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by Steve Berry
People who are in positions of power and authority have been speaking out against the First Amendment. Recently, John Kerry, the former Secretary of State and Democratic nominee for President, stated at a World Economic Forum panel that, “Our First Amendment stands as a major block (to getting things done)”. For Kerry, democracy and freedom of speech are too messy – “just hammer it out of existence,” he said. Similarly, former SOS and DNC nominee Hilary Clinton wondered aloud if people on the internet should “be civilly or in some cases criminally charged” for spreading what she called propaganda. “If social media platforms don’t monitor content,” she said. “We lose total control”.
Likewise, VP Kamala Harris said in a recent interview that “freedom of speech is a privilege.” To this I would counter that, no – it is a right, and an inalienable one at that. Just imagine how astonished these same powerful people will be if they succeed in collapsing the First Amendment, and then are silenced by opposing forces in the future.
Political theorist Sheldon Wolin in his book, Democracy Incorporated: Managed Democracy and the Specter of Inverted Totalitarianism argues that America is captured by inverted totalitarianism – which he distinguishes as different from basic totalitarianism in that it isn’t led by a demagogue but rather through the faceless anonymity of the corporate state. Predictably, the corporate state and its minions in the media constantly warn us about potential demagogues, but never about themselves.
As Wolin understands it, there is a fusion of political and economic power and corporate control over of all our national institutions, so that nothing can be truly described as “democratic” anymore. His grim assessment – well over a decade old now – is that we the people are being manipulated by “highly managed, money-saturated elections, the lobby-infested Congress, the imperial presidency, the class-biased judicial and penal system” – and the media. And here in Vermont, this inverted totalitarianism has had a kind of trickle-down effect, wherein powers well outside the state have gained the ability to shape policy through well-intentioned legislators who initiate and pass laws totally out of synch with the needs of the population they were elected to serve.
I call this “trickle-down totalitarianism”, the defeat of which is the main reason I’m running for office. I believe that, instead of serving “the powers” globally, our legislators need to serve middle class Vermonters and thus restore truly representative government. I also believe that it is incumbent upon citizens to become better informed through our alienable right of freedom of speech which is slowly being taken away by the existing powers. Finally, I believe that we need to vote for people who advance policies that strengthen the things that remain – the topmost being our Constitution and ALL of our freedoms. Please join me.
Steve Berry
Steve Berry is an independent candidate for US Senate representing Vermont. To learn more about Steve, check out https://www.votesberry.com.
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Categories: Commentary
Re: Is “Steve Berry is an independent candidate for US Senate representing Vermont” or another wolf in sheep’s clothing?
Steve Berry: Global Meetinghouse Enterprises, LLC Director
https://scontent-bos5-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/326727681_582787696666713_1202903362354885838_n.jpg?_nc_cat=100&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=6ee11a&_nc_ohc=U5MmlG_s4PEQ7kNvgFYAr8O&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-bos5-1.xx&_nc_gid=AiufadIxanXrIC-cuZxA3y1&oh=00_AYA2YA68lpOwcG8FRlv3LsSyNCs5zETLJWhV2pEz3bkEhA&oe=671C249D
Steve Berry is the real deal. Many of us have changed our alliances in recent years and now see ourselves as Independents. Critical, nuanced, informed thinking is really important to employ these days when choosing who to vote for. Knee-jerk political labels and responses, and familiar alliances and presumptions should be flushed out of one’s consciousness, and deep LISTENING, HEARING, and critical thinking should fill that void….
Sorry ‘not settled…’, whoever you are. I don’t believe you. If anyone is making a ‘knee-jerk political response’, it’s Mr. Berry. And please stop with the false admonitive that Berry is ‘the real deal’, or the shtick about ‘one’s consciousness, and deep LISTENING, HEARING, and critical thinking’ either. I’ve been listening to that ‘word salad’ a lot lately from disingenuous Democrats. Mr. Berry is reading the writing on the wall and will say whatever he must in order to be elected.
I’ll be voting for Gerald Malloy, and I can only hope other conservatives don’t take Berry’s bait and switch. Hopefully, though, Berry will take votes away from Sanders and open the door for Malloy.
One can always hope.
