Background Information for

Political Reviews by John Manimas Medeiros (pending)

(Version:  [May 11, 2024] )

 

The content of Political Reviews by John Manimas Medeiros is personal opinion based on the political experience and lifetime education of John Manimas Medeiros.  The observations and opinions expressed in these reviews are as valid as the numerous reviews of products and services posted online for hundreds of thousands of products and services.  You, the sovereign citizen and sovereign customer, are the ultimate judge of the validity and value of any and all political reviews.

 

Political Experience Resume

A) Formal Education

Saint Anthony's Roman Catholic (Polish) Church, Fairfield, Connecticut, grades K through 4. 

 

McKinley Public School, Fairfield, Connecticut, grades 5 through 8.

 

Andrew Warde (Fairfield) High School, grades 9 through 12.  Plus ten months in Italy as an American Field Service exchange student.

 

Secondary schools in Italy, 1960-61, as an exchange student.  Learned Italian as a second language, declining with disuse of Italian after return to U.S.A.  Experienced the Italian/European culture, where I made the observation that "freedom" seemed to be much more of a social and cultural heritage compared to the U.S.A.  In the U.S.A. many people appear to speak and act as though "freedom" is a legal status established and documented by our written constitution and written laws.  In other words, the Italians I met on that exchange visit appeared to be more aware than Americans that being declared "free" on paper does not necessarily mean a citizen is making independent, personal choices.  The citizen in any country who is free on paper can choose to conform socially as though freedom is granted and monitored by the government rather than inherited by birth into civil society.  Italy permitted and supported socialist and communist political parties.  Many Italian cities had socialist or communist mayors.  When I asked my Italian friends why the Italian Communist Party was allowed and successful in Italy, they responded that the Communist Party provided many social services and the communists fought and gave their lives to resist the Fascists after the Italian people decided in 1943 to reject Mussolini and Fascism.  Italy included and respected Jews for centuries since 1492 and the Italians of the 20^th century found the cruel persecution of Jews by Fascists repulsive and unworthy of the Italian people and nation.

 

Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, 1962-1966, with financial aid, concentrating studies in political and social science. 

 

University of Massachusetts, Graduate School of Education, Amherst, Massachusetts, 1968-1970, Master of Arts in Teaching Program, good grades but did not complete award of the MAT degree due to a change in personal plans.  Taught for one year in Wallingford, Vermont.

 

B) Relevant Employment Experience

1)  Worked for a town:  Town of Fairfield, Connecticut, 1961-1962, Playground Instructor.  Summer outdoor supervisor of children at a town playground.

 

2)  Worked for a federal agency, the Internal Revenue Service, Revenue Agent, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, 1966-1968.  Main duties locating delinquent taxpayers and collecting taxes, occasionally by filing IRS liens on taxpayer assets.

 

3)  Employed as guide and supervisor of learning-impaired children for Commonwealth of Massachusetts (1968) and for Non-profit mental health agency in Rutland, Vermont (1975-76) 

 

4)  Worked for Commonwealth of Massachusetts as collector of child support due to the caretaker primary parent (1985-1987).

 

5) Worked for the State of Vermont as Income Maintenance Specialist (financial aid for impoverished individuals and families), and as Family Services Social Worker (child protection and supervision of delinquent adolescents)  1977-1985, 1988-2006.

 

C)  Research and Writing (self-published)

1)  The Case Against a President's War (April 1968) a pamphlet based on eighteen months of research of the Congressional Record deposited at Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts, describing how the Tonkin Gulf Resolution of August 1965 was a sharp deviation from the previous history of warfare authorized by the Congress of the United States.  Prior to 1965, the President recommended to the Congress that they pass a declaration of war (as outlined in the Constitution).  But in the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, the words of the Congress amount to saying "If the President says he needs to pursue a state of war with North Vietnam, then the Congress supports his efforts."  I concluded that this was the origin of the division of the country over the War in Vietnam.  The public turmoil did not arise only from philosophical or political policy disagreements relevant to international relations, but rather to the fact that the government deviated from the core principle that only the Congress can authorized a state of war, and neither the Executive Branch nor the Legislative Branch obtained the will of the people before they authorize all of the expenditures for warfare that followed. 

