July 4, 2015

Happy Birthday, America

1775 map of the seige of Boston






Paul Revere, as painted by Copley





Paul Revere's home to the left, is Hichorn House, home of Paul's cousin Ride like the wind, Paul!





Christ Church, know known as Old North Church, exterior One if by land and two if by sea






Christ Church, interior







Battle of Lexington and Concord, the shot heard 'round the world






Reading of the Declaration of Independence at the Massachusetts State House in Boston, now know as the Old State House, on July 4, 1776, a year after war started, and more recently




A recent reader




The Red Coat re-enactors The painted red line at their feet guides people through the Freedom Trail, which takes walkers from one historic Boston site to the next.




July 4 concert and fireworks on the banks of the Charles River, across from where Paul Revere waited, watching the tower of Christ Church to see if one lantern or two would appear

Happy Birthday, America!

July 3, 2015

Why Bernie Sanders excites students and young voters.

By Brent Budowsky, columnist, The Hill

...........


This {young people's interest in politics} is great news for America, and no presidential candidate has done more to inspire this outpouring of excitement from young people than the oldest presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). In my recent piece for The Hill, I applauded Sanders's proposal for free public college education and how he intends to finance his program through a transaction tax on Wall Street trades.

Nothing would do more to empower the American economy and better realize the American Dream than giving every young person the opportunity for greater learning, knowledge and economic opportunity than a college education that does not impose financial hardship on the moms and dads, and sons and daughters, of the nation.

............

Sanders excites students and young people not only because he brilliantly calls for a free public college education. He excites students and young people because he is a candidate of values, principles and ideas, which is what politics should be about. I call to your attention the wonderful website studentsforberniesanders.com, to follow the diversity of issues that these engaged young patriotic Americans believe in and work for.


..............


There will be Sanders students spreading the message and organizing for progress. There will be young people supporting Hillary Clinton, especially young women who dream of electing the first woman president. There will be young libertarians organizing for Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who led the fight in the Senate for more privacy and less abusive surveillance under the Patriot Act, a cause Sanders shares. There will be young people supporting many candidates, engaging in exciting debates for the candidate of their choice, organizing to campaign for the candidate they believe in, spreading their competing messages and hopes and dreams that can turn any student with a keyboard and a dream into the equivalent of a nationally syndicated columnist through the wonders of social media.

http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/presidential-campaign/244826-why-bernie-sanders-excites-students-and-young-voters

I had a hard time choosing only four paragraphs. This guy is very enthusiastic about Bernie and has written about him for different publications. If you want to read a really feel good piece, I recommend you follow the link and read the entire article.

July 3, 2015

Unhappy with how MSNBC covers, or doesn't cover, Bernie? EMAIL.

contact.nbcnews@nbcuni.com

Reference: http://www.democraticunderground.com/128019948#

P.S. Ed Shultz has given Bernie more than a fair shake, Maddow is starting to. The rest? mediocre to ridicule. I don't think this is coincidence or spontaneous as MSNBC considers itself "establishment."

In little more than the time it takes for us to post a complaint at DU, we could email MSNBC. Just a thought.

ETA: It may be that you have to use the link at the contact page in order to email. Here is the contact page, which also includes snail mail addresses.

http://www.nbcnews.com/contact

There are also message boards you can join to express approval and disapproval.

Finally, every show on MSNBC has a web page. Here is a link to Hardball with Chris Matthews: http://www.msnbc.com/hardball

Find the place that says feedback and click on it. Make a suggestion and/or send feedback. And/or leave a comment (right hand side of the page, where it says "What do you think?"

July 3, 2015

Help Bernie: Show your support for MEDICARE FOR ALL.

This is a newsletter from June 25. Sorry if it's already been posted.

To: merrily
info@BernieSanders.com
Bernie Sanders for President

Add your name if you agree that the only long-term health care solution for America is a Medicare-for-all single-payer system.

https://go.berniesanders.com/page/s/medicare-for-all?source=em150625a-medicare-for-all&utm_medium=email&utm_source=berniesanders&utm_campaign=health-care&utm_content=aca-ruling

merrily -

Today, because of the Supreme Court's decision to protect the modest gains made under the Affordable Care Act, it is a good day for millions of Americans who will be able to keep their access to health care.

It's also a good day for the small business owners who, before the passage of the Affordable Care Act, couldn't afford the escalating cost of providing insurance for their employees.

But while I am glad the Supreme Court upheld the law, in my view, the only long-term solution to America's health care crisis is a Medicare-for-all single-payer system.

I start my approach to health care from two very simple premises:

1. Health care must be recognized as a right, not a privilege -- every man, woman and child in our country should be able to access quality care regardless of their income.

2. We must create a national system to provide care for every single American in the most cost-effective way possible.

Tragically, the United States fails in both areas.

The health insurance lobbyists and big pharmaceutical companies make "national health care" sound scary. It's not.

In fact, a large single-payer system already exists in the United States. It's called Medicare and the people enrolled give it high marks. More importantly, it has succeeded in providing near-universal coverage to Americans over age 65 in a very cost-effective manner.

It's time to expand that program to all Americans.

If we are serious about providing high-quality, affordable care as a right for all Americans, the only solution to this crisis is a Medicare-for-all single-payer system. Add your name to our petition if you agree.

The American people understand that our current health care system is not working.

They understand that the profiteering of the pharmaceutical industry and private insurance companies causes the United States to spend more per capita on health care than any other nation, while our life expectancy, infant mortality and preventable deaths outcomes are worse than most other countries.

We should be spending our money on care and disease prevention, not paper-pushing and debt collection. But the simple truth is that our efforts to eliminate waste and profiteering are endangered by these powerful corporate interests.

