INNER SIGNALS
Back in the late 70s, while listening to some Wayne Dyer audiocassettes, one line jumped out at me and has stayed with me ever since.
“People who operate from outer signals will never understand those people who operate from inner signals."
Especially now, with the 2016 presidential race well underway, the late Dr. Dyer’s words resonate in my daily consciousness with increasing frequency. The diehard, Democratic Party loyalists simply do not understand why a lifelong Democrat like myself would proudly share how I became a “Bernie or Bust” minded voter.
“Bernie or Bust,” or “Revolt Against Plutocracy,” is not an orchestrated mass rebel movement to obstruct anything or hurt anyone or to damage and divide the the DNC. It is an ethics-driven way of thinking and being that evolved organically out of individuals simultaneously acknowledging their organic integrity and/or critical thinking skills. Countless individuals, simply decided, one by one, on their own, “Enough is enough!” It is direct byproduct of being true to ones values.
The more I think about it, the more the Vote Blue (or else) mantra sounds like a programmed order dictated to a herd of subservient sheep from a cult leader (in the DNC’s case; Debbie Wasserman Schultz) to ignore our moral compass, to compromise our integrity so we can think like her. The DNC wants independent thinking types to toss aside their own unique, inner signals, progressive visions and squelch our impassioned concerns for issues that matter, in order to give way to the lobbyists (that line their pocketbooks) to continue to allow our nation being influenced by their corporate-dictated, guilt-trip programming. Selling out ones soul does not deliver any redeeming or noble benefits, it just intensifies the growing, collective dread that our country can never be great again. Or rather a country that works for everyone. George H.W. Bush issued the executive order in 1992 that essentially gave Monsanto carte blanche to adulterate our foods (incl., engineering the herbicide into kernels of corn) with their technology, solely to boost profits.
INTEGRITY IS NOT HIP
Integrity is not hip. If you do not believe me, imagine telling your co-workers you are serious when you say to them with candid conviction that even if someone were to offer you $137,000 cash, you still would not take even a single bite of a McDonald’s Big Mac. Tell them your values are not negotiable because your moral compass is a fully functioning one. Look into their eyes. Watch them troll you. The outer-directed masses are covertly envious of those rare few that operate organically from inner signals.
Here’s why: No one likes to be one-upped by someone else. Not in knowledge, or in athletic ability, or truth, or even dietary success. Especially not in integrity success or remaining true to the values that comprise our assemblage. Like Mark Twain said, “There's always something about your success that displeases even your best friends.”
[This also indirectly explains why guys that are almost always parsimonious with their cigarettes suddenly become very generous when someone shares with them that they are on their fourth day of being tobacco-free. People do not want to be one-upped in the willpower department. either.]
Last week I saw this comment from a fellow Bernie supporter on her Facebook status. This comment was her status response to the oft-repeated Vote Blue (no matter what) directive: “I will not be bullied into voting for a candidate I do not trust!”
To me, even that one line, as-is, albeit simple and succinct, is a valid enough reason for someone to choose to not cast a vote for Hillary. Trust is justifiably important in deciding which presidential candidate to vote for. Of course I cannot speak for others, as our concern for certain issues are usually in direct accordance with those issues that actually affect us or our families. Esp., issues that dramatically affect our lives and healthy best interests on a daily basis.
I have seen a lot of baseless criticism coming from both Hillary supporters and loyal old-timer Democrats that are unjustly directed at those of us that have publicly avowed our rationale why Hillary is simply not a viable option for us. The hashtag #BernieOrBust is upsetting to them. They cringe and rant whenever it surfaces. Yet when I ask these passion-based critics about issues that are of paramount importance to me and my family, they come across as both callous and clueless where Hillary Clinton stands. So why should I care about them?
WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COGNITIVE DISSONANCE
I ask these Hillary supporters:
“Do you actually know all that HR 1599 entails? Do you know where Hillary stands on this heated issue? I know for a fact exactly where Bernie stands.”
