutes of all membership (business) meetings and all Steering Committee meetings. The recording secretary will build the proposed agenda based on business from the previous meeting and consultation with the other officers. They will take notes at all meetings of the membership or the Steering committee and present minutes at the next meeting for approval.

The Recording Secretary will also keep an archive, either on paper or preferably electronically, of all previous meeting agendas and minutes, for at least two (2) years. Minutes of all membership and Steering Committee meetings will be shared electronically with the Steering Committee as soon as possible after the meeting. Members may have access to the archive of minutes upon request. If a division or a paper ballot is needed at any meeting, the recording secretary will carry this out, delegating the count to volunteer tellers if desired.

The Recording Secretary is responsible for the income, expenses, and budget of the Wichita DSA. The Recording Secretary will receive any money donated to the Wichita DSA (but not member dues owed to the National, which will be received by the Social Secretary if paid at a meeting) and will account for all received money. Wichita DSA will maintain a checking account at a credit union and the signatories will be the Recording Secretary and at least one Co-chair. If Wichita DSA engages in any business causing taxes, rents, or fees to be due, the Recording Secretary will be responsible for paying these. If Wichita DSA engages in any electoral activity, the Recording Secretary will be responsible for any campaign reporting that becomes needed.

Nominee(s):

Karen D.

The only contested seat is Political Education Coordinator:

The Political Education Coordinator shall be responsible for prioritizing, planning, and follow-through on all chosen programs of political education for Wichita DSA. The Political Education Coordinator will be responsible for insuring that four (4) or more program meetings as called for in Item I Section 7 of the constitution are held each year.

The Political Education Coordinator will be the head of the Education Committee.

Nominee(s):

Russell F.
Brad N.

Activities Coordinator:

The Activities Coordinator shall be responsible for prioritizing, planning, and follow-through on all chosen programs and events for Wichita DSA. The Activities Coordinator will be, along with the Co-chairs, the liaison with any external groups that Wichita DSA shall choose to affiliate with, assist or collaborate with.

The Activities Coordinator will be responsible for notifying members and the public (where applicable) regarding Wichita DSA meetings and events via email, social media, and the website calendar.

The Activities Coordinator will be the head of the Events Committee.

Nominee(s):

Alex T.

That was the only business we had. The rest of the time was taken up with socializing. There were about 15 people at the meeting. It was a great event.

By SJ Otto

Technically the new Robert Mueller report tells us that Trump broke no laws. He did nothing wrong that can cause him to be charged with a crime. At the same time there were at least 10 criminal acts that Trump tried to commit, but his aids stopped him. His intent was criminal, but he did not carry those intentions out.

Just weeks ago Trump tried to claim that the Mueller report exonerated him. We now know that is not true. Trump actually tried to get Mueller fired.

Democrats are now discussing impeachment procedures. There is no doubt that Trump deserves to be impeached. He carelessly flaunts rules that everyone else seems to have to follow, but he seems to think he is above the law. From the start he was a repugnant politician that most normal people, in this country, strongly disliked. He was exposed as a sexist who told Billy Bush that he is able to walk up and grab women’s crotches and they don’t say anything because he is rich and a star. He haspaid off two porn stars to try and keep them from exposing their affairs to the press. On top of that he is one of the most right-wing presidents this country has had since Ronald Reagan. He is 100 percent pro-business going as far as protecting predatory lending companies.

Trump is an ultra-conservative, but he goes beyond that, he is an all out asshole. There are so many reasons to not like trump that we could fill a book with them.

I could mention his abysmal foreign policies, except the last two Democrats (and many Democrats in Congress) held mostly the same policies.

The big drawback to him being impeached is that Mike Pence would or could end up as our president. He is just as conservative and anti-worker and anti-poor as Trump, but he is a lot slicker. There are a lot of people who hate Trump, but not necessarily his policies. We need to oppose the entire package and not just Trump’s repugnant personality. Pence could be a real danger to this country if he ends up as the president.

Let’s proceed cautiously.

Pix by Billboard calling Trump an 'idiot' removed from NJ town.

By SJ Otto

Just this week I read an article by Doyle McManus called “Pete Buttigieg has everything except positions on major issues,” an article I found quite relevant for the upcoming Democratic primaries for president. His article was in both TheWichita Eagle and it was also posted in the Los Angeles Times.

The article focused on Buttigieg (Television anchors have learned how to pronounce his Maltese last name “boot edge edge,” he says) and he pointed out that this man has risen to number three in the polls. The problem he points to is that Buttigieg has skirted and avoided giving any real positions or issues. This is not surprising. Many Democrats have followed a strategy of raising lots of money, sticking to the political middle and avoiding any issues that might offend someone. It is a bad strategy and it needs to go.

