A Year of Genocide

- CounterPunch.org - https://www.counterpunch.org –

A Year of Genocide

By Ramzy Baroud on October 11, 2024

Image by Ian Hutchinson.

No one had expected that one year would be enough to recenter the Palestinian cause as the world’s most pressing issue, and that millions of people across the globe, would, once again rally for Palestinian freedom.

The last year witnessed an Israeli genocide in Gaza, unprecedented violence in the West Bank, but also legendary expressions of Palestinian sumud, or steadfastness.

It is not the enormity of the Israeli war, but the degree of the Palestinian sumud that has challenged what once seemed to be a foregone conclusion to the Palestinian struggle.

Yet, it turned out that the last chapter on Palestine was not yet ready to be written, and that it would not be Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who would write it.

The ongoing war has exposed the limits of Israel’s military machine. The typical trajectory of Israel’s relationship with the occupied Palestinians has been predicated on unhindered Israeli violence and deafening international silence. It was largely Israel that alone determined the timing and objectives of war. Its enemies, until recently, seemed to have no say over the matter.

Yet, this is no longer the case. Israeli war crimes are now met with Palestinian unity, Arab, Muslim and international solidarity, and early, albeit serious signs of legal accountability as well.

This is hardly what Netanyahu was hoping to achieve; just days before the start of the war, he stood in the United Nations General Assembly Hall carrying a map of a ‘New Middle East’, a map that had completely erased Palestine and the Palestinians.

“We must not give the Palestinians a veto over (..) peace,” he said, as “Palestinians are only 2% of the Arab world.” His arrogance didn’t last long, as that supposedly triumphant moment was short-lived.

Embattled Netanyahu is now mostly concerned about his own political survival. He is expanding the war front to escape his army’s humiliation in Gaza and is terrified by the prospect of an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court.

And as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) continues to look into an ever-expanding file, accusing Israel of deliberate genocide in the Strip, the UNGA, on September 18, resolved that Israel must end its illegal occupation of Palestine within a year from the passing of its resolution on the matter.

It must be utterly disappointing for Netanyahu – who has worked tirelessly to normalize his occupation of Palestine – to be met with total and thundering international rejection of his schemes. The advisory opinion of the ICJ, on July 19, declaring that “Israel’s presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (is) unlawful” was another blow to Tel Aviv, which despite unlimited US support, failed to change international consensus on the illegality of the occupation.

In addition to the relentless Israeli violence, the Palestinian people have been marginalized as political actors. Since the Oslo Accords in 1993, their fate has been largely entrusted to a mostly unelected Palestinian leadership, which, with time, monopolized the Palestinian cause for its own financial and political interests.

The sumud of the Palestinians in Gaza, who have endured a year of mass killing, deliberate starvation and total destruction of all aspects of life, is helping reassert the political significance of a long-marginalized nation.

This shift is fundamental as it runs opposite to everything that Netanyahu had tried to achieve. In the years prior to the war, Israel seemed to be writing the final chapter of its settler colonial project in Palestine. It had subdued or co-opted the Palestinian leadership, perfected its siege on Gaza and was ready to annex much of the West Bank.

Gaza became the least of Israel’s concerns, as any discussion around it was confined to the hermetic Israeli siege and the resulting humanitarian, though not political crisis.

While Palestinians in Gaza have tirelessly implored the world to pressure Israel to end the protracted siege, imposed in earnest in 2007, Tel Aviv continued to conduct its policies in the Strip according to the infamous logic of former top Israeli official, Dov Weissglas, who explained the rationale behind the blockade as “to put the Palestinians on a diet, but not to make them die of hunger.”

But a year into the war, Palestinians, due to their own steadfastness, have become the center of any serious discussion on a peaceful future in the Middle East. Their collective courage and steadfastness have neutralized the Israeli military machine’s ability to exact political outcomes through violence.

True, the number of dead, missing or wounded in Gaza has already exceeded 150,000. The Strip, impoverished and dilapidated to begin with, is in total ruins. Every mosque, church or hospital has been destroyed or seriously damaged. Most of the region’s educational infrastructure has been obliterated. Yet, Israel hasn’t achieved any of its strategic objectives, which are ultimately united by a single goal, that of silencing the Palestinian quest for freedom, forever.

Despite the unbelievable pain and loss, there is now a powerful energy that is unifying Palestinians around their cause, and the Arabs and the whole world around Palestine. This shall have consequences that will last for many years, long after Netanyahu and his ilk of extremists are gone.

