Raid in Yemen

With all the media attention to the "raid" in Yemen, what do we really know about this raid?


Was it coincidental this eight year old girl, whose father and brother were murdered in separate drone attacks targeting them, was killed?


Who killed the Navy Seal? Was he killed by "friendly fire?" If not, who was shooting?

Would we have even ever known about this raid had Navy Seals not been killed and wounded?


What gives the United States the right to conduct such raids in a foreign country?


A raid we know was concocted by Obama and authorized by Trump.


Doesn't anyone except for me want to know what went down in Yemen?

While the dogs bark, the caravan passes

You know, at this late date being confronted with the mess in front of us, I am getting all kinds of accusations tossed my way by those who supported Hillary Clinton that because I didn't fall for Wall Street's trap and back her, I am now somehow responsible for Trump and this cabal of racist bigoted fascist imperialist warmongers occupying the oval office who are hell-bent on undermining the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights as they engage in their seditious actions intended to provide Wall Street the authority to govern through open dictatorship.


This has been my response to these people who have sat along the sidelines of the class struggle barking like dogs acquiescing and falling into this two-party trap as the caravan passes by:


I objected to the entire election as a farce and fiasco rigged by Wall Street as part of the two-party trap set by Wall Street for us. Because I refused to support a corrupt, lying, Wall Street warmonger like Hillary Clinton does not make me responsible for the outcome of this "election."


In fact, those who claimed to be "Progressives for Obama" when Obama himself was nothing but a lying, deceitful Wall Street warmonger--- exposed by his own words they didn't want to believe; and then told us Clinton was the legitimate alternative to Trump are the ones who set us up for an "election" of Clinton versus Trump. In fact, all along I said Trump was nothing but a Wall Street imperialist warmonger, a racist bigot and a fascist creep.


In fact, I called for creating a new working class based people's party.


In fact, Wall Street selected the president just as it always has for over one-hundred years.


In fact, I repeatedly circulated what both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were saying and explained how they were each nothing but Wall Street imperialist warmongers.


In fact, I repeatedly circulated educational materials like this exposing the nature of U.S. politics: http://collections.mnhs.org/.../art.../47/v47i04p154-161.pdf


Am I correct in recalling that you succumbed to the lie that Obama was a candidate progressives should be supporting and then supported Hillary Clinton without trying to educate voters to the truth of what was going on?


In fact, I encouraged working people to unite in movements around real solutions to our problems like this:


Campaign for a “21st Century Full Employment Act for Peace and Prosperity”


We are fed up with politicians campaigning on promises of “Jobs, Jobs, Jobs” and then failing to make themselves legislatively responsible for attaining and maintaining full employment.


We are fed up with our tax dollars being squandered on militarism and wars instead of being used to create jobs by solving the problems of the people and defending our living environment… its time to beat swords into ploughshares. Put people to work solving the problems of the people.


A National Public Health Care System would create over twelve-million new jobs paying real living wages providing people with free health care--- general medical, eyes, ears, dental and mental health--- through a network of neighborhood and community health care centers; this is a better use of our tax-dollars than wasting our human and financial resources on a far flung empire of over 800 U.S. military bases around the world. Or, it could be financed the same way Social Security is financed. Public funding. Public administration. Public delivery… nothing controversial; just like public education.


A National Public Child Care System would create over three-million new jobs providing working class families with free child care.


We need to restore WPA and CCC.


We insist Congress and the president enact full employment legislation which makes them legislatively responsible for attaining and maintaining full employment; assure everyone who wants a job employment at real living wages in line with the actual cost-of-living.


Full employment would provide stability for Social Security; everyone paying in; everyone getting something out.


In fact, I wrote two statements that were distributed at two AFL-CIO national conventions, one on health care, the other challenging the betrayal of Trumka and the millionaire labor leaders with their pathetic non-struggle "pragmatic" imperialist ideology.


Here is one of those statements:

A viewpoint by Alan Maki, a union, peace, environmental and civil rights activist;  retired member of UNITE-HERE Local 17.

I offer this for discussion about Peace, Equality, Full Employment, Universal Health Care and Protection of the Environment.

This is my response to the invitation extended by the AFL-CIO to all people and organizations to comment on its White Paper, “Prosperity Economics, Building An Economy For All” by Jacob S. Hacker and Nate Loewentheil, intended to create discussion about the direction of organized labor and the kind of country we all want to live in where peace, social and economic justice for working people prevail.

