On Friday, April 15, 2016, Kshama Sawant — social justice activist, socialist, and Seattle city councilwoman — called for Bernie Sanders to form a new political party (or join the Green Party) and run as an independent if he does not clinch the Democratic nomination for president. Sawant launched a petition to gather support for the idea, not dissimilar from one created earlier on MoveOn.org.

Sawant wrote:

The stakes are too high to let this moment slip through our fingers… We can’t allow the corporate media, Wall Street PACs, and the Democratic Party establishment to derail this movement before the real presidential election even begins. An independent run by Bernie could open a new era in American politics if linked to building a new party for the 99% and laying the foundation for an ongoing mass political movement that runs hundreds of left candidates for all levels of government, independent of corporate cash.

In an article for Occupy Wall Street, Sawant declared that the “Democratic Party establishment is completely opposed to this political revolution,” in which Sanders is “a lightening rod for the enormous discontent at the billionaire class and its domination over the political system.”

Addressing concerns among many on the Left, including Bernie Sanders himself, that an independent run would draw votes away from Hillary Clinton and hand the Republicans the White House, Sawant suggests Sanders wouldn’t necessarily need to run to win, but rather build a force for future elections:

…there is no reason he could not at least run in the 40+ states where it’s absolutely clear the Democratic or Republican candidate will win, while not putting his name on the 5-10 closely contested “swing states”… The confidence and energy our youthful, working-class political revolution will turn into demoralization and disorganization if the movement is corralled into Clinton’s Wall Street funded campaign…

The Green Party is a third party (remember Ralph Nader?) that will be on the ballot in at least 20 states when the U.S. votes in November. Its platform closely aligns with Bernie Sanders’. Its “Four Pillars” are Peace (ending U.S. wars and its global military presence), Ecology (renewable energy), Social Justice (stronger wages for workers), and Democracy (expanding the voice of the people and getting money out of the political process).

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In a nation with a two-party system as firmly entrenched as in the United States, there exists political motive to inhibit the growth of other parties. Republicans and Democrats alike would naturally shy away from broadening competition for votes and thus competition for power. The fact that third parties have existed for a long time but are still waging war state by state to even get on the November ballot is a testament to the struggle between established power and new challengers.

Ballot access laws ensure getting on the ballot in all 50 states is extremely difficult; if it were easy, if the procedures less complex and stringent, older third parties would today have the same access to voters that the two major parties enjoy (and maybe even access to the debate stage — which only happens if the Commission of Presidential Debates says it’s OK).

There are three minor parties making progress toward total ballot access. Here’s a brief summary of each.

THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY: SOCIALLY LIBERAL, FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE 

The Libertarian Party was founded in 1971. In general, Libertarians believe in maximizing personal freedoms (such as the right to drug use or abortion), minimizing government interference in citizen affairs (like ending government surveillance), and terminating U.S. military invasions and bombings in foreign nations. The Libertarian Party is on the ballot in 32 states.

THE GREEN PARTY: VERY LIBERAL

The Green Party began in 1984. It’s “Four Pillars” are: Peace and Non-Violence, Ecological Wisdom, Grassroots Democracy, and Social Justice. They emphasize the use of tax wealth to meet human needs like universal healthcare, want to reduce the military budget and keep the U.S. out of wars, and want to end corporate control of the U.S. political process. They are on the ballot in 20 states.

THE CONSTITUTION PARTY: VERY CONSERVATIVE

The Constitution Party was recognized in 1996. This party stresses the need to follow the Constitution according to the actual intent of the Founding Fathers. Members oppose abortion rights and gay rights, and support states’ rights, religious liberties, and Second Amendment rights. The Constitution Party will be on the ballot in 18 states.

AND MORE

To see who you can vote for in your state, hit up the Sample Ballot Lookup on BallotPedia. There are many to choose from besides the Libertarian, Green, and Constitution parties, from veterans to socialists.

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Puerto Rico, occupied by the United States since the American war with Spain in 1898, could see a dramatic change to its minimum wage laws.

H.R. 4900, a bill introduced in the U.S. Congress by Republicans on April 12, 2016, to address Puerto Rico’s debt crisis, would grant the governor of Puerto Rico the authority to set a minimum wage of $4.25 an hour for Puerto Rican workers under 25 years old. Employers could offer that wage for an employee’s first 5 years of work, as long as said employee remains younger than 25 (see page 76 of the bill).

The minimum wage for other workers is, like the federal minimum wage for the States, is $7.25 an hour.

This statute would revise the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. In a version enacted just a few months ago, on December 18, 2015, the U.S. determined employers could offer Puerto Rican employees under 20 a $4.25 wage for just the first 90 days of employment (see page 11 of the Act).

Nelson A. Denis, a former New York State Assembly Democrat and the author of War Against All Puerto Ricans: Revolution and Terror in America’s Colony, wrote that the congressmen who named H.R. 4900 “PROMESA [PROMISE] for Puerto Rico” had “a perverse sense of humor.” He says the measure would slash the wages of 200,000 Puerto Ricans.

The Guardian reported in July 2015 that Puerto Rico had a 41% poverty rate. The cost of living in the territory is 13% higher than in the United States; supermarket goods are 21% more expensive. Monthly energy costs per resident average $438.21, verses $169.49 in the States.

H.R. 4900 must pass through committee before a vote can be called in the House, but is currently stalled by both Republican and Democratic disagreements and in-fighting within the Republican Party itself.

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We all remember our first time.

For me, it was “Clint Eastwood to Buy Home in Parkville, Missouri.” Or was it “Walking Dead Season 7 to be Filmed in Springfield, Missouri”? OK, so perhaps we don’t remember our first time. But both of these got me. They were my first exposure to a darkness none of us really understood the Internet could conjure. As someone who lives in Kansas City, Missouri and attended college in Springfield, hearing The Walking Dead being filmed there didn’t really amaze me. Some parts of that town are downright pitiful, fitting neatly into human imaginings of apocalyptic hellscapes, zombie or otherwise. But the Clint Eastwood thing? I thought that was f*cking awesome. There’s this idea among Kansas Citians, see, that there is absolutely nothing in Parkville (I haven’t actually bothered to investigate this), and it kind of seemed sensible that Clint would just want to ride off into the sunset to a place where he could avoid all human contact. He always seems so curmudgeonly.

But apparently, some genius (and absolute monster) figured out that ideas that are f*cking awesome enough can completely abolish critical thinking skills. In my defense, I took a moment to look at the other stories on the webpage to determine if it was a satire site. But lo! The site had stories of events that actually happened. That’s where they get ya. Ben Affleck did sneak Matt Damon onto Jimmy Kimmel’s show. That woman winning $1 million? Actual clip. And goddammit, who can deny that German snacks are quite the mouthful? (In my “not defense,” had I looked harder I would have found a mention of “pure fantasy” under the “About” tab; who would have thought to look there?)

According to Snopes, these hoaxes started with Mackenzie Post and Headline News, and spread to other sites. Sure, Mackenzie Post sounds like the name of a 7th-grader’s mock newspaper in Mr. Dack’s social studies class, but who wouldn’t trust a name like Headline News? Or KSPM 33? Apparently no one. All of us have been painfully caught with our trousers down over one celebrity or another moving to a town happily close enough to stalk. We’ve squawked and squealed about Justin Bieber moving to Sandy, Oregon or Tom Cruise moving to Beaver f*cking Falls, Pennsylvania. We shared on social media how Matthew McConaughey was moving to Mulvane, Kansas, if there is such a place, only to hang our heads in total shame when someone tells us we’re acting the fool (for me and Clint, it was my Dad. Thanks, pops).

And now, buckle your Padawan robes, because apparently Star Wars: Episode VIII is going to be filmed in Topeka, Kansas! [Editor’s Note: Location may vary.]

It seems Ireland was just too scenic a place for Rey’s training under Luke Skywalker to begin, and thus the producers and director settled on a miserable town in the middle of nowhere that reeks of slashed grade school budgets. The article isn’t real. You could say it’s a trap! It’s from WMAC NEWS, which I suspect is either an offshoot of Mackenzie Post or is secretly run by Lee Ann Womack.

Probably the most barbaric part of all this is it’s solely for profit (thanks, capitalism). Someone gives us everything we ever wanted (McConaughey to just assimilate into some small, crappy municipality and disappear forever) and then yanks it away, while hoping we’ll click on an advertisement in between! Don’t be fooled. Don’t line the pockets of these savages. Don’t trust “local news” anymore — looking at you KMBC 9, Kansas City’s News Leader. Give the finger to clickbait, unless of course it’s an article about clickbait, using a clickbait headline (click on that link and you won’t BELIEVE what happens next).

At least now you know. And you’ll probably notice the websites look exactly the same. Apparently there’s a default webpage template called “Total @$$hole.”

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President Barack Obama announced on April 24, 2016, in a speech in Hannover, Germany, that he will send 250 more Special Forces personnel to Syria to aid in the conflict against the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL).

“They’re not going to be leading the fight on the ground,” Obama said, “but they will be essential in providing the training and assisting local forces that continue to drive ISIL back.”

This will bring the total of U.S. forces in Syria to about 300. He further called on NATO allies to step up the fight to destroy ISIS.

In Syria, ISIS is warring to overthrow longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad, which has created a complex situation, as al-Assad’s overthrow is also an aim of the United States. The U.S. supports extremist groups like Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) and the Muslim Brotherhood in their battle against al-Assad, as revealed by leaked Pentagon reports, but does not support ISIS.

The Syrian Civil War, between the dictator and many rebel groups, has killed 250,000 people and displaced 11 million people. The war has seen many tragic developments, such as bitter conflict in the U.S. over whether to allow immigration of refugees, ISIS genocide against Shia Muslims and to a lesser extent Yazidis and Christians, the starving of Syrian towns by both ISIS and U.S.-backed fighters, and the ISIS terror attack in Paris — revenge for France’s involvement in the war.

In Iraq, nearly 4,100 troops remain, mostly involved in training and defense in the Iraqi government’s battle against ISIS. In the last few years, the number has been increasing a few hundred at a time. A week ago, on Monday, April 18, the Pentagon announced an increase in Iraq of over 200 U.S. troops.

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