Third Estate Sunday Review

The Third Estate Sunday Review focuses on politics and culture. We're an online magazine. We don't play nice and we don't kiss butt. In the words of Tuesday Weld: "I do not ever want to be a huge star. Do you think I want a success? I refused "Bonnie and Clyde" because I was nursing at the time but also because deep down I knew that it was going to be a huge success. The same was true of "Bob and Carol and Fred and Sue" or whatever it was called. It reeked of success."

Tuesday, August 06, 2019

Some Tweets from the Green Party

Stepping Out of Line – Dropping A Banner At FERC

Green Party of Pennsylvania
www.gpofpa.org/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Contact:
Michael Bagdes-Canning, 724-431-8560 and mbagdes@gmail.com
Chris Robinson, 215-843-4256 and chrisrecon@netzero.net

However, when you’ve done all these things and you can get no traction, sometimes you have to dig deeper into the toolbox. I once heard singer/songwriter Anne Feeney say, in an introduction to her song Have You Been To Jail For Justice, “We have wonderful free speech rights in this country as long as we exercise those rights ineffectively. If our conduct might actually have an impact, it’s amazing how quickly we’ll be surrounded by police.”

Since 2015, a group that I have worked with, Beyond Extreme Energy (BXE), has been pressuring the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to recognize the role that it plays in climate disruption. FERC is the federal agency that approves interstate pipelines and other infrastructure. It has, throughout its lifetime, been a rubber stamp for the industry. It has rarely stopped a project and even when it has, it is usually temporary. Point of fact, until BXE shined a spotlight on FERC, it had never halted any project.

BXE has been a regular at FERC meetings since 2014. They have done unauthorized testimony before meetings, disrupted Commission meetings and been escorted out. They have done week long blockades outside the building. They have disrupted speeches by Commissioners at outside events. They have visited Commissioners at their homes. They have done unsanctioned testimony at Congressional hearings for FERC appointments, and they have found other creative ways to shine a spotlight on this once invisible commission. This pressure has paid off. Several of the Commissioners now acknowledge climate in their deliberations, and the once unanimous votes for infrastructure are no longer rubber stamps -- Commissioners dissent and cite climate disruption. Tellingly, at least two projects have been halted.

Many of these actions have resulted in expulsion from FERC or other venues. Some have resulted in arrests. All, however, have been carried out with a firm commitment to nonviolence. BXE is dedicated to harming neither people nor property.

Beyond Extreme Energy’s newest campaign (on behalf of millions of affected citizens who are frustrated by years of FERC’s approval of pipelines and other fossil fuel infrastructure, and alarmed by Donald Trump’s recent Executive Orders to further expedite pipeline approval) was launched with an action aimed at turning the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) into the Federal Renewable Energy Commission (FREC). FERC is beyond reform and must be replaced with a government agency capable of meeting the challenge of climate disruption head on.

Very early on the morning of April 18, a small band of well-trained activists set out to send a strong message to the FERC Commissioners -- The time for continued reliance on fossil fuels is running out and, if the human race is to survive, we must turn our attention to developing alternatives. FERC must be phased out and FREC must be birthed.

Before the sun was up, a handful of us set off to drop a banner from the awning sitting 30 feet above FERC’s front door on First Street in Washington, DC. Some of us (including me) carried a ladder directly past a FERC guard and erected it. In short order, two of us scampered up to the awning and dropped the banner. Then we waited.

A few, well informed reporters from trusted news sources were on the scene, and interviews were conducted. A live stream from the awning commenced. People riding by on the subway (Metrorail) were able to see the banner.

Soon, FERC security arrived, then officers from the Federal Protective Service, then the DC fire department. A crowd of people heading to work also stopped to look. Some great conversations were had. Then more reporters showed up.

I was acting as a liaison with the police. I was to act as a conduit. I would communicate with both the police and the two people on the awning. The climbers had instructed me to tell the police that they wanted to stay with the banner until closing time. FERC security wanted them gone. The fire department said they would put up a ladder, but they would not “extract” anyone. In the end, the Federal Protective Service elected to allow the climbers to stay and made no attempt to remove them.

Meanwhile, on the livestream, Ted Glick, one of the BXE climbers said, “The Federal Energy Regulation Commission, FERC, has for years been overseeing a major expansion of the destructive fracked gas industry. FERC is a rubber-stamp agency. It has rejected only two, out of over 400, gas industry proposed pipelines and other gas infrastructure over the last 30 years. And at today’s meeting commissioners could approve two new liquefied natural gas export terminals in the criminal enterprise to hook the world on U.S. fracked gas for decades.”

Later, Drew Hudson, the other BXE climber, said, “Congress has a choice to make: they can pay lip service to climate action while Donald Trump orders pipeline after pipeline built -- locking in another 50 years of increasing emissions, gas exports and climate chaos, or Congress can choose to put renewable energy first and enact a Green New Deal that remakes FERC and other agencies. It’s past time to move urgently to get off fossil fuels!”

