The Sign Of The Lord

Opinion

Tiberiu Dianu


The Divine Sign

One of the most popular festival events in Puerto Rico takes place every year
on August 15 in the municipality of Cayey, about 30 miles south of the capital
city of San Juan: the Matron Festivities of Nuestra Señora de Asunción. The
festivities are celebrated during 10 consecutive days, bringing singers and ba-
nds from around the island. Cayey is relatively close to the southern shores of
Puerto Rico, the southernmost part of the United States.

This year, on the same day, in one of the northernmost largest cities of the Uni-
ted States, the popular Christian feast was observed being accompanied by a
special event. Almighty God has chosen the skies of Chicago to cast his vote for
President.

A “yuge” heavenly Donald Trump - displayed on the Lord’s ceiling - has dem-
onstrated to us that neither the place, nor the day have been chosen randomly.

The Place

Thus, for the Chicago place: God is reminding us of his displeasure for the un-
healthy policies of the former Illinois senator, now president of the United Sta-
tes, Barack Hussein Obama. These policies have targeted constantly the most
blessed country on earth, which the Almighty – still – loves and protects. It is
also a reminder to the (lefty) Chicagoans of their ugly manners and despicable
reception they had prepared in their Windy City for the Republican presidential
candidate. On March 11, they brutally infringed Trump’s constitutional right to
free speech by blocking his rally in the city.

This did not prevent Trump from easily winning the Illinois primary on the fo-
llowing Tuesday, March 15, exactly five months before the Divine Sign. Indeed,
God sees and takes care.

The Time

As for the date, rare are the days of the year loaded with so much religious sig-
nificance and variety of human events as August 15. Let us review some of them.
A few are related to the acute problems that concern the American society of to-
day...

-  the Assumption of Mary,  one of the most important Christian feast days and
holidays; according to some sources,  Mary’s death occurred 11 years after the
death – in 30 A.D. - of her son, Jesus (in 41 A.D.);

- the beginning of the Arab-Byzantine wars (in 636);

- the Second Arab Siege of Constantinople (in 718);

- the foundation stone of Cologne Cathedral, built to house the relics of the
Three Wise Men, is laid (in 1248);

- the end of the Byzantine Empire, as a result of the Ottoman victory in Tre-
bizond (in 1461);

- the Sistine Chapel is consecrated by Pope Sixtus IV (in 1480);

- Paraguay's capital city of Asunción (the Assumption) is founded (in 1537);

- The Battle of Fort Dearborn (now Chicago) is fought between the U.S. troops
and Potawatomi, during the Anglo-American War (in 1812);

- the oldest Roman Catholic cathedral (Our Lady of Peace) in continuous use
in the United States is dedicated in Honolulu, Hawaii (in 1843);

- the Panama Canal opens to traffic (in 1914);

- coincidentally or not, my maternal grandmother, called Maria, is born on the
Assumption Day, also known (in her native Romania) as the Falling Asleep of
the Blessed Virgin Mary (in 1915);

- The Wizard of Oz premieres in Los Angeles (in 1939);

- effective surrender of Japan in World War II (in 1945);

- the birth of stadium rock, with The Beatles playing to 60,000 fans at Shea
Stadium in New York City (in 1965);

- The Woodstock Music & Art Fair opens in upstate New York (in 1969);

- a radio telescope operated by Ohio University, The Big Ear, receives a radio
signal from deep space, named “Wow! Signal” from the notations made on the
project (in 1977).

The Identity

In case anybody still doubts the significance of the Divine Sign, take another
look at the profiles of Earthly Donald and Heavenly Donald. They are…
I-DEN-TI-CAL!



TIBERIU DIANU is a scholar and author of several books and articles in law and post-
communist societies. He studied law, human rights, and criminal justice at the univer-
sities of Bucharest (Romania), Strasbourg (France), Oxford and Manchester (U.K.), Am-
erican University (Washington, DC),  and University of Maryland at College Park (Ma-
ryland). He currently lives in Washington, DC, where he works for various government 
and private agencies.

The opinions expressed in the preceding article are those of those of the author alone and do not 

necessarily represent the views of The Puerto Rico Monitor, its contributors, editors or advertisers.

The Five Weirdest Political Parties In The United States

Feature

Bill Alvarez

Many political "third parties" in the U.S. buck establishment trends by supporting innovative or unique ideas. In many cases, their ideas end up being co-opted by the major parties. Thanks to the Socialist Party of the early 20th century, we now have Social Security and the eight hour workday, and The Libertarian Party has been very influential on the Republican Party of the last couple of decades. The Constitution Party has attracted some attention in conservative circles, while the Green Party played a visible role in the disputed 2000 Presidential election, when their candidate Ralph Nader received enough votes to allegedly hurt Democratic candidate Al Gore. But there are also many third parties that are not only inconsequential, but just, well...really weird. Below we take a glance at five of the most offbeat ones:

Prohibition Party

This anti-alcohol party is actually the oldest third party still (barely) active in the U.S., having been founded in 1869. In the 1910s, they actually managed to get some people elected to Congress and were able to capture the Governorship of Florida. It's all been downhill since the end of alcohol Prohibition in the 1930s, though, as its membership, support and vote totals have gradually shrunk to almost nothing. Their 2012 Presidential nationwide vote total was a pathetic 518 votes. Since 2003, two different factions have been fighting over an $8,000 payment that the estate of a deceased supporter makes to the party each year, which is reminiscent of two hobos fighting over a half-empty can of Dinty Moore stew. It is unknown if they will run a Presidential (or any other) candidate again in 2016. Other than booze prohibition, the party's platform is generally socially and fiscally conservative. Each faction has a website:www.prohibitionists.org and www.prohibitionparty.org.

Objectivist Party

Dedicated to bringing the teachings of noted anti-government philosopher and novelist Ayn Rand to...uhh, the government... this small party was founded in 2008 by lawyer Tom Stevens. Never mind that Rand herself was highly skeptical of electoral politics during most of her life (she wouldn't even support the Libertarian Party) and the party does not seem to receive any significant support from the official Objectivist movement. Stevens ran for President as the OP's nominee in 2008 and 2012, with Alden Link as his running mate. In the latter race, they finished with 4,091 votes, having appeared on the ballot in two whole states (Colorado and Florida). I can see this organization eventually folding back into the Libertarian Party, which is very likely where it sprung from in the first place. The pary's website is atwww.objectivistparty.us

Revolutionary Communist Party

One of the many tiny socialist/communist parties that litter the American underground political scene, this outfit has been around since 1975. The RCP was founded and is still led by egomaniac Bob Avakian, who "fled" the U.S. for France after supposedly jumping bail (he had assaulted a police officer at a demonstration). He remained in self-exile for years, despite the fact that the government didn't seem to give a rat's ass where he was or what he was doing. The RCP's platform basically calls for total revolution in order to overthrow capitalism, and has rarely participated in elections. In the past, they were controversial within left-wing circles for repudiating homosexuality, a position they have since revised. This personality-centered party continues to sell newspapers, run a website and...well, I guess that's it. Bob Avakian also likes to make lots of speeches.

The Light Party

This California-based new age oriented party, headed by leader "Da Vid", describes itself as "a holistic, proactive, educational new political paradigm party dedicated to "Health Peace and Freedom For All". The Light Party Platform is "a synthesis of the finest elements of the Republican, Democratic, Libertarian and Green Parties." Umm, okay. That all sounds alright on paper, I suppose. But the party's website also includes 9/11 "truther" material (never a good sign), as well as a good deal of new age pseudo-science and just plain crazy flakiness. Annual membership is a steal for $44.00 (can I pay in crystals?). No information seems to be available on who their candidates are or have been (if any), or if they have ballot access in any state. My guess is that the answer to that last one is 'no'. Website is atwww.lightparty.com.

Source

National Socialist Movement

Strangely headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, this Nazi organization was founded in 1974 by Robert Brannen and Clifford Herrington, and is apparently still around and reportedly has chapters in 35 states. They infrequently run candidates for local and state offices (one of their California candidates was shot and killed by his ten-year-old son, who was tired of his father's abuse). The NSM occasionally holds rallies protesting immigration, black people, jews, gays and the like. Basically a gang of -- at the most -- a few hundred losers and retards, who are completely irrelevant and have zero hope of ever influencing the public discourse or getting anyone elected to anything. Numerous NSM members have been arrested over the years for various crimes, including vandalism, assault and manslaughter.

A Brief Look At Political Third Parties In The U.S.

Feature

by Pedro Vega

For a good deal of American history, the nation's politics have been controlled by two parties: the Democrats and the Republicans. Most people assume this is really all there is, but they couldn't be more wrong. The United States is home to a whole host of "third" political parties covering a wide ideological range. While many people consider third party voting to be a "wasted vote", the current state of the country under the rule of the usual two parties makes one wonder if a vote for either D's or R's might not be an even bigger waste. Below we highlight some of the more notable third political parties in the United States:

Libertarian Party

Traditionally billing itself as "America's Largest Third Party" (they are indeed #3, as far as number of party members), this fiscally conservative/ socially liberal party was founded in the Colorado home of activist David Nolan in 1971. The LP supports privatizing many government services, including Social Security, and lowering or eliminating taxation wherever possible. They are also known for opposing criminalization of drugs, prostitution and gambling, and have long been for gay marriage and generally against war, foreign intervention and foreign aid. The LP's membership is often split on the issue of abortion. Their biggest presidential vote-getter has been former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, with almost 1.3 million votes. They have organizations in most states and 144 Libertarians hold office across the country, mostly at the local level (as of fall 2014). Their website can be found at www.lp.org.

