For Whom The Bell Tolls

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The problem of the public’s perception of our current economic environment, lies in the fact that the underlying problems STILL EXIST… the vulnerability hasn’t been properly addressed.

The supply chain issues… the inflation and the response… why were these issues not anticipated? The pandemic raged for YEARS. Those problems were allowed to happen due to inaction. The suffering born of that inaction was cause by our Elected Officials, specifically the current Administration.

The polls show it… the American People want somebody else.
The American People don’t want Joe Biden.
The American People don’t want Donald Trump.
How do you combat that kind of thinking?

You engage. You call on everyone to jump into the mix and demand a worthy primary challenge. The BEST IDEAS always rise to the top.

But that’s NOT the strategy currently being embraced.

Donald Trump and the Republican Party have already said they don’t want a primary. Joe Biden has already said he doesn’t want a primary… and now? We’re going to have at least THREE Democrats on the ballot this fall and at least TWO Republicans.

In a country with only TWO major political parties, we’re going to have upwards of TEN CANDIDATES running for President…

Who’s fault is that?

Joe Biden had the chance to quell the unrest. He could have called for the fight, and demonstrated to his party that he was ready for re-election by knocking down every candidate BEFORE the general election.

Now, he’s split his own support. He’s spent all his political capital and has nothing to show for it. The VOTERS have carried all the weight, while he just signs the checks.

His ego and overconfidence has put our democratic process in jeopardy; and now, whomever wins in 2024 will do so with a MINORITY of support from the American People.

Joe Biden can win with less than 50% of the vote.
Donald Trump can win with less than 50% of the vote.
Robert Kennedy Jr. can win with less than 50% of the vote.
Cornell West can win with less than 50% of the vote.

Joe Biden has done more to advance the cause of Donald J. Trump than has Donald J. Trump. Joe Biden is Trump’s BIGGEST SUPPORTER right now… because Donald J. Trump doesn’t need to gain the support of the MAJORITY to win re-election.

All he has to do is hold on to his 46%.

Right now Donald Trump may be the single greatest threat to Our Constitution, but Joe Biden comes in a very close SECOND. I suppose… that’s just how the Electoral College works.

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So, here we are… at the cusp… on the brink. He’s said so HIMSELF that he’s ready to terminate the Constitution. He’s ready to turn the DOJ into HIS servant… and what’s the message from our President?

**‘Look at everything I’ve done for you, you stupid bastards.’**

It’s all the VOTER’S FAULT… they just don’t understand. He’s already told us HIMSELF that he doesn’t want anything to change. Everything’s going exactly how he wants it… HIS party is in control and there’s NO COMPETITION to stop him.

The voters will ‘come home’ this fall… and why wouldn’t they? Judge him by the alternative, not the Almighty, right? Well, last I checked… The Almighty isn’t on the ballot this fall.

Arrogance, Ego, Apathy, and Inaction. The Four Horsemen of our Constitutional Apocalypse.

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But our future is not yet set in stone… we don’t need to go down this path yet again. We’ve already learned this lesson in 2016. FOUR YEARS of degradation to the structural norms of our institutions has shown us where the vulnerabilities lie… we all know what the problem IS.

And so do our enemies… the people who seek to tear it all down.

They’re working OVERTIME, trying to undo this Union. Joe Biden and the Democratic Party should be doing the SAME… yet they are not.

Never underestimate the Will of the American People.

Never underestimate the ability of the Democratic Party to snatch DEFEAT from the jaws of VICTORY.

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I see a future, in which the American People decide who will be our President… not the DONORS.

I see a future, in which Elected Officials don’t need to cater to Dark Money interests; because they won’t need to FUNDRAISE in order to seek re-election.

I see a future in which every Citizen of this Land, in every State and in every city, decides who will be on the ballot each election.

Not just a MINORITY… but the MAJORITY.

Every Citizen. Every election.

More participation equals BETTER GOVERNANCE.

And that’s the problem… every candidate on the ballot this fall wants more of the same. There is no vision. There is no path toward a better future.

That needs to change.

-JC

The Power of Peace

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The current proposal to develop nuclear power in the Middle East is a threat to the National Security of the United States.

Due to the continued instability and regime changes, it would be a threat to the security of everyone who lives in that region.

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Putting aside the fact that spent nuclear fuel is key in producing nuclear weapons, more nuclear waste will be produced and there is no plan to store it.

That waste will be highly radioactive for tens of thousands of years… and cost TRILLIONS of dollars to maintain properly.

