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“What I’m not trying to do is just pass legislation. I’m trying to change the face of American politics.”

Pull these words out of the context of “the news” and let them pulse like the heartbeat of the future.

The words are those of Bernie Sanders, of course — engaged last week in a confrontational interview with Chris Matthews. Free college tuition? Matthews loosed his skepticism on the presidential candidate, who pushed back:

“You and I look at the world differently. You look at it inside the Beltway. I’m not an inside the Beltway person.”

“But the people that vote on taxes are inside the Beltway,” Matthews retorted.

If the recent spate of anti-drone movies and plays was making you feel warm thoughts about U.S. culture, you'll want to avoid seeing "Eye in the Sky," starring Helen Mirren, Alan Rickman, and Aaron Paul. This is what "Zero Dark Thirty" was for torture lies. This is what "The Interview" was for hatred of North Korea. The Director of "Eye in the Sky," Gavin Hood, openly brags about having had military advisors on this film, just as those films had their government advisors. And it shows.

"I'll bet the military loves this film," I told Hood after a screening in Washington, D.C., on Monday. He claimed that some loved it, some liked it, both in the military and in some human rights groups that I won't name because I doubt very much Hood's implication that at least one of them didn't condemn this piece of propaganda.

 

Like it or not, Bernie and The Donald are connected for the rest of this race and, in the bigger picture, for history. Talking heads link them by accusing Bernie's supporters of being cut from The Donald's supporters' same cloth. Shortsighted companymen in the media are undoubtedly satisfied at having noticed and developed a theory all on their own: people are angry.

While some writers write that this means Establishment Candidates will end up doing "such and such," others contend it proves that Anti-Establishment Candidates will wind up doing "this and that." Basically, expert pundits are experiencing difficulties and nobody knows whats to come.

What happens when there are endless wars accompanied by militarized policing, spreading racism, erosion of civil rights, and concentration of wealth, but the only news is election news, and none of the candidates wants to talk about shrinking the world's largest military?

 

Each year the Congressional Progressive Caucus releases a weaker and weaker budget proposal. This year they asked for input first. I sent them this and communicated with them about it, so I know they read it. An excerpt:

Robert Bowdrie “Bowe” Bergdahl was held as a POW by the Taliban for 5 years and now for over a year by the U.S. Army at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. He has received constant treatment from an Army psychiatrist but he has not been returned to his family and home in Hailey, Idaho. Thus in my opinion his recovery and reintegration process has probably done more harm than good by continuing his isolation from the world. But his treatment after repatriation is more about politics than his service or U.S. Army procedures. Consequently, after what he has gone through and endured, he should be freed with an honorable discharge and all of his pay and benefits. Anything less would be an injustice.


BANGKOK, Thailand -- Bangkok's coup-installed military regime has
agreed to give legal immunity to some of Thailand's Islamist
insurgents and allow them to travel internationally during peace talks
in the south where more than 6,000 people have died on all sides
during the past 12 years.
   The immunity and travel protection for the rebels increases the
likelihood that the talks can grapple with more serious issues in one
of Southeast Asia's long-running insurgencies, such as the denial of
justice and local participation for Muslims in the economically
depressed area.
   "The military will never defeat the guerrilla tactics of the
insurgents," said a Bangkok Post editorial on March 3.
   "The obvious stalemate cries for a political solution."
   The current peace talks however do not allow discussion of the
insurgents' demands for autonomy within Buddhist-majority Thailand or
an independent nation ruled by Islamic law.
   Meanwhile two rubber tree plantation workers -- a Muslim and a

The Ohio Statehouse committee on Medical Marijuana is taking public input at their next hearing March 10th!

Medical Cannabis patients advocates, under employed holstic healers, and hemp for nutrition advocats are doing grassroots organizing in the state to get a clear pro-safe access to medical marijuana message to our Ohio's elected officials. RALLY and March are in order!

The science on Pain management and PTSD recovery is all signalling we can't go without this healing, we dont wait for the arbitrary restriction on treatment options to be lifted! The Statehouse wants to take all month of March, when the language is ready to pass now.

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