Democracy--- as well as social, economic and environmental justice--- require no less than a full and broad discussion of these important concerns and issues.


I agree with the concept of “prosperity economics” by “building an economy that works for everyone.” There are several very basic facts left out of this “White Paper” and it is very hazy, vague and nebulous as to what our concrete and specific goals and objectives are to be and what kind of movement and struggle it will take for the working class--- organized and unorganized together--- to create a prosperity economics for us all.

The “White Paper” does not clearly articulate our main enemy: Wall Street. The “White Paper” doesn’t reflect the fact that we, as working people, are engaged in a social, political and economic struggle for power with the intent to replace Wall Street’s dominance over every aspect of our lives--- in our schools, at work and in our communities.

Let’s state right up front workers create all wealth but workers have had no say in how this wealth is distributed and used. This needs to change. Democracy requires no less.

Let’s also put it right out there before the American people that militarism and wars are squandering the wealth of our Nation to such a large extent we don’t have the resources to solve our many domestic problems. These dirty imperialist wars are killing our jobs and our standard of living just like they kill people.

Militarism and wars are a major contributing factor to the world-wide collapsing capitalist economy. No nation can continue to endlessly use the wealth of its nation to prepare for wars and to fight wars. This is sheer insanity.

Wall Street’s greedy drive for profits results in wars which exacerbates our problems.

Detroit goes broke; the rest of our cities are sure to follow as Wall Street wallows in profits.

Working people go without adequate health care; insurance and pharmaceutical companies get fabulously wealthy. Earlier retirement and shorter workweeks/longer vacations with no cut in pay create jobs and would keep us healthier, too.

Our public institutions like public education fall apart, crumble and collapse just like our roads, highways and bridges because we are constantly feeding a war machine intended to fight never-ending wars waged to protect Wall Street’s assets and profits.


We don’t need, and can’t afford, 800 foreign military bases dotting the globe.

Prosperity for all begins with the recognition peace is required to achieve full employment.

Full employment is about the government seeing to it that jobs are created for all at real living wages. It is about putting people to work by creating massive universal social programs like National Public Health Care, not job destroying legislation like Obama-care as detrimental to our health and jobs as wars without providing real health care reform while pushing the price of health care up instead of its stated intent to push prices down.

Eliminating militarism and wars eliminates the largest carbon footprint contributing to global warming and climate change as the Military Industrial Complex wastes our precious resources in a huge, monstrous complex that ruins our environment--- power generation, mining, manufacturing, the resources like oil and gas required to fight wars. Preparation for war, and war itself, creates a mammoth sized carbon footprint destroying our living environment while creating massive joblessness and poverty and ill health for our people as our air, water and land gets polluted.


The Wall Street selected politicians talk about “jobs, jobs, jobs” when their hidden agenda is really “profits, profits, profits” and “war, war, and more war.”

The time has come to make politicians legislatively responsible for full employment and peace because prosperity economics requires: peace and full employment--- a healthy people and a healthy environment.

Therefore, I propose that a central goal of the American labor and working class movement needs to be the building of an economy for all that is inseparably linked to peace and full employment which must include:

A Minimum Wage tied to all cost of living factors indexed to inflation. Jobs or a living income for all.

National Public Health Care. Protect, defend and expand Social Security programs.

Legislation prohibiting lockouts and scabbing. Repeal of “At-Will Employment” legislation--- the primary obstacle to worker empowerment and union organizing. End racism... Enforcement of Affirmative Action.

Price controls are needed for food, gas, home heating fuels and electricity.

A healthy economy means a healthy living environment and a healthy planet. We need a quality of life index.

The two-party system is a trap for working people. We must free ourselves from the Democrats and Republicans. A working class based people’s party is required if we are going to have a prosperity economics that works for all of us. We can learn a thing or two about health care and politics from our Canadian Brothers and Sisters.

We are now at a crossroads.

We will have an economy that serves Wall Street or we will have an economy that works for the rest of us--- we can’t have both just like we can’t have both war and full employment.