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“The EPA’s order, which caps decades of bureaucratic delay, intense debates and public protests, is expected to take fewer than five years and cost those responsible for the site an estimated $205 million.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/energy-environment/2018/09/27/epa-orders-extensive-cleanup-radioactive-waste-site-near-st-louis/

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But that’s Hanford… it’s almost 100 years old.
Surely things have gotten better since then?

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https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/projects/fukushima-daiichi-nuclear-power-plant-decommissioning/#:~:text=The%20decommissioning%20of%20Fukushima%20Daiichi,companies%20and%20new%20electricity%20providers.

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Even if everything goes well, the price to build those nuclear power plants outweighs any potential gains.

And those returns won’t be realized for DECADES to come… that’s only IF everything goes well.

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“72% of the cost increase was due to indirect costs, indicating a large increase in expensive professionals such as engineers and managers.”

https://progress.institute/nuclear-power-plant-construction-costs/

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TRANSLATION: The people who keep these plants operating SAFELY.

Lax regulations and a changing climate puts everyone’s lives in jeopardy.

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“Nuclear power plants in Washington were canceled after estimated construction costs increased from $4.1 billion to over $24 billion… and two South Carolina reactors were canceled after costs rose from $9.8 billion to $25 billion.”

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36 nuclear power plants at $25 billion each… that’s $900 billion.

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“For Gulf Arab rulers who fear that Washington is not a reliable long-term guardian, nuclear power generation may offer an alternate path to maintaining a US strategic interest in securing their regimes.”

https://thebulletin.org/2020/03/for-uae-the-political-perks-of-nuclear-power-eclipse-economics/

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Building nuclear power plants isn’t the way to do that. Maintaining peace and security, for your nation and your neighbors, will do that.

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Our National Security… in fact, the security of the entire WORLD depends on our listening to wise counsel.

Who should be advising us on what our nuclear strategies should be… and who shouldn’t.

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https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-flynn-nuclear-exclusive/exclusive-mideast-nuclear-plan-backers-bragged-of-support-of-top-trump-aide-flynn-idUSKBN1DV5Z6

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The only answer is PEACE. Everything else will follow.

-JC

Atonement

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Screenshot from: The Katie Phang Show, MSNBC. (10\7\2023)

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“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

-George Santayana

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Some say history repeats. Some say history rhymes. But we mustn’t forget-
History can SING as well. And sometimes… history CRIES.

I’ve recently found myself thinking of the stance Rep. Barbara Lee took on the floor of the House of Representatives, following the attacks on 9/11. Being the ONLY Representative to oppose military action in the aftermath of those terrorist attacks, and the way things have turned out since… memories I haven’t thought of in quite a while. I might have gone the rest of my life without thinking of them, as it was all so long ago. And yet… it seems like only yesterday.

In this moment, it’s difficult for me to say it’s a GOOD THING we’ve recently been remembering her strength and courage. But… I hope Senator Feinstein won’t mind if I do.

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In the aftermath of the attacks on September 11, 2001, there was only ONE thought on every American’s mind…

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Vengeance.

As the search for SURVIVORS had only just started and as the fires at Ground Zero STILL raged. Even as the true scope and magnitude had yet to be realized… one voice SPOKE OUT.

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“Let us not become the evil that we deplore.”

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Where would we be NOW had we followed that advice?
What outcomes could have been avoided… what more could we have done.

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Our desire for vengeance led us down the path to DESTROY our enemies. ‘Dead or alive’ I believe he said. Curiously though, given enough TIME, those feelings seem to fade…

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“I don’t know where he is… I don’t spend that much time on him.”
-George W. Bush (03/13/2002)

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After just a few months, emotions seemed to calm. Securing the Homeland became our top priority, and everyone felt the need to rally around the FLAG…

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Because we all know what happens to those who SPEAK OUT against a
Righteous Vengeance…

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https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/15/opinion/guantanamo-detainees.html

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And now all we can say is, ‘Look at all the terrorist attacks we prevented… all the LIVES we might have lost… if we didn’t ACT.’

When you stop and think about it… all the surveillance, the security, the creation of new Government Institutions… eventually, they did become EXPERTS in preventing terrorist attacks…

**Terrorist Attacks, like the ones that were successfully carried out on THEIR WATCH.**

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If only those measures had been in place from the start.

But things happen… fog of war… lack of imagination.
Warning signs missed… messages unsent.