You can believe me or not, but what I said is NOT “word salad”, and comes from the heart AND critical thinking and 5 years of developing and following my own advice. My suggestions go at least as much to Democrats as Republicans and everyone else. Really strange that you dismiss Berry – and me – out of hand. Sounds pretty knee-jerk partisan to me.
Out of hand, eh – ‘whoever you are’? There’s not one tangible policy position anywhere in sight in your or Berry’s protestations. `I was particularly taken with the photo shown on Berry’s Global Meetinghouse Enterprises, LLC, Facebook page showing a handgun with the barrel tied in a knot.
https://scontent-bos5-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/327273317_699303308515454_617536812265283795_n.jpg?_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=cc71e4&_nc_ohc=9MwYXjwGhK0Q7kNvgE–Q96&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-bos5-1.xx&_nc_gid=A-MOz5wlty5V8RPl0wg2XeT&oh=00_AYCtXxBOvPbzsAMHM1JMpeEPSVd7RRildMVybzwqBJeDZA&oe=671C6575
Caveat emptor, VDC readers…. clearly there’s a sea change in Vermont’s political landscape occurring. The Prog/Dems are dawning their sheep’s clothing in droves, while projecting their extraordinary gaslighting political malfeasance on conservatives at every turn. The jig is up.
Deploy Malloy!
Basing your objections to a candidate on 2 photos and other generalizations regarding parties is certainly not intelligently critiquing any current “policy positions”, or responding appropriately to his VDC post. Knee-jerk partisan name-calling, that’s all.
Listen to yourself, whoever you are. The reason I’m basing my opinion on what limited published information is out there, is because neither you nor your politician friend offer any ‘policy positions’ to consider. Nothing. You’re all hat… no cattle. I’m not name calling. You are. I’m looking for specifics. You don’t have specifics. Nothing. So, you do what most Dem/Progs do…. blame the guy asking the questions.
VDC readers… again, Caveat Emptor.
Unbelievable. If you are looking for specifics on this candidate, do a little work and go to his website, which he listed, https://www.votesberry.com , which seems far more specific than Malloy’s on policies. I was simply responding to YOUR initial comment, which also certainly lacks specifics. And you have completely ignored this post by Berry, and simply dissed HIM with no intelligent critique whatsoever. Yes, listen to yourself, Mr. Eschelman.
I stand corrected [notsettledscience]. Thank you for the web site address. My previous searches of Steve Berry Vermont, on DuckDuckGo and Google, didn’t list this web site and I missed the referenced address at the bottom of his article. In fact, after searching ‘Steve Berry Vermont’, his web site is still not recognized. I recommend Mr. Berry have his website folks increase the site’s exposure efficiency.
None the less, I see it now and thank you for pointing it out. I also encourage VDC readers to read it and watch Mr. Berry’s mini videos on various subjects. Then decide for themselves if there are sufficient specific tangible recommendations for the future.
My opinion of Mr. Berry has changed… but only a little bit. Gerald Malloy proposes (and I agree with), free enterprise solutions for healthcare, education, and business formation. I’m still concerned about Mr. Berry’s association with Bernie Sanders, his position on the 2nd Amendment, and after watching Mr. Berry’s missives, figuring out what he’s specifically proposing to do.
For example, I am mutually concerned about ‘the faceless anonymity of the corporate state’ (i.e., the Administrative State or the Deep State), and the mainstream media that carry their water. And while I’m concerned about the military-industrial complex, it’s the ‘industrial’ aspect that concerns me most. Does Mr. Berry believe someone like Elon Musk, with his successful credentials, can streamline government the same way he converted Tesla into a successful car company, created Space X and Starlink, and transformed Twitter into X?
Again, in closing, VDC readers should check out Berry’s specifics and know that as opaque as his web site address may have been, I was negligent in not finding it before voicing my criticism.
Thank you, Mr. Eshelman, for educating yourself a bit more on Steve Berry and admitting your remarks were not substance-based. I do appreciate that. You and all of us could have learned more about where he is coming from (AND compared him with Sanders) (and Malloy) IF he had been included in the Digger debate. I wrote to the person in charge of the debate to ask what the criteria were for inclusion, and to complain that if they are doing a debate to inform voters, then they are NOT fairly informing voters if they don’t include all those who did what they were required to do to get on the ballot. At least by having a second debate with those other candidates. I have not had a reply.
