Sunday, December 18, 2016

Profiles in Lucidity - Trevor Noah


I ran out of steam the other evening and decided to watch some of the comedy shows via YouTube, no TV around here.  Trevor Noah is the guy I’ve singled out as the real deal.  By coincidence Terry Gross interviewed Trevor this past week on Fresh Air and now I understand why it’s no wonder that air of natural gravitas and solidity I sense.  I’ll be no spoiler ;-) I linked to that interview and invite you to (if you haven’t already) discover this fascinating individual for yourself.  The man makes a lot of sense to me and believe he's made many observations that definitely belong in my collection of common sense and thought provoking ideas.   

I’ve also included a link to his interview of President Obama on December 12th.
____________________________________________________________________

The Daily Show - Profiles in Tremendousness - Secretary of State Nominee Rex Tillerson

Published on Dec 14, 2016
President-elect Trump nominates ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson for secretary of state, prompting Trevor to break down the oil tycoon's foreign policy experience.
_________________________________________________________

The Daily Show - Adapting to Donald Trump's Lies


Published on Nov 30, 2016

Even after Donald Trump's mendacious 2016 presidential campaign, the media is still grappling with how to report on the now-president-elect's blatant falsehoods.
_____________________________________________________________

Trevor Noah on fake news and Donald Trump (HARDtalk) - BBC News


Read more »
Posted by at No comments:

Postpone Electoral College Vote

It's a bit late for this, but its still worth thinking about and discussing.

Majority Want Monday’s Electoral College Vote Postponed In Wake Of Russia Scandal: New Poll

By Ryan Grim

 WASHINGTON - A majority of American voters favor delaying the December 19th Electoral College vote until electors can be fully briefed on Russian interference in the election, according to a new poll conducted by YouGov. ...




Petition to all state legislatures:

Whoever wins the most votes should be elected president. Please join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, and end the Electoral College's power to overturn the popular vote.

We believe every vote should count equally, regardless of where you live in the United States – EVERY vote in EVERY state should matter in EVERY presidential election. But thanks to the Electoral College, even though Clinton won over 2 million (and counting!) more popular votes, the Electoral College allowed Trump to win.
This is the fifth time in American history, and second time in five elections, where a presidential candidate who won the most popular votes lost the election. As a result, presidential candidates have no reason to pay attention to voters in states where they are safely ahead or hopelessly behind. Instead, candidates focus on “swing states” while largely ignoring the rest of the country.
Read more »
Posted by at No comments:

Friday, December 16, 2016

List of Trump's known conflicts of interest. Libby Nelson, VOX - REPOST

This one goes under the public's right to know.  Libby Nelson from VOX.com has taken the time to collect a list of (so-far) known Trump business entanglements.  A list every citizen ought to be familiar with.

America was tricked (by strategic and Russian fed, Breitbart circulated false advertising - along with systemic silence among those whom we trusted to protect America's interest) into voting for a Trojan Horse.  

Now it's like, hahaha suckers, catch us if you can!  Why wasn't all this made clear to Americans long ago?  What about all those oaths of office and supposed fealty to protect our US government as it exists, not as some believe their personal God wants it to look like!  

Who is going to defend America against this orchestrated hostile take-over by the oligarchs who already had way the hell too much power and too little awareness of the realities of this planet we depend on for everything?  

The following is a complete REPOST of what to me seems critically important information that every citizen ought to be aware of.  Doing my part, but it's going to require thousands of points of light if we are to confront the storming horde of self-interested oligarchs.
____________________________________________________

All of Donald Trump’s known conflicts of interest in one place


Updated by Libby Nelson | Dec 13, 2016, 5:24pm EST

When Americans talk about corruption in politics, they usually mean the outsize influence corporations and the wealthy can exert in politics through campaign donations.

Read more »
Posted by at No comments:

YO, December19.US Protesters, you forgot something.

It seems to me there's a decided lack of clarity, resulting in aimless messaging.  Why are you protesting?  What are you protesting?  What are your specific goals?  If I could wave a magic wand and get someone that matters to listen, here would be my suggestions for issues that need to be explicitly focused on and enunciated.  I'm no pro-writer so it's not pretty, I'm going for the thoughtful, perhaps even provocative, let others pretty it up.  
Come on, this is for keeps, enough patty-cake - we must step it up, or we will get crushed!
What about demanding, Merrick Garland get his Supreme Court Vote January 3rd?