‘We couldn’t have known… I don’t think anyone could have known…’

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https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/12/leadup-iraq-war-timeline/

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Israeli_judicial_reform_protests

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I won’t stand here and tell anyone not to follow their heart. After all we’ve been through, to do so would be hypocritical. But let our story STAND as an example. Take heed of the lessons WE have learned… and pray you never learn these lessons the hard way.

After TWENTY YEARS of war, did we achieve our mission objectives? In some ways yes… in some ways, no. Osama bin Laden is dead. Those who plotted and helped carry out the attacks have been captured… but at what COST.

Has Justice been served? Are the families of the victims at peace with their loss? Have our actions served to HONOR the memories of those we lost? Would they be PROUD of what we have done… in their name.

It would be presumptuous of me to evoke a story from religious texts, considering the nations and peoples who are involved. The birth of religion ITSELF springs from that Sacred Land! All eyes look to them for our spiritual guidance, to the EAST… toward the land where that Ancient LIGHT has risen.

All other nations are jealous of the treasures with which they’ve been BLESSED. But now, we all stare in HORROR… knowing that once again, peace will be pushed aside.

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IF our primary objective is to prevent another 9/11 from happening, then we must act. NOW… before it’s TOO LATE.

The only answer is PEACE. To BECOME PEACE… to embody it. The weapons of war are used AGAINST PEACE… therefore no one in their right mind would attack a peaceful nation or society.

That story rises above all else. We must become that which we wish to see.

We HONOR those we have lost by ensuring it will never happen again.
That is real courage… that is real strength.

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“Let us not become the evil that we deplore.”

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Amen.

For Want of the PRICE

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https://www.politico.com/news/2023/09/10/ginni-thomas-leonard-leo-citizens-united-00108082

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How many aspects of our daily lives are directly impacted by just a handful of billionaires? And I’m not talking about the services or products they provide, it’s their Pet Projects… their Hobbies. Whatever happened to collecting STAMPS?

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https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/clarence-thomas-harlan-crow-hitler-paintings-nazi-memorabilia-1234711860/

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They’re obviously smart, they went to Ivy League schools. They’re obviously successful, if MONEY is your yardstick…

**So, they should already KNOW.**

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https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/14/opinion/harlan-crow-clarence-thomas-gifts-collections.html

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Consolidation spells disaster for their bottom line. Rigging the system to benefit themselves, creates the precedent for them to suffer the SAME at the hands of someone else.

History shows us… the pendulum swings TRUE. Take heed Mr. Crow, it’s only a matter of TIME. And when it does come, it’s not just your interests that will be destroyed.

Manipulating legislatures, corruptly influencing Judicial Institutions, elevating Elected Officials in order to SILENCE competition… the short-term gains realized will not outweigh the long-term consequences of those actions.

Eventually… that system will turn on YOU. Your empire, no matter how much it is WORTH… will become their empire. For the good of their CAUSE. When there are no guardrails, that cause is subject to change… without notice.

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To be generous, as a bow to polite society, it seems to me that these Titans of Industry are simply IGNORANT of our history… an oversight. They are older than I am, maybe they didn’t waste as many HOURS as I did watching History Channel documentaries late into the night. Maybe they just don’t understand what it is they are doing.

Or maybe… they do. Maybe they know exactly what they’re doing… because they believe they know what’s best.

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My daughter keeps reminding me that we live in a capitalist society… and I am grateful that we do. Our Constitutional Democracy has provided fertile ground for the development of every major scientific advancement of the 20th Century.

From the airplane to the Moon Landing… from agricultural dominance to Artificial Intelligence… down to the very device that allows my words to be shared with the rest of the world. But…

**Do we really want Halliburton building our SCHOOLS?**

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https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/sep/17/russia-trade-halliburton-equipment-export-us-oil

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**Do we really want Amazon running our PRISONS?**

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https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jan/30/alexa-factory-whistleblower-i-was-tortured-and-jailed-now-amazon-should-apologise

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**Do we really want Equifax to be in charge of ensuring EQUALITY?**

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https://www.cbsnews.com/news/equifax-breach-exposes-data-for-143-million-consumers/

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I say… NO.

-JC

Reach. Throw. Row. Then GO.

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It’s not as if there weren’t RIOTS in the streets or something… like it was so hard to decipher what the Will of the MAJORITY was in 2020.