Most Hillary supporters are wholly uninformed on this potentially devastating issue that would affect American families far more than they could ever know or admit to. Cognitive dissonance clouds their reasoning. Why? Because this is not an issue bantered in their corporate newspaper or in televised debates. I think of the elderly ladies in my mother’s mid-80s peer group that are voting for Hillary solely because they want a woman president. Do they know the long-term ramifications that HR 1599 could wreak on their grandkids and great-grandkid’s future? Do they even care? Are they irrationally, blatantly, self-serving or just plain uninformed? Even asking politely to discuss what HR 1599 entails instills a case of cognitive dissonance in these folks. I look them square in the eyes and I tell them:
“The bedfellow of my enemy does not have my back.”
Eight years ago, give or take a month, I was an undecided voter. Like many, I too believed it was time for a woman president. I was aware of the polls but polls do not affect my actions. In fact, I would later discover, it was more the other way around.
Going into the second week of February 2008, Hillary was five points ahead of Obama. One week later, Hillary was down fourteen points. What happened between Feb. 7, 2008 and Feb 13, 2008?
An open letter to Hillary was published on February 10, 2008. The most-eye-opening letter I had ever read up to that point. It shook me. It woke me up. After discovering for myself that the concerns presented in the letter were indeed warranted, any possible support that I might have generated for Hillary dissipated in a flash of disparaging information. I never said a positive word about Hillary Clinton again. No cognitive dissonance for me. Linn Cohen-Cole became my instant hero. Being an ENFP, I shared the letter with everyone I knew.
The letter is still online, here is the link, for those that want to read it:
An Open Letter to Hillary Clinton from Another Wellesley Alumna
I loved her opening line. Her candor grabbed me from the get-go:
“By polling logic, I should be your supporter - Democrat, woman, white, liberal.”
While this letter served as a huge wake-up call for me to learn about Hillary, it would not have affected me the way it did if I had not already previously known about some of the atrocities of Monsanto’s actions. My Monsanto wake-up call came about years earlier when I learned of something that happened over a dozen years ago. A segment from from the movie, “the Corporation,” from 2003 instantly turned me into an accidental activist.
The segment told of the oft-posted story about Monsanto threatening a Fox News affiliate in Florida. The news story, despite being fact-checked, never aired because of threats from Monsanto’s legal team. See: Monsanto and Cancer Milk
For some folks, loathing Monsanto is not even really about their technology as much as it is how they do business. Like Marianne Williamson said a few years ago at a Southern California March Against Monsanto rally, as shown in this meme:
In July 2014, Marianne Williamson also wrote a sincere, respectful, open letter to Hillary that was published in the Huffington Post.
This letter circulated one month after Hillary spoke at a biotech conference in San Diego (where she was paid $335,000 from the Biotechnology Industry Organization) where she spoke to them about the perception of GMOs. She actually told the biotech attendees, “We need to create a new vocabulary” (continue duping the masses) which serves as proof she does not care about the 93% that want mandatory labeling.
THE BIOTECH SHILLS TRY TO MUTATE THE DISCUSSION ON CONSUMERS ‘RIGHT TO KNOW’
The "right to know" is not based solely on perceived food safety. For some, boycotting the industry is about politics. People boycott Monsanto for many reasons. For some, the fact they lied about Agent Orange (even though they paid 93 million to settle in the WV lawsuit) is enough of a reason. Or the 700 million dollar settlement in Alabama for PCB contamination, as reported by the NY Times. For some, it is because Monsanto spends millions corrupting our government, for others (like Linn Cohen-Cole brought to light) the the fact that they hired Bollywood factory to dupe farmers in India to buy seed that did not deliver is reprehensible.
If you have not seen the film, “Bitter Seeds,” at least see the trailer here:
Bitter Seeds Trailer
It is heartbreaking, seeing the lives of so many families that have been destroyed by Monsanto. They believed the lofty claims of Monsanto. The seeds did not deliver as promised.
If you want science, there are over 150 science and health organizations that all have their own reasons for GMO labeling Here is one:
“The application of genetic engineering biotechnology, in particular the release overseas into the environment of genetically engineered organisms, has proven at best uncertain and at worst seriously damaging. We maintain that it is imperative to keep genetic engineering biotechnology in strict containment in the laboratory.”
~Physicians and Scientists for Global Responsibility
Also, it is important to point out that biotech initially claimed that GMOs would use less pesticide, not more.
