The Lesser of Two Evils Is Still Evil: An Interview With St. Pete for Peace

As the old saying goes, “the greatest trick that the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist”. It is remarkable as to how applicable that this saying is when applied to President Barack Obama. Obama was widely hailed as the man who would lead the nation out of the dark wilderness of the Bush-Cheney years of war, torture, mass-surveillance, destruction of civil liberties and grand scale theft by the jackals of high finance. Now it is apparent that Obama is not only a fraud but is arguably far worse than Bush and Cheney because El Presidente kills with a smile. Ever more so when it is the extrajudicial murders of American citizens who just happen to be on the “kill list” that is brought to him alongside his morning orange juice.

Fozzie Bear fascism has been a hot seller in the USA! USA! USA! under Obama and far too many fail to realize that there has been not only a seamless continuity bridging the road to hell of Bush-Cheney but actually a codifying of their worst policies. President Barack Obama and his criminal administration have enabled the worst thieves on Wall Street, enhanced and expanded the NSA’s surveillance and data-mining operations, enabled and supported war criminals conducting ethnic cleansing and murder operations in Gaza and Ukraine and currently has the country on a path to World War III with Russia.

The corrupt state-corporate media never calls bullshit, instead covering up for the worst of Obama’s policies and acts while focusing on minutiae, spinning identity group issues so as to cover his previous indifference - for example to gays - and painting him as a victim of a deeply entrenched racist opposing party hell-bent at undermining his agenda. Nothing could be farther than the truth - Obama is carriyng out his exact agenda and outside of the political circus of the dueling cults of the red elephant and the blue jackass there is rock-solid bipartisan support for what really matters to these people: war, fascism and wealth extraction.

With the dismal failure of the media to provide honest coverage it is always great to see grass roots groups who are dedicated to freedom, justice and dignity getting their message out. As George W. Bush once flippantly remarked - “you need to catapult the propaganda” he was onto something.

Following up on an article that I recently wrote on a Florida activist group’s efforts to get out the word on the U.S. support of Israeli war crimes and genocide in my piece "Florida Group Bypasses Media to Get Word Out on Israeli War Crimes" I am proud to have been able to participate in an email interview with members of St. Pete for Peace. The group is currently engaged in an informational campaign to spread awareness that the Democrats are truly no better than their more overtly fascist counterparts when it comes to the business of America: WAR. The group is also running a contest “NOT The Lesser of Two Evils” which this writer strongly encourages that you take a look at.

DONN MARTEN: Why is St. Pete for Peace doing this contest?

CHRIS ERNESTO: The contest was designed to get people to think about the still rampant believe among many liberals and progressives that the Democratic Party is better than the Republican Party.

For almost 12 years St. Pete for Peace has been presenting facts to dispel this myth, but we felt we needed to take it up a notch and challenge people via this contest. The contest is also designed to give people an outlet for expressing their disgust with the one party system here in the US.

DONN MARTEN: You say that Democrats are just as egregious as Republicans. Why is this?

CHRIS ERNESTO: St. Pete for Peace is non-partisan, which means we can be objective, unlike most people who label themselves Democrats or Republicans. Because of this objectivity, it's been very easy to conclude that Democrats are at least as egregious as Republicans.

Look no further than Barack Obama’s foreign policy. We believe war is the worst possible thing that can happen in society. In part because war inevitably includes death, suffering, poverty, sexual assaults, depression, homelessness, child abuse, environmental destruction, drug addiction, disease, misery, anger, and much more, all of which is bad.

Many people believe Obama less of a warmonger than George W. Bush, but Obama has dropped bombs on 6 countries compared to the 4 countries bombed under Bush.

And Obama has simply replaced US boots on the ground with drones, mercenaries and Special Ops. In fact Obama has deployed US Special Forces to 134 countries - compared to 60 under Bush.

He has significantly increased the US military footprint in Africa - at least 27 African nations now have a US military presence.

He has waged war on Libya without congressional approval, he tripled the troops in Afghanistan, he sharply escalated the drone wars in Pakistan and Yemen, he's continued the proxy war in Somalia, he tried to start a war in Syria, he supports Israel's war on Gaza (as did every Democratic US Senator), and now he's started another war in Iraq. And yes, it is a war in Iraq - anytime you drop bombs in a country it is a war.