**People were in the streets demanding CHANGE.**

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https://www.npr.org/2020/06/01/866472832/violence-escalates-as-protests-over-george-floyd-death-continue

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Philando Castile. Eric Garner. George Floyd. The Minneapolis Police Department. The Louisville Police Department. Atlanta. KC. New York… and what did we get?

Bridges and Roads.

Hot damn! While our Democracy succumbs to the ROT and CORRUPTION… at least the TRAINS will run on-time.

But that’s what he was selling from his basement back in 2020- A Return to Normalcy. Well… we got it. Nothing says ‘Back to Normal’ like politicians catering to the DONORS, instead of working for the VOTERS.

I’d say we’re all in agreement on that.

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How much more PROOF do we need? Seventy-six percent of these United States have now RATIFIED the 28th Amendment to the Constitution, yet President Biden and his Administration fight against its publication. ONE MAN stands opposed to 76%… how is that defending democracy?

Night after night we see more examples of why we must end qualified immunity, and why we must hold Law Enforcement Officers accountable for abuses of power. Yet President Biden couldn’t rally enough support for it in the Senate… and this time it wasn’t because of the filibuster.

He couldn’t even get his own party to fall in line.

And it’s not just about falling in line. It’s about defending one’s CORE VALUES. What makes you who you ARE. The core identity of the Republican Party may have shifted drastically to the RIGHT, but the core identity of the Democratic Party has now shifted to the RIGHT as well.

The Republican Party fights to take rights away from women… from minorities… from LGBTQ individuals… the Democratic Party is supposed to be the party that champions PROTECTING the rights of those individuals. More rights for more people.

Elected Officials who stand opposed to EQUALITY stand opposed to the platform of the Democratic Party… those Elected Officials are not Democrats.

**Yet Joe Manchin still holds a Committee Chair in the United States Senate.**

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So, how does that CHANGE? We VOTE. We rally behind the CAUSE… the Core Principles we hold SACRED. We raise the flag and hoist the sails, celebrating who we are and the causes for which we STAND… knowing that our efforts will be victorious at the end of the day.

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https://nypost.com/2022/09/12/kamala-harris-lies-about-the-secure-border/

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https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/570128-father-of-marine-killed-in-kabul-blast-says-meeting-with-biden/

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https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/15/a-fist-bump-at-the-palace-biden-squares-off-with-mbs-00046106

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https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/26/europe/ukraine-zelensky-evacuation-intl/index.html

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Back in MY day, every member of the Democratic Party would be fired UP to go out and vote AGAINST an incumbent who’s overseen failures like these.

In 2024… these are the accomplishments of the Leader of the Democratic Party.

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I attended the 60th Anniversary of the March on Washington last weekend. When I first heard its announcement back in February, I decided I wouldn’t go. I have no desire to go to a Joe Biden rally, and I knew that’s what it would end up being. Dr. Martin Luther King III’s rebranding of it as a “continuation” of his father’s dream changed my mind.

I felt I had to attend. To show my support alongside thousands of others… Strength in numbers. That’s how we bring about CHANGE.

Of all the people I spoke with that day, one woman’s offhand comment stands out most in my mind-

‘I came here today to hear something HISTORIC.’

Of all the reasons I traveled to D.C. that day… that one wasn’t on my list. After hearing her say that I started questioning why I was there. Why didn’t I have those same expectations? Every possibility of that happening did exist…

The White House did send a high-level representative to speak on behalf of the President and Vice President… the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives was there, as was Jim Clyburn and Debbie Wasserman-Schultz…

The opportunity was there… yet, I was not as disappointed as she was.

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When someone is drowning, you must assess the situation carefully BEFORE taking action, in order to avoid causing unnecessary loss of life.

If they are a short distance away, you should first try reaching out your HAND or a long POLE and attempt to pull them to safety. If they are too far out, you should try throwing them a LIFE PRESERVER or a long ROPE. If these options are unsuccessful, you try to find a boat and ROW out to them and bring them to shore.

Only after all these have failed… only as an option of last resort should you ever try swimming out to save someone from drowning. As they are fighting to stay above the surface… fighting for their very survival… they will grab and push themselves UP onto anything that comes within their reach. In order to save their own life…

That includes anyone trying to save them.

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https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/biden-approval-rating/

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Democratic Party… DO YOU NEED ASSISTANCE?

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If you want to make a CHANGE, now is the time to do so… not in the fall of 2024.

I can see it. The VOTERS can see it. We ALL want you to be successful… in this moment we NEED you to be successful. But we can only offer you our assistance… it’s up to YOU, to decide if you will accept our HELP.

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