Article printed from CounterPunch.org: https://www.counterpunch.org

URL to article: https://www.counterpunch.org/2024/10/11/a-year-of-genocide/

Donations can be sent to Max Obuszewski, Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 431 Notre Dame Lane, Apt. 206, Baltimore, MD 21212.  Ph: 410-323-1607; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/

"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs

 

 

Baltimore Activist Alert – October 13 – 18, 2024

Baltimore Activist Alert – October 13 – 18, 2024

"I speak as an American to the leaders of my own nation. The great initiative in this war is ours. The initiative to stop it must be ours." -Martin Luther King Jr.

Friends, this list and other email documents which I send out are done under the auspices of the Baltimore Nonviolence Center.  Go to www.baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com. 

  If you appreciate this information and would like to make a donation, send contributions to Max Obuszewski, BNC, 431 Notre Dame Lane, Apt. 206, Baltimore, MD 21212.  Max can be reached at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net.

1] Books, buttons and stickers

2] Web site for info on federal legislation

3] Need help in archiving activist material

4] Get the book A Bag of Stones

5] Get the book Male Supremacy in the Catholic Church: An Insider’s View by Roy Bourgeois

6] Baltimore activist selling her home

7] Mindfulness Meditation – Oct. 13

8] Phone bank for Angela Alsobrooks – Oct. 13 – Oct. 18

9] Canvass for Rockville Rent Stabilization – Oct. 13

10] Addressing the Root Causes of Israel’s genocide – Oct. 13

11] TAKE BACK THE HOUSE – Oct. 13

12] Full Spectrum Dominance Oct. 13

13] Must Win this Election – Oct. 13

14] Electoral Working Group meeting – Oct. 13

15] Protest at the Pentagon – Oct. 14

16] Get to Philadelphia – Oct. 14

17] Preventing Avoidable Indo-Pacific Wars – Oct. 14

18] Election Protection Zoom – Oct. 14

-------

1] – Buttons, bumper stickers and books are available.  “God Bless the Whole World, No Exceptions” stickers are in stock. Call Max at 410-323-1607.

2] –To obtain information how your federal legislators voted on particular bills, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/.  Congressional toll-free numbers are 888-818-6641, 888-355-3588 or 800-426-8073. The White House Comment Email is accessible at http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/.

3] –  Janice Sevre-Duszynska needs some assistance in archiving her activist material.  If you are interested in this project, contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net.

4] – Barry Lee Burnside, a gaggle of great writers and copy editors are making available “A Bag of Snakes: Selected Writings on Prisons and the Death Penalty by Murphy Davis and Eduard Loring. Edited by Barry Lee Burnside.” Ed indicates the book will be available for sale on April 13, and is asking you to pre-order your copy. Your donation will provide a needed financial boost for the printing costs. The suggested donation is $20 for one copy; and $30 for your copy and an additional copy for a prisoner or someone in need. Any donation is appreciated. More or less you will receive the book.  Barry and the team have spent over two years putting this book together. It begins with outlines and notes found in the boxes of materials Murphy left when she ascended. The work is a work of love, and all involved are proud of the fruit borne by seeds nourished in good soil.

To order by postal mail, make your check to Open Door Community.  Send it to Open Door Community, PO Box 10980, Baltimore 21234.  For any questions, contact David Payne at 404-290-2047 or davidpayne@opendoorcommunity.org.

5] – Another book to consider purchasing is Male Supremacy in the Catholic Church: An Insider’s View by Roy Bourgeois. His new book is both memoir and position-paper, and it makes the case that the Roman Catholic Church is a corrupt system that spits out truth-tellers. The crime he was excommunicated for was attending the ordination ceremony of Janice Sevre-Duszynska in Lexington, Kentucky, in August 2008. The ordination was under the auspices of the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests.  The Vatican’s response has been to excommunicate any woman who has the audacity to see herself as a priest equal to a male priest. You can purchase a copy from Amazon or by Kindle.

Here are two quotes to contemplate: “I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over men. She is to keep silent.” – Timothy 1, 2:12-13.  “If the patriarchy that dominates the church is not dismantled and women are not treated as equals, the church will continue to diminish and, eventually, die.” – Roy Bourgeois.

6] – A home in Baltimore is for sale on a dead-end street in the Lauraville neighborhood, with three bedrooms, and one bath. The yard backs into a field and then a forest. There is a serene and quiet setting with an abundance of wildlife. The owner will be asking a reasonable amount for the property but it will not be overpriced. Contact her by text only at 443 500 6733. On the text, leave your name and phone number, and she will get back to anyone that reaches out. 