This is a special election in that many of us want to prevent an eight year presidency for Donald Trump, who may be one of the worst presidents this country has ever had. But Trump has spread a lot of damage to this country and that needs to be reversed.

One of the most important issues of this campaign is health care. Trump has cost millions of people their health care and insurance by dismantling much of Obamacare (Affordable Care Act). He is trying to destroy all of Obamacare and costing even more people their health care, including getting rid of protections for people with preexisting conditions.

According to McManus:

“At a CNN town hall last month, voters asked his views on healthcare, unemployment, veterans’ benefits, climate change and whether technology companies like Facebook should be regulated.

His answers were a blend of generic Democratic positions and suggestions that more venturesome ideas should be considered.

On healthcare, Buttigieg says he believes the United Statesshould “move in the direction of a ‘Medicare for all’ system,” but only gradually — not the immediate change to a government-run system proposed by Bernie Sanders.”

That is not good enough. That is the kind of answer, on healthcare, that we don’t need. People need health care now, not some time in the future. Trump and other Republicans have held back healthcare relief for many people who need it. It is time to reverse this kind of folly. We need a bold aggressive person who will reverse the damage Trump has caused. We don’t need a Democrat who just wants to manage it.

Now we have Joe Biden putting his hat in the ring. He was vice-president to Barack Obama and Obama was not a very progressive president. He tried to develop a national health care program while at the same time he wanted to protect insurance and pharmaceutical companies. It was better than nothing, but it is almost gone now. It can be fixed, but it would be better to have a government-run system as proposed by Sanders.

Biden is using words like “progressive” but he needs to be way more progressive than his former boss, Obama. He has already jumped to the top in the polls. But if he wants support from people like me, he better be way more progressive than Obama or Buttigieg. Once again we need an aggressive progressive, not a manager of conservative politics.

We need to kick some ass—Trump's ass!

By SJ Otto

Those who fallow the constant barrage of hate against Ilhan Omar, are well aware that she has been called anti-Semitic for criticizing

Israel

. But for those of us who are honest about the status of

Israel

, we see a country bent on war with its neighbors, especially

Iran

. According to this Reuters’article:

“Israel’s navy could take action against Iranian oil smuggling, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday, urging world powers to foil any effort by Tehran to evade U.S. sanctions.

The Israeli leader told naval officers that Iranwas still resorting to clandestine measures to ship fuel that it first used prior to a 2015 nuclear deal easing Western sanctions on its oil sector.

U.S. President Donald Trump last year quit the nuclear deal and reimposed some sanctions, aiming to cut Iran’s oil exports to zero.”

As with Trump and the US, Israel has ignored the agreement that this country made with Iran during the Barack Obama Presidency. Iran was trying to cooperate with this country, but according to Trump and Netanyahu there is nothing that country can do to stop the sanctions, short of complete surrender to its enemies. One thing both countries want is for Iran to stop their support of proxy armies in the region (terrorism according to Trump and Netanyahu). That is something that most of the government in the Middle East do. The US does that a lot. Supposedly Iran supports terrorism. In reality it supports groups with a similar ideology and most are NOT terrorists.

I’m not a fan of the Iranian government or any other Moslem government. These sanctions will not just affect the leaders of Iran; it will affect the people who are living there. Maybe they think if they cripple the economy of Iran and cause hardship on its people, they will turn against their leaders as has happened in Venezuela. But this is a terrible precedent to set for foreign policy. It is brutal and barbaric to tell a sovereign nation that they can’t sell their own resources to anyone. Now they want to fight a war with anyone who chooses to buy Iranian oil.
This is a policy of pure arrogance and Israel is talking about starting a war that is just plain not necessary. Is it really anti-Semitic to oppose starting a war? This is the kind of absurdity that journalists and pundits in this country need to expose. We know that does not mean help from the mainstream media. Let’s give Omar the credit for being brave enough to take on the Republicans and the corporate Democrats who want to label everyone who criticizes Israel as anti-Semitic. And let’s confront those who use the façade of anti-Semitism to approve of un-necessary war.

Right-wing, quasi-fascist warrior Netanyahu!

By SJ Otto

Trump is so stupid he thinks Nicaragua is a dictatorship. In fact, Daniel Ortega was elected through elections that the US helped set up. Apparently Trump and his people do not understand the concept of “democracy.” That’s not surprising since Trump got elected using the Electoral College and got less than a simple majority of the vote. The simple truth is that trump and his people don't respect democracy.

