Dustin Moskovitz, Compelled to Support Hillary Clinton, Makes Huge Donations

Bravo to Dustin Moskovitz, one of the co-founders of Facebook, for sticking his head above the parapet, donating $35 million to help Democrats in the 2016 general election, and showing the way for others in Silicon Valley. Those who follow his lead will prove how much they really care about American democracy. Moskovitz published Compelled To Act, on Medium, explaining his reasons. 

I understand why he had to think twice before doing this. Organizations like the NRA and people like the Koch brothers have used and still do use their power and wealth to lobby for the creation and cementing of policies that benefit the donor and hurt everybody else by keeping the inequality status quo in place and also damaging the environment. The Republican Party has enabled them. The result is that the core of the GOP has eroded away over time, leaving an empty space where true conviction once lay.

Inexorably that has left an environment where somebody like Donald Trump can flourish. So it's easy to say that money in politics is evil.  

But it's a false equivalence. The money isn't the problem; what people do with it, is. And not everybody who donates does so out of self-interest. And in any case, that's only half of the equation. The other half is what's done with the money.

Not every politician who accepts donations feels themselves obliged to accept a chain around their neck that can be yanked by the donor. The accusations that have been thrown at Hillary Clinton for belonging to Wall Street, primarily because she accepted sums of money she deserved for her bank speeches, are utterly unsubstantiated. Notably absent have been specific examples of how she has done their bidding—talking dates, people, policies. The same goes for the accusations against the Clinton Foundation for accepting money from regimes that are sustained on inequality and citizen abuse. Again, money is not the problem.

Republican donors' motives for plowing money into the political system have been about self interest and the corresponding behavior of GOP politicians has been to let themselves be yanked on a chain.

But there is a world of difference between that and Moskovitz's donation—and what will be done with the money. It will be used to further equality and protect the environment. 

And nobody can rationally accuse Moskovitz of self interest, because he is assisting, amongst others, the presidential candidate who wants to raise taxes for the wealthy. 

In his article, Moskovitz's assessment of Donald Trump as a con artist whose only interest in the presidency is to promote his brand is correct. Trump has always been a con-artist above all else, and that brand of humanity is very good at what they do. He's a self-congratulatory, over-enabled, out-of-control, narcissistic ego/megalo-maniac. The comparisons between him and Hitler aren't shallow. The consequences of him winning the election won't be either, not just for America but for the whole world. I think that in this time, sitting on the fence is an abdication of social responsibility. Not getting involved is a definitive choice tantamount to supporting Donald Trump.

Moskovitz has refused to give press interviews to date or reveal his future plans, but he's committed to Hillary Clinton winning. Have a look at his Twitter page.  

Connect with Hillary Clinton on Twitter @HillaryClinton  

Connect with me on Twitter @JenniferJS_

Conservative Political Nonentity Sarah Palin to Close CPAC Today

And CPAC, “the granddaddy of conservative conclaves, a multi-day, big-budget ideological extravaganza put on by and for the unabashedly conservative wing of the Republican Party” (The Daily Beast) draws to a close today. 

Speakers have ranged from has-been-but-wanna-be-again politicians like Sarah Palin to gun toting multimillionaire politicians who nobody likes like Mitch McConnell – yes, he really did bring a gun to the Conference. Rumor has it that he brought it because he’d been told there would be a shooting range at the Conference and he had been practising like crazy, hoping he could improve his popularity if only he could hit the bulls eye. 

As it happens there is a shooting range – courtesy of the NRA of course - but it’s virtual only. Just kidding about McConnell’s motive for bringing the gun. He actually bought it for a buddy. 