7] – Usually, the Baltimore Ethical Society, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore 21202, meets on Sundays, and at times there is a platform address at 10:30 AM ET.  However, on Oct. 13, there is no platform address. Instead, at 9:30 AM ET check out Mindfulness Meditation on Zoom. Mindfulness is a tool you can use in your daily life to act in a more ethical way. Practice mindfulness meditation so that it comes naturally in stressful times. Sit on chairs and breathe just the way it comes natural and listen to the words of Thich Nhat Hanh, one of the world’s best-known teachers of mindfulness. Mindfulness Meditation is a western, non-sectarian, research-based form of meditation derived from a 2,500 year old Buddhist practice called Vipassana or Insight Meditation. It is a form of meditation designed to develop the skill of paying attention to our inner and outer experiences with acceptance, patience, and compassion. Contact  KARENSELLIOTT@AOL.COM for ZOOM link.

8] – MD Dems [maryland@momschapterleaders.org] wants you to do phone banking for Angela Alsobrooks on a series of days through Fri., Oct. 18.  Sign up for these days and times: Sun., Oct. 13 from noon to 3 PM, 3 to 6 PM and 5 to 8 PM and Mon. through Fri., Oct. 14 – Oct. 18 from noon to 3 PM & 5 to 8 PM ET.   Talk to voters and help win races up and down the ballot in a virtual statewide phone bank.  No experience is necessary. RSVP with the campaign: https://www.mobilize.us/mdvictory/event/668790/

9] – Join a Canvass for Rockville Rent Stabilization on Sun., Oct. 13 at noon ET at Westchester Rockville Station Apartments (address is for a Wendy's parking lot a block away), 808 Rockville Pike, Rockville 20851.  Email montgomerycountydsa@gmail.com

 Tenants in Rockville are organizing for rent stabilization legislation in the city after the Montgomery County law exempted incorporated cities in the County. Get involved in this campaign and join Metro DC DSA’s Montgomery County branch to knock on tenants’ doors to get them involved in this campaign.  RSVP at https://actionnetwork.org/events/rockville-rent-stabilization-canvass-3?link_id=15&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-september-27-2024-2&email_referrer=email_2487216&email_subject=metro-dc-dsa-weekly-n

On Mon., Oct. 21, the Rockville City Council will hold a hearing about housing subsidies and tenants will testify about the urgent need for rent stabilization in the city. Email montgomerycountydsa@gmail.com

Tenants in the City of Rockville are still vulnerable to large rent increases because they are not covered by Montgomery County's new rent stabilization law. Rockville tenants plan to join the October 21 Rockville City Council hearing to urge the council to pass rent stabilization. Join Montgomery County DSA to talk to tenants about rent stabilization and invite them to city council hearing!

10] – The Canadian BDS Coalition [coalition@bdscoalition.ca] on Sun., Oct. 13 at 1 PM needs you to join in the webinar: Resistance until Return: Addressing the Root Causes within a Rights-based Decolonization Approach. Israel’s genocide in the Gaza Strip has exceeded the one-year mark, and it has extended its aggressive and hostile acts to Lebanon, with the participation of the United States and complicity of other colonial states. These states claim the aggression is justified in order to ensure the return of Israeli colonizers to the northern areas of Palestine, that Zionist forces ethnically cleansed and colonized prior to and during the Nakba. Palestinian refugees and internally displaced persons, who today number 9.17 million and account for 66 percent of the Palestinian people, have been denied their right of return. Not only has Palestinian return been denied for over 76 years, but they have also experience additional repeated and multiple forced displacement.  Forced Displacement and transfer is one pillar of Israel’s system of domination, which also includes colonization and apartheid applied over all of Mandatory Palestine. RSVP at https://bdscoalition.ca/2024/10/04/webinar-sun-oct-13-1-pm-et-8-pm-palestine-resistance-until-return-addressing-the-root-causes-within-a-rights-based-decolonization-approach/

11] –On Sun., Oct. 13 from 2 -4 PM & 5 to 7 PM ET, The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee wants your help with "TAKE BACK THE HOUSE!" as a DCCC Texter!  This will continue through Nov. 11 at 7:30 PM ET.  RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/617917/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_most_popular_virtual

12] – The Global Network against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space [info@space4peace.org] on Sun., Oct. 13 at 3 PM ET indicates that Mr. Big wants Full Spectrum Dominance. As part of the annual Keep Space for Peace Week you should attend this webinar on Zoom to discuss the latest issues around the militarization of space - particularly as it relates to the current Zionist genocide underway in Palestine. The aerospace industry works relentlessly to drive the hype, fear, imperial desire, and congressional pressure to expand the already dangerous and costly US-NATO space militarization system. RSVP at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86374719555?pwd=65MRXwbramOaDBMvSOsUaH2ev0Bumy.1