Obama's Bush-like rhetoric regarding Iraq is particularly disturbing. You would think Dick Cheney is writing the president's speeches again when you hear Obama mocking Americans by saying the US is just sending military “advisers” to Iraq to stop ISIS because they are a threat to national security. He even has the nerve to package US airstrikes as a “humanitarian” effort. What’s next, having an orgy to encourage celibacy? Or having a keg party to promote sobriety?

It’s bad enough that Obama’s followers give him a pass on his hyper-violent foreign policy and the corresponding deceit, but for them to sit back and remain silent as Obama and the US are on the same side as ISIS in Syria and now are bombing them in Iraq is sickening. But the Democratic Party knows their constituency will just covers their eyes and ears. They know their voters prefer to be willfully ignorant.
And to top it off, the Obama administration is supporting neo-Nazis in Ukraine. Can you imagine what Democrats would be saying if a Republican president supported neo-Nazis? But again, their guy does it and they either deny it or look the other way.

St. Pete for Peace knew Obama was not a person of peace after reading his words in 2002 in which he stated, “I don’t oppose all wars. What I am opposed to is a dumb war.” Can you imagine if he replaced the word “war” with “child abuse” or “sexual assaults”? Are child abuse and sexual assault worse than war? Of course not, since all wars include child abuse and sexual assault, as was stated earlier.

For years we’ve heard Democrats say they “can’t risk having a Republican in office” for fear of what that might mean for domestic issues. We believe it’s time for people in this country to look past their own noses for a minute and to consider what the party they voted for is doing to other people around the world.
And to those people who claim that John McCain or Mitt Romney would have bombed even more countries than Obama has bombed, well, Obama has already bombed two more countries than Bush bombed, so that claim is baseless.

DONN MARTEN: So, is it just Obama’s foreign policy that makes you believe he and the Democrats are at least as bad as Republicans?

CHRIS ERNESTO: Definitely not. The Obama Fact Sheet on the St. Pete for Peace website maps it all out. It includes news reports from the past six years detailing things Obama has done. Here are some of the lowlights.

Obama has a “secret kill list” that he discusses on “Terror Tuesdays”, and he has assassinated at least 4 US citizens without trial.

Obama fully defends the NSA spying program and mandated the Insider Threat Program, which orders federal employees to report suspicious actions of their colleagues.

He has waged a war on whistleblowers like Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden.

He signed the Monsanto Protection Act into law, giving Monsanto complete legal protection as they poison our food and crush family businesses.

He has deported a record-2 million immigrants.

He did a TV commercial for “clean coal”, he touted nuclear power even after the Fukishima disaster, and said that offshore oil drilling is safe even after the Gulf oil spill.

He is pushing the TPP, which is essentially NAFTA on steroids.

He sold $30 billion worth of weapons to the Saudi Arabian dictatorship.

He defended body scans and pat downs at airports.

He signed the Patriot Act extension into law.

He planned $355 billion for a nuclear weapons program.

More than 7,000 people were arrested during the Occupy protests under his watch.

Many people say that the Republican Party is scary and dangerous. We agree, so why has Obama given Bush and Cheney absolute immunity for everything they’ve done?

Obama keeps pushing the perilous notion of “American Exceptionalism” and the false, jingoistic concept that the US military is a force for good and is “protecting our freedoms.” Following the disastrous Bush years, Obama could have easily taken the US down a different path but he has instead pushed the same ideals as Bush, just in a more intelligently spoken, charming way. Manifest Destiny and xenophobia are principles that could have been laid to rest, or at least diffused. Instead, Obama and Democrats have normalized them.

DONN MARTEN: OK but if a Supreme Court Justice retires while Obama is president, you'd have to admit this would be better than a Supreme Court Justice retiring when a Republican were president, right?

CHRIS ERNESTO: The Supreme Court has the final say in the law in the United States, a self-described “country of laws.” If the United States were a democracy, the people of the US would get to vote on who becomes a Supreme Court Justice. And the people of the US would be able to throw out of office a person who’s on the Supreme Court. But we don’t because we don’t have anything close to a democracy. Given the recent passage of Citizens United and McCutcheon, the only people who will be elected into Congress or the White House will be those who raise the most money, and the vast majority of that money will come from corporations, not everyday people. Similarly, corporate money, not a particular party will determine who becomes the next Supreme Court Justice, regardless of who’s in the Oval Office.

But even if it did matter, can you live with yourself knowing that you voted for a murderer just because you think she or he may possibly appoint someone to the bench who is more aligned with your domestic views? What message does it send to our children if we say it’s OK to vote for someone who murders just because you may get something out of it?

