#we offer them no solutions only condemnation and ire

[petluck]

some of you "leftists" will see a dude suffering mentally and physically under capitalism and be like "mmm should've introspected harder or maybe tried not being born bad and irredeemable" and call that praxis

[disillusioned41]

Not waiting before such thinking takes firmer hold or begins to be put into action, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is speaking out forcefully against radical centrist pundits, so-called "Never-Trump Republicans," and corporate-friendly Democratic operatives trying to advance a post-election narrative that the Democratic Party's growing progressive base is a faction to be sidelined as opposed to one that should be embraced.

"I need my colleagues to understand that we are not the enemy. And that their base is not the enemy. That the Movement for Black Lives is not the enemy, that Medicare for All is not the enemy."—Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

As much of the nation—and the world—celebrated Joe Biden's historic defeat of President Donald Trump on Saturday, Ocasio-Cortez gave an interview to the New York Times in which she repudiated those in recent days who have tried to cast a new wave of progressive lawmakers—backed by an army of like-minded supporters and organizers—as somehow dangerous to the party.

Epitomized by a comment that made the rounds on social media Saturday by former Ohio governor John Kasich, a lifelong Republican, the thinking goes that progressives policy solutions (which, in fact, turn out to be highly popular with voters across the political spectrum)—such as Medicare for All, forgiving student loan debt, expanding Social Security, a massive federal increase to the minimum wage, a green energy transition and jobs program, demanding racial justice, and working to end mass incarceration—are toxic politically to Democrats.

"The Democrats have to make it clear to the far-left that they almost cost him this election," said Kasich, who endorsed Biden earlier this year and was given a speaking role at the party's convention this summer, during a CNN interview Saturday. The comments quickly drew ire among progressives, who have condemned the very idea that figures like Kasich should have any say whatsoever in the party's future projection.

"Yesterday," tweeted People for Bernie on Sunday morning in response to the comments, "we officially entered a new era of not listening to anything John Kasich says. The era will continue until further notice."

And Ocasio-Cortez was among those who rebuked the remarks online as she defended her fellow Squad member, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), from the insinuation that progressive House victories in key districts didn't play a large role—as observers have pointed out—in helping deliver the White House for Biden.

"John Kasich, who did not deliver Ohio to Dems, is saying folks like Omar, who did deliver Minnesota, are the problem," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted in direct response to his comments. "Please don't take these people seriously and go back to celebrating and building power."

Common Dreams reported Thursday how Omar in Minnesota—just like Rep. Rashida Tlaib in her Detroit, Michigan district—were "major factors" in helping Biden pull away from Trump in those key battleground states.

In her interview with the Times, published late Saturday night, the New York Democrat—who won her reelection with nearly 70% of the vote in her district—elaborated on that dynamic.

"If the party believes after 94 percent of Detroit went to Biden, after Black organizers just doubled and tripled turnout down in Georgia, after so many people organized Philadelphia, the signal from the Democratic Party is the John Kasichs won us this election?" said AOC. "I mean, I can't even describe how dangerous that is."

On Sunday, Ocasio-Cortez joined CNN's Jake Tapper to discuss the issues she raised in the Times interview and also emphasized the need for Democrats, as a party, to come together in unity:

Progressives like Mike Casca, former communications director for Bernie Sanders' 2020 campaign, applauded Ocasio-Cortez for both her critique and outspokenness.

"What I love most about this interview, and AOC," commented journalist Alice Speri on Saturday morning, "is that she says what she thinks, pulls no punches, and puts her name to it. Just imagine if journalists stopped allowing politicians to stay anonymous for no reason other than their lack of courage."

Tana Ganeva, a criminal justice reporter, said: "AOC is so fucking smart. I can't believe there was actually an effort to deem her 'not smart.' This is the smartest analysis I've read in months."

In the interview—in which she acknowledged that internally within the party "it's been extremely hostile to anything that even smells progressive" since she arrived in 2018—Ocasio-Cortez expressed frustration that the more left-leaning members of the caucus are now under attack for losses suffered by its more centrist members.

What the election results have shown thus far, she said, is "that progressive policies do not hurt candidates. Every single candidate that co-sponsored Medicare for All in a swing district kept their seat. We also know that co-sponsoring the Green New Deal was not a sinker."

Instead of blaming for progressives—something that ousted Florida Democrat, Rep. Donna Shalala, did on a caucus conference call after her defeat last week—Ocasio-Cortez said the party needs to have a much more serious look at what led to those failures.