13] –Alan Minsky for Progressive Democrats of America [info@pdamerica.org] wants you to attend the Town Hall on Sun., Oct. 13 at 4 PM ET -- Why We Must Win this Election and How We Do It. Focus on why we MUST win in November, and how we'll get it done. Hear from a representative from Surge States, which is providing transportation to support the Harris/Walz campaign in swing states. Learn about all that PDA is doing down the homestretch of our campaign to save American democracy. RSVP at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0tceuhrzsvHdymeeZRwb-i7X50FJa-HMR4#/registration

This moment, however, is so dire that half of this week's Town Hall will enumerate the reasons why Donald Trump's 2024 candidacy represents a mortal threat to American democracy. Organize for victory.

14] – The Northern Virginia DSA Electoral Working Group meeting will be on Sun., Oct. 13 from 7 to 8 PM.  Join #nova-electoral on slack, and fill out the interest form. Also, feel free to reach out to @Alex Yarkosky on slack with any questions about electoral work. A link to attend this virtual event will be emailed upon RSVP: https://actionnetwork.org/events/nova-electoral-monthly-working-group-meeting-1013?link_id=54&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-september-27-2024-2&email_referrer=email_2487216&email_subject=metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-october-11-2024

15] – There is a weekly Pentagon Peace Vigil from 7 to 8 AM on Mondays, since 1987, outside the Pentagon Metro stop.  The next vigil is Oct. 14, and it is sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker.  Email artlaffin@hotmail.com or call 202-882-9649.  The vigil will be outside the Pentagon's south Metro entrance and in the designated "protest zone" behind bicycle fences across from the entrance to the Metro. 

By Metro, take Yellow Line and get out at the "Pentagon" stop. Do not go to the Pentagon City stop! Go up south escalators and turn left and walk across to protest area. By car from D.C. area, take 395 South and get off at Exit 8A-Pentagon South Parking. Take slight right onto S. Rotary Rd. at end of ramp and right on S. Fern St. Then take left onto Army Navy Dr. You can "pay to park" on Army Navy Dr.,  and there is meter parking one block on right on Eads St. Payment for both of these spots begins at 8 AM.  No cameras are allowed on Pentagon grounds. The restrooms are located inside Marriot Providence Inn on corner of S. Fern and Army Navy Dr.

16] – CCAN Action Fund [info@ccanactionfund.org] needs you in Philadelphia from Mon., Oct. 14 through Fri., Oct. 18 from 9 AM to noon, noon to 3 PM or 3 to 5 PM ET.  Don’t like phone banking? Don’t like knocking on doors? You want to do something for Kamala Harris that feels more concrete and immediate?  You can get ten people per day to vote for Kamala Harris just by standing on a sidewalk. A little-known feature of Pennsylvania law means people can actually “vote by mail” on the spot and in person at county elections offices. Stand outside those offices throughout the Philadelphia area and ask passersby, “Have you voted? Want to vote now? Takes 10 minutes.”  Even better: Unregistered voters can get registered and vote at the same time, using the same method! This event to register Pennsylvania voters will continue through Oct. 29. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/ccanactionfund/event/656862/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=engagingnetworks&utm_campaign=utm_ftv&utm_content=FTV-Canvass+PA+SINGLE-1024-c4

17] – The Campaign for Peace, Disarmament & Common Security [joseph@cpdcs.ccsend.com] wants you to know about  Preventing Avoidable Indo-Pacific Wars on Mon., Oct. 14 at 9 AM ET. Register at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwvce6orjMtHdTKKtmHYmAFpmqHyr3StvNa#/registration

  Amidst the Ukraine, Gaza, and Lebanon Wars, the U.S., its allies, China, and North Korea are eyeball to eyeball in military and economic competitions. An incident, accident, or miscalculation could escalate to war, even nuclear war. Flashpoints include Taiwan; the South China, West Philippine, and East China Seas; and Korea. For the past year, an international working group of scholars and national peace movement leaders from across the Indo-Pacific region, the United States, and Europe have analyzed these crises and developed common security diplomatic alternatives that can lead to greater peace, justice, and prosperity while building the collaborations needed to challenge the existential nuclear and climate threats.

