No more lesser evils for me

To the Editor:

I am quite impressed with Dr. Bert Kaufman’s recent letter and analysis in this paper that concludes, “Romney or Obama cannot [won’t] make a new beginning. My vote will go to the Green Party. It is a down payment on the new beginning.”

For myself, the current party system and its “elections” are a fraud, sham, deliberate diverting palliative, and mockery on any real democracy we could have. They are and have been so rigged, and so totally committed to a one-tiered anti-people corrupt Establishment – corporate 1 percent plutocratic ruling and economic elite – that they obviate any common sense, hope or sanity for the well being of people or nation.

The idea of many friends and church mates that we must keep the worser guy and party from office, the “lesser evil,” is to me a false, delusional non argument.

All that sort of hype and rationale has been in my face since J. F. Kennedy’s time (and he and his brought us the crimes Bay of Pigs and Vietnam).

And then the big argument to vote for Johnson, over Nixon, which in reality led to “hey hey L.B.J. how many kids did you kill today," and massive war crimes, subversion of Indonesia, and colossal national lies. Lesser Evil? Lesser than Nixon/Ford?, which as we know were also horrid.

And then the slightly “better” Carter with his Neutron Bomb, early El Salvador war against peasants, etc. I was urged to vote for this “lesser,” also.

We got Reagan next with Nicaragua-Contra-El Salvador genocides and death squads led by our “School of the Americas” - Grenada and the massive transfer of wealth to the “haves.”

I won't take space to continue this sickening litany.

Today we should know what a horrid disaster Romney is, but his “better,” Obama, really? He has brought us support for the bank bailouts, immunity for Wall Street bank criminals, increased domestic surveillance, pushing to get the tar sands southern pipeline through, reckless drones and killings, executive executions of Americans, extreme militarization of our police, indefinite detention for Americans, prosecution of whistleblowers, drilling-hydrofracking.

I/we, are gonna run out and vote for this?, and worse, get it!? All “because Romney would be worse!”?

I propose we need to “vote” as Bert Kaufman urges, for “a new beginning!" A new way, new system, new paradigm-ethos ... and for me that would be vote with feet, hands, bodies, direct-action protests, organization, community building (non-violent) revolutionizing, and ... build up!

That’s what it will take, folks, like it or not. Won’t be as easy as consuming: commodities, tvs, netflix, computer and video and sports games, new cars and self indulgences and entertainments ... but it will be good, and right, and eventually, effective.

Peter Lenz

West Paris