In today’s line-up there are non-politicians like Dr. Ben Carson, Professor Emeritus, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and there have been lunatics like Donald Trump. Trump, in an interview with The Washington Times (not to be confused with the Washington Post or the New York Times whose script it imitates), said when asked if he was a Tea Party member “I certainly seem to be in a sense. They like me, and I like them. And we have very much the same principles. When I speak to the Tea Party, they have the biggest crowd of anybody.” I almost feel sorry for the Tea Party. Their only celebrity is Donald Trump who gets crazier by the day. He really takes himself seriously though. I’m not so sure that CPAC did, however. Go to the page on their website that lists confirmed speakers. Donald is last. In a row all by himself. 

In today’s schedule speakers will make themselves available to meet and greet. Dr. Carson, who wrote It’s One Nation: What We Can All Do to Save America’s Future has a Special meet and greet. There’s one itty bitty little requirement: you have to have ordered or pre-ordered his book.  Hmm. As far as I can see from the CPAC programme, Dr. Carson is the only one to have a special meet and greet. And he’s not even a politician.  There are plenty of book signings and people who have written books meeting and greeting, though. Huh. Not a bad place to market your books. Not that that’s the purpose of the Conference. I don’t think so, anyway, but you never know with these Republicans. 

Chris Cox, Executive Director of NRA Institute for Legislative Action, speaks on “More Guns, Less Crime: How Law Enforcement is Beginning to Embrace a Well-Armed Civilian Population.” Well, that’s a relief. I'm trying to imagine cops armed to the teeth with assault rifles hugging civilians with pistols in their pockets and taped to their ankles, and one assault rifle in each hand. Oops. Did somebody's gun go off? Sorry my friend, my dear friend. I just shot you in the foot.

Dan Garza, Executive Director of LIBRE Initiative, has half an hour to elaborate on part 2 of  “Healthcare after ObamaCare: A Practical Guide for Living When No One Has Insurance and America Runs Out of Doctors.” I guess Garza prepared that talk back in 2010. Obviously hasn’t looked at the statistics lately. Poor sod doesn’t know that Obamacare popularity and functionality is on an upwardly mobile trajectory. 

For anybody worried about the environment, Alex Epstein, President & Founder of the Center for Industrial Policy, will reassure with a talk on his book Fossil Fuels Improve the Planet. 

As far as I can see there’s nobody talking about why women shouldn’t want equal pay, thank God. But the topic “Why Conservatism is Right for Women: How Conservatives Should Talk About Life, Prosperity & National Security” will be discussed by four women. That title looks like a bit of non sequitur to me, but who am I to say. Personally I don’t understand why any women vote Republican. Some kind of Pavlovian conditioning I guess. 

Ralph Hallow, Political Editor of the Washington Times (again, not to be confused with the Washington Post or the New York Times) will stimulate the serious politicos with “Clairvoyance and Hard Data: Electoral Trends for 2014, 2016 … and 2040.” Seriously?

There’s plenty of entertainment, most notable of which will be a screening of the movie Persecuted. Interestingly, if you go to CPAC’s website, there’s a rotating list of sponsors, in various groupings. Get to Associate Sponsors, though, and there’s only one. Koch Industries. Next to their logo is the logo for Persecuted. Subtle. Sinister. Frigging scary, actually. Oh, and did you know that Facebook was a sponsor? Yes, it really is. Along with organizations like the NRA, Koch Industries, and the series Amazing America with Sarah Palin. I knew there was a reason why I don’t like Facebook. 

The day, and the Conference, ends on a dramatic, politically earth shattering note with a 20 minute closing speech from The Honorable Sarah Palin who will be introduced by Chris Cox, who is, remember?, Executive Director of the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action. You go, girl. 

Well I’m sure it’s been fun. Whatever CPAC achieved, one thing it did illustrate perfectly. Nobody stood out, nobody shone, nobody said anything of particular importance. Some people said some pretty ridiculous things. For example, everything Donald Trump said. See The Daily Beast for some great satire on him. Then there was Paul Ryan who, earlier in the Conference reassured a crowd of adoring fans that the GOP isn’t falling apart; in fact the very opposite is true. All this “infighting” is nothing more than grand creativity expressing itself. Politico quotes Ryan as saying “What I see is a vibrant debate. We’re figuring out the best way to apply our principles to the challenges of the day. Sure, we have our disagreements, and yes, it can get a little passionate. I like to think of it as creative tension. For the most part, these disagreements have not been over principles or even policies. They’ve been over tactics. So I think we should give each other the benefit of the doubt.” 