18] – Progressive Democrats of America [info@pdamerica.org] wants you to participate with the Green Grassroots Emergency Environment and Election Protection (GREEP) Zoom on Mon., Oct. 14 at 5 PM ET. Hear from leading activists, elected officials, and others committed to union organizing as well as cleaning up our elections and the environment, and other critically important issues. RSVP at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYqfuygpjIiHtc20uIOxdeqYRiAicjSLWUc#/registration

To be continued

Donations can be sent to Max Obuszewski, Baltimore Nonviolence Center, and 431 Notre Dame Lane, Apt. 206, Baltimore, MD 21212.  Ph.: 410-323-1607; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/.

"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs

Jill Stein's Dangerous Game Could Put Fascist Trump Back in the White House

https://www.commondreams.org/news/harris-michigan-2024?utm_source=Common+Dreams&utm_campaign=2774907c41-Top+News%3A+Thur.+10%2F10%2F24&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-3b949b3e19-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D

 

Jill Stein, the 2024 Green Party presidential candidate, during an event with Workers Strike Back and the "Abandon Harris" campaign at the Bint Jebail Cultural Center in Dearborn, MI on Friday, Oct. 6, 2024.

 (Photo by Dominic Gwinn / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP)

 Jill Stein's Dangerous Game Could Put Fascist Trump Back in the White House

Running for president and keeping an iron grip on the once-noble Green Party has become Stein’s singular mission.  And she’s killing the Party — and its once-sterling reputation — in the process.

Thom Hartmann

Oct 10, 2024

Common Dreams

 

     Jill Stein doesn’t give, as the old saying goes, a flying **** about democracy. Instead, she’s all about how famous she can become and how much money she can grift off her repeated presidential campaigns.  It’s a damn dangerous game.  Fresh off her 2016 political quacksalvery, in which she handed that year’s election to Donald Trump, this professional grifter — who’s been doing real damage to the Green Party for over a decade — is trying to get Trump back into the White House.  As her Wisconsin campaign manager, Pete Karas, told Politico:

“We need to teach Democrats a lesson.”

     Arguably, Democrats have already learned that lesson.  In 2016, Hillary Clinton lost Wisconsin to Trump by 22,748 votes; Stein carried 31,072 votes.  In Michigan the story was similar: Clinton lost to Trump by 10,704 votes while Stein carried 51,463. Ditto for Pennsylvania, where Trump won by 44,292 votes and Stein pulled in 49,941 votes.  Had Clinton carried those three states she would have become president.

The Green Party — that I safely voted for in 2000 when I lived in non-swing-state Vermont — deserves a candidate who’ll work to produce real change rather than simply run repeated vanity campaigns that cripple our admittedly flawed electoral system.

     Those slim margins may be a distant memory, however, given how hard Stein is pounding on Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania Democrats against President Biden’s unfortunate support of Israel’s brutal bombing campaign in Gaza.  As Newsweek reported last week:

“In Michigan, a battleground state where the Greens are campaigning hard, and which has a large Arab American community, 40 percent of Muslim voters backed Stein versus just 12 percent for Harris and 18 percent for Trump, according to a late August poll by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

“Michigan has more than 200,000 Muslim voters and 300,000 with Middle Eastern or North African ancestry.  Biden won there in 2020 by 154,000 votes, while Trump carried the state with a victory margin of just 10,700—or 0.23 percent—in 2016.

“In Wisconsin, the CAIR poll showed Stein on 44 percent and Harris on 29 percent, while she also leads the Democrat candidate among Muslims voters in Arizona.”

     I moderated the 2012 presidential debate between Stein and Libertarian Gary Johnson; she and Johnson both had the smell of cheap political hustlers to me then, a feeling that’s only been reinforced in the years since.  Stein certainly hasn’t done much to advance the stated goals of the Green Party.  Back in the day, it was the Greens leading the charge against climate change and in favor of instant runoff voting, having considerable success with the latter.  David Cobb, a Texas environmental attorney, ran on the Green ticket in 2004 and was a regular on my radio program that year.  He explicitly told people listening to my show in swing states to vote for John Kerry instead of him, calling it his “safe states” strategy.  He refused to campaign or even appear in battleground states, a statement of both high integrity and real patriotism.

     Stein has neither.  This is her third run for president (Howie Hawkins was the Green candidate in 2020 and was not on the ballot in most swing states.)  Instead, she’s bragging about how she’s going to hand the 2024 election to Donald Trump.  Presumably she’ll be spared the imprisonment that Trump says he’s preparing for the rest of us in politics and the media.  As Stein boasted to Newsweek:

“Third Way found that, based on polling averages in battleground states, the 2020 margin of victory for Democrats would be lost in four states — Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina and Wisconsin — because of third party support.

