Last week, I wrote about the need to get to the bottom of one critical question, “whether Obama’s statements are intentionally obtuse and misleading, or just an outright lie.” I think the answer of this question will ultimately determine the fate of the Obama Administration, and whether or not he will finish his term. Knowing that Edward Snowden’s application of sunlight to the NSA’s unconstitutional spying apparatus has more revelations to come, it appears to me that the public is beginning to wise up to the “Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them.” Sadly, as a U.S. Senator, Al Franken — the author of that book and its critique of the right-wing punditocracy — has taken to defending the lies and the lying liars who tell them when they are told by Democrats.

But a spied-upon United States public (not to mention a spied-upon European Union) does not take kindly to liars or their apologists, and the Democrats are alienating both their friends and enemies. The first casualty of this growing scandal will clearly be the Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, who outright lied to Congress back in March:

It is time for a new public outcry — based on civil liberties and collective rights, beyond left and right, beyond ideology. It is time for all Obama supporters who once passionately stood up against the abuses of the Bush II administration to stand up once again. It is time for those who are afraid to speak out against an overzealous national security apparatus to begin to raise our voices together. In the face of the naked persecution of two prominent whistleblowers Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden, WikiLeaks activist Julian Assange, as well as dozens of other people trying to shine a light on the wrongdoing of unaccountable government forces, it is time to take the security establishment up on its suggestion to SAY SOMETHING upon seeing something.

I believe that President Obama crossed a line on his recent appearance on Charlie Rose, spewing outright lies in an effort to protect his administration from growing criticism:

On behalf of all Americans who seek a new direction, who yearn for a new birth of freedom to build the just society, who see justice as the great work of human beings on Earth, who understand that community and human fulfillment are mutually reinforcing, who respect the urgent necessity to wage peace, to protect the environment, to end poverty and to preserve values of the spirit for future generations, who wish to build a deep democracy by working hard for a regenerative progressive politics, as if people mattered – to all these citizens and the Green vanguard, I welcome and am honored to accept the Green Party nomination for President of the United States.

–Ralph Nader’s acceptance statement, June, 2000

Despite “pwogressive” criticisms from William Kaufman and Mitchel Cohen in CounterPunch, I think the Green Shadow Cabinet launched earlier this year represents the single most-inspired initiative from Greens in the past decade. Running for office is a boilerplate third-party tactic — critical for building a credible and independent political party, but tired, temporary, constricting, and, too often, distracting. And while Ralph Nader made the case for the Green Party as a vehicle for an independent progressive force in American politics for a few years starting in the late nineties, he quickly changed his tune, muddling his message in the process. What vehicle were we left to organize around, for genuine grassroots democracy? His campaign? His non-profits that had been forced to distance themselves from Nader-the-politician? In his 2000 campaign, Nader made the point that politics — and power — isn’t about what happens on election day, but what happens in between elections, what happens in our communities day in and day out.

There can be no daily democracy without daily citizenship toward ‘a new birth of freedom.’ – Ralph Nader

Government of, by, and for the people, IS perishing from this earth.

Will write more about my experience at the Green Party Nominating Convention in Baltimore, MD, but for now, you can watch it live:

You can also catch it on C-SPAN, and I’m very excited that Democracy NOW! has based their show out of Baltimore to cover the Green Party convention in depth.

The Green Party’s presumptive nominee for President, Dr. Jill Stein, met a groundbreaking threshold over the weekend by securing enough financial support in 22 states to qualify for the Federal Election Commission’s primary matching funds.

With taxpayers (voluntarily) doling out funds to two third party candidates in this election (Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson ironically qualified in May), the issue of whether the bipartisan (Democrat-and-Republican-controlled) Commission on Presidential Debates can justify its exclusive, anti-democratic charade will itself become a topic for debate.

Watch Stein’s brief message about this breakthrough, and read her full statement below the jump:

From jillstein.org:

Seven of the most prominent leaders of the American peace community today released a letter urging financial and other support for Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein. The letters writers were David Swanson, Medea Benjamin, Leah Bolger, Bruce Gagnon, Chris Hedges, George Martin, and Kevin Zeese. After noting a series of failures of President Barack Obama to curtail military spending and reduce military violence worldwide, their letter states that only Dr. Stein will have the ability to stimulate a serious debate on the nation’s approach to foreign policy.

The peace leaders released their support letter as candidate Stein, a physician from Massachusetts who first became nationally known as an environmental health advocate, enters the final days of a push to qualify for federal matching funds. Stein has won 29 state primaries and has been declared the “presumptive nominee” of the Green Party by virtue of having won more than half the delegates to the Green Party convention. In the next few days she must reach fundraising goals in 9 additional states in order to qualify for federal matching funds.

Read the full text of the letter at jillstein.org.