As she told the Times: "If I lost my election, and I went out and I said: "This is moderates' fault. This is because you didn't let us have a floor vote on Medicare for all. And they opened the hood on my campaign, and they found that I only spent $5,000 on TV ads the week before the election? They would laugh. And that's what they look like right now trying to blame the Movement for Black Lives for their loss."

Ocasio-Cortez said the party must begin to examine some of its entrenched belief systems—as well as internal power structures—so it can have a more honest assessment of where shortcomings exist and how to better prepare for the future:

There's a lot of magical thinking in Washington, that this is just about special people that kind of come down from on high. Year after year, we decline the idea that they did work and ran sophisticated operations in favor of the idea that they are magical, special people. I need people to take these goggles off and realize how we can do things better.  If you are the D.C.C.C., and you're hemorrhaging incumbent candidates to progressive insurgents, you would think that you may want to use some of those firms. But instead, we banned them.

So the D.C.C.C. banned every single firm that is the best in the country at digital organizing.

The leadership and elements of the party—frankly, people in some of the most important decision-making positions in the party—are becoming so blinded to this anti-activist sentiment that they are blinding themselves to the very assets that they offer.

Ocasio-Cortez further explained that while she and others have tried to get other members to modernize their campaign operations, those offers have persistently been rebuffed.

"I've been begging the party to let me help them for two years," she said. "That's also the damn thing of it. I've been trying to help. Before the election, I offered to help every single swing district Democrat with their operation. And every single one of them, but five, refused my help. And all five of the vulnerable or swing district people that I helped secured victory or are on a path to secure victory. And every single one that rejected my help is losing. And now they’re blaming us for their loss."

"So I need my colleagues to understand that we are not the enemy," she continued. "And that their base is not the enemy. That the Movement for Black Lives is not the enemy, that Medicare for All is not the enemy. This isn't even just about winning an argument. It's that if they keep going after the wrong thing, I mean, they're just setting up their own obsolescence."

And what if the Biden administration takes the lead of people like Kasich—of whom there is much chatter that he could serve in the next cabinet—and proves itself hostile to its progressive base?

"Well, I'd be bummed, because we’re going to lose. And that's just what it is," responded Ocasio-Cortez, who elsewhere said it is her simple belief that "people really want the Democratic Party to fight for them" and that it's the party's responsibility to show that not in words, but in deed.

"It's really hard for us to turn out nonvoters when they feel like nothing changes for them," she warned. "When they feel like people don't see them, or even acknowledge their turnout."

[wzly]

So, Rock Isn’t Dead After All: Sam Fender’s Hypersonic Missiles

By Isabel Pless 

Whether planned or just by dumb luck (perhaps a mixture of both), Sam Fender’s Hypersonic Missiles hit the music industry with perfect timing, and with great gusto. Amid political turmoil in the UK, an impeachment process in the US tinged with collusion and international interference, as well as general societal discord just about everywhere, a multitude of topics have fallen into the spotlight, simply awaiting discussion. Fender saw his opportunity for commentary, took it, and hit the ground running. Fender is a true newcomer, only 25 years old and from North Shields, England, he writes and sings only as an observer speaking to other observers, yet his remarks feel overwhelmingly astute for a bystander. The album-- Fender wrote all 13 tracks solo-- not only comments on highly contentious political and social issues permeating the world today, but also includes odes to the everyday young person, and does all of this with heavy electric guitar, booming drums, and rough, soaring vocals. The album is reminiscent of past rock albums; Fender clearly draws much inspiration from Bruce Springsteen-- ah, how they both love a good saxophone solo. Still, Hypersonic Missiles maintains its individuality with its undeniable relevance and keeps its integrity by breaking rank with classic rock by experimenting with more current sounds and techniques.

The title track, “Hypersonic Missiles”, fittingly references the deadly weapons that can travel at speeds of at least 1,150 MPH and which are nearly impossible to shoot down with modern defense systems. The perspective of the song presents itself as simultaneously pessimistically aware, and yet also hopeful. The first verse addresses complacency with the possibility of war (“I am so blissfully unaware of everything, kids in Gaza are bombed, and I’m just out of it, the tensions of the world are rising higher, we’re probably due another war with all this ire”) and yet the second verse and chorus move into a more hopeful place, professing love in a time of crisis (“But I believe in what I’m feeling, and I’m falling for you, this world is going to end, but until then, I’ll give you everything I have” and “when the bombs drop darling can you say that you’ve lived your life? Oh, this is a high time for hypersonic missiles”). With the relatively simple verses-- Fender’s consistent strumming on his electric guitar and the thudding drums in the background-- the high energy choruses, and the explosive instrumental after the second verse, the song builds up to introducing some political and social themes which Hypersonic Missiles explores in more depth with other tracks.