“So they can’t win.  There’s a fair amount of data now that suggests the Democrats have lost. Unless they give up their genocide.

“We’re doing outreach all the time to a lot of different groups, but it’s really been the Muslim Americans and Arab Americans who have really taken this campaign on like it’s theirs — like they have enormous ownership over this.”

     Running for president and keeping an iron grip on the once-noble Green Party has become Stein’s singular mission.  And she’s killing the Party — and its once-sterling reputation — in the process.  As Alexandria Ocasio Cortez said:

“If you run for years in a row, and your party has not grown, has not added city council seats, down ballot seats and state electives, that’s bad leadership.  And that to me is what’s upsetting.”

     As Peter Rothpletz wrote for The New Republic in an article titled Jill Stein Is Killing the Green Party:

“As of July 2024, a mere 143 officeholders in the United States are affiliated with the Green Party.  None of them are in statewide or federal offices.  In fact, no Green Party candidate has ever won federal office.  And Stein’s reign has been a period of indisputable decline, during which time the party’s membership—which peaked in 2004 at 319,000 registered members—has fallen to 234,000 today.”

     Stein brought along a Fox “News” film crew when she crashed the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, cementing her reputation as a hustler who’ll hook up with anybody who’ll provide her with fame or fortune.  There are, apparently, no Democrats in America clean or pure or virginal enough for Stein; as Rothpletz reports, she even attacked Bernie Sanders for being a “DC insider” and “corrupted” by corporate money.  Meanwhile, her campaign, theoretically opposed to giant monopolies and defense [sic] contractors, has taken money from Google, Lockheed Martin, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, and McKinsey.

     Stein is working hard to win the votes of disaffected Muslims in Michigan and Wisconsin, among other swing states, and could well deny Harris the White House this year just like she so proudly did to Clinton in 2016.

     The unfortunate reality is that our system of democracy — created way back in 1789 — essentially requires a two-party system because we have first-past-the-post, winner-take-all elections.  The result is that third parties always tear votes away from the major party with which they are most closely philosophically aligned.  And the Electoral College, by creating swing states, amplifies the problem.

Until America adopts proportional representation nationwide (which would require a constitutional amendment) or instant runoff voting (which could be done by law), a vote for a third-party candidate will always damage the party most closely aligned with it.  Jill Stein understands this well, but chooses to ignore (or to intentionally exploit) its consequences.

     Most other advanced democracies use a parliamentary or proportional representation system where the party that gets, for example, 12 percent of the votes gets 12 percent of the seats in Parliament.  This allows for multiple parties and a more vibrant democracy.   However, it wasn’t until the year the Civil War started, 1861, that British philosopher John Stuart Mill published a how-to manual for multi-party parliamentary democracies in his book Considerations On Representative Government.  It was so widely distributed and read that nearly all of the world’s democracies today — all of them countries that became democracies after the late 1860s — use variations on Mill’s proportional representation parliamentary system.

     The result for those nations is a plethora of parties representing a broad range of perspectives and priorities, all able to participate in the daily governance of their nation.  Nobody gets shut out.  Governing becomes an exercise in coalition building, and nobody is excluded.  If you want to get something done politically, you have to pull together a coalition of parties to agree with your policy.  Most European countries, for example, have political parties represented in their parliaments that range from the far left to the extreme right, with many across the spectrum of the middle.  There’s even room for single issue parties; for example, several in Europe focus almost exclusively on the environment or immigration.  The result is typically an honest and wide-ranging discussion across society about the topics of the day, rather than a stilted debate among only two parties.

     It’s how the Greens became part of today’s governing coalition in Germany, for example, and are able to influence the energy future of that nation.  And because of that political diversity in the debates, the decisions made tend to be reasonably progressive: look at the politics and lifestyles in most European nations.  But until America adopts proportional representation nationwide (which would require a constitutional amendment) or instant runoff voting (which could be done by law), a vote for a third-party candidate will always damage the party most closely aligned with it.  Jill Stein understands this well, but chooses to ignore (or to intentionally exploit) its consequences.

     The Green Party — that I safely voted for in 2000 when I lived in non-swing-state Vermont — deserves a candidate who’ll work to produce real change rather than simply run repeated vanity campaigns that cripple our admittedly flawed electoral system.  It’s time to say “good bye” to Jill Stein and rescue — and then improve — our democratic republic.

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.

 

Thom Hartmann is a talk-show host and the author of "The Hidden History of Monopolies: How Big Business Destroyed the American Dream" (2020); "The Hidden History of the Supreme Court and the Betrayal of America" (2019); and more than 25 other books in print.