 

2)  The Primacy of Stewardship (2009)  Following many years of study of the Christian Bible (Douay-Rheims version 1957) and descriptions and scriptures of other religions (Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Taoism, Confucianism, Native American, and Theosophy) from 1958 through 2008, I completed the manuscript for this book.  The essence of the content is the detailed elaboration of my conviction that one of the greatest mistakes in human history was the interpretation of Jesus life and teaching as a moral philosophy or basis for a "new" religious institution.  The correct interpretation is that the parables and teaching of Jesus is in fact a scientific message of supreme importance, telling us that "if we do not take proper care of the people and property entrusted to us we risk losing everything."  And actually I have come to a conclusion later in my life that Jesus made reference to "my children" meaning the children of God, he included all living plants and animals as well as humans.  It was not difficult for me to sustain my belief that this is the scientific message of Jesus, because it has been confirmed by our scientific community, and the First Nations Community, since Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring in 1962.  All of our geological and biological research tells us that our continuous misuse of technology without regard to all of the "side effects" or so-called "unintended consequences" defines us as a mainly destructive species.  If the human species were on trial, the prosecution could state, credibly, that the evidence will show that human civilization has done more harm than good.  This is sad, and discouraging, but the story is not over yet.  There is still time, I hope.

 

D)  Running for Elective Office

In 1976 I made a feeble effort to win support in and from the Liberty Union Party in Vermont to run for the office of U. S. Senator from Vermont.  At that time Bernie Sanders was the leader of the party and he was widely admired in Vermont.  Later he would rise in political stature to be elected Mayor of Burlington, Vermont and later U.S. Senator.  I did not possess the skills to win any meaningful popular support in 1976 and was not even nominated by the Liberty Union Party.  But this gave me one of the hard lessons – there were more to come – about how the game is really played, and why I would most likely never be a viable candidate -- too much brain and not enough emotional appeal.   Further commentary on Bernie Sanders:  He is a genius, a gift to the political life of the United States.  Many have concluded that Vermont is liberal or even radical because Vermont voters supported Bernie.  I would modify that concept.  I lived in Vermont for forty-six years, the middle of my adult lifetime from 1970 to 2016.  My perception is that Vermonters do not necessarily vote for liberals or conservatives.  The reason Vermonters voted for Bernie Sanders was because they trusted him, and their trust was well placed.  He was chosen by the members of the Democratic Party state primary voters to be the Democratic candidate for President in 2016, but the Democratic Party dishonored the principles of democracy and created "super delegates" so that the nomination would go to Hilary Clinton.  Secretary Clinton was qualified, and would have made a good President, but she was nominated by a contrived or forced process to avoid having Bernie get the nomination because he was tagged as a "democratic socialist."  The Party believed that the word "socialism" must be avoided, like it is a crime.  By this decision the Democratic Party has participated in the damage that has been done to the United States by Donald Trump and the power of office that he has exercised on behalf of the Confederate States of America.    If Bernie Sanders had been nominated, Donald Trump would have lost by a landslide.  And the neo-Confederacy would not have gained a foothold in America.  This tragedy occurred because of the unwritten agreement between the Republican and Democratic parties that whatever their differences, they are permanently allied to control election practices that make it impossible for any third parties, especially "socialist" parties, to obtain public support and win elective office.

 

In 2020 I made a serious effort to be a presidential candidate and bring the issue of elections and election practices to the public's attention.  Our election practices are deliberately designed to block the possibility of any new parties gradually gaining public support and providing our nation with serious democratic political competition.  I did a lot of research and learned a lot, along with my vice-presidential candidate Henry Jackson and my sole Presidential Elector from New York.  And therein lies the failure.  Besides not being good at gaining public interest or developing public appeal, the first thing a candidate and party must have is volunteers to serve as presidential electors.  Also, I do not believe my ideas appeal to the general public.  I am all reason and no entertainment.  The political class has turned the American political process into a sport or game to be played only by the rich, and to be observed by the masses like the Super Bowl.  American citizens adopt their political loyalties like they choose professional sports teams.  They are not voters.  They are fans.  They remain loyal to their chosen "team" (party) no matter how bad they play or how much they lose, or how wrong they are.  Americans turn everything into entertainment, and then turn it over to the big business of entertainment.  There is no need to vote (participate), just go to a tavern and watch.  People participate by venting anger and bluster.  People complain about corruption in politics, but the corruption starts where citizens reject their obligation to vote.  Democracy REQUIRES participation, and if you are not voting, you are not participating. 

 

You are responsible for what is happening today, just as the German people are responsible for raising Hitler to power and failure to stop the tragedy of the Nazi Party in 1933-1945.  Democracy does not fail unless the people fail to support it with their participation.  We will not be able to pursue any meaningful discussion of issues and opinions, or problems and solutions, and make the important and accepted political policy decisions until at least 90% of eligible citizens vote in every election. 

 

                                                            Neighbor and fellow citizen,

                                                            John M. Medeiros  May 2024