What about drawing attention to,Trump’s Russian obligations and him surrounding himself with “friends” of Russia?

What about drawing attention to Trump’s myriad business entanglements with enemy nations?

What about drawing attention to the fact that Trump’s win was hinged on a campaign of malicious wanton smears based on deliberately fabricated lies?  (With Russia doling out the PR, through the Alter-reality of Bannon and Breitbart’s lie factory).  WHY HAS THAT BECOME ACCEPTABLE?

Read more »
Posted by at 1 comment:

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Sunshine Foundation - Trump's Conflicts of Interest

What an amazing thing its been watching events unfold and now the Trump, who undertook this race as a ego boost, is thumbing his nose at the White House, and in fact the Office of the President of the United States of American itself.

 The disappointment of watching so many falling in line and even more remaining down with oblivious - it dawned on me that he truly is the future.  Good bye United States of American and hello Corporation of Amerika, with Trump her CEO having one hell of a party with his pals.  

Here I share information from a group, that to borrow their words, is a nonpartisan nonprofit that advocates for open government globally and uses technology to make government more accountable to all.   Tough charge, that one is.

A Trump presidency must be free of business entanglements
by Alex Howard   |  NOV 18, 2016  |  on policy

The Sunlight Foundation is a nonpartisan nonprofit that advocates for open government globally and uses technology to make government more accountable to all.
________________________________________________

As the text of the letter makes clear, continuing on the current course has the potential to devastate public trust in government even further from its current woeful state, provide foreign governments with an obvious means to influence the presidency, and bedevil the White House with lawsuits.

The nature and diversity of the Trump Organization businesses mean that a wide range of government policy has direct impact on those businesses. This includes important domestic matters related to tax policy, standards for government contractors, consumer protection, the functioning of the civil justice system, financial regulation, labor rights and workplace safety and health standards, and bankruptcy law. 
Matters of foreign policy are also implicated because of the global reach of the Trump Organization. The American people need to know that when you are making decisions concerning our allies or our adversaries, you are not doing so because they are allies or adversaries of your businesses. 
Moreover, every time any foreign government or company controlled by a foreign government does business with a Trump entity, you could be accused of accepting a payment in violation of the emoluments clause of the Constitution, creating a constitutional crisis that could even result in threats of impeachment. 
In the absence of a full separation from the Trump Organization businesses, the sources of conflict from your overriding duties to the American public are legion. For example, every time any private party sees an opening for litigation against a Trump business entity, that person, perhaps in collusion with your political opponents, could file suit, perhaps even against you personally, embroiling the presidency in litigation.  
Sunshine Foundation
__________________________________________________________________
The least transparent presidential nominee in modern history needs to take immediate steps to avoid becoming the most corrupt president in United States history. Sunlight joined a dozen other organizations and individuals convened by Public Citizen in a letter calling on President-Elect Donald Trump to liquidate his holdings and put them in a blind trust controlled by an independent overseer to remove the unavoidable, unprecedented conflicts of interest between the presidency and a global business empire.

Sunlight has been calling how Trump’s foreign dealings and business ties pose a conflict of interest to the public’s attention for over a year, long before the Election Day and subsequent transition. Open government advocates in Washington are not alone in making this call in the next White House. The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board called today for a liquidation and placement of the Trump Organization’s business interests in a blind trust. There is no way for a President of United States to recuse himself from making domestic or foreign policy decisions which would have an impact upon his business holdings.

 Sunshine Foundation
_____________________________________________________________________

Transparency is an insufficient solution to the institutionalized corruption, self-dealing, and conflicts of interest that President-Elect Trump’s current melding of corporate and government power represents. Sunshine alone cannot disinfect this scale of conflict, nor will an ethics agreement provide necessary accountability for his children or the White House itself.

Open government won’t be a sovereign balm to an arrangement that is not steeped in secrecy but rather in an assumption of good faith that cannot be trusted. No amount of disclosure can address this level of conflict of interest. A President of the people cannot be trusted by the people unless he enters office free of such conflicts.