I wonder what the moderate Republicans who want to get rid of the Tea Party extremists thought about that. And what are we to make of 26 competing candidates? As Dana Milbank of the Washington Post said in a great article on this topic, “When you have 26 conservative combatants, you don’t have war; you have mayhem.”

George Zimmerman Trial - a Horrifying Verdict

The acquittal of George Zimmerman by 6 jurors after 20 hours of deliberation is a horrifying indictment of a process that too often doesn't end in truth. How often does somebody get let off or convicted solely because they had the smarter attorneys?

We say that Justice is blind and in this case it was. There wasn't enough hard evidence for the jurors to be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Zimmerman had motive for killing Trayvon Martin, not even for a manslaughter charge. Partly that was because the police believed Zimmerman's story when he told them he shot Trayvon in self defense and they didn't arrest him. Nor did they check Trayvon's clothes for DNA.

But there was evidence that Zimmerman was hugely prejudiced and very self deluded and perfectly at ease with lying to the police, the world and himself. I guess the prosecution just didn't present it clearly enough. Or perhaps they didn't have a chance, with the odds so stacked against them.

But in many ways, the real criminal here is the law in Florida that enables a person to kill somebody else who is not even armed if they believe they're a threat. Or they say they believe it. In a comment on a New York Times article a Betsy Herring of Edmond OK had this to say:

"Our country is in real trouble, folks. First we let the guy go who has gunned down a kid, next we harass women and make them feel like second class citizens in Texas, then we ignore the fact that 26 little kids are dead from gunfire, also we worship at the feet of the NRA, we have a supreme court which hands down bad decisions one after another, we hate our black President and denigrate him more than any other President (even the worst last one). We are beginning to remind me of America 1968 - one of the worst years ever. We are not on the winning side of history here. We are lost, lost, lost."

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Mayors Against Illegal Guns

It’s easy to think of the ultra wealthy as megalomaniac thugs driven by greed; utterly unconcerned about the good of society as a whole. It even brings a measure of satisfaction, especially if you’re one of the have-nots. Generalizations rarely apply to any individual, though, because what’s seen as megalomania and greed can also be huge lust for life and ultra powerful creativity.

It just isn’t black and white. Many celebrities, whether they’re politicians, business tycoons or A-list actors, spread their wealth in philanthropic ways. Some of them, like Oprah and Bill Gates, advertize it, making much of the huge money they contribute to society. In reality, it’s chump change to them which diminishes the heroism a little, but at least they’re doing something. Other celebrities, like Matt Damon, just go about their philanthropic business, using their celebrity status to promote projects but not to boost their egos.

Some celebrities do it all and stay in the news because their philanthropy is really newsworthy. Like New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the 7th wealthiest man in the US, and founder of Bloomberg L.P., who took up the cause of gun control, not just in his own state but around the country.

He leads Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a bipartisan, national coalition of mayors which he co-founded in 2006 with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino. It started with 15 members and now has 1.4 million grassroots supporters and 950 mayors (Democrats, Republicans and Independents) from small towns and major cities in 45 states. The coalition’s campaign, originally focused on demanding a plan, has developed into its current initiative, Demand Action, that calls on Congress to legislate on requiring background checks for all gun sales, making gun trafficking a federal offense and limiting assault weapons and magazines.  

The NRA is fighting back as hard as it can against Mayor Bloomberg and the coalition. The Huffington Post reported CEO Wayne LaPierre saying the campaign is insane and based on a “dishonest premise” – namely that criminals will not submit to the background checks and that the system of tracking will be abused. Fine rationale, that. Might as well dispense with law and order altogether.