My major problem with not having labeling is this gives Monsanto a loophole to keep them from being boycotted. Boycotting Monsanto is not as easy as simply not buying their Roundup. That is easy to avoid. Monsanto’s name is on the product. Kind of like boycotting other GMA members like Kelloggs, who owns Kashi. With a little research, I can also see that General Mills owns companies like Cascadian Farms. This makes it easy for me to boycott. All I need to do is keep updated who owns who. Like White Wave Foods owns Silk and more recently, So Delicious.
But I also know that there are many products in my grocery store, like a regular can of peanuts that has soybean oil, so it is most likely sourced from bt soy or Roundup Ready soy, Monsanto products. This means that even if someone loathes Monsanto as I do, it is easy to accidentally support them by buying a can of peanuts that does not have their name on the label. This is wrong.
Boycotting companies that we find appalling or that fight against our best interests, is the American way! Heck, I even boycott companies that air commercials that I feel contribute to the dumbing down of America. It is my right as a consumer to vote with my pocketbook.
Again, despite what the biotech shills say, the right to know is not just based on perceived food safety. Kind of like boycotting Koch Brother’s products like Bounty, Angel Soft, Quilted Northern, Vanity Fair and Dixie Cups. It is not so much that their products are toxic, their policies are!
I think of Monsanto as an unwanted guest at my dinner party. Heck no. Stay away. They are not welcome in my home. It is like trying to keep Norton and McAfee out of my computer. It takes a lot of conscious effort. Being vigilant is time-consuming and takes warrior-like energy to be uber-alert and pro-active too.
THE SUPREME COURT IS A FLAWED REASON TO VOTE FOR HILLARY
I got so tired of hearing the abstract-reasoning that uses the Supreme Court as a reason to vote for Hillary. See my meme (with equally abstract reasoning) that got over 460 shares. When I think of the Supreme Court, I think of Clarence Thomas and Hillary in the same ilk. Both have Monsanto ties and both remain irrationally pro-Monsanto. In other words, I see nothing in Hillary's political assemblage that leads me to believe she would nominate someone that is not pro-Monsanto like herself.
The voting process is supposed to be about researching which candidates support issues one feels strongly about or issues that affect ones family. Voting should not be about just "sticking it to the other party out of spite."
[“Go BLUE no matter what,” what sounds like a chant one might expect to hear at a Michigan Wolverine pep rally. But as a basis to vote in an election? Nah, It is just not how I am wired.]
Voting for a pro-Monsanto candidate like Hillary goes 180 degrees contrary to my moral compass.
She has refused to do the right thing, listen to voters, and denounce her Monsanto ties. I was secretly hoping that she would have an epiphany showing her the conscientious consumer light. Kind of like the Arthur character had in the dramatic opening scene from Michael Clayton.
If somehow, Bernie should lose the Dem primary, this leaves Jill Stein as a possibility if I do not write in Bernie’s name as some states will allow. Jill supports mandatory food labeling and like Bernie represents me 97%.
This issue affects me between five and ten hours, every single week, okay maybe locating my reading glasses to bring to the food store counts in that time total. Even if I combine guns, war, jobs, immigration, health care, and the economy all together, as one, they do not come close to affecting my day-to-life life like unlabeled, unwanted, unneeded Monsanto toxins in my food. I am becoming quite the organic gardener in recent years. The right way to fight back?
Hillary was pro-Monsanto eight years ago. It hurt her then. Hopefully, will hurt her now. She has not learned her lesson. A pro-Monsanto candidate is not an option for me and many others I know.
I have been a registered Democrat, since 1976 when I voted for Jimmy Carter. If Hillary were to win the Democratic primary, If she, a pro-Monsanto, pro-Wall Street candidate is the best the DNC can do in 2016, it is a telltale sign, that they do not have my back. They no longer represent me. I would immediately change my status to Independent and vote Jill or write in Bernie in November.
In the past, I have voted for causes to support others for most of my life because it is the right thing to do, because I have a good heart. Either by voting or creating and sharing memes or just word of mouth, I have defended gay rights, women’s rights, medicinal cannabis. I am not gay. I am not a woman. I have never had a medical marijuana card. I will no longer put other’s interests ahead of myself or my family. No more. Enough is enough. Now, it is time to support only those candidates that stand for issues that affect me and my family. In the meantime, all my proactive efforts go to a an inherently noble man that has already shown by his words and more importantly, his actions, he is fearless in fighting the nefarious biotech behemoth. Bernie Sanders, not only favors mandatory food labeling, he has spoken to his peers about the "elephant in the room," which is ex-Monsanto executives holding high positions in the FDA like ex-Monsanto VP being Food Commissioner in the FDA.