DONN MARTEN: What about gay marriage? Obama has done better than a Republican president would have done on this issue, correct?

CHRIS ERNESTO: During his first term, when Obama was opposed to gay marriage, St. Pete for Peace was supporting actions and groups who believe in full equality for everyone. Prior to his re-election, Obama obviously was told he needed the votes of the LGBTQ community, so he changed his position. Of course this is good news, and you see what can happen when the President does the right thing -- being pro-gay marriage is now cool. Wouldn’t it be nice if he did the same thing for other issues, like how the FBI uses false sting operations to target Muslims in the US, or how police in this country have become so militarized that young black men and protesters are treated like 2nd class citizens?

DONN MARTEN: But Democrats are better than Republicans on gun rights and a woman's right to choose, doesn't that matter?

CHRIS ERNESTO: If a Republican President tried to overturn Roe v. Wade there would be millions of people on the street. People would stop going to work, the economy would slow down and there would
be a near revolution. The same holds true for if a Democratic President tried to overturn the 2nd Amendment.

Both parties know this. So, when the Republicans need to energize their voting base, they start telling people “Obama wants to take away your guns.” Democrats do the same with the abortion issue.
On a state level, it is a different story, but when it comes to Congress and the White House, the issues of guns and abortion are simply a way to maintain the Republican vs. Democrat paradigm, and to trick people into plugging their nose and voting for “the lesser of two evils.” But it’s just a ruse.

DONN MARTEN: OK, regarding your contest, how will the winner of the contest be selected?

CHRIS ERNESTO: A committee from St. Pete for Peace will read through all of the submissions and determine which response best describes why Obama and the Democrats are “NOT the lesser of two evils.” All entries will be viewed anonymously and extra weight will be given to brief responses – we’re looking for talking points more so than essays. You can enter the contest at stpeteforpeace.org/contest.

DONN MARTEN: Finally, Chris, if you only had 10 seconds to challenge a Democrat today, what would you say?

CHRIS ERNESTO: Hop to it, Democrats, or you’re going to make many of us cheer for an all Republican Congress and hope that the next President of the United States is a Republican. At least that way, maybe Democrats will become "antiwar" again.

The only true “hope” and “change” will come to America when people begin to turn off their television sets and find out the real truth about who is really running this country. It is because of groups like St. Pete for Peace and other dedicated activists, independent participants who put country before party and alternative media journalists, bloggers and media savvy volunteers who are able to circumvent the corrupt state-corporate media to spread the word that all is not as it seems.

LINK: Tampa Bay Independent Radio Station WMNF 88.5 interview with Dina Formentini of St. Pete For Peace.

Florida Group Gets Message Out About Israeli War Crimes in Gaza

A central Florida based activist group, St. Pete for Peacehas taken the initiative to circumvent a corrupt and biased media in order to spread awareness about the ongoing Israeli ethnic cleansing operation in Gaza. Despite the long-term consequences of the unconditional backing of the right-wing government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the unspeakable truth that their tax money is being used to finance the murders of unarmed civilians (including children) Americans are ill-served by a media and political class that has a vested interest in maintaining a particular narrative. That narrative is that Israel is the victim rather than the oppressor and that Israel is the only "democracy" in the Middle East, despite an increasing trend towards racism, suppression of critics of official government policy and most of all extreme violence.

On Saturday, the group posted a series of signs at high traffic locations -including the placement of a banner on a bridge over a high volume St. Petersburg intersection in the vicinity of a major shopping mall and an assortment of national brand discount stores and chain restaurants. The obvious hope being that the seeds of awareness be planted given the complete absence of any semblance of honest media coverage. 

The story line of choice is that Israel is always the victim, a scruffy little underdog facing an existential crisis and surrounded by enemies devoted to exterminate the Jewish state. Nothing could be farther than the truth though as Israel has continually proven to be the aggressor and enjoys a vast military superiority as well as a propaganda machine that is second to none. Activist Dina Formentini of St. Pete for Peace states that "Israel frequently plays the victim role in order to justify its violence. But you can't be an aggressor and a victim at the same time". Americans will never be allowed any glimpse at the factual basis of this oft-repeated big lie which is what makes grass roots efforts like that undertaken by St. Pete for Peace all the more important.

The Fruits of U.S. Taxpayer Military Aid to Israel

The largest of the messages of the group's "banner drop" read "You Gave 3.2 Billion to Israel Last Year & All You Got Was Lousy Genocide". This being a reference to the ongoing U.S. taxpayer subsidizing of human rights abuses and war crimes including the bombinof hospitals, schools and the shelling of children playing soccer on a beach.