I encourage the use of the proposed Full Employment Act of 1945 pushed by the CIO unions and authored by liberal Texas Congressman Wright Patman and the associated hearing testimonies to broaden this discussion:

http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015081304209;seq=10;view=1up

I also call to your attention the excellent Op-Ed piece by Bob Herbert, “Losing Our Way,” his last piece in the New York Times (March 25, 2011), which declares:

“The U.S. has not just misplaced its priorities. When the most powerful country ever to inhabit the earth finds it so easy to plunge into the horror of warfare but almost impossible to find adequate work for its people or to properly educate its young, it has lost its way entirely.”

I ask: What ever happened to William Winpisinger’s “Rebuild America Act” and the “peace dividend?” The AFL-CIO should bring back to life its Committee on Conversion--- from military production to producing for human needs; swords into plowshares is what was advocated by the late International Association of Machinist’s President, William Winpisinger. Where is this advocacy for peace and reordering our Nation’s priorities now?

Thank you for allowing me to share with you my critique of the AFL-CIO’s “White Paper.”

In solidarity and struggle.

For peace, equality, full employment, universal health care, ending racism and protection of the environment.

Alan L. Maki

Check out my blog:

Thoughts From Podunk

http://thepodunkblog.blogspot.com/

E-mail: red_finn@live.com        

Phone: 651-587-5541                                                                               (end)

In fact, I was constantly explaining how whatever the outcome of the election the American people would be the big losers.


In fact, when many of you were content to sit out the struggle, content to simply "support" one of the Democratic Party candidates over the other, I was involved both inside and outside the Democratic Party; I was involved in both areas of struggle and not once did I see any of the "Progressives for Obama" who later "supported" Bernie and then Hillary.


Tell us what you did over the last ten years or so to try to help avert the outcome of where we are at now.


Even at this late date, what are you doing to stop Trump, defend democracy and win struggles for reforms? Let's here what you have in mind.


Anyone can read what I have written in letters to the editor, leaflets I have distributed, seen my active participation as an engaged citizen in a variety of struggles and determine that I bear no responsibility for Trump being elected.


But, the dogs will continue to bark as the caravan passes by.

Who represents the American people with government in chaos?

A lot has been made of Donald Trump being an "illegitimate president."

One would be hard pressed to disagree with this given the chaos now sweeping the country where millions of people in this country now recognize the only way they are going to stop Trump and make any headway when it comes to anything is by taking to the streets in mass numbers... and this is correct as we see the Democrats even only respond once confronted with millions in the streets.

When we look at the circus being passed off as government, this government as a whole and the entire corrupt political process hypocritically being passed off to the world as democracy, don't we have to acknowledge the the entire government is thoroughly corrupt and so rotten to the core this whole Wall Street bribed government is illegitimate?

Given the situation we are in with wars most people don't want and such screwed up priorities with spending on militarism and wars instead of meeting the needs of the people when it comes to jobs, a living Minimum Wage, defense of Social Security and pensions, the defense of public education, the need for a National Public Child Care System and the need for a National Public Health Care System... how are we going to achieve peace and establish a new set of priorities unless people in the streets establish some kind of powerful people's organizations capable of asserting the power of the people?

Perhaps we need to be thinking of creating some kind of "people's assembly" that could replace the current government which is unable, and unwilling, to deliver government of the people, by the people and for the people?

Otherwise how do we defend and expand democracy which has been under constant curtailment for so long as we now approach what can only be described as a "Constitutional crisis" with Trump thumbing his nose at the people and running roughshod over the most basic and fundamental Constitutional rights protected by the Bill of Rights?

Anyone bothered to read the Constitution and Bill of Rights lately? Obviously Trump has not; and the American Legislative Exchange Council is preparing to push for a Constitutional Convention which will enshrine the "rights" of corporations over people and the environment.

Without some kind of people's assemblies being created to represent the demands of the millions of people in the streets we won't be able to stop Trump and win the kind of real reforms required to solve our problems.

POLITICS IN MY LIFETIME

POLITICS

IN MY

LIFETIME

Elmer A. Benson



http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/47/v47i04p154-161.pdf

We are paying a hefty price for Trump's racism

Now we learn the racist twenty-five billion dollar Trump Wall will have to be defended night and day with military might... so, the cost of building this Wall will be "small" in comparison to its never-ending "defense."

Once again we pay a high price for tolerating racism.

Might now be the time to reject racism once and for all?

Trump Is In… So What Are We Willing To Do About It?

Trump Is In…

So What Are We Willing To Do About It?

Panel discussion with full citizen participation… We want to hear from you.