As the name would suggest, “White Privilege” takes some punches at the current social state of affairs. The lyrics move from one topic to the next with lightning speed, and Fender puts a strong emphasis on his words (a personal favorite of mine from this track: “Everybody’s offended, the joke that just keeps on giving, I’m not entirely sure the nitpicking can count as progression, I’m chewing popcorn, sitting in the back row, watching while the whole damn thing implodes”), as the track only uses electric guitar to back up the heavily layered vocals and Fender uses a tight rhyme scheme for the first half of the song. Admittedly, the song title sounds cliche and obtrusive, almost too on the nose to be accurate, yet the surprisingly fast pace at which the lyrics flow allows Fender to cover so much ground that by the time the song ends, the track feels rounded and whole. Interestingly, while Fender takes a clear stance, aggressively condemning the subject matter-- the lyrics have a sarcastic tinge to them-- there is no call to action; Fender crafts his point of view and presents it as his observation and interpretation of the truth.

While “White Privilege” tackles social issues, “Play God” speaks to the paranoia and fear surrounding people in positions of power, specifically those in a government office. The track is delivered in a minor key and along with the muted and distinctive electric guitar strumming pattern backing Fender’s vocals, the song carries a tense sense of suspicion and neuroticism throughout its entirety. The lyrics are intense and direct, highlighting scenarios and conspiracies with careful repetition--especially with the litany of the hook (“he will play God”). The verses address current events as well as the overwhelming and shared feeling of accumulating dread, building up to the bridge which explodes in the fearful realization (“Am I mistaken? Or are we breaking under weight from the long time that he played God”). The repetition and minor key mimic the underlying fear and tension, all while using careful analogies to address the question: how much is too much power?

As Fender moves away from impending doom and power struggles, he turns inward, describing a childhood friendship gone awry in “The Borders”. The sound doesn’t match the words-- the bright guitar, the fast tempo, the crash of the drums layered underneath a story of diverging paths-- but the juxtaposition evokes a sense of melancholy, personifying the overwhelming nostalgia of an old and familiar relationship which ultimately fell to pieces. Similar to “Hypersonic Missiles”, “The Borders” seems to emulate Springsteen with its rock characteristics, yet there’s a modern quality to the song that separates it from classic 80s rock. The bright filter over the guitar and the enormous, almost white-noise-like, sound amalgamation at the end of the track diversify the song from its rock counterparts, as the ending seems to take over the song and bring it to a crashing halt.

“Dead Boys”, perhaps the deepest song on the album lyrically, attempts to describe the utter whirlpool of confusion and grief surrounding suicide. Fender wrote the song after losing one of his good friends to suicide, and the track certainly plays like an ode to lives lost, but also feels like a manifesto. “Dead Boys” calls attention to the astounding number of male suicides that seem to permeate every community and addresses the expectation that men shouldn’t talk about their mental health. With the repetition of the song’s chorus and the constant quick strumming of the guitar-- almost like a fast heartbeat-- Fender makes his message astoundingly clear and pushes for much-needed change even without a set solution in sight.

In its totality, Hypersonic Missiles feels complete. Not every song appears as a stand out, and yet as a whole, the tracks sonically and lyrically fit together like a puzzle. Fender presents his take on several political and societal issues through his music, and his voice comes through loud and clear. He simply offers a narration and lends his voice to younger generations who are observing the world carefully, and then calculating a response. In recent years, the industry hasn’t seen much rock, and there’s been chatter that perhaps the genre is dying out; however, as a newcomer, Sam Fender poses a revival to rock, and to the music industry in general: he’s a force to be reckoned with.

[atrayo]

