Zorro
Zorro's JournalBernie is for superdelegates, after he was against them
Wasn’t one of Bernie Sanders’ virtues his rock-solid unwavering consistency on everything? Ummm...
Before:
“If I win a state with 70 percent of the vote, you know what? I think I am entitled to those superdelegates,” Mr. Sanders said. “I think the superdelegates should reflect what the people of the state want, and that’s true for Hillary Clinton as well.”
After:
[Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver:] We can argue about the merits of having superdelegates, but we do have them. And if their role is just to rubber-stamp the pledged delegate count, then they really aren’t needed, right? So they’re supposed to exercise independent judgment about who they think can lead the party forward to victory.
And of course, this came after months and months of attacking the superdelegates as undemocratic tools of the establishment. And you know what? I agreed with that shit, just like I agreed with it when I made those same arguments in 2008.
http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/5/20/1528941/-Bernie-is-for-superdelegates-after-he-was-against-them
Sanders’s scorched-earth campaign is a gift to Trump
Bernie Sanders is playing a dangerous game. If he and his campaign continue their scorched-earth attacks against the Democratic Party, they will succeed in only one thing: electing Donald Trump as president.
I say this as someone who shares much of Sanders’s political philosophy; I, too, for example, see health care as a basic right. He has run a remarkable and historically significant campaign, pulling the party to the left and pumping it full of new progressive vigor. His crowds are almost as big as Trump’s and perhaps even more enthusiastic. Most important, he has brought legions of young people into the political process.
But he hasn’t won the nomination.
Hillary Clinton has an insurmountable lead in pledged delegates, earned by her performance in primaries and caucuses. In the aggregate, she leads Sanders by about 3 million votes. The will of the party is clear: More Democrats prefer Clinton over Sanders as their nominee.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/sanderss-scorched-earth-campaign-is-a-gift-to-trump/2016/05/19/b2f582b4-1ded-11e6-9c81-4be1c14fb8c8_story.html
The problem isn't Bernie Sanders' supporters. It's Bernie Sanders himself
Shit got all crazy in Nevada. Some people threw chairs (or maybe they just waved them in the air), others sent threatening misogynistic and terroristic voicemails and texts to the head of the Nevada Democratic Party.
Here’s the thing. Even though these were supporters of Bernie Sanders, I don’t consider them in any way representative of Bernie Sanders’ supporters. Politics is full of cranks. I used to do a Sunday feature of all the hate email I got until Twitter made that obsolete. Now I get them on Twitter. All sorts of hateful messages. The Secret Service is tasked in large part with following up with people making threats against the president. This is politics and people get mad and do really stupid shit.
I don’t think that has anything to do with “Bernie Sanders’ supporters.” They are a problem, but they aren’t the problem. Make sense?
The problem is Bernie Sanders himself, who as a leader refuses to forcefully and unambiguously reject that violence, instead rationalizing and explaining it away with a mix of grievances and outright conspiracy theory. The same guy who once said, “Mr. Trump should take responsibility for addressing his supporters’ violent actions,” now can’t be bothered to do the same when it’s a few rotten apples in his crowd acting insane.
http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/5/20/1528657/-The-problem-isn-t-Bernie-Sanders-supporters-It-s-Bernie-Sanders-himself
Uruguay's Mujica: Venezuela's Maduro is 'crazy as a goat'
Former Uruguayan President Jose Mujica says embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is "crazy as a goat."
Mujica, a leftist who governed in 2010-2015, made the comment Wednesday during a news conference when asked about a dispute between Maduro and Luis Almargo, the Uruguayan who heads the Organization of American States.
Almargo has called Maduro "a traitor." Venezuela's socialist president has in turn accused Almagro of being a CIA agent and a traitor himself.
"I have great respect for (Maduro), I do. But that does not mean I can't say he's crazy, crazy as a goat," said Mujica, whose cantankerous personality, homespun oratory and simple ways have made him wildly popular abroad.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/uruguays-mujica-venezuelas-maduro-crazy-goat-182520041.html
Never knew goats were considered crazy. I've heard "crazy as a shithouse mouse", but guess that doesn't translate as well.
Venezuela president ready to escalate state of emergency
Source: AFP
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Wednesday he was prepared to escalate a state of emergency imposed this week after opposition-led protests in the capital and other cities.
Maduro told supporters he would give the order -- which implies suspending laws and rights to maintain public order -- if "violent" anti-government acts occurred.
In that event, "I will not hesitate if necessary to make such a decree to fight for the peace and security of this country," he said.
The declaration came after an anti-Maduro demonstration of around 1,000 people in the center of Caracas that was prevented from marching on to an electoral headquarters by riot police firing tear gas.
Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/venezuela-president-ready-escalate-state-emergency-222234138.html
Venezuela’s Downward Spiral
As the effort to oust President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela by referendum gains support, his government is ratcheting up repression. On Friday, Mr. Maduro declared a 60-day state of emergency, saying it was necessary to quash what he described as a “coup” and confront “all the international and national threats our nation is facing.”
The threats Venezuelans face today are not the result of foreign or domestic conspiracies, but Mr. Maduro’s disastrous leadership. On his watch, the country’s health care system has atrophied so severely that scores of Venezuelans are dying every week because of chronic shortages of medicine and ill-equipped hospitals.
Violence has soared as armed gangs loyal to the government roam the streets. During the first three months of this year, 4,696 people were murdered in Venezuela, according to the government, and in 2015 more than 17,700 were killed. The three-month death toll is higher than the 3,545 civilians killed last year in Afghanistan, a record number.
Shortages of food and basic goods are likely to worsen as Venezuela’s economy continues to contract this year. Political prisoners, meanwhile, have languished behind bars for years, victims of a corrupt and broken justice system.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/17/opinion/venezuelas-downward-spiral.html
GMO crops are safe, say scientists. Should they be labeled anyway?
Source: CS Monitor
Genetically-modified crops pose no greater risk to our health or the environment than natural crops, a comprehensive study from the national scientific academy found.
The 408-page report, released by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine on Tuesday, found no evidence that genetically-modified crops led to widespread health problems or that insect-resistant or herbicide-resistant crops have decreased plant or insect diversity. In some cases, it found the crops increased insect diversity.
The report comes as the debate over genetically-modified organisms (GMO) and their safety intensifies. Opinions are divided over GMOs' dangers and ethics and if they should be labeled. Cognizant of the contentious nature of the subject, the report's authors declined to provide an "authoritative" answer on genetically-modified crops.
"We made recommendations on our findings. Ultimately, however, decisions about how to govern new crops need to be made by societies," reads the report's preface. "There is an indisputable case for regulations to be informed by accurate scientific information, but history makes clear that solely 'scientific-based regulation' is rare and not necessarily desirable."
Read more: http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2016/0517/GMO-crops-are-safe-say-scientists.-Should-they-be-labeled-anyway-video
SDG&E's electric car push
San Diego Gas & Electric has launched a $52.5 million pilot program that within three years will install 3,500 charging stations at 350 locations and promises to include every community that SDG&E serves.
The "Power Your Drive" project is aimed at boosting electric vehicle ownership and comes with a $45 million price tag to install the stations that SDG&E will own and maintain.
There's also a $7.5 million education program that will include electric vehicle, or EV, test drives for the utility's customers, with an emphasis to include ratepayers in low-income areas.
"We want to make sure installations are available to everyone, not just the wealthy," SDG&E CEO Jeff Martin said at a Monday morning news conference.
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/may/16/sdge-charging-stations/
Very interesting development. SDG&E is building the supporting infrastructure to prepare for a future where electric cars are mainstream.
Obama slams Trump in speech: 'Ignorance is not a virtue'
Source: AFP
US President Barack Obama on Sunday criticized the populist campaign of Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump, decrying "anti-intellectualism" and noting that "ignorance is not a virtue."
Obama did not specifically name the brash New York real estate developer during his remarks at a university graduation ceremony in New Jersey, but it was clear he was referring to the candidate who is running on a slogan of "Make America Great Again!"
The Democrat told students not to pine for an American golden age of years past, saying, "The good old days were not all that good," as he pointed out problems with racial discrimination, poverty and lack of equality for women.
"The world is more interconnected than ever before and it is becoming more connected every day. Building walls won't change things," Obama said, an apparent jab at Trump's calls for a wall along the US-Mexico border to keep illegal immigrants out.
Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/obama-slams-trump-speech-ignorance-not-virtue-211732147.html
Brazil rebuffs Latin American leftists over Rousseff suspension
Source: Reuters
Brazil's interim government dismissed criticism by leftist countries in Latin America, including Venezuela, Cuba and Bolivia, over the impeachment process of Dilma Rousseff, who was suspended as president by the senate.
The leftist president of El Salvador on Saturday added to the regional pressure on Brazil, saying that he would not recognize the interim government and recalled his ambassador, claiming there had been "political manipulation" in Latin America's biggest country.
The bickering, not rare between leftist leaders and more conservative governments at a time when much of the region is moving to the right, comes as centrist Michel Temer, Rousseff's vice president, assumes Brazil's presidency and scrambles to pull the economy out of its worst recession since the 1930s.
Rousseff, after five months of impeachment proceedings, now faces a senate trial over irregularities in her government's budget. The trial could take up to 180 days and is expected to lead to her definitive ouster.
Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/brazil-rebuffs-latin-american-leftists-over-rousseff-suspension-204619445--business.html
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