Saturday          January 28, 2017                   3:30 PM - 5:30 PM

Carver Branch Library 3350 East Commerce Street San Antonio, Texas 78220

Details

Regardless of who you voted for we are stuck with El Naranjado aka El Trumpudo.

Donald Trump has promised to derail much of the progress made over the last 15-60 years including weakening the powers of the EPA putting our air, land and water at risk for more contamination.

Trump has also talked about weakening existing labor laws, laws prohibiting racial profiling by the police and women's reproduction rights. Social Security is at risk as is health care.

We can resist these draconian policies, but we must be organized and clear as to what our strategies are going to be.

Come out to this panel discussion that includes civil rights, labor and other activists from our community and nearby Austin.

Panelists:

                 

Stephanie Collier, Staff Rep., Communication Workers of America (CWA)

Mustafa Ali, member Nation of Islam and Civil Rights activist

Rachel Barrios Van Os, Democratic Party/community activist

Alan Maki, UNITE-HERE member (retired) and community activist

Stewart Alexander, former Presidential Candidate, Socialist Party U.S.A., blogtalk host and community activist

D. Trent Champ, RA, National Sanders’ Delegate TX-SD24 and lifelong activist

We will be hosting forums in the weeks ahead in Dallas, Temple and Austin…

Contact: (210) 422-8000                                                   (labor and materials donated)

Profits and wages

Here we go again with "Jobs, Jobs, Jobs"

The millionaire labor leaders are getting behind Trump's plans to create a few jobs on oil pipelines and building the "Wall."

Twelve million people could be put to work creating a National Public Health Care System; another three million people could be put to work creating a National Public Child Care System.

Millions more could be put to work through re-establishing the WPA, CCC and C.E.T.A. programs.

Why do we need more oil pipelines; to fuel the war machine?

Stop squandering our Nation's wealth on militarism and wars and we can put people to work providing for real human needs.

What's happening in the Philippines?

Catching up

·         Written by  Ken Fuller 

·         Tuesday, 24 January 2017 00:00

·         Daily Tribune

As some readers may have noticed, this column reappeared a fortnight ago after an absence of almost two years. That time was used in the completion of two books, one of which has found a publisher.

During that period, however, there were major events in this country — not least the election of a new president — which would normally have attracted the attention of this column.
It’s time, then, to do a little catching up.

As expected, in his state of the nation speech last July 25, President Duterte spent considerable time on his war on drugs, and in doing so sent mixed messages regarding his stance on human rights. 

At one point, he gave an undertaking that his administration would “be sensitive to the State’s obligations to promote and protect, fulfill the human rights of our citizens, especially the poor, the marginalized and the vulnerable…”

As several commentators pointed out, however, most of the numerous casualties in the war against drugs are poor and marginalized. 
How could it be otherwise? The poor turn to drugs — and shabu in particular — because they are poor and marginalized. Their reality is a desperate one from which shabu gives momentary, if illusory, escape.

True, drug addiction quickly leads to other social ills, such as the crimes (including the graduation to pusher) required to fund the habit. But it surely cannot be denied that drug use is a symptom. 

The basic disease is the grinding poverty born of the Philippines’ decades-old failure to develop, and it is this which needs to be tackled as a matter of urgency.

President Duterte is not the first Filipino to express what might be called a nuanced view of human rights. Some three decades ago, the late nationalist historian Renato Constantino wrote:

“Violations of civil liberties and physical violence against citizens by agents of the state should be condemned but they should not constitute the principal focus of protest while the larger question of the people’s right to self-determination has not been resolved. For when a big power controls a small nation economically and imposes its political and military influence to the point where the latter loses its right to determine its own goals and ensure the welfare of its people, human rights are violated on a mass scale.”

In his book The Nationalist Alternative, Constantino argued that the power of foreign capital, principally that of the USA, must be confronted if the Philippines was ever to develop. He vehemently opposed the “development” model imposed by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank whereby the Philippines is host to foreign corporations which, situated in “economic zones” where they pay low wages and few taxes, carry out just one or two simple operations (often merely the assembly of parts imported from elsewhere) involved in the manufacture of their products. Such activities have few if any linkages to the real Philippine economy apart from the labor force they exploit. 

Decades ago, this model, then termed “industrialization by invitation,” was applied to Puerto Rico. Today, Puerto Rico is bankrupt.