The U.S. annually sends over an estimated $3 billion dollars in military aid to Israel. An emergency approval of an additional $225 million was just pushed through right before the most worthless Congress in U.S. history slithered out of Washington for their latest five week vacation on the taxpayer dole. Other smaller signs strategically placed by St. Pete for Peace read: "Gaza Strip the New Warsaw Ghetto", "U.S. Politicians are Israel's b*tch", "Israel Couldn't Act Like Punks Without U.S. Support", "Israel Can't Be Victim And Aggressor" and "Anti-Occupation is Not Anti-Semitic". Some have likely already denounced the placing of the signs as "anti-Semitic" which has for too long been the sleazy and vile pejorative that critics of Israeli human rights abuses, war crimes and the astounding and dangerous servility of the U.S. political class to the Israel Lobby are routinely smeared as being. The very idea that any objections by American citizens having their tax money spent on bombs and bullets for Israel that are going to be used to kill women and children could be anti-Semitic flies in the face of the right to freedom of speech that at least theoretically still exists in this country.

Jeanie Toth, who as a member of St. Pete for Peace has faced such smears by pro-Israel activists stated that:

"For the past 6 years we've protested at the annual AIPAC meetings in Washington, where the world's most powerful pro-Israel supporters attend 3 days of meetings and pep talks. Invariably, AIPAC attendees bark the same words to us as they pass our protests: "You are a Holocaust denier and Arabs are trying to wipe Israel off the map, so we have to use force whenever necessary. We know the world hates us, but we'd rather be feared than liked." I always respond with, "I DO believe the Holocaust happened and it was wrong. But now Israel is the one carrying out a genocide. And much of the world despises Israel, not because it is a Jewish nation, but because of how violent it is"

In a very nasty bit of irony, hard right Israeli writers, clerics and bloggers have actually called for the eradication of the Palestinian people. Just days ago The Times of Israel ran an insane screed entitled "When Genocide is Permissable" by a writer named Yochanan Gordon but nearly immediately retracted it after social media outrage. Another piece by blogger Irwin E. Blank s imilarly advocated that Israel engage in genocide (although this one is couched in biblical justification) wasn't similarly flushed down the memory hole. When even some Israelis are calling for the slaughter of an entire race it is hard to take the the accusations of being critics of Israel being tantamount to being "Holocaust deniers" with a straight face. Ms. Toth says that"Jews lament that Palestinians don't believe Israel has the right to exist. But does Israel believe Palestine has the right to exist?. It sure doesn't behave as if it does."

Were Americans to be honestly informed as to the true nature of the ongoing and tragic story of Israel and Palestine there would likely be political pressure exerted to reign in Israel and force them to the table for good faith negotiations that would break the cycle of violence. This however is not in the best interest of the either the Israel Lobby nor the American political establishment, the majority of them in Congress who rely on the financial and election year support of American based Israeli front groups and fear their wrath if they don't bow to their relentless pressure.

Unwavering U.S. Support is Bad for Israel as well as America

"As I've said time and again, neither I nor the United States will ever waver in our commitment to the security of Israel and the Israeli people... Budgets in Washington are tight, but our commitment to Israel's security remains ironclad. The United States is committed to providing more than $3 billion each year to help finance Israel's security through 2018."

- President Barack Obama

There is a false belief that Democrats are better in terms of having a more moderate stance towards the Palestinians than strident and demagogic Republicans who must pander to their extremist Christian Zionist base. In reality, the opposite is true as there is lockstep support for the right-wing Netanyahu regime with the "lesser of two evils" party. When "Bibi" spoke before a joint session of Congress a few years ago he basked in the thunderous roar of no fewer than 29 standing ovations- it was a truly bipartisan orgy of adoration and no foreign leader outside of Sir Winston himself with his famous "Iron Curtain" speech has ever been elicited such a twisted love from the putative elected representatives of the American people.

Prominent Democrats, including former Secretary of State and likely next President of the United States, Hillary Clinton are among the most ardent defenders of the current policies of Netanyahu's bloodthirsty regime and yet are still criticized as being insufficiently pro-Israel by political opponents. President Barack Obama, despite an at times chilly personal relationship with "King Bibi"continues to promise more U.S. taxpayer money to continue to underwrite the murders of women and children which Chris Ernesto of St. Pete for Peace addresses in his recent column at Antiwar.com "Thank You President Obama, Love Israel".

