BURN THE BALLOT 2012

On Monday, November 5th, the day before the Presidential election, 
members of the Burn The Ballot Caucus of Movement for a Democratic 
Society (MDS), other activists and disgruntled voters, will burn 
presidential ballots in protest against what we consider to be a false 
choice in a fake electoral system of a pretend democracy. There will 
be ballot flames from Oakland, California to New York City to draw 
attention to the fact that there is no democracy in the United States 
and that Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are two corporate puppet 
candidates representing the two corporate puppet parties that are the 
two faces of the United States Empire. 

We acknowledge the historic struggles for suffrage. We acknowledge 
that some people believe the vote to be "sacred." However, this 
election is anything but sacred. It is, in fact, profane for many 
reasons. For some of us, it makes sense to vote on ballot 
propositions and candidates for local offices. Others of us, refuse 
to vote based on the beliefs that the US electoral system is beyond 
redemption and that voting in a bogus anti-democratic system is a vote of confidence 
in that system. Whatever your perspective, we invite you to burn your 
real or replica presidential ballots. 

The "leadership" of neither party is sufficient on the urgent issues 
of US imperialism, the environment, and nuclear proliferation. That is 
because they are beholden to the greedy capitalist corporations who 
have always put gross profit before people, health, safety, and the 
environment. What passes for an electoral process in this country is 
neither democratic nor representative of the will, needs or desires of 
the people. With the signing of the 2012 National Defense 
Authorization Act (NDAA), the pretense of democracy is more 
transparent than ever before. And the mass media system of 
communications is but a mockery of the idea of a society of free 
discussion. The mass media is a tool of the corporations who own it. 

We believe that Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan would serve the interest of 
the 1%, the wealthiest citizens. They would expand American military 
aggression around the globe. Barack Obama is a proven war criminal, 
assassin, perpetrator of torture and rendition, violator of human 
rights and civil liberties and prosecutor of whistleblowers. Either 
party will give us more endless war and poverty. This election 
guarantees only continued death and destruction for a global 
population already under the boot of a murderous US empire. 

Forty-eight years ago, Mario Savio said, "There's a time when the 
operation of the machine becomes so odious--makes you so sick at 
heart--that you can't take part. You can't even passively take part. 
And you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, 
upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you've got to make it 
stop. And you've got to indicate to the people who run it, to the 
people who own it that unless you're free, the machine will be 
prevented from working at all." 

We find those words applicable today. We will not consent to empire 
or fascism under Obama or Romney. 

Join us in burning presidential ballots. We do not expect Congress or anyone to 
fix the system. 

We are pledged to no business as usual for the empire. 

We are pledged to working for real participatory democracy! 


BURN THE BALLOT CAUCUS, Movement for a Democratic Society (MDS) 

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Check out Burn The Ballot 2012 statement 
 http://www.movementforademocraticsociety.org/ 

"Like" our FB page 
 https://www.facebook.com/BurnTheBallot2012 

Join the FB event page 
 https://www.facebook.com/events/353448018078644/ 

To sign the Burn The Ballot pledge and to join our discussion list, email us at mdsburntheballot@gmail.com