In the meantime, five people went into the Commissioners meeting where they echoed the demands of the climbers during unauthorized testimony. Each was escorted out after their interruption. After the completion of the Commissioners’ meeting, I informed police the climbers were willing to come down but only if they were not arrested. The Federal Protective Service agreed, but only if the climbers agreed to remove the banner. They did.

Many blanch at the thought of doing anything illegal, but I think it is important to put direct action, like the banner drop described above, in context. Too often, our voices are invisible to the power brokers. Our political voice is drowned out by the voices with money. It’s not that the system is broken. The system is working exactly the way it has been designed to work -- the rich and powerful have created a system that looks democratic but, in practice, rewards the elites and ignores the rest of us.

This isn’t new. Iconic moments from our history illustrate this. The Boston Tea Party was a powerful direct action, and it was illegal. The march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, was met with brutal police violence.

These actions happened because there comes a moment in every struggle when the power of everyday people needs to be felt, and when the community can only attain victory by stepping out of line and demanding change. If we are going to win, we must use the tools at our disposal. This doesn’t mean that you must risk arrest, but it does mean that you use the tools you are comfortable using, maybe even stretch your comfort zone. It also means recognizing that direct action, even direct action that leads to arrest, has a long tradition in the fight for justice.
By Michael Bagdes-Canning
The author is a Green Party member from Butler County, and he has been an elected member of the Cherry Valley Borough Council since 1989. This article first appeared in the summer issue of Marcellus Outreach Butler Newsletter.

The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) is an independent political party that stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party four pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please visit www.gpofpa.org. Follow GPPA on social media: Facebook and Twitter.

Tulsi Gabbard The Betrayer

This is a repost from THE COMMON ILLS:

Tulsi Gabbard The Betrayer

Tulsi is 'anti-war' -- air quotes for a reason. She's betrayed her stated beliefs and the people who supported her and needs to sit her crazy ass down.

I just checked with Martha and Shirley to see how this morning's "Iraq snapshot" went over. I figured community members would be fine with it based on Beth's polling as well as the discussion in the roundtable for the gina & krista round-robin. They were. Good. If you're a community member and you do disagree but didn't express that, you can, I will read it and I will think about it and it's fine for us to disagree.

Shirley noted an angry e-mail to the public account.

BradV544@ [. . .] is enraged and we know because he tells us that at the top ("I am enraged!") by what I wrote. He wants me to know that not only did he not like my opinion (actually, stronger than 'not like') it was "unprofessional to make that call and to support it with so little. If you're going to say that about Tulsi" apparently all the words because he doesn't specify "you need to back it up. You owe me that!!! You also should have talked about the Biden issue on Iraq you keep hinting at."

Oh, gee, Brad, I'm so sorry. I'll cut a check to refund your money and would you like a free subscription to make amends for --

Wait. We don't do subscriptions and you've made no purchase.

What you have done is walk in on a private conversation in a public square.

Are you not pleased with what I wrote -- the amount I wrote?

You know, I'll lose sleep over that one.

Update: The surgery I was supposed to have the first Friday in July (but couldn't because my blood sugar was critical -- over 700, I don't remember now, if the number matters to you check the archive)? I had it this morning. I registered right after I dictated the Iraq snapshot. I came around after surgery around 1:30 PST. My throat is raw from the thing that went down it -- I don't do medical. The doctor was wanting to show me photos and I waived it away, do what you need to do, don't tell me about it before or after.

So, Brad, I'm real damn sorry that you didn't get what you wanted from this free site that no one ever asked you to visit. I don't publicize it, I don't ask for links.

Tulsi Gabbard gave Joe Biden a pass on his war support.

On the issue of Biden's issue, let's go there. Brad, I will grant you that my plan was to talk about it this week. That was the plan back in July.

What happened?

The surgery was scheduled. I had hoped to work it in this week before the surgery.

What happened?

Well my eyes are still bright red. Why? Because my blood sugar spiked from stress to 420 Monday night and we could not get it down until Thursday morning. This was adjusting the amount of insulin, this was dropping to zero carbs (meat only and I'm not a big meat eater). When not addressing that, I also had previously scheduled speaking engagements to discuss the ongoing wars. I didn't cancel those, I made every one of them.

Now I don't write about this stuff, I don't whine about it. It is what it is.

But I'll be damned, Brad, if I take your s**t in an e-mail -- and, yes, it was s**t, I've only quoted your nicer remarks -- because Santa Claus didn't bring you everything you wanted this year.

I've never taken a day off. I've been here every day. Chemo treatments? Still here. Throwing up while I wrote, but still here. Surgery this morning? Still here.

If you had an argument to offer, I'd listen to it.

One argument? Tulsi can't be herself on stage and get press attention so she sucked up to Joe to get some press and advance her campaign and if she gets in the White House she'll be Tulsi for real.

That's an argument.

Not a good one and not a new one -- we've heard that about hundreds of candidates over the years and no one ever gets stronger in office -- they all get watered down quicker than an iced Diet Coke poolside in the summer.