Donations can be sent to Max Obuszewski, Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 431 Notre Dame Lane, Apt. 206, Baltimore, MD 21212.  Ph: 410-323-1607; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/

"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs

Baltimore Activist Alert -- October 11 - 23, 2024

69] Peace vigil at White House – Oct. 11

70] Women in Black vigil – Oct. 11

71] AFSC Action Hour for ceasefire – Oct. 11

72] Birdwatching tour of Druid Hill Park -- Oct. 12

73] Caravan to PA/knock on doors -- Oct. 12

74] Take back the House -- Oct. 12

75] High Traffic Canvassing -- Oct. 13

76] Vote against H -- Oct. 13

77] Write to anti-nuke protesters

78] Baltimore activist selling her home

79] Medical supplies are needed in Ukraine

80] Read Dave Eberhardt’s book "For All the Saints- a Protest Primer"

81] Tell JHU president to renounce nuclear weapons contracts

82] Do you need a doctor?

83] Donate books, videos, DVDs and records

84] Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil

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69] – There is a weekly vigil at the White House on Fridays from noon to 1 PM sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker.  Email artlaffin@hotmail.com or call 202-882-9649. 

70] – Every Friday from noon to 1 PM, Baltimore Women in Black vigil for peace with men and women who live in Roland Park. WIB invites all to join, and any peace sign is welcome, such as "Defuse Nuclear War."  The vigil takes place outside Roland Park Place at 830 West 40th Street and Elm Street. The VFP peace walkers will join he vigil. Parking is free at RPP or at the Rotunda across the street. Contact Ann Vinup at annvinup@gmail.com.

71] – The American Friends Service Committee holds an Action Hour for a Cease-fire Now every Friday at noon ET. Join AFSC staff to hear updates from Gaza. Then, take action by contacting elected officials and call for an immediate cease-fire and humanitarian access to Gaza. Our elected officials need to keep hearing from us. RSVP at https://afsc.org/events/action-hour-cease-fire-now?ms=EMA24EI1103&emci=17faec34-887a-ee11-b004-00224832eb73&emdi=9695a439-f87c-ee11-b004-00224832eb73&ceid=764241

72] – On Sat., Oct. 12 at 8 AM ET, join a birdwatching tour of Druid Hill Park, 3001 East Drive, Baltimore 21217. Druid Hill Park is Baltimore's oldest large park and is home to 745 acres of forests, fields, and a large lake. 189 species of birds have been documented here, including nesting Baltimore orioles and yellow-crowned night herons. Audubon and Baltimore Bird Club experts will lead a search of avian friends! No experience necessary. Meet at 3001 East Drive. RSVP at https://md.audubon.org/events/birdwatching-tour-druid-hill-park-baltimore-1  Email baltimore@audubon.org

73] – Mike Tidwell, CCAN Action Fund [info@ccanactionfund.org] urges you to get to Pennsylvania on Saturdays.  On Sat., Oct. 12 from 11 AM to 3 PM ET knock on doors in Pennsylvania every Saturday until the election. Nothing is more effective than an in-person conversation with voters, and that's why Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund will be knocking on doors in Pennsylvania to help get Harris elected. More details will be provided upon registration.

CCAN Action Fund will organize carpools and give you training and make it FUN. Register at https://www.mobilize.us/ccanactionfund/event/691894/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=engagingnetworks&utm_campaign=ftv&utm_content=FTV-91+reasons-0924-c4+C

74] –On Sat., Oct. 12 from 2 -4 PM & 5 to 7 PM ET, The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee wants your help with "TAKE BACK THE HOUSE!" as a DCCC Texter!  Join the virtual text bank on Sat., Oct. 12 from 2 to 4 PM or 5 to 7 PM ET.  This will continue through Nov. 11 at 7:30 PM ET.  RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/617917/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_most_popular_virtual

75] – On Sun., Oct. 13 from 10 AM to noon and from noon to 2 PM ET, join the Chesapeake Climate Action Network / Action Fund with High Traffic Canvassing at the Mt. Washington Farmer's Market, 2101 W. Rogers Ave., Baltimore 21209. You will be set up with clipboards and forms, and teach you best practices for having high traffic canvassing conversations. The goal is 1000 new members this fall, so we your help is needed in reaching out. The canvassing will continue through November 3. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/655176/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_closest