According to Aljazeera:

“The administration of United States President Donald Trump intensified its crackdown on Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela on Wednesday, rolling back Obama administration policy and announcing new restrictions and sanctions against the three countries, whose leaders were dubbed the "three stooges of socialism" by US National Security Advisor John Bolton.

"The troika of tyranny - Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua - is beginning to crumble," Bolton said in a hard-hitting speech near Miami, Florida on the 58th anniversary of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, in which the US attempted to overthrow the government of Cuba.”

While Cuba doesn’t have elections, all they have to do is point to Trump for evidence that elections can bring about tragic results.

Much of what Trump has done is to roll back all the changes that former President Barack Obama, who had relaxed the restrictions on Cuba. Again from Ajazeera:

"The United States looks forward to watching each corner of this sordid triangle of terror fall: in Havana, in Caracas, and in Managua," Bolton said.”

That so called “terror” exist only Bolton and Trump’s imagination. The real terror is Trump himself. It would be great if we voted him out and a Democratic Socialist in.

Pix by Cartoon Movement.

By SJ Otto

This is a rather bleak May Day, May 1, the international workers’ day. Most years I either attend a May Day celebration or, as in a few years past, I have organized events for this holiday. This year my wife has had health problems and I simply have not had the time to organize anything. Also there has been nothing organized by anyone else. So I have nothing planned today.

This holiday is for just about any faction of the left, except for most (but not all) liberals. Internationally rallies have been planned all over the earth. In one of the day’s major ironies, Juan Guido, the phony would be president and virtual USpuppet has declared his protests against the government, this May 1, a major May Day holiday. He is probably the most right-wing political figure to ever invoke May Day for his actions.

On the other had we can celebrate that socialist leader President Nicolás Maduro has thwarted right-wing efforts to oust him. He is still in power and he has overcome both Guaidó and the Donald Trump Administration’s best efforts to bring him down. Trump and his people are out to destroy socialism in Latin America and every left leaning activist in the world can take pride on Trump’s failure.

Last year we had a pot luck dinner and a movie.

We can still celebrate the importance of this day.

For a brief history of this day we have:

From the Brazilian Newsletter,\; A Nova Democracia:[1]

Adaptation of text excerpts from the Operative League published in AND nº 139 (May 2016)

1º de Maio held by the Workers' League in Belo Horizonte (MG), 2018

133 years ago, thousands of workers, mostly immigrants, took to the streets of Chicago in the

United States

, unfurling the claim of an eight-hour work day in protest against the overexploitation and oppression they were subjected to. They fought the forces of repression and several shed their blood in the combative struggles for the labor claim and the liberation of the class. On May 1, 1886, the trade union organizations agreed that the workers should impose the eight-hour day and close the doors of any factory that did not join. The eight-hour demand would turn, from an economic claim of the workers against their immediate bosses, into a political claim from one class against another.

The leaflet that circulated in Chicagoin 1885 already called for:

"A day of rebellion, not a day of rest! One day not ordered by the arrogant mouthpieces of the institutions that have handcuffed the workers! A day when the worker makes his own laws and has the power to execute them! All without the consent or approval of those who oppress and rule. One day, with tremendous strength, the united army of workers will mobilize against those who today dominate the destiny of the peoples of all nations. A day of protest against oppression and tyranny, against ignorance and wars of all kinds. One day to start enjoying eight hours of work, eight hours of rest and eight hours for whatever we please. "

For the rest (in Spanish) click here.

Here are scenes from last year’s May Day celebration.

[1]This is a Marxist publication but their history of May Day is pretty much accurate.

By SJ Otto
Michael Moore has a lot to say about who the Democrats should run. He gives some sound advice:

Michael Moore: Democrats Aren't Running The Right People | Morning Joe | MSNBC

And While we are at it, how about some interviews of AOC?:

Alexandria Ocasio Cortez: Trump Isn't Ready For A Girl From The Bronx

By SJ Otto

For eight long years, Kansans have fought to for Medicaid expansion, which is supposed to be a part of Obamacare (Affordable Care Act or ACA). All this time it was blocked by our anti-progressive, far-far-far to-the-right governor Sam Brownback. First there was an effort to remove and replace the far-far-far-right, anti-healthcare politicians from the Kansaslegislature. That effort and those elections were successful. Then there was a tough governor’s campaign and we finally got a progressive Democrat, Laura Kelly elected. Expanding Medicaid was a key campaign promise. It is something that the majority of the Kansas’ people want. Many of us need it.