But there are arguments to be made -- counter arguments to mine. And I'll listen to those arguments.

I'm not, however, going to Mommy you. Your boo-boo is you own and someone else will have to kiss it. I won't wipe your nose or ass either.

I owe you nothing -- especially after that e-mail.

From this morning's snapshot:

US House Rep Tulsi Gabbard, an Iraq War veteran, blew her chances on Wendesday night. Joe Biden's personal handmaiden made that clear in the debate but for those who are a little slow to pick up on reality, she clarified even more on Thursday. THE HILL reports:

Presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) defended fellow White House contender Joe Biden after he addressed his record on the Iraq War, an issue that the former vice president faced criticism for during Wednesday’s presidential primary debate.
“He was wrong — he said he was wrong and he has apologized for it more than once,” Gabbard, an Iraq War veteran, told Hill.TV on Thursday in response to why she wasn't more critical of Biden over the issue.

She's a whore or a moron.

When has Joe apologized? And what did he say he was wrong on?

He's publicly stated, since declaring his run for the presidential nomination, that he doesn't regret anything, did Tulsi's oxygen challenged brain miss that?

He's offered an excuse.

He was wrong . . .

For what, Tulsi?

For voting for the Iraq War?

No.

For supporting the Iraq War?

No.

He says he was wrong for trusting Bully Boy Bush.

That's bulls**t and shows no ownership.

That I -- someone who believe it or not personally likes Joe Biden, I know Joe -- can hold him accountable and this little priss ass who pretends that she's opposed to these wars and they were wrong cannot hold him accountable is bulls**t.

He has not apologized for his vote.

He has not said he was wrong for the Iraq War.

He's only said he was wrong to trust Bully Boy Bush.

That's bulls**t.

Brad, Santa's leaving you a gift under the tree right now.

Joe Biden oversaw Iraq for Barack's two terms.

In 2010, the Iraqi people voted Nouri out. Joe and Barack oversaw The Erbil Agreement which overturned the votes of the Iraqi people. Joe went to Iraq and sold that move -- making those ridiculous remarks to Ayad Allawi and others about how this was like Ireland blah blah blah.

Brad, if you've been around for awhile, you may be saying, "Yes, you've gone over that."

Yes, I have, Brad.

Here's the thing though, Brad.

In April 2008, at an open Senate hearing, Joe discussed Nouri, discussed how the Iraqi government wasn't a real government and wasn't supported by the people.

These are his unprompted remarks. He was a senator then and he spoke at length -- as Joe was prone to do as everyone knows.

You know it's not a real government, you know it's not supported by the people and you know Nouri's violent to the Iraqi people.

You know all that in 2008?

And yet in 2010 you overturn the votes of the Iraqi people to keep this thug in place?

F**k yeah, Joe has a hell of a lot to answer for.

I've now spoonfed your uninformed ass, Brad. I'm probably done with this topic. I'm now going to take my pain medication and probably go to sleep. Do I need to get your approval for that first, Brad?

Tulsi betrayed everyone with her remarks.

Joe Biden did much more than just vote for the Iraq War.

And if Tulsi can't talk about 2010 and how the Iraqi people were denied their voice and their 'free and fair' election, she's of no use to anyone.

She's a backstabbiing -- use whatever curse words of choice you prefer.

Forgive typos, I can't see very well currently and I'm typing this not dictating it. I also won't come back to correct because -- as you should be able to tell -- I'm pissed off.

P.S. The only P.S. I plan to add to this post -- not only did Joe speak freely in this hearing -- that he chaired -- he also vigorously nodded in agreement to then-Senator Russ Feingold's remarks which also spoke to the fact that no real government was in place and to thug Nouri's issues. I believe Joe nodded most vigorously to the notion that they were being asked to acknowledge a government that didn't even exist. That's not a direct quote, I'm too foggy from anasthetia (I have no idea how to spell that word and on plans to learn) but it was something like "you're asking us to recognize a government that doesn't really exist." And those asking were the State Dept and the Defense Dept.

Joe trashed everything he agreed with and the Iraq people in 2010 when he took part in overturning their votes so that Nouri could have a second term. That second term, Nouri's actions then, gave rise to ISIS.

More to the point? Want unity in Iraq?

That's what the people voted for. Iraqiya came out of nowhere to win the election and it won because it was about unity. It wasn't a Shi'ite party or a Sunni party or a Kurd or whatever party. It welcomed everyone. It also gave Iraqi women a seat at the table and the only woman in 2010 that the Iraqi media covered regularly was Maysoon al-Damluji, the Iraqiya spokesperson.

It was about having an identity as an Iraqi and that's why the people got behind Iraqiya.

It was a step towards reconciliation.

Barack and Joe tossed that aside and destroyed Iraq with their decision.

Not to mention the lesson is gave to the Iraqi people -- your vote really doesn't matter.

Don't talk your nutty conspiracy theories about Russia stealing the 2016 US election if you can't deal with the reality that, in 2010, Barack and Joe overturned the Iraqi people's votes.