It certainly seems very undemocratic to arbitrarily delete candidates. This is what the DNC did to RFKjr from the start. Berry is very much aligned with RFKjr policies and philosophies. And, as I said, many of us have had our eyes opened via the covid debacle and have re-evaluated many presumptions. Just because Berry had his photo taken with Sanders at any time in the past does NOT mean that he is currently aligned with him. I was a Berniecrat for a long time. I will be voting for Steve Berry. I have become a true Independent, a critically-thinking voter, and will never be a party voter again in my life. And I will be voting for RFKjr, who is still on our ballot.
Part of critical thinking is realizing that some people can and do re-evaluate their ideas and can emerge with a very different consciousness about things. Please acknowledge to yourself that this can happen, and allow some people, even candidates, the benefit of the doubt when you don’t have enough info to paint them with a wide, negative brush. Peace.
Thank you for accepting my apology. It was sincere.
I too am an Independent voter and always have been. I’ve taken the time to watch some of Mr. Berry’s mini-videos, not all… at least not yet. But what I have seen and read on Mr. Berry’s web site is, dare I say it, more ‘word salad’. Therefore, the specific points I made with regard to Mr. Berry’s policies have yet to be addressed – and they still stand.
Berry’s concerns are legitimate, as are yours. But as I exclaimed on the last VDC ‘Friday At Four’ post, “Who in the world would ever say they weren’t in favor of fiscal restraint and spending as few tax dollars as possible for the best quality of services as we can get?” What about the Clean Heat Standard? What about School Choice? Does Mr. Berry know the difference between the ‘defined benefit’ retirement programs incorporated in State employee contracts and the ‘defined contribution’ stipulation in everyone else’s retirement programs? These are the three most significant issues affecting Vermont taxpayer affordability.
Gerald Malloy’s presentations seem vague to some folks because they are so simple. He and I both advocate for classic free market solutions, as espoused by Adam Smith, Milton Friedman, Thomas Sowell, and others. Unfortunately, no one is inclined to discuss free market solutions. Certainly, Mr. Berry doesn’t appear so inclined.
Perhaps you and I can have this discussion.
A leopard don’t change his spots. See: Harris, Kamala.
I don’t know Steve Berry, I assume he’s running as an independent because there is no room on the DemocRAT ticket for him and the GOP won’t stand in his way !!
I don’t know Steve Berry, is he just another wolf in sheep’s clothing ??? Time will tell.
If Vermont sends Bernie back to DC it will confirm my thoughts that the Vermont electorate is bat s–t crazy. Bernie got the mine, and his useful idiot, Bernie Bros. got the shaft. Thirty years later and 3 bills passed, 2 of which were building names, Bernie has had his chance, and he became wealthy just running his mouth. He’s 82 years old and Vermont needs a change in the US Senate. We don’t need another Bernie from Brooklyn, we need an experienced man like Gerald Malloy. Giving Bernie another 6 years will get Vermont what It has for the last 30 years, nothing. He and Vermont are the laughingstock in the US senate and the rest of the normal country.
The man never had a fulltime job until he was 40 and started in Vermont running for office in the Liberty Union party using the name liberty to hide the communist ideal of the Liberty Union party. It fizzled away to the dust bin and good reddens. Bernie’s still here during parade season though only now he’s millionaire Bernie still marching and selling his wares to the uninformed, downtrodden masses who are still waiting for the Bernie miracle to lift them out of poverty. It seems as though that the only means available to fire a Vermont liberal politician is by the Grim Reaper. Instead of that horrible demise, the voters could actually do some good for their state by saying Bye Bye Bernie and electing an accomplished, experienced person who has the knowledge and experience to move Vermont forward. Thank you, Bernie but it’s time to retire.
I agree that Sanders is too old. Why can’t VTGOP field a credible candidate I could vote for?
Bernie’s time to retire was before he moved here from New York City. He is one of the original carpetbaggers.
Wow – why get your panties in a wad over who’s the best candidate to lose to Sanders?
“Likewise, VP Kamala Harris said in a recent interview that “freedom of speech is a privilege.” A true, blue, Totalitarian, globalist, virtue-signaling parrot. People who think like her will vote for her. People I used to have something in common with, but prefer to steer clear from today.