Jewels of Truth Statements and Favorite Quotes of the Month

Hello All, This segment I've missed in the last couple of months as many of you now realize my posting schedule has taken a hit with consistency. Being a caregiver to my mother experiencing dementia is no walk in the park and wears one down with emotional exhaustion. Although I have plenty of time it is Will Power I am struggling with at present. However, beyond this gloom, I have all of you and my faith in God with the Angels. My calling as a simple herald doing clairvoyant automatic writing now for 22 years time. With predominantly inclusive universal compassionate wisdom and my other love of channeling futuristic solutions based conceptual designs. As inventions and business models mostly for generating goodwill through commerce. The past few entries in this segment I've introduced my very recent channeled material versus my older never published content of angelic wisdom. Today's trio of "Jewels of Truth" statements are on the topics of Heaven on Earth, Covenants, and 72 Virgins. The latter two get dicey in tone the not so uplifting but more like a reprimand for those who mistreat a faith as deceivers and wrongdoers. The Angels I channel do not mince words for the Abrahamic Family of Faiths. So without a further adieu may you find them intriguing as well as reflective of your spiritual tradition whatever it may be in blessed origin. Heaven on Earth: 2542) Each time we declare Heaven on Earth a pause of eternity occurs. A remembrance of greatness overcomes the faithful to remain silent in the Face of God the Creator Almighty beaming upon them. Since Heaven on Earth isn't a place at all but the embraced experience of God's Perfection upon the Earth. The sublime elegantly expressed in so many words called to enter into the Supreme Union of Grace with those loving God deepest with compassion for all. Here we find ourselves in the stillness between breaths always allowing for wonder to take hold of us magically. What was once forbidden soon becomes engaged by consent to overtake the world for all but a silent few present eternally in the moment. Such moments pause time which stirs eternity into sheer brilliant stillness. Much like a time machine causing a rift into deep space where all moments of the eternal "Now" freeze up. A stasis field of immense perfected Glory erupts out in praise to God Almighty! These are the hallmarks of Heaven on Earth in the beginning of such a miraculous event. Angelic Heralds of great renown carry the Word of God with revelations for all its recipients on Earth. A throng of Angels almost Immediately like an entourage soon follow to represent the totality of Heaven. In its beautiful array like a groom and bride on their beloved wedding day. Here we stand on the firmament of the Earth in awe of such a display before our simple hearts and minds. And yet our faith has understood all along that the Glory of God behaves greatly without restrictions. However, to witness it in such personal grandeur allows for deep reflection in time to be had. Where one reality of purity overtakes another of a mundane nature in nanoseconds is all we need in holy truth. To sweep away the tragedies of the world like if it were mere dust bunnies in cleansing a home. Such simplicity and immense power are available to all who are righteous by faith in the Lord God. In our thanksgiving to the Creator, we unleash potential miracles to be felt instantly. Until one day we become a verifiable miracle ourselves as Heaven on Earth. Amen.   ---Ivan Pozo-Illas / Atrayo. Covenants:

2544) Alas there must come a delicate understanding that the faithful of Islam must not be toyed with by charlatans! Jihadists have sullied their spirits by spilling the blood not of infidels but of their brothers and sisters as Children of God. Their spirits once tame have become tormented by filth using deception to the point of mangling the Holy Quran against grace. Slaughtering the innocent for the power of the world they shall lose both the world and their very souls in this mired transaction. A great vile evil sacrifice that reveals not the truth but a warped demonic nature yet again upon the world. Lip service shall condemn thee, dear brothers and sisters, as once zealots now belittled and dismissed as charlatans instead. You have sacrificed the Word of Allah and have become undone by consequence of your combined actions. Anywho shall thwart the Perfect Will of God by their lust for dominion over the Earth will be consumed like the ashes of the hellish pits. None is untouchable lest they believe they can atone by fierce combat alone only to devolve into not just animals but daemons reborn. Lo the patience of the Lord God may be Great and Life-Affirming but it must be respected! Your moment under the sun as Jihadists as the heretics of Islam will come to an end shortly. You will be usurped and caught up by the fierce great wind of the Arch Angel Michael plunging his spear into your resolve to fight. All who remain will be turned into table scraps for the dogs of hell to be consumed like chickens. Your promises have failed you for you have defiled the divinity of the Will of God and replaced it with the rotting Will of Mankind instead. Turn away from the shame you have wrought and inflicted upon the world! Destroyers of the Faith of Islam for the Great Prophet Mohammad is enraged at your reckless perversion he fought to heal and vindicate so long ago! Now to the Children of Judea all the Patriarchs as our forefathers are beside themselves in heartache. For the nation is prospered indeed however at the cost of its borders creating enemies from governing like imbeciles. To dash the hope of fellow Semites for Freedom and Dignity leaves you perpetually their prisoner by happenstance. Yield from fear to the point of victimizing the Arabs. For the Great Land of Israel does not cower behind walls for Jericho will come once more. Lastly, to the children of children of the beloved Prophet and Savior for countless more of Jesus the Christ. As he lay on the Cross at Calvary only by the Mercy of God's Immaculate nature was his prayer of forgiveness was granted to all regardless of faith in the world. In the good name of your Shepard in Heaven that Christ in you be preserved for all time. Do not use the Will of God as a doctrine of exceptionalism only to badger the innocent and the foreigner into submission. You are no better as the heathen that has forsaken their calling only to turn around and spit in the Face of God. The winds of change shall take your mantle and deliver it to another sovereign as better suitors indeed. The fields of plenty will dry up and leave many with empty bellies until the rulers cover not their asses but save the dignity of the commoner instead. The covenants of the Abrahamic Family of Faiths isn't Immune from pestilence. For they have sowed the seeds of misery versus sowing the best God has offered them abundantly. Take note the religions to take their place in the world repeat not their folly for their time is nigh as yours will be upon another dozen epochs of humanity. Amen.   ---Ivan Pozo-Illas / Atrayo. 72 Virgins:

2545) To come so far in a remarkable faith only to be set aback by self-serving deceivers is an injustice upon the innocent. For those in Islam that profess one thing with their lips and yet do the direct opposite with their actions. Reveals not the Glory of God but the hypocrites of men instead. When the inducement of the 72 Virgins perverts the course of young men and woman of Islam by the devils of Jihad. The faith is raped by the wrongdoing of a few in the Name of Allah the Greatest. None shall be the wiser so they think but God's patience is sublime but it isn't stupid! To deceive the young with lust reveals your hatred for the world instead. Your pain comes from power struggles from within the faith making an enemy of your brother's brother from across the globe. It is by far easier to slaughter one's kinfolk than the foreigner thousands of miles away. So you have also slaughtered the innocent not by accident but on purpose and the faithful of Islam as well for small gains in power indeed. All Jihadists that say they speak the Will of God but yet trample it under their feet have lied to each other in the guise of conquerors. Your destruction shall be your inheritance upon the afterlife there will not be a fanfare of your arrival much less with 72 Angelic Virgins. The 72 Virgins is that of a retinue as a choir of Angels that teach, heal, and nurture each soul further still into Paradise as attendants. To be seated at the right hand of God as Holy Ghosts upon the endless feast of the Immaculate Graces of God Almighty Forever! There was never any sort of orgy as lustful desires of eroticism as hedonistic practices to be found. That is a deception as bold-faced liars to seduce the young so as to sacrifice their destiny by the fates of reincarnated criminals. These tricksters are the daemons of old reborn with fresh faces acting as Jihadists of ill repute. To circumvent the Glory of God through the Covenant of Islam anointed by Mohammad Peace Is Upon Him by the Grace of Allah. These charlatans are undoing the ages past of prosperity of this faith in mere decades. Feeble as it may be the efforts of Jihadists have awoken the ire of God upon the Earth and Judgment will be swift as to their punishment. The rest of humanity as the Earth will heal and restore their dignity by the enlightenment of God in a generations time henceforth. A Golden Era of Peace and Prosperity will be cultivated in the fields of plenty once more. Hallejuhah! ---Ivan Pozo-Illas / Atrayo. =======================================

Patience is not just the ability to wait, It's how we behave while we're waiting. ---Joyce Meyer.

Success is the ability to go from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm. ---Winston Churchill.

Love is not a feeling; it is a great power an intelligence to which we are all heir and have been forever called. ---Anne Hillman. Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier. ---U.S. General Colin Powell. The mystic is not a special human being, every human being is a special kind of mystic.  ---Brother David Steindl-Rast. We lose touch with our wingspan when we hunch. ---Dr. Martin Shaw. In a world that lives like a fist, mercy is no more than walking with your hands open. ---Mark Nepo. Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.  ---John Wooden. Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. ---Proverbs 16:3 The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don't wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope. ---Barack Obama U.S. President. You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith, and hope.  ---Thomas Merton. A harmonized mind produces harmony in this world of seeming discord. ---Paramahansa Yogananda. I swear I will not dishonour my soul with hatred, but offer myself humbly as a guardian of nature, as a healer of misery, as a messenger of wonder, as an architect of peace. ---Diane Ackerman.

Ivan "Atrayo" Pozo-Illas, has devoted 22 years of his life to the pursuit of clairvoyant automatic writing channeling the Angelic host. Ivan is the author of the spiritual wisdom series of "Jewels of Truth" consisting of 3 volumes published to date. He also channels inspired conceptual designs that are multifaceted for the next society to come that are solutions based as a form of dharmic service. Numerous examples of his work are available at "Atrayo's Oracle" blog site of 12 years plus online. Your welcome to visit his website "Jewelsoftruth.us" for further information or to contact Atrayo directly.