The “nationalist alternative” would involve the state taking a leading and directing role in the economy, using both public and private domestic capital to develop new industries geared to satisfying the needs of the Filipino people rather than the balance sheets of foreign corporations.
In his Sona, Duterte promised that his administration would “implement a human approach to development and governance, as we improve our people’s welfare in the areas of health, education, adequate food and housing, environmental preservation, and respect for culture.” 

Excellent. But to achieve this will require the kind of revenue that only a developed — or, at least, genuinely developing — country is capable of generating. 

There were references to industrialization. The president’s objections to the undertaking given at the Paris conference the previous December were clarified with the statement that although addressing global warming would be a top priority, this must not be at the expense of industrialization. Later on, he said that new power plants would need to be developed for industrialization, and that even coal-fired plants would be considered.
Taken on their own, these comments might have led one to believe that this was to be nationalist industrialization. But no, because “my administration will continue and maintain current macroeconomic policies…” 

Indeed, a few hours before President Duterte commenced his speech, a representative of Standard and Poor’s rating agency, interviewed on ANC, purred with satisfaction when commenting on the appointments to key economic posts.

Thus, “industrialization” will be undertaken by foreign capital. “We shall continue to attract investments that will generate thousands of jobs each year — jobs that are suitable for the poor and less skilled members of the workforce.” In line with this, restrictions on the economy will be eased “to make more investments to come and to develop labor-intensive industries such as manufacturing, agriculture and tourism…”

So, instead of nationalist industrialization, it would be more of the same, although the president did not go quite as far as to repeat a previous suggestion that a whole island be leased to foreign capital.

What the Philippines needs, surely, is a sense of national identity and purpose, something to be achieved only by embarking upon the path of genuine development and mobilizing the people behind that cause. In this way, a broad span of human rights — the rights to adequate employment, income, education, health and housing — might be most effectively addressed. And if desperation and hopelessness disappeared, so would the shabu problem.

 

 

q q q

Ken Fuller’s latest book, The Lost Vision: The Philippine Left, 1986-2010 (University of the Philippines Press, 2015) was a finalist for a 2016 National Book Award (Manila Critics’ Circle).

 

Money for wars and Wall... but no money for health care

Racist politicians will now spend twenty-five billion dollars to build "The Wall."

But they refuse to fund real health care reform... National Public Health Care System.

What would you rather our tax dollars go for?

All these dirty wars and to build this "Wall" or to create a National Public Health Care System?

Millions of people marched against Trump all over the world... but what comes next? Do we know?

Quite frankly, I think the only "next" one will be when the Democrats try to get these people to vote for them. We have seen this with many other demonstrations. I doubt the organizers of these demonstrations will advocate for solutions to the problems of working class women. Just read their mission statement it is nothing but the "properly framed progressive policy directives" taken directly from Democratic Party hack George Lakoff's play books adhering to his "rule" that you never, ever bring forward specific solutions to any problems.

I am sure none of the organizational resources which were used to bring people together for these demonstrations will be made available to women or anyone else who will try to mobilize people against Trump.

Their own mission statement refers to "affordable" health care.

Tamika Mallory, one of the National Co-Chairs of this Washington march, is a Democratic Party hack who worked on Obama's campaign and she backed Hillary Clinton.

This Washington March had all the earmarks of the "One Nation Working Together" rally which was nothing but a front for the Democratic Party. When it was obvious the working class families who participated were ready to struggle and fight to force Obama to deliver, the organizers abandoned the organization and all the "militant" speeches by the millionaire labor leaders were nothing but hot air.

Any continuing activity that comes out of all of this will have to be grassroots initiated.

We saw similar activity around 350.org demonstrations, too.

Probably with in months these demonstrations will be forgotten and Trump will be beating down the working class and what we will hear from the Soros funded organizers of these demonstrations will be, "Vote Democrat next time."

We should try to make sure this doesn't happen but understanding what is going on is part of making sure we don't get a repeat on the "One Nation Working Together" crap.

Look at the list of the sponsoring organizations--- they are all Democratic Party front groups but lacking the Democratic Party's endorsement... and what is with this? Not wanting to offend the big money Democrats by insisting the Democratic Party endorse? Or is it the Democrats are afraid of being held accountable?

Were legitimate concerns brought forward? Of course; how else could so many people have been convinced to turn out? And, just like with the "One Nation Working Together," all these people are going to be left waiting for further calls to action which will never materialize until the Democrats need people to phone bank, knock on doors and vote for them.