Hillary claims that Bernie’s ideas will not work. How ironic that the words of Guy Kawasaki, author of “Rules for Revolutionaries: The Capitalist Manifesto...” are apropos for explaining the need to create a revolution and why we should not listen to the naysayers. In this case, the status quo is represented by Hillary and her Vote Blue ilk:
CONNECTING THE DOTS IS CRUCIAL FOR UNDERSTANDING HOW TO SPOT THE DECEPTIONS
It is actually far more complex than one might think to put all the pieces together. Here’s an example. See this list of GMA members that have spent millions fighting against mandatory labeling propositions?
Notice how they are the same companies that have spent money lobbying for the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015 (HR 1599) why is that? The answer is simple. HR 1599 was drafted by corporate lawyers. There is nothing safe or accurate about it.
Now think about this. Why would Gary Hirshberg of the Just Label It organization host a $2,700 a plate fundraiser for Hillary this past June as reported by the Boston Globe?
The World Health Organization recently deemed glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans.”
Independent testing documented the presence of glyphosate in higher than acceptable levels in a popular kid's cereal (Froot Loops) despite Monsanto denying this could happen.
“The level of glyphosate detected in the Kashi cereal was nearly six times higher than the level documented in a recent test on Kellogg’s Froot Loops.”
I often the hear the “correlation does not imply causation,” reasoning used here when looking at the increase in autism and the use of glyphosate having a similar increase over the years. Maybe. Maybe not. But even if debatable, isn’t this reason enough to show why a mother deserves to know if the baby food she buys is made from GE soy.
I often the hear the oft-repeated, “correlation does not imply causation,” reasoning used here when looking at the increase in autism and the use of glyphosate having a similar increase over the years. Maybe. Maybe not. But even if debatable, isn’t this reason enough to show why a mother deserves to know if the Nestlé-owned Gerber’s baby food she buys is made from GE soy?
I am aware that Hillary was asked the question on GMOs at a town hall meeting on December 22, 2015 in Fairfield, Iowa. But her answer (that alluded to trusting Tom Vilsack getting all parties on the same table) was insincere and Pollyanna-minded at best as she still praised what she calls “good science” as she concluded her answer. This concerns me as Vermont is still involved in lawsuit brought on by the GMA. They are being sued for listening to their own constituents. How is this democratic?
DISSATISFIED WITH THE STATUS QUO
Recently, Hillary blasted Bernie Sanders for voicing his displeasure with President Obama on a couple of issues. While I admit to voting for Obama twice, and I do respect some of the things he has accomplished, no way does he deserve a free pass in those areas where he undeniably has let the American people down. It is bad enough that he is holding the hands of GOPs on his ruthless push for the TPP (a disastrous trade deal for America, see link here) he also failed to even try to keep his 2007 campaign promise where he said:
“Here’s what I’ll do as President. I’ll immediately implement Country of Origin Labeling because Americans should know where their food comes from. And we’ll let folks know whether their food has been genetically modified because Americans should know what they’re buying,”
Why has he been given a free pass from the corporate media (the GOPs too) for failing to keep this campaign promise from 2007? It is not like he tried to keep his promise and he faced opposition. In 2009, he appointed ex-Monsanto VP, Michael Taylor to be Deputy Commissioner for Foods for the FDA.”
So why did I vote for Obama again in 2012? Mitt Romney, was even worse. See this 2005 article from the Nation from 2012: Mitt Romney: Monsanto Man
Years later, my suspicions were confirmed that Obama had been seduced by Monsanto when he signed the Monsanto Protection Act (HR 933) on March 26, 2013. Also, another slap in the face to consumers happened this past December, when Obama signed the bill to remove country of origin labeling.
BERNIE WAS RIGHT TO QUESTION MICROSOFT’S INVOLVEMENT WITH THE IOWA CAUCUS
No way should Microsoft have been allowed to have any involvement in Iowa. Here is why. In 2010, the Gates Foundation bought 500,000 shares of Monsanto stock, a corporation that according to St. Louis Today, donated between $500,000 and $1,000,000 to the Clinton foundation. Also, for whatever reason, Microsoft is an associate member of the GMA (Grocery Manufacturers Association) a ruthless lobbying group that has spent millions fighting against GMO labeling.