A single-payer system will expand employment and lift a major financial weight off of businesses burdened by employee health expenses. And the millions of Americans stuck in jobs they don't like, they would be free to explore more productive opportunities as they desire.

I attempted to offer a single-payer amendment during the Affordable Care Act debate, but my efforts were blocked.

But our time will come.

Add your name to mine if you agree it's time for America to adopt a Medicare-for-all single-payer health care system.

https://go.berniesanders.com/page/s/medicare-for-all?source=em150625a-medicare-for-all&utm_medium=email&utm_source=berniesanders&utm_campaign=health-care&utm_content=aca-ruling

I am convinced today more than ever before that universal quality health care as a right will eventually become the law of the land. It is the only way forward.

Thank you for adding your name to mine,

Bernie Sanders

July 3, 2015

Bernie Sanders in Portland Maine, Monday, July 6 @ 7 pm RSVP at link in post.

Our campaign has been building momentum across the country, and now Bernie is coming to Portland, Maine.

Can you be part of Bernie's campaign to take on the billionaire class and stand up for working families?

Here's where Bernie will be in Portland:

Monday, July 6 at 7 p.m.
Portland Town Meeting with Bernie
Cross Insurance Arena
1 Civic Center Square
Portland, ME

RSVP https://go.berniesanders.com/page/event/detail/townmeetings/wrt7


Also posted in the Sanders Group

July 3, 2015

Bernie in Portland, Maine, Monday, July 6 7pm RSVP via link in post

Our campaign has been building momentum across the country, and now Bernie is coming to Portland, Maine.

Can you be part of Bernie's campaign to take on the billionaire class and stand up for working families?

Here's where Bernie will be in Portland:

Monday, July 6 at 7 p.m.
Portland Town Meeting with Bernie
Cross Insurance Arena
1 Civic Center Square
Portland, ME

RSVP https://go.berniesanders.com/page/event/detail/townmeetings/wrt7

Also posted in the Maine Group.

July 2, 2015

WBZ TV News Boston-- This morning's headline: Bernie Sanders Shows Himself to Be a Contender

That was at the top of show.

This is the first time I heard Sanders described in a way that does not convey that he is that somewhat eccentric guy from Vermont who is unlikely to do anything significant in this race or ever--so let's ask him what he thinks of each of Hillary's positions instead of asking him what his positions are.

The story, of course, was about the Madison event last night, with at least ten thousand in attendance. On a weeknight. In Scott Walker territory.

WBZ didn't give the story itself much more time than the headline, but there was zero condescension, slanting, damning with faint praise, etc.--with one exception: "some momentum"

Some? LOL!

July 2, 2015

Labor for Bernie (includes action items at the top)

Grass Roots Labor Initiatives -growing fast!

Please "sign" this letter: http://www.laborforbernie.org/#letter

Please visit this page: https://www.facebook.com/LaborForBernie


Story One

Over 1000 local union leaders and members back Bernie Sanders for President
Steve Early June 25, 2015

(sorry if this was posted already)


..........

Initiated by trade unionists who have worked closely with Senator Sanders for many years, the Labor for Bernie network includes elected officers, shop stewards, organizers, and rank-and-file members from all 50 states and 57 different labor organizations.

More than a third of these Sanders supporters belong to building trades' unions, (with 137 coming from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers alone). Other unions that showed significant membership support for Sanders’ presidential campaign include the Communications Workers of America, American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association, Service Employees International Union, International Union of Operating Engineers, United Auto Workers, and International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

his diverse group of labor activists signed an on-line statement embracing Sanders as the only declared candidate, in either major party, “who challenges the billionaires who are trying to steal our pensions, our jobs, our homes, and what's left of our democracy.” The entire list of union supporters may be viewed on the new Labor for Bernie website at www.laborforbernie.org.

With more endorsers signing up every day, the Labor for Bernie network is urging the AFL-CIO, its affiliated national unions, and major unaffiliated labor organizations (NEA, SEIU, and IBT) to sponsor candidate forums and debates, at the grassroots level, before making any presidential endorsement decision of their own.

more at: http://newpol.org/content/over-1000-local-union-leaders-and-members-back-bernie-sanders-president





Story Two, only a few days later

Bernie's Labor Backing Keeps Growing
June 29, 2015


........


In These Times reports that nearly 2,000 union members have signed the letter already. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reported on June 26 that 14 Iowa labor leaders were among them.

Mario Vasquez, the article’s author, also notes that AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said in late May that the organization had not yet endorsed a presidential candidate.

Labor for Bernie was not the only sign of growing labor support for Bernie’s candidacy. The Vermont NEA, which is that state’s largest union, endorsed Bernie’s candidacy on June 24. State NEA President Martha Allen said that “Bernie’s core values are in line with ours: he is pro-family, pro-worker, pro-education and pro-labor and we believe the time has come for his vision to become a national reality.”

“School teachers and educators are real American heroes,” Bernie said in response. “I am honored to have their backing.”

In addition, the executive board of the South Carolina AFL-CIO recently passed a resolution supporting Bernie’s candidacy.

https://berniesanders.com/news/bernies-labor-backing-keeps-growing/

July 1, 2015

Livestream info and other details about tonight's Madison WI event

https://go.berniesanders.com/page/event/detail/townmeetings/wrtj

July 1, 2015

*tiptoes in* Link to Traffic Report to tonight's Sander's event posted here per request.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/128018851

On my own initiative, I'm adding link to info about livestream and other details

https://go.berniesanders.com/page/event/detail/townmeetings/wrtj

*tiptoes out*