Mr. Ernesto also addresses this bit of what passes for conventional wisdom:

"There's a huge misconception that Democrats are better for Palestinians (and other Arabs and/or Muslims) than the Republicans. But that's not supported by the facts. Indeed, the Obama administration has been the best friend Israel has had in years. And Obama has dropped bombs on 6 Muslim countries during his presidency - George W. Bush dropped bombs in 4 Muslim countries - so how are Democrats better for the Muslim world?"

Democrats aren't better for Palestinians and has been so far proven during the Obama era they aren't better for civil liberties, economic equality, holding the criminals in Wall Street gambling casinos accountable for their fraud, privacy rights or the protection of freedom of the press and the rights of whistleblowers. An old acquaintance friend of mine who was an avowed Marxist once told me that "both parties are killers, the Democrats are only better at pretending not to be" which given the overwhelming evidence is hard to argue with.

"There is only one solution to ending Israeli aggression - stop US support of their violence. The only way this could happen is if people who vote for Democrats tell their representatives to stop supporting Israel or never get their vote again" said Marianne Huber of St. Pete for Peace. Ms. Toth adds that:

"US politicians are Israel's b*tch. Many US politicians know the only way to get elected or re-elected is with money from the pro-Israel lobby. Once in power, those same politicians enthusiastically support the state of Israel's atrocities. In fact, just 12 hours after Obama's victory in the Democratic Presidential primaries, his very first stop was at AIPAC where he put on an Israel/US lapel pin, and told the crowd that he "understood the Zionist idea." The only way to counter this is for so-called liberals to tell their Democratic elected officials to shape up or never get their vote again. If groups like CAIR and news outlets like Democracy Now! pushed this idea, we'd see a change."

In the humble opinion of this blogger it would be a damned good start. The Israel Lobby is relentless, well-funded and impeccably organized but is largely allowed to get away with their bullying, boycotting and extortion tactics only because there is so little grass-roots opposition to act as a counter to them.

Members of Congress (both parties) enjoy thumping their chests about American exceptionalism and the moral high ground but there is nothing that is either exceptional nor moral about their support of the ongoing slaughter in Gaza. It is craven and cowardly and serves as yet another shining example of our broken political system. A system in which members of Congress routinely sell-out the long term interests of all of their own constituents as well as traditional American values in order to cater to the whims of moneyed special interest groups such as AIPAC.

In addition to their gaming the system in order to stay in office in the hope of one day landing one of the lucrative lobbying or consulting positions -thanks to Washington's revolving door - this most lamentable Congress plays right into the hands of those who resort to terrorism. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ongoing killing spree, conducted with the full support of your representatives in Congress, the Obama administration and aspiring Republican presidential candidates only serves as a recruiting campaign for those who seek to avenge Israel's criminal actions upon the country that sends them the military equipment that is then used on innocent women and children.

Osama bin Laden himself once stated that U.S. support of the Israeli occupation of Palestine and the ongoing persecution of the Palestinians was a driving factor in attacking America on September 11, 2001. The mounting death toll in Gaza - in addition to being a crime against humanity - will only serve as an inspiration for another attack in the homeland. Former Vice President Dick Cheney is on record as predicting another terrorist attack "more deadly" than 9/11 will occur "this decade" and if it does, our elected representatives, particularly in the U.S. Congress will have blood on their hands. It is apparent that they don't care about dead Palestinian children and they will be the first to cry in outrage on the next day that the chickens come home to roost all thanks to their own enabling of Israeli war crimes.

Continuing to unconditionally support Israeli human rights abuses, war crimes and the looming Apartheid style of government, oncedemographics make Jews a minority in their own exclusionary "Jewish state" is a recipe for disaster and more violence against Americans. Thanks to the abrogation of their First Amendment responsibility of a free press, the corporate media is depriving Americans of the necessary information to make informed choices that their elected representatives are bound to carry out. This is the way that things are supposed to work in a real democracy, unfortunately due to the one sided coverage of Israel they are deprived of this despite its grave importance. You can find much more balanced reporting in the Israeli media - for example Haaretz - than you will ever find in the U.S. which provides an endless series of national platforms for Netanyahu and his fellow war criminals to sell their genocidal policies in America to the people who will ultimately be the ones who will reap the whirlwind.

St. Pete for Peace is a beacon of hope that with enough involvement and dedication at the grass-roots level that one day "hope and change" may be more than just a cynical campaign slogan.