Below is a random sampling of GMA members. Microsoft is part of this group that is threatened by Bernie Sanders displaying consistent loyalty over the years for the consumer. As Bernie has said:
From one week ago. Sanders Opposes Bill to Block GMO Labeling Yeah!
Monsanto spent 5.98 million opposing Oregon's Measure 92 that lost by 50.3% to 49.7%. In fact, over 100 million has been spent opposing GMO labeling by GMA members. We're talking big bucks here! Clinton, despite 93% of Americans supporting GMO labeling, continues ignoring the voice of the people while siding with and trusting Monsanto.
Bernie Sanders, on the other hand, not only favors food labeling, he has spoken to his peers about the "elephant in the room," which is ex-Monsanto executives holding high positions in the FDA like ex-Monsanto VP being Food Commissioner in the FDA.
This 42 second video compilation clip of Bernie in action is proof he has my back. These words were not uttered on the campaign trail, like Obama’s 2007 campaign promise. This is Bernie in action, from over a dozen years ago, doing what he does; speaking out against wrongdoing.
SANDERS SUPPORTERS ARE NOT DIVIDING THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY, HILLARY IS
Regardless of what happens down the campaign road... if the "Bernie Or Bust" thinkers end up derailing Hillary's entitled, anointed route to the White House (hopefully, in the Dem primaries) Its is NOT their fault. It would be her fault for choosing Monsanto over 93% of Americans that want labeling. It is her fault she is on the side of Paul Ryan and Ted Cruz on the issue. It would be her fault when she took money from the Koch brothers in 2008. It would be her fault for taking money from Wall Street and refusing to share the transcripts of her speeches. It would be her fault for accepting $133,246 money from private prison lobbyists. It would be her fault for failing to stand up for issues important to me. It would be her fault for becoming the kind of corporate candidate I would be thoroughly ashamed to admit casting a vote for. I honestly do not see any areas where Hillary represents me on issues that actually affect me daily.
As I alluded to earlier. Linn Cohen-Cole and Marianne Williamson, both older, liberal white women wrote sincere, respectful open letters to Hillary that fell on deaf ears. I also sent Hillary a meme I made that has over 375 shares. If she and her supporters do not care about an issue that affects me 5 to 10 hours every single week and many others I know, why should I care about how she fares in anything she does, esp., a general election?
She had many years to do the right thing and throw Monsanto under the bus. The hackneyed talking point about feeding the world has been disproved. She continues ignoring the greater good while remaining to this awful company that in 2011 was voted the most evil corporation, easily beating out the Federal Reserve, BPP and Haliburton.
Let us not forget that she spent a dozen years with the Rose Law Firm that represents Monsanto. Let’s not forget that she hired former Monsanto lobbyist, Jerry Crawford, to help her in her campaign.
She expects people to trust a company that is currently being sued by six major cities.
Yet, evidently, Hillary herself does not trust them. From Ring of Fire Radio:
“Significantly, Hillary Clinton isn’t willing to put her own money where her mouth is. Presidential head chef Walter Sheib, who ran the White House kitchen under President Bill Clinton, was instructed that Hillary Clinton would consume only “nutritionally responsible food…obtained from local growers” as well as the White House rooftop vegetable garden – which was grown without the use of pesticides, fertilizers or GMO seeds.”
This past weekend, I was disheartened to learn that my local Whole Foods discontinued Sol Cuisine Non-GMO, vegan burgers. I saw boxes of Boca Burgers occupying their old shelf space. I spoke to two supervisors and explained to them why Kraft-owned Boca Burgers will never be an option for me. Kraft spent close to four million dollars fighting against my best interests. It would be like an African-American man buying a car from a KKK-owned dealership. No thanks. Frozen vegan burgers are not all the same. Kind of like Democratic presidential candidates. I am fully aware of the differences that seperate the two. I will not settle for the inferior choice that insists on fighting against my best interests and the greater good. A vote for Hillary is a vote for Monsanto. No.
There is no way I can vote for a candidate that is bedfellows with a company that I spend hours battling each day.
“The bedfellow of my enemy does not have my back.”
Bernie has my back.