They’re tilting at windmills. A report released by the coalition in early March showed results from 21 statewide polls and 41 congressional district polls conducted among likely voters. An average of 86% in the former and 89% in the latter supported background checks on all gun sales.

That Mayor Bloomberg uses some of his money and power to actively promote gun control says a lot about him. He and his coalition are active everywhere, building support for federal regulations to reduce gun violence, employing lobbyists. The New York Times reported on Sunday that Bloomberg recently spent $13.3 million, which included $2.3 million on defeating candidates for an Illinois House seat who were against gun control.

$13.3 million sounds like a lot of money, but it isn’t to Bloomberg – in fact it’s only .05% of his worth. And it’s not as if that’s a static figure, as it would be if he’d just won the lottery. It’s being topped up every second of every day. Still, what he’s doing is truly impressive.

And let’s never forget that anybody who fights this openly for gun control does so knowing they’re putting their own life in danger. Two letters containing the deadly poison Ricin were sent to Bloomberg and the coalition. Another recently sent to the White House and suspected of being from the same source is reported to be under investigation. 

Looking at what Bloomberg and the coalition are doing it’s easy to segue into imagining what could be achieved if the top 10 wealthiest people in US and corporations like Google, Facebook and Apple joined forces on this. Especially if they went all out and committed billions instead of millions. It's hard to understand why they don’t. It’s in everybody’s interests to diminish the power of the NRA and gun manufacturers and create a stable society where people buy gadgets and products instead of guns. A child could understand that.

Public Domain Photos: Mayor Michael Bloomberg

President Obama Calls for an End to War and Closure of Guantanamo

How long is it since a US president openly promoted peace instead of war? War has become part of the American psyche, almost. The right wing political machine, with its super-powerful media, has long stirred up paranoia and terror so that false premises would be overlooked when used as justification for war.  

The military industrial complex has achieved its object, and Eisenhower’s prediction has come to pass. The whole world is drunk on war and America has heavily contributed to feeding the addiction.

But on Thursday President Obama, speaking at the National Defense University, said the terrorist threat no longer requires America to be at war. He acknowledged that torture has been used on prisoners, that Guantanamo flouts international law, and expressed regret that civilians have been killed by drones.  

“This war, like all wars, must end. That’s what history advises. It’s what our democracy demands.” He spoke rationally, as he always does, about how the terror threat has been reduced so that it is now where it was pre 9/11. There’s no more rationale for war.

President Obama has worked so solidly and tirelessly to restore America to a country that has a chance of surviving and flourishing again, and to one that the world can respect. He's been trashed from every direction and on trumped up, irrational charges. Everything he does is cast in an evil light. Right wing politicians and media prey on paranoia in the electorate. Dust storms of irrational fear and mindless hostility are stirred up.  

He’s come up against obstacle after obstacle in a Congress whose only aim is to destroy him in the eyes of the electorate and unseat him and the Democratic Party. And maintain the current status quo that is strangling the middle class. 

But he's never let it thrust him off course. He’s kept his head even though he’s been in the eye of the storm that’s been driven to a large degree, I suspect, by racism, for 5 years. It’s nothing short of heroic. 

That he speaks out now about the need to stop war in the face of the military industrial complex's power is incredible. It shows what a courageous man he is. When America stops creating wars on false premises for the aggrandizement of that shadowy group, and leads the way with policies that promote a healthy middle class it affects the whole world. World peace becomes a possibility not a dumb dream.  

All the money spent on war can be used for furthering the prosperity of the American middle class, helping the poor out of the gutter, renovating infrastructure that's falling apart all over the place. Creating a renaissance. Instead of a war machine that justifies maiming, torturing and killing foreigners and Americans and puts fortunes in the pockets of those who profit from manufacturing weapons of destruction.  

