caucus99percent

free-range politics, organic community

I began this piece in January 2015, shortly after the election of Greek Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras. I had not really been following the Greek elections, but just days after it occurred, I saw in a European newspaper Alexis Tsipras' "Open Letter to Germany: That Which You Were Never Told About Greece".

I read it, and I was hooked.

It was a letter of the times we live in. A letter about people who feel crushed by the increasingly powerful financiers of the West. It struck me as frank and oddly personal. I had not read anything quite so stark and pure coming from a current national leader.

It was a very logical, irreversible declaration of independence.

Today, on this day of the Greek default, I wanted to share that moment of history I found so moving and significant. The original message has since been lost in the noise and propaganda — but I do believe this is what a "tipping point" in history looks like, at the very moment it is happening.

All eyes are on Greece this weekend.

This article comes from the most polluted city in the world where small children have already damaged lungs. Most of the pollution comes from fossii fuelled transportation and open burning. The recognition of the dangers of pollution has come too late for them. Why do we wait until we reach this level before the realization sets in that we cannot continue our way of life.

Do you know how many countries we are bombing? Go ahead. Try to guess how many.

You probably can't, and that is an incredibly awful thing about our country.
We've bombed brown-skinned people in seven different countries in the past few months and most Americans couldn't care less.

When grassroots activists and union leaders threatened to withhold campaign donations from Democratic Congressmen who voted for Fast Track, it should have been a wake up call for all Democrats. If party members have been reduced to threatening representatives just to ensure voter interests are protected, then you know the party has lost its way.

In two days about a quarter of a million people will be made stateless. They will have no homes, no passports, and no civil rights. There are several reasons for this, but the primary reason is racism.

The TPP agreement has never been about helping average Americans obtain jobs. Its overarching purpose has been to ensure US corporations gain enough power to dominate international trade markets. More specifically, it was designed to deter China’s expansionist ambitions.

As CNN noted in April:

Really, this is about China.

President Obama has declared that the temporary defeat of the TPP in Congress by the Democratic Party "will directly hurt" American workers.
The CATO Institute, most congressional Republicans, and Wall Street agrees.

I just posted this brief diary at the Dkos:

Long before the 2014 midterm-elections, I was one of the few people on this site warning members of the Democratic Party to prepare themselves for huge losses during the midterm elections. For holding that position, I was vilified. But in the end, I was proven right.

All the politicians and economists will tell you that the economy has recovered. While things aren't as bad as they were in 2008-2010, it certainly doesn't feel like we've ever gotten over the crash.