76] – Rachel Kutler [info@jufj.org] needs your help on Sun., Oct. 13 at 1 PM.  Grab your sunscreen and water and join in to tell your neighbors Baltimore City is NOT for sale! Remember to come with a fully charged phone, so you will be using the miniVAN app. QUESTION H IS SPOOKY, and canvass to tell others!  The general election is in less than a MONTH away. Question H would shrink Baltimore City Council nearly in half and is backed by right-wing media mogul David Smith.  This is bad for Baltimore. RSVP at https://jufj.org/event/notforsalecanvass-1013/?emci=408c7cb2-4486-ef11-8474-6045bda8aae9&emdi=de98a7b6-8786-ef11-8474-6045bda8aae9&ceid=3403859

77] – Two anti-US nuclear weapons in Germany activists are serving time in a German prison.  Should you want to write the women, use these addresses: Susan Crane or Susan van der Hijden, JVA Rohrbach, Peter-Caesar-Allee 1 55597 Wöllstein, Germany. Visit this website -- www.noelhuis.nl/kernwapensweg

78] – A home in Baltimore is for sale on a dead-end street in the Lauraville neighborhood, with three bedrooms, and one bath. The yard backs into a field and then a forest. There is a serene and quiet setting with an abundance of wildlife. The owner will be asking a reasonable amount for the property but it will not be overpriced. Contact her by text only at 443 500 6733. On the text, leave your name and phone number, and she will get back to anyone that reaches out. 

79] -- If you are able to donate any kind of surplus medical supplies for field hospitals in eastern Ukraine, please email Brendan.walls@seaseton.org or call 410-721-70 x231.  There is a colleague whose father is a medic on the front line. One container is shipped every month to the Donbass region. Donations can be picked up in Baltimore and Columbia every Thursday, and on other days in Annapolis and Crofton.

80] – David Eberhardt was a member of the Baltimore Four with Father Philip Berrigan, Tom Lewis and Rev. James Mengel.  The group poured blood on draft files on October 27, 1967.  They would be convicted and sentenced to prison.

He has written a book "For All the Saints- a Protest Primer"- documenting the Baltimore Four action and many others up to and including the most recent Plowshares action – Kings Bay Plowshares 7.  Dave printed new copies of For All the Saints, a Protest Primer- 250+ pp w photos-therefore #'s 351-400 making it o so collectable with two Berrigan book reviews added. The books are signed, and the price remains $25. Will send free if need be- he is not in it for the money! If you want one, send him a check, or contact Dave Eberhardt, 4 Hadley Square North, Baltimore, MD 21218 by email at 1941mireille@gmail.com. 

81] -- This is A PLEA TO CONVINCE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY TO OBEY INTERNATIONAL LAW. The world reached a historic milestone on January 22, 2021: The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons [TPNW] entered into force and become binding international law -- https://www.icanw.org/the_treaty.

Prevent Nuclear War/Maryland has called attention to the growing danger of nuclear war and the outrageous $1.7 trillion dollars we are spending to upgrade the nuclear arsenal. On July 18, 2017, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, a U.S. Navy - affiliated research center received a seven-year, $92 million contract to continue its systems engineering and research-and-development services for the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center. Help convince JHU to renounce nuclear weapons contracts. Contact the president, Ron Daniels, to urge him to reject all nuclear weapons contracts: Office of the President, 242 Garland Hall, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, Maryland 21218.  Call his office at (410) 516-8068 or email president@jhu.edu.

82] – Yousef Zarbalian [yzarbali@gmail.com] started his own medical practice in December before the pandemic hit. It is called East-West Medicine and Rheumatology, and its website is EastWestMD.com.  Yousef is licensed in Maryland and Virginia. He is doing primary care as well as rheumatologic care (focusing on joint problems and autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and sjogren's).  He is offering telemedicine visits, and he has very reasonable rates for uninsured individuals.  He makes use of herbs (which can be sent directly to patients from the herbal dispensary) as well as prescribing medications to their local pharmacy if needed.  

83] -- If you would like to get rid of books, videos, DVDs, records, tarps and table cloths, contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at comcast.net.

84] -- A Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil takes place every day in Lafayette Park, 1601 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 24 hours a day, since June 3, 1981. Go to http://prop1.org; call 202-682-4282.

Donations can be sent to Max Obuszewski, Baltimore Nonviolence Center, and 431 Notre Dame Lane, Apt. 206, Baltimore, MD 21212.  Ph: 410-323-1607; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/.

“One is called to live nonviolently, even if the change one works for seems impossible. It may or may not be possible to turn the US around through nonviolent revolution. But one thing favors such an attempt: the total inability of violence to change anything for the better" - Daniel Berrigan