If President-Elect Trump wishes to “drain the swamp,” he must take enduring action now to separate his family’s business interests from his Presidency. In the 1970s, President Jimmy Carter sold his peanut farm and placed the proceeds in a blind trust. In 2017, President Trump should embrace an ethical standard that exists for good reason.

We understand that this would represent a sacrifice, but that is what is often required of public servants and their families. We call on him to embrace the spirit of service that his office embodies and stand ready with our allies to discuss how open government can strengthen our democracy.


The Sunlight Foundation needs your help to make our government more transparent.    Support the Sunlight Foundation today!


Posted by at No comments:

Incite Civility and Reason - The Coffee Party

Just doing a little sharing here.  Another group worth becoming acquainted with since they are a sobering anecdote to the Koch's Tea Party.  It's going to take a thousands of points of lights and millions of informed citizens.  Can you join a movement for rationality and critical thinking and patriotic intentions?
______________________________________________________________

Coffee Party USA is a grassroots, non-partisan movement that aims to restore the principles and spirit of our republic and representative democracy in America. It started on Facebook as a popular fan page in January 2010 and has since blossomed into a national non-profit organization with a network of over half a million people and dozens of local chapters.
Our path to restoring America's republic and representative democracy:
  • Identifying and advocating for legislative fixes to reform campaign finance laws, Wall Street regulations, and the tax code;
  • Promoting cultural changes to address political disengagement, polarization, and widespread misinformation.
Our activities often center around encouraging inclusive, civil, fact-based, solution-oriented dialogue — online and in public places such as coffee houses — in which we meet, talk, become informed and engaged as fellow Americans, rather than as members of political parties.

We believe that we share common goals as a people. We all want to live in safe communities with access to well-paid jobs that will allow us to provide for our families, help us secure a decent education for our children, and allow us to access adequate health care. We call upon the American people to transcend the hyper-partisanship that is so common today and move toward organizing communities around the mutual desire for ongoing, responsible civic engagement.

We understand that we must act boldly to not only break the cycle of corruption, but also recommit to the concept of a government of, by and for the people. We are the government. The government is us. We want to fix the problems in our government, not turn against the idea of government.

We need more – in quantity and quality – direct engagement with our government officials and with one another. Participating in our representative democracy should not be about just voting every 2 to 4 years – relying only on what appears in mainstream media and in campaign ads – and then hoping for the best. We need to engage the government in a way that promotes accountability to the public, transparency, and the spirit of E Pluribus Unum (out of many voices, one).

We need to create effective civic engagement opportunities by:
  • Demanding more officially sanctioned activities such as town hall meetings with officials and public reviews of policies with an invitation for public comments;
  • Organizing informal community meetings in which we invite fellow Americans to exchange ideas.
  • Encouraging the use of Internet communications, social networking and polling technologies to more effectively inform and involve the broad public community in an interactive debate.
We operate entirely independently of political parties and we do not endorse candidates.  We are funded by our members.
__________________________________________________________

GET INVOLVED:


VOLUNTEER

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with Coffee Party USA. We are a trans-partisan grassroots organization whose mission is to bring civility to our national political discussion. You can view our goals  here.

About volunteering at the national level:
Volunteer work at the national level is not location specific.   Our work on the national level is done via weekly, bi weekly or monthly teleconferences and online in Facebook and Google Drive.  

We ask that all our volunteers at the national level are members of Facebook and can attend most of the conference calls held by the group they choose.  Some aptitude and/or confidence in working online will go a long way to assure that you will be able to contribute to projects.
The Coffee Party believes in building a strong sense of community while bringing forth the best ideas from our volunteers.  We have need for many talents and skills in many areas of our organization.  (To see our volunteer opportunities, click here)   
 ***oops! Were you looking for local groups?  If so, click here.    Would you like to start a conversation in your community?  Click here

If you’d like to help at the national level, read on!

Become a volunteer in a few simple steps!