Green Party

This left-leaning party was inspired by the Green parties which were formed in Europe and Australia in the late 1970s. The modern Green Party of the US spun-off from a less formal group which formed in 1984 (eclipsing the rival and somewhat more radical Greens/Green Party USA), with the actual Party forming in 1991. The Green Party has as some of its central tenets ideas like participatory democracy, caring for the environment, opposition to war, gender and racial equality and social/economic justice. Their most successful candidate for President has been Ralph Nader, who was accused of tilting the election in favor of George W Bush in 2000, after receiving 2,882,955 total popular votes. The Greens have organizations in almost every state, with a few exceptions, such as Alabama, Indiana and Wyoming. The party counts with 131 office holders across the U.S. as of fall 2014, mostly in local and county positions. The Green Party's 2012 Presidential nominee, Dr. Jill Stein, garnered 469,628 votes in 2012. Their website is at www.gp.org.

Constitution Party

A heavily right-wing party founded by conservative activist Howard Phillips in 1992, the Constitution Party started out with the name U.S. Taxpayer's Party, which it kept until 1999 (some state affiliates operate under completely different names). Constitutionalists are for abolishing the income tax and getting rid of Social Security, and have a generally non - interventionist view on foreign policy. They are also anti-abortion, anti-gambling, anti- pornography, anti-gay marriage and heavily biased towards Christianity. They are supporters of gun rights and increased controls on immigration into the United States. Some major political figures have flirted with the CP over the years, and former GOP Congressman Tom Tancredo ran for Governor of Colorado in 2010 under their ticket, garnering almost 37% of the vote. Their 2012 Presidential nominee was former Republican Congressman Virgil Goode, who received 122,388 votes. Their biggest vote-getter has been the Ron Paul-endorsed radio host Chuck Baldwin, who got 199,750 votes in 2008. Their website is at www.constitutionparty.com.

Socialist Alternative

A Trotskyist-leaning democratic socialist party started under the name Labor Militant in 1986, they are fairly active and succeeded in getting economics professor Kshama Sawant elected to the Seattle City Council in 2013. Their platform includes ideas such as: nationalizing the top 500 corporations in the country, creating more living-wage unionized jobs, instituting public universal health care, slashing the military budget, fighting discrimination and police brutality, among many others. Socialist Alternative has been involved in many broad left-wing campaigns, such as Occupy Wall Street. They seem to not have run any Presidential candidates as of yet, and it is unknown if they will be running anyone in 2016 (they have supported Ralph Nader's Presidential runs in the past). Their focus seems to be more on local races. Their website is at www.socialistalternative.org.

Modern Whig Party

This centrist, military-oriented political party was founded in 2007, and claims to have over
25,000 supporters. According to its website "...among its founding members were Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans dissatisfied with the deep ideological divide between the Republican and Democratic parties." The Whigs' six-tenet philosophy consists of "fiscal responsibility, energy independence, education /scientific advancement, states' rights, social progression and veteran's affairs". In 2013, the party succeeded in getting Robert Bucholz elected as Judge of Election for the Fifth Division in Philadelphia, making him the Whigs' second elected officeholder. They have chapters in a few states, and have a website at www.modernwhig.org. T.J. O'Hara was their Presidential nominee in 2012, but doesn't seem to have been on the ballot in any state.

Campaign Contributions and Puerto Rico

The Hill

Jose Aponte-Hernandez

The 2016 presidential campaign is in full swing as candidates from both
national parties are crisscrossing the nation in search of money and votes.
In recent years, the United States Territory of Puerto Rico has become one
of the more attractive landing spots for those seeking to live at Pennsylva-
nia 1600.

Ever since the 2008 primary between President Barack Obama and former
First Lady Hillary Clinton, our Island have been routinely visited by most
of the top tiered presidential candidates in search of money and more mo-
ney.

Votes? Maybe, if the primary is heated, such as was the case in 2008 when
Clinton needed a win in Puerto Rico to make it competitive. But that was
the exception, not the rule. They all come, but they come mainly for the
money...[CONTINUE READING]

The Five Weirdest Political Parties In The United States

Many political "third parties" in the U.S. buck establishment trends by su-
pporting innovative or unique ideas. In many cases, their ideas end up being
co-opted by the major parties. Thanks to the Socialist Party of the early 20th
century, we now have Social Security and the eight hour workday, and The
Libertarian Party has been very influential on the Republican Party of the last
couple of decades. The Constitution Party has attracted some attention in con-
servative circles, while the Green Party played a visible role in the disputed
2000 Presidential election, when their candidate Ralph Nader received enough
votes to allegedly hurt Democratic candidate Al Gore. But there are also many
third parties that are not only inconsequential, but just, well...really weird. Be-
low we take a glance at five of the most offbeat ones:


Prohibition Party

This anti-alcohol party is actually the oldest third party still (barely) active in
the U.S., having been founded in 1869. In the 1910s, they actually managed
to get some people elected to Congress and were able to capture the Gover-
norship of  Florida...[CONTINUE READING]