Imagine if Obama had everybody working with him? This country could truly be a shining light in the world. All that beautiful creativity and entitlement could be put to good use. If any country could change the world on its own, it’s America. 

That Obama has continued along his path to this point and with such clear and rational purpose, is the greatest inspiration in my life and I’m sure of the lives of many. Whether he achieves his objective this time isn’t what makes him a hero. It’s that he works towards it unfailingly despite obstacles. He teaches all of us in the world how not to give up. How not to let those who try to bring you down get the better of you. How not to give in to despair. 

In a lot of ways, he remains an unsung hero. He ought to get the next Nobel Peace Prize. I can’t think of anybody else in the world who deserves it more than he does. He doesn't only lead America, he leads the world. Not because the US is a super-power but because he's a great man.

An American President Who Doesn’t Support the Military Industrial Complex

Some months ago President Obama warned the Syrian government that if the US finds evidence of weapons of mass destruction being used on civilians, it would be a game changer. If G.W. Bush had said that it would have meant he was laying the groundwork for a war that had already been decided on.  He’d be in the process of manufacturing evidence if he couldn’t find it.

But Barack Obama is a different sort of man altogether and a very different sort of president. When reports (covered by nytimes.com) surfaced of evidence of the chemical sarin having been used by Assad and the Syrian government, he didn’t pounce into action. He said he needed conclusive evidence. 

The reports were based on tests taken from blood of wounded people and soil samples. Less than that was reason enough to invade Iraq, but Obama refused to act until there isn’t any doubt that sarin was used by the Syrian government. He was immediately accused of having no spine, of going back on his word, which is par for the course with any sane decision he makes. It’s extraordinary; an American president who’s prudent and reluctant to go to war. He’s a David to the Goliath military industrial complex and the politicians who are its puppets. They must be furious. 

Americans love to say "this is the greatest country on earth". In some ways it is, and I think President Obama is one of the greatest American presidents. But the US is also the biggest bully controlled for too long by the worst kind of people and it’s hard not to wonder how much impact any president can make on that. 

Take the CIA. nytimes.com recently reported that it has paid out tens of billions of dollars in cash – sometimes in plastic packets - to Afghanistan officials and politicians who have accepted the bribes and not delivered. Hardly intelligent work by the CIA. This organization is an insult to humanity and an international public menace with its bribery, assassinations, interference in foreign governments and covert operations all over the world. It 'somehow' didn't manage to stop 9/11 and look at the lovely war that ensued, on 100% false premises. 

The CIA is the working tool of the military industrial complex and it always has been since it was conceived of.  It’s gotten so glamorized by Hollywood that the horror of what it does kind of blends into the fantasy scenery.  It’s easy to forget that it’s run by individuals. Real human beings. 

Chalmers Johnson Ph D, Professor Emeritus UCSD and author had this to say of Bush, the CIA and extraordinary renditions: “There’s nothing in the US Constitution that says a president gets to commit felonies, but immediately after 9/11 GW was ordering CIA to engage in this odd euphemism they use to describe the kidnapping of people anywhere and secretly flying them to countries like Syria or Egypt where they certainly will be tortured.  

"We’ve had numerous CIA officials, high ranking officials saying ‘If you want a good interrogation you send them to Jordan. If you want them to disappear you send them to Egypt.’ It violates international law prohibiting torture. But the US has engaged in it.”

This is what happens with superpowers. There's no good reason on earth why one country should dominate another and it can't be done on a giant scale without giant scale corruption and murderous interference. The American way of life. All wrapped up in a pretty package. Disintegrating at the core as all superpowers eventually do.

It seems like the wrong place and the wrong time for a man of Barack Obama’s stature. He’s clearly far more intent on rebuilding America and forging world peace than promoting giant corporate interest and the military industrial complex. Eisenhower’s warning in his 1961 farewell address probably sounded theatrical to most Americans who didn’t have a clue about what was happening behind the scenes. So his warning fell on deaf ears. At least one American president is paying attention.