  1. Check out our opportunities and pick something that fits your interest or schedule. We have a number of Work Groups (divisions)  that support our organization.  Please see the descriptions of our work groups here.
  2. Fill in the form below.  Full street address, email address and phone are required.   Please do not opt out of emails or we will not be able to communicate with you.    Be sure to check the boxes for our Civility Pledge and Non Disclosure Agreement.  Use the Comment field to tell us about your interests, skills or preferred Work group or groups.  (see link above)
  3. Look for an email from Coffee Party Volunteers with your invitation to our Coffee Party USA Volunteers Facebook page. (If you do not receive it within a few hours, please check your spam folder.) This Facebook Group is dedicated to supporting our volunteers and announcing volunteer opportunities.  
  4. Once there,  your last step will be to connect with your preferred work group.  We also offer optional Orientation Calls for new volunteers. 

Civility Pledge and Agreement of Non Disclosure:


Civility Pledge: As a member or supporter of the Coffee Party, I pledge to conduct myself in a way that is civil, honest, and respectful toward people with whom I disagree. I value people from different cultures, I value people with different ideas, and I value and cherish the democratic process.

Non Disclosure Agreement.  In connection with your volunteer work, Coffee Party USA may provide you with access to portions of Coffee Party USA’s lists of supporters that contains personal information including but not limited to e-mail addresses and telephone numbers; and with access to other non-public information maintained by Coffee Party USA, all of which is “Coffee Party USA Confidential Information.”  

You agree that you will not make use of or disclose any Coffee Party USA Confidential Information for any purpose whatsoever other than as needed for the performance of your volunteer services for Coffee Party USA.  You also agree that all documents, files, conversations, information shared, participation in online discussions and lists relating to the operations and/or activities of Coffee Party USA, whether gathered by you or any other person, are and shall remain the sole and exclusive property of Coffee Party USA.

Posted by at No comments:

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Tell the Electors: Vote Your Conscience - Daniel Brezenoff



December 3, 2016 | Daniel Brezenoff
Electoral College Petition - The Electors of the Electoral College vote for the President on December 19, 2016. They have a Constitutional duty to protect the United States and the Constitution from danger. 
The Electoral College petition is the largest petition in Change.org history. More than 4.7 million people have signed on to ask the Electors to vote their conscience, and vote against Donald Trump.
fyi, also check out: 

Following the Letter to Electors - quotes and links to recent articles:

______________________________________________________________________
An Open Letter to the Electors

Esteemed Electors:
We, a bipartisan coalition of Americans including Electors, scholars, officials, and concerned citizens write to you in the spirit of fellowship, out of our sense of patriotism, and with great urgency.4

There are times in the life of a nation when extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary measures. Now is a such time, and your courage and leadership are required.29

Never in our Republic’s history has there been a President-apparent comparable to Donald Trump. His inauguration would present a grave and continual threat to the Constitution, to domestic tranquility, and to international stability:17

• He has threatened the freedom of speech by condoning violence at public events, and suggesting criminal penalties and even revocation of citizenship to punish political expression;

• He has threatened the freedom of press by vowing to revoke First Amendment protections for journalists;

• He has threatened the freedom of religion by proposing to bar entry to the country and force the registration of members of certain faiths;

• He has entangled himself with foreign interests through his personal business dealings, and refused to provide records of his taxes, which could allay suspicions;

• He has indicated a willingness to condone torture, in contravention of the Constitution and our international treaties, which carry the force of law;

• He is uncomfortably close to the regime of Russia, which has interfered in the election;

• He has shown reckless disregard for diplomacy, communicating impulsively, in public forums, regarding matters of national security, and allowing personal emotions to interfere with reasoned judgment, calling into question his fitness as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and the nuclear capabilities of the United States;

• He has, unlike every previous Commander-in-Chief, never served in any public position, whether elected or appointed, civilian or military, thereby bringing no experience or proven judgment on behalf of The People, or evidence of a character suited to high office.

For these reasons, his assumption of office endangers the Constitution, the freedoms it protects, and the continued prosperity and welfare of the United States.

You, Electors, possess the power to prevent this outcome. You are not bound to cast your vote for the candidate of your party – and, as he won neither a majority nor even a plurality of the popular vote, there can be no question of undermining the will of The People.

The Constitution empowers Electors to exercise judgment and choice.
Read more »
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)