I for one could make use of it. I have had a really terrible health plan through Obamacare. I am 64 years old and I have a lot of health issues. I was on my wife’s health insurance, but she retired last year. Now she has Medicare, but I am too young for that. My Obamacare plan was over $200 a month and I would have to have already spent more than $2,000 before the plan paid for anything. And the policy is only good for three months so I had to renew it each three months. I would have to have spent my $2,000 within that three month period for that policy to do me any good. I have been told that Kansas is one of the worst states to be in the USfor Obamacare to do any good.

Given all of this, it is infuriating that just a tiny handful of conservative Republicans worked so hard to kill Medicaid expansion. Those of us who could make use of this can now kiss it good bye for the immediate future.

Right now I feel like we need to pull out all the stops to make life hard for those conservatives who have made it their life’s work to make life hard for us; the working people, especially working poor. Luckily I’m not alone. According to the Star Tribune;“Kansas lawmakers who support expanding Medicaid promised Friday to try to block passage of the next state budget in a high-stakes standoff designed to force the Republican-controlled Legislature's conservative leaders to allow (a vote on) an expansion plan.”

There have already been a lot of protesters trying to persuade the conservatives to support Medicaid expansion. Again from the Star Tribune:

“The protest didn't move prominent Medicaid expansion opponents. Senate health committee Chairman Gene Suellentrop, a conservative Wichita Republican, noted that a leaflet with his photo contained another senator's quote on the other side and he said the mismatch suggest the protesters "probably know very little about Medicaid expansion."
"They need to go back to college," Suellentrop said.”

When it comes to conservative Kansas politicians, they never run short of insults for their political opponents. They are also arrogant and patronizing.
Also according to The Kansas City Star:

“Sen. Barbara Bollier, a Democrat from Mission Hills, was one of several who decried efforts to bottle up the bill and prevent a straight majority vote.
“To be denied that opportunity through maneuver after maneuver is abhorrent to me and should be to the entire state,” Bollier said.”

And I totally agree with that. Of the few Republicans who blocked this, some have already felt the heat. Again from The Kansas City Star:

“Tensions between Kelly and (Jim) Denning over Medicaid heightened last week when a negotiating session between the governor and Senate Republicans fell apart.
In an interview with The Star Monday, Denning accused Kelly of threatening his political future and expressing “viciousness towards me personally.” Kelly’s chief of staff, Will Lawrence, disputed Denning’s assertion.”

Denning was one of the conservatives that helped block Medicaid expansion. He should feel threatened. He has hurt a lot of people. He and Susan Wagle have worked hard to block this needed legislation. They deserve to be attacked politically at every corner. They need to have their careers damaged. We need to be out to get these people and they need to feel the heat.

Pix by Medicaid Expansion under the Affordable Care Act -

Trump’s attacks on Obamacare are acts of extreme cruelty!

Mueller’s report—There is no smoking gun, yet it can’t hide what an ass hole Trump is

The Attack on Ilhan Omar and Pelosi’s Unconditional Support for Israel

Facebook and Twitter Crack Down on Hate Speech— is this a slow attempt to develop censorship?

April fools—This is the joke of the year!

Britain’s Labour Party is also divided by progressives and centrists

Fox has a conservative obsession with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Trump supporting Netanyahu in Israeli elections—he and congress ignore human rights abuses

Small towns need to control growth and check out what companies move in and out

Diane Abbott responds to Julian Assange's arrest in the Commons

UK politician Diane Abbott responds to Julian Assange's arrest in the Commons

Conservatives bash Rep. Ilhan Omar and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

DSA meeting and elections begin, last Saturday

Jefferson Airplane - Easter?

Trump deserves impeachment—but will that lead to someone worse?!

We need progressive change, not just a manager of conservative ideas—to replace Trump

Israel threatens Iran with war for selling their own oil

Trump is so stupid he thinks Nicaragua is a dictatorship

This May Day- some bad news, some good

Michael Moore: Democrats Aren't Running The Right People

By SJ Otto
Michael Moore has a lot to say about who the Democrats should run. He gives some sound advice:

Michael Moore: Democrats Aren't Running The Right People | Morning Joe | MSNBC

Alexandria Ocasio Cortez: Trump Isn't Ready For A Girl From The Bronx

A few conservative politicians are all that stand between the people and their expanded Medicaid health care

UK politician Diane Abbott responds to Julian Assange's arrest in the Commons

By SJ OttoMichael Moore has a lot to say about who the Democrats should run. He gives some sound advice:

Michael Moore: Democrats Aren't Running The Right People | Morning Joe | MSNBC

Alexandria Ocasio Cortez: Trump Isn't Ready For A Girl From The Bronx

By SJ Otto
Michael Moore has a lot to say about who the Democrats should run. He gives some sound advice: