Mexico was in crisis. The bloody Spanish had invaded. The people were being enslaved and exterminated. The Church had no use for "pagans" as they dubbed the Aztecs--even though the Aztec religion called for extremes of asceticism and moral purity that made Europeans of the time seem like the most debauched sinners. And then, a miracle. An enslaved Aztec priest had a vision at a mountain holy to an Aztec goddess, Tonantzin. He saw a mixed race---European and Native American---woman dressed in a blue mantle surrounded by light. Addressing him in his own religion, she asked why he was afraid and told him

"Am I not your mother?"

Natives converted to Catholicism. Or rather, their own brand of Catholicism. They honored Mary above Jesus. They called Mary "Tonantzin." And, centuries later, when Mexico drove out Spain, they did so under the banner of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Were those early Mexicans who co-opted Mary to become their own Goddess members of a Medieval "Third Way"? Did they sully the purity of their own religion, set back their own cause--freedom from colonial rule---by working within the system? Or, did they subvert the message of the conquerers which was "Everything belongs to Spain" by finding a tiny germ of decency, a bit of common ground upon which all could stand and flourish?

It is easier to cut away the old---say, on a guillotine---than to change hearts and minds. You do not change hearts and minds by declaring much of the world---and the people who exist in it--- evil, corrupt, taboo, "corporate." It does not work for ISIS and it does not work in the US.

Hillary Clinton has been ridiculed, excoriated, damned for attempting to find common ground with conservatives via their Christian faith. But their Christian faith is the only germ of decency that many on the right still possess. When one contemplates the true meaning of Christianity, one realizes that the message is one of universal love, equality and a willingness to change.

"I have come to cast fire upon the world."

The best kind of fire does not merely sweep away the past. It lays down a fertile soil on which the future can grow. And if we are to achieve peace in our lifetime, we must be able to engage the hearts and minds of everyone. Come together.

First, I will post a real, actual, I-could-not-make-this-kind-of-shit up quote from DU today:

"her clothing doesn't register with anyone"



Oh my! How could we even consider a female candidate who is not also a fashion maven? What were we thinking?

Now, about this so called "Lack of enthusiasm", Clinton's supporters are saving it for the general----because we are 99.99% sure that she will be the nominee. Nothing that has happened this primary season has changed our minds. On the contrary. Every time her detractors rub their hands and cackle in glee anticipating that this debate or that Congressional witch hunt will spell doom, DOOM, DOOM for her campaign, she always manages to win. Every time we are told that if the election were held today and if middle school students in one state were going to select the party's nominee--we yawn. And then we get back to our lives---which includes occasionally checking in to see what the We Hate Hillary Talking Point du Jour is.

Today's talking point is "Clinton is just no fun!"

I beg to differ. These folks think there is a lot be be enthusiastic about. May I recommend the following song as you scroll through the images below:

"Chelsea's Mom Has Got It Going On"



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Sure, she dresses like Your Mother. But we are voting for a president, not a Super Model.

Twice as many women were killed by their intimate partners in this country between 2002 and 2012 as the number of US troops that died in Iraq and Afghanistan AND folks who were killed on 9-11. One in three women around the globe has been a victim of domestic violence. When women are beaten by their partners, folks still ask "What did she do to deserve it?"

In 1969, Yoko Ono said "Woman is the n----- of the world." Little has changed since then, especially in the third world. Women hold up half the sky--and only own a small fraction of the world's wealth. 1%, to be exact, even though they make up 40% of the world's work force. This is no accident. Women are systematically exploited, disenfranchised, denied education, mocked, beaten, raped and murdered if they try to rise up from their serfdom.

If there was a country where any single group of men contributed so much to the workforce but received so little in exchange, we would denounce that country. The way we denounced South Africa. Where is our outrage for women? Why is the Never-ending War Against Women not the first, second and third most important issues of this election?

This is a 100% real question and I would appreciate honest responses.

We all know that during the general election, we are expected to hang together (or hang separately) at DU. On the other hand...

During the primary, it is fair to tout our own candidate's ability to rouse the base and win votes in the general while predicting that the opponent will be so unlovable/scary that Dems will stay away from the polls in droves if he/she is nominated?

With this is mind, are threats to withhold your own vote in the general legitimate presidential primary political tactics? Please justify your answer.

I have never failed to vote for the Democratic nominees since I first became eligible to vote (and I am a Boomer). I post at Democratic Underground, because I am a Democrat. The Democratic Party of the 20th and 21st centuries has much to be proud of. Since FDR, we have been the party of Social Security, Medicare, Voting Rights, Civil Rights, the Affordable Care Act (which did away with "pre-existing conditions" a tremendous step forward no matter its other weaknesses), Marriage Equality. We are the party of unions, of equal rights regardless of race, religious, ethnicity, gender and sexuality. From time to time, our politicians stumble. The so called "socialists" of Western Europe stumble, too. There is no perfect party. But I believe that when enough working class Americans join forces to vote as one, we improve all our lives. I believe that efforts to dissuade us from Party unity benefit only one group--the 1% which is over represented in the MSM and in campaign contribution dollars.

I believe that previous efforts to dissuade us from voting together for our nominee have been self serving--of some other party. I believe that when Ralph Nader persuaded voters that "Bush=Gore" and that a protest vote was better than a vote for the Democrat, he sold our country down the river for 4 years of war/terror/civil rights abuses. I believe that Nader's "good friend" Grover Norquist was probably laughing his ass off when Nader waged his 2000 campaign. I believe that Al Gore has proven---beyond a shadow of a doubt---that he was not and will never be just like Bush---and our country missed out on what might have been one of its most progressive, Eco-friendly and human presidencies.

I believe that if we stand united we will prevail--and if we allow ourselves to be divided, we will fail. I believe that GOP election fraud is so prevalent that only an overwhelming Democratic victory can assure that our nominee is elected---and therefore every Democratic vote counts. No one has the luxury of making a "protest vote". Your "protest vote" could send our troops into another Middle Eastern country to serve four years. Your "protest vote" could roll back the gains that have been made by LBGT community. Your "protest vote" could usher in a new round of the War Against Black Folks that the Bush DOJ waged.

We can not all agree on a candidate, but surely, as Democrats, we can all agree on one thing. I pledge to vote for the Democratic Nominee. How about you?