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OpEdNews Op Eds    H3'ed 6/28/15

Bernie Needs To Speak Truth To Power (and try to stay alive)

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There is a bit of confusion on my part when I see all the Bernie Sander memes on Facebook. Every time I see one of his statements I think he took them right out of the articles I've written over the last ten years. The things he says are great and I know that many people have been waiting for a person inside the system to finally speak out on the major problems we face in this nation.

What troubles me is that most of what he says has to do with economics and the distribution of wealth in this nation. I know that he pulls many heartstrings when he brings up the fact that the top 10% own something like 90% of the wealth in this nation. I have been writing about the distribution of wealth for many years. If you are so inclined, you may go to my articles on OP Ed News and see that I brought this up may times. I also brought up the fact that our jobs have been outsourced to other nations that provide corporation with cheap labor.

One thing I was obsessed with was campaign finance reform. I almost cut my throat when Citizens United was allowed to participate in financing political campaigns because corporations have the same rights as people. I believe that decision absolutely destroyed our so-called democracy. I also observed the Democrats that stood by and let that happen. What that showed me was how corrupt and devious our elected officials are. I stand with Bernie on this issue on overturning Citizens United.

Still, with all the great things Senator Sanders says about how the Middle Class is getting screwed by the corporate state, there are a few things that he doesn't talk about. If he reads this article, or anyone on his campaign staff reads this, there are a few questions Sanders needs to address before I join the I Love Bernie Crowd.

The people o this nation must realize how much of our Bill of Rights has been erased and how that affects everyone in this nation. The first thing I want to bring up is the NDAA. That article had 41,292 views on Op Ed alone. The thing about that provision is that it does this:

If you have not yet woken up to the reality of this looming police state we've been morphing into, the police state that so many have warning about, I sincerely hope that most of you realize that we are fast running out of time. Once this becomes law, you will be living in a different kind of America, one that no longer guarantees certain inalienable rights. Americans will have no rights whatsoever in America -- no due process, no First Amendment speech rights, no right to remain silent or to be tried by a jury of your peers. You will only have the right to a military tribunal with a military judge and a military lawyer. In other words, Americans will be afforded the same rights as an enemy combatant in the "battlefield" of America.

That is from the article I wrote. Let me clarify this. If the government claims that you are a terrorist or you are associated with a group they have labeled a "Terrorist" organization, you can be apprehended by the military and be held indefinitely or until the end of hostilities. Of course "The War on Terror" will never end because it is an excuse to go rampaging across the planet killing anyone the perceive as a threat. Because of this provision, the United States "Homeland "is included in the Global War on Terror, and like the War on Drugs, it will never end.

Why is this not mentioned by Senator Sanders? There is another problem he sidesteps. That problem has been known and talked about but when Edward Snowden actually revealed how extensive the surveillance state actually is, Americans were astonished and they complained about it. Complained about it. The government reads and stores all your online correspondence, logs all your telephone calls and the American people complained about it. Please, give me a break. This isn't the America that I was taught about. This is something else.

I want Senator Sanders to stand up for our certain inalienable rights that this government did away with. You see, I'm one of those people that doesn't say that "I have nothing to hide". That is one of the most inane things that I have ever heard. They monitor your keystrokes and amass data on everyone. Just imagine someone looking at porn on the internet. What about surfing the web and accidently visiting a militant Islamic site? That grounds for them to put a label on you.

Sanders means well but he doesn't seem to understand that this isn't the America he thinks it is. I believe he is actually afraid to bring these things up.

I also believe that if he did, he would be assassinated by a "Lone Wolf" that came out of nowhere. Looking at our corrupt Congress, the only voice of reason that I've heard is Alan Grayson. They did a number on him when he spoke out. We learned though various sources that he was involved in some criminal enterprise. We don't hear much from him anymore.

I understand that there are certain things that would stir up a hornets' nest if he started talking about them. If he can't do it then I will. Frankly I'm ashamed of America. I am ashamed of the way they spy on people. I'm ashamed of the way cops kill people at will. I am ashamed of the way they bombed Libya back to the stone age. I am ashamed of the coup they pulled off in Ukraine. I am ashamed of the way they vilify Russia and President Putin who in my estimation is one of the greatest statesman in the World today. I am ashamed of the way they shut down the Occupy movement, I am ashamed of the way they send drones out all over the planet to eliminate their "enemies". I can go on and on, but it would turn into a book.

Understand that I served 20 years and four months in the United States Army. How I came to be the person I am now took time and many hours of reading and research. I'm comfortably retired and I really shouldn't have any dog in this fight. Still, it really irks me when I see the government trample on the Constitution. The thing that bother me the most is how accepting the American people are. They don't seem to care that their jobs have been outsourced and their government records their e-mails and that they can search your house without a warrant, even if you are not at home and they never tell you about it.

These are my concerns and I know that it would be dangerous if Senator Sanders started a dialogue about these things. The more I hear from Chris Hedges, the more I agree with him. This country needs to change. It won't happen through the political process because our political system is corrupted. The change must come from the people. That's us. We are so far along the "slippery slope" that we may never right this nation. When you realize the bottom 80% of our citizen's only have 8% of the wealth in this country, and our politicians are bought by corporations, it's time to do something about it.

Sadly, we won't. Americans go along to get along. Bernie isn't going to save us, they won't let him. Now you know how Germany became what it was. We are repeating their mistake.

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Tim Gatto is Ret. US Army and has been writing against the Duopoly for the last decade. He has two books on Amazon, Kimchee Days or Stoned Colds Warriors and Complicity to Contempt.

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