In parts of Sicily, Russia, and other regions of the world, the mafia taxes local businesses, and even citizens, as a form of "protection." This protection, in a morbid way, is actually protection from itself, and the mafia forces business owners to pay for the privilege of not experiencing an accidental fire, or worse. For many people, it's better to be safe than sorry, for who knows what could happen if the mafia retaliates?
In Sicily, the Addiopizzo ("goodbye pizzo" or "goodbye protection") movement was eventually formed, to unite businesses against paying extortion money and eventually turned into a grassroots organization against the Mafia. The Addiopizzo just gained it's 1,000th business, and these 1,000 businesses in Palermo never pay mob taxes; even when one of their members is threatened, or a business is torched. For this reason, a Sicilian prosecutor recently "listened to police wiretaps and heard mafiosi ordering their men to not hit an Addiopizzo store because they are sure they will not be paid and they fear being arrested."
It's sad when life under the Sicilian mob is reminiscent of America's political system. FiveThirtyEight states that the Democratic superdelegate system is "profoundly unfair" and was created to "give Democratic party elites the opportunity to put their finger on the scale."
Thus, in a close race where Bernie Sanders is beating Hillary Clinton in delegates, Democratic superdelegates can "tip the balance" away from Sanders and towards Clinton.
Without any outrage, many people simply accept the fact Hillary Clinton holds an enormous 394-44 delegate lead over Bernie Sanders, yet Vermont's Senator has a 36-32 lead among "elected delegates." Sanders actually earned his delegates, and could continue to earn more than Clinton, yet still lose to Clinton.
As of now, FiveThirtyEight writes that "Clinton leads 362-8 among superdelegates" and these party bosses are "allowed to support whichever candidate they like."
Superdelegates tipping the scales away from Bernie Sanders, and towards Clinton, would legitimize a system Vladimir Putin utilizes today in Russia. According to POLITICO, "The Clintons keep a favor file of saints and sinners." Like the Democratic version of two Richard Nixons, POLITICO also states the Clintons "retain more power to reward and punish than anyone else in modern politics."
Furthermore, Clinton supporters serve as political enforcers, through vapid group think and peer pressure. Hillary Clinton accepted money from two major prison lobbyists and the prison lobby was "raising cash" for her campaign. No problem, say the party loyalists, since she gave the money to charity.
Bill and Hillary Clinton have earned a combined $153 million since 2001 from speaking fees, primarily from Wall Street, because "that's what they offered." To the party loyalists, there's no conflict of interest.
Many Democrats are fine with a candidate who'll have a "neocon" foreign policy, and someone who's believes Henry Kissinger was good for U.S. foreign policy.
Few Democrats question Clinton's weapons deal controversy, or an ongoing FBI email investigation that could easily sink the campaign at any moment.
The Republicans, used as a fear tactic to keep Democrats forever loyal and faithful, loom as ominously as Orwell's Big Brother. Leave the protection of Hillary Clinton, and decide to follow your ideals with Bernie Sanders, and Trump will eat your children, even though Trump donated $100,000 to the Clinton Foundation, and gave money to Hillary's Senate campaigns.
So what if the Clintons went to Trump's wedding?
Also, the same people pontificating about white privilege and supremacy, are sometimes the same people who'll vote for a candidate who's taken money from prison lobbyists. Hillary's acceptance of prison lobbyist money comes after Bill's role in making mass incarceration worse.
Nothing exemplifies how the Clinton machine deals with racial issues better than the experiences of Ohio State Senator Nina Turner and South Carolina Congressman James Clyburn. The manner Bill Clinton treated a top ranking black lawmaker is highlighted in a Mediate article titled Dem Rep. Clyburn Recounts 2AM Angry Phone Call from Bill Clinton:
"If you bastards want a fight, you damn well will get one," Clinton thundered.
As Clyburn tells it, the former president phoned to pin blame on the congressman, vent his frustration and seek an explanation on how his wife got whipped so badly [in South Carolina]...
"I had kept that promise. I asked him to tell me why he felt otherwise. He exploded, used the word 'bastard' again, and accused me of causing her defeat and injecting race into the contest," Clyburn writes.
So, tell us again about the "Bernie Bro" myth regarding overbearing Sanders voters?
The most shocking account of the Clinton machine's impact on race in America is detailed by Ohio State Senator Nina Turner, in an interview with Terrell Jermaine Starr:
When you decided to support Sen. Sanders, did you catch any heat?
"Oh, my god yes. I've had white Hillary supporters saying to me that I betrayed the Clintons and saying I'm not going to have a future in politics. I mean, they marked me for life, and I'm sitting back thinking: The Clintons never helped me to do a thing in my life, and all of a sudden they control my destiny? That was very condescending to me.
"Then she said, 'After all we've done for you.' Now, see. That was it for me. I interpreted that as, 'After all we've done for you, Black girl, you owe us.' They would never say that to anyone else, but the fact you feel you can say that to a Black woman?"
Again, the "Bernie Bro" myth is nothing compared to the forceful attempts at intimidation by Clinton supporters, even towards high ranking African American lawmakers.
Therefore, if the FBI doesn't call to indict Clinton (an Obama intelligence official says Hillary should drop out of the race), and she ends up winning the nomination only because of superdelegates, I'm writing-in the name "Bernie Sanders" on November 8, 2016.
If there's any impropriety, or even a hint of controversy that unelected party bosses (the same superdelegates Lee Fang of The Intercept exposed on Twitter during the last debate) stole the nomination from Bernie Sanders, then democracy calls for writing-in Bernie's name.
It's the most just course of action in the event superdelegates put their political debts to the Clinton machine above democracy.
In a form of political Addiopizzo, I'll ensure that superdelegates don't collect on their progressive extortion racket.
As for Justice Scalia's passing, to automatically trust that Hillary Clinton would nominate a liberal Supreme Court justice is foolish. Hillary Clinton's favorite book is the bible ("the Bible was and remains the biggest influence on my thinking") and she opposed gay marriage all the way until 2013.
If you don't believe me, here's Chris Matthews interviewing Clinton, asking a very relevant question in 2002 during a Hardball interview:
MATTHEWS: Would you filibuster a nominee who was pro-life?
CLINTON: No, it would depend upon who the nominee was. And there, you know, remember, Mario Cuomo, who...
MATTHEWS: Yes.
Here's the actual segment on YouTube.
Hillary Clinton wasn't even willing to filibuster a pro-life Supreme Court nominee as Senator.
Furthermore, if you want a liberal Supreme Court, this year's electoral "George McGovern" is Hillary Clinton: FBI investigation that could sink the campaign after Election Day, negative favorability ratings, weapons and foreign donor controversies, etc. I explain here why Clinton is unelectable.
Also, I highlight in this YouTube segment and this Huffington Post piece that Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump would make similar presidents.
Although I believe Democratic supredelegates will eventually side with Bernie, it's important to send a message early, before the Clinton machine starts flipping coins.
I wrote a piece in 2014 about a Republican, only to protest the fact Americans were being sent back to Middle Eastern counterinsurgency wars. I'm against perpetual wars, and Hillary Clinton has a "neocon" foreign policy. Like I predicted, Clinton just recently advocated sending U.S. ground troops back to the Middle East. I highlight in this YouTube segment why Clinton must always evolve on issues like foreign policy, and why I've evolved on my own viewpoints.
I'm a lifelong Democrat, and I'm only voting for Bernie Sanders, as explained in this YouTube video.
If Bernie Sanders wins the Democratic nomination, but loses because of superdelegates beholden to Clinton's "honest graft," then I'll engage in the Democratic version of political Addiopizzo. Superdelegates will learn their protection racket won't intimidate voters any longer.