Why aren't we seeing demonstrations for real health care reform?

These demonstrations for Obamacare are being organized by Democratic Party hacks.
People do not want Obamacare.


People do want some of its benefits which are few--- two different things.

Like I said before, people would be foolish for not taking something they need. Just like they take poverty wage paying jobs--- not because they support poverty but because they have to work to live.



This really shows the dishonesty and corruption along with the complete disdain for democracy and an utter contempt for the people in confusing people taking what benefit they can get from Obamacare with people supporting Obamacare.


Even the apologists for Obamacare and the Democrats must be able to see that far more people are opposed to Obamacare than there are defenders of it... far more.


And make no mistake about this... most of the people opposed to Obamacare are for real progressive solutions to this health care mess--- they are either for single-payer universal health care or a National Public Health Care System.


I can see single-payer as a short term transition period of reforms to a National Public Health Care System.


There is no doubt that if we have a real democratic discussion on health care reform, most people in this country will be for a National Public Health Care System--- to this extent, even the supporters of single-payer have been quite dishonest in refusing to factually contrast single-payer and a National Public Health Care System simply because they know once a National Public Health Care System is honestly explained as being based on the same model as public education this is the solution most people will support.


So, one must ask: At what point does democracy prevail in this discussion?
And, at what point does honesty prevail?


We simply can not allow and tolerate a bunch of Dumb Donkeys who have promised "Medicare for All" for over 85 years without delivering to dominate this discussion, dialog and debate because we will end up with less than we have as Trump dismantles even Medicare and Medicaid along with Obamacare.

What are "Democratic core values?"

Barack Obama says when he leaves office he will "continue to speak out in defense of Democratic core values."

This has been reported all over the media.

Perhaps I am stupid but these "Democratic core values" are never specified by Obama and no reporters seem to ask him what he means.

Is Obama going to defend the Democratic Party Platform? Or is he referring to some kind of abstract ideas?

Perhaps Obama is referring to the same "Democratic Party core values" as defined by George Lakoff?

Or, seeing as how Barack Obama appears in ads for The Nation magazine, are the "values" advocated by The Nation which The Nation magazine says should be Democratic Party core values what Obama is talking about.

Obama claimed to be campaigning for "progressive core values" when he was campaigning in 2008. He claimed single-payer universal health care was a "progressive core value" during campaigning in 2007. Obviously, Obama has had a change of mind when it comes to single-payer being a "progressive core value."

Or, what about Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, free school lunches... are these "Democratic core values" Obama intends to defend after having appointed the reactionary Republican Alan Simpson to head up the cat food commission?

Is war with Russia and China part of "Democratic core values?"

What about defending the Israeli killing machine--- is this a "Democratic core value?"

Will Obama put on his marching shoes to defend "Democratic core values?"

Does the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which Eleanor Roosevelt played such a big role in drafting, reflect "Democratic core values?"

Doesn't anyone want to know what Obama will be defending when he says he is going to be "defending Democratic core values?"

How come we can't go anyplace and find specifically what "Democratic core values" are?

Obviously, Obama doesn't share with Bernie Sanders "Democratic core values;" or does he?

I kind of would like to hear if Obama shares the "Democratic core values" of those seeking to "reform" the Democratic Party.

Do we have a right to expect that those who toss around vague statements about "defending Democratic core values" be more specific? Should they provide drafts of legislation articulating specific solutions to problems based of these "core Democratic values" or should we just be satisfied that Obama and others simply talk in a language where these "Democratic core values" simply remain "properly framed progressive sounding policy directives" as advocated by the linguist George Lakoff and be satisfied that our problems will be solved "incrementally" in "baby steps" long after we are dead?

I would like to know if disbanding NATO is a "Democratic core value?"

Is nuclear disarmament and beating swords into plowshares a "Democratic core value?"

The reason I would like to have Obama and the Democratic Party hacks specifically spell out what "Democratic core values" are is because this would give people a chance to make up their minds whether or not they want to continue to vote for Democrats or start a new working class based people's party.

Am I expecting to much asking for these "Democratic core values" to be spelled out?

Is full employment a "Democratic core value?" If it is, why don't Democrats bring forward legislation that would make the president and members of Congress legislatively responsible for attaining and maintaining full employment?