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Monday, April 25, 2011

McKinney says democracy doesn't exist

Cynthia McKinney's article "Hear and Read ALL of This If Nothing Else - Libya, Cote d'Ivoire, We Must Respond!" is long, and I didn't give it the most thorough reading, but this caught my attention. She asks rhetorically if the U.S. and its allies are more democratic than Libya, then writes:

"The answer in fact is a resounding NO, for the plain and simple reason that democracy doesn't exist. This isn't a personal opinion, but a quote from someone whose native town Geneva, hosts the bulk of UN institutions. The quote is from Jean Jacques Rousseau, born in Geneva in 1712 and who writes in chapter four of the third book of the famous 'Social Contract' that 'there never was a true democracy and there never will be.'"

Call me an idealist, but the last time I checked, the first Key Value of the Green Party was Grassroots DEMOCRACY. Our current government may be corrupt, but our Green Party mission is not to give up on the electoral process. To the contrary, our mission is to use the electoral process to get Green majorities and reform our government, all-the-while adhering to the fourth Key Value, NONVIOLENCE.

Now, if electoral fraud in the U.S. becomes so egregious that it justifies violent overthrow, that's one thing. But it seems McKinney here is saying in her own words that democracy doesn't even exist, therefore Gaddafi's system is acceptable, even preferable. To me that sounds like a position that is simply untenable in the Green Party.

Maybe somebody should ask Cynthia McKinney why Gaddafi shut down Facebook, and while they're at it, ask her if she would take away our right to vote.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Syria strategy

It seems that Syrians need to coalesce spontaneously and overrun a police station, then disperse quickly. Peaceful protests are not getting the job done I'm afraid.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

GOP regards selfishness as a virtue

Republicans praise Ayn Rand. Rand Paul is named after her. Ayn Rand released a book titled, "The Virtue of Selfishness." She idolized William Hickman, a cold-blooded child murderer. (Source: Thom Hartmann)

This week, Donald Trump said he would invade Libya to take the oil. Whatever happened to "Thou Shalt Not Steal"? He doesn't even pretend to be honorable.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Government is good

Government is you. Government is me. Government is God and people working in harmony. It's the only way we ever would work together for the common good. Yes, government is good. Government is good.

Saturday, April 09, 2011

Distancing myself from Cynthia McKinney

Ever since joining the Green Party in 2000, I have felt that running presidential candidates is the most interesting thing we do. I was Cynthia McKinney's top signature-gatherer in Minnesota.

I still feel that nominating Cynthia McKinney in 2008 was the right thing to do, given what we knew at the time. On 9/11 Truth, Depleted Uranium, and Ending the Fed, I agree, and I am still pledged to vote against Obama in 2012.

But we need a new candidate to run against him. Either that or get behind Nader or some other progressive so we don't split the vote. Cynthia McKinney has been great in the past, but now it's her turn to ride securely at the belly of the bus.

Recently in this blog I posted a statement from McKinney, forwarded by the GPUS, where she clearly sides with Qaddafi. She has led two delegations to Tripoli. At the end, she quotes a Chavez communique, "Long live Muammar Al-Qathafi! "

http://tomstream.blogspot.com/2011/03/libya-pros-and-cons.html

I remember when she came to the GPMN state meeting Nov. 7, 2009. We had just finished putting stickers on a white board, and she compared it to Qaddafi's Green Book. And she was supposed to appear Jan. 19, 2011 at St. Joan of Arc church, but she couldn't make it because her plane was delayed in Libya.

As stated earlier, I agree with most of what Cynthia McKinney says. I have worked so hard for her in the past. But this issue is a deal-breaker for me.

According to Wikipedia, Qaddafi's "'revolutionary sector' is not elected and cannot be voted out of office and dictates the decision-making power of the 'Jamahiriya sector'". Also, I don't see anyone refuting reports that Qaddafi has used violence against his own people.

Whether the UN intervention in Libya is a good idea may depend on what sort of constitution and government comes out of it. McKinney makes a compelling case that the US is up to no good. But siding with Qaddafi? Just because his book is Green doesn't mean that he is. Two wrongs don't make a right. The enemy of my enemy should not necessarily be my friend.

Cynthia talked a lot about race in her statement. At one point she writes, "In short, if you want to stop Black people, then one key move is to stop Colonel Qaddafi."

I have tried to remain colorblind in my analysis of the Libyan situation. To me, the key question has been simply whether Qaddafi is a violent dictator.

I generally trust NPR when it comes to war coverage, and I was appalled by the story of the journalists held hostage by the Libyan military, the woman groped, and her life threatened. I was stunned by stories of journalists fed propaganda and not allowed to talk to average people and cover the war. And let us not forget the Lockerbie bombing.

I am not a happy camper. I wore my Cynthia McKinney bumper stickers with pride, but they are coming off soon. I am not one for groupthink. My main loyalty is to the truth.