Month: May 2018

By Now…

By now we should know better than to fight it. To scream out the answers that will go unheard. That will be met with thoughts and prayers by our elected leaders. To demand sensible gun control and comprehensive reform. To highlight the fallacy of absolutist of the Second Amendment, the analogies to traffic laws, the hypocrisy of pro-lifers.

By now we should know to temper our expectations. Realize that it is naive to think the slaughter of our children will awaken our elected leaders from their slumber. Foolish to hope it will remind them that their responsibility is to serve and protect “we, the people,” not the monied interests of corporations and NRA lobbyists. Understand that it will always be “too soon.” That thoughts and prayers is all they will ever offer.

By now you’d think we’d have grow immune to the pain. Indifferent to the sorrow the friends and families of the victims must feel. Hardened to the feelings of empathy that awash me as parents reunite with their kids; devastated for the ones who never will.

By now you would think we’d cease correcting the reporters each time they referred to the disturbed gunman. Each report in which they refused to brand the latest act of domestic terrorism as such. Failed to identify the undeniable trend among the perpetrators. To ask the obvious, “where were they radicalized?”

By now we know that’s the plan. To normalize these school shootings to such a degree that we accept them as inevitable. That we embrace our gun control culture and seek alternative avenues to solve the issue. Ignore the weapons and no abandon efforts at prevention in favor of those that mitigate damage instead. Redesign our schoolyards to more closely resemble a single entrance prison yard. Arm our teachers and security officers to better control threats and behavior. Relax our rights of privacy to allow for profiling and stop and frisk of whatever suspicious group du jour. Enhance surveillance to allow for quicker response times among emergency responders.

By now we know that this fight is too important. Have come to understand that they may want us to perceive that this fight is unwinnable, that it requires compromise, but the reality tells us otherwise.

By now we’ve seen sensible gun control efforts work in civilized and “free” societies throughout the globe. We’ve seen the near elimination of domestic mass shootings in countries that once faced similar violence. We’ve seen the various extreme ways common sense reform may work, from the near elimination of individual gun ownership in Australia to the tightly regulated but right to bear arms efforts in Japan.

By now we should know that it’s only a matter of a time. That you can’t stop progress. That the future has arrived and we must follow its lead of the children who have grown tired of our inaction. Who have seen the errors of our ways. Who have grown tired of reaching for the tissues, hiding in the corners, mourning their friends and waiting for the right time. Who are reaching the age of majority and marching for OUR lives. Who are ready and able to engage directly; committed to vote, to ask the relevant questions, to demand the necessary action of our leaders.

By now we should take solace and courage in the knowledge that we are the majority. That when harnessed the power of the people should never be underestimated. That we have the power to end this cycle, protect future generations, and enact common sense gun control.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/indiana-school-shooting-latest-noblesville-today-shooter-middle-school-gun-a8369336.html

This Is Us

“We never learn, we been here before. Why are we always stuck and running from the bullets, the bullets? Just stop your crying it’s a sign of the times. We gotta get away from here. We gotta get away from here. Just stop your crying it’ll be alright. They told me that the end is near. We gotta get away from here” – Harry Styles

A modern day Bob Dylan he’s not, but the man who my five year old daughter described as having “the most beautiful lips,” perfectly captures Trump’s America.

Stop your crying. Hold your faux thoughts and prayers. Raise those flags back to full mast.

This is us.

So long as we continue to dehumanize minorities, outsiders and those who look different. So long as we characterize them as “rapists,” “shithole countries,” “animals,” “enemies,” and worse,

This is us.

So long as we allow those in power to divide our nation into two camps. Secure a status quo long past the point demographics would allow, to erect a permanent caste system. So long as we are “haves and have nots” and are labeled as an “us”or “them,”

This is us.

So long as the leaders of our nation think it acceptable to bully, threaten, tweet racist dog whistles, and challenge one another to school yard brawls. So long as we elect those who deride a Civil Rights icon on social media but silently accept the endorsement of hatemongers, white supremacists and nationalists,

This is us.

So long as we falsely equate the child in the hoodie, hijab, yarmulke or Che tee with the one in the white hood, sweater vest, Confederate flag, or swastika tattoo. So long as we rip child from parent at our borders in the name of law and order,

This is us.

So long as we build walls instead of bridges. Invest in war instead of education and research grants. So long as we celebrate “American exceptionalism” but oppose student loan reform,

This is us.

So long as “we, the people” includes Goldman Sachs, Halliburton, Monsanto and Boeing and not every Trayvon, Fatima, Ellen, Matthew, and Mohammed,

This is us.

So long as we rely on the sources that broke the Bowling Green Massacre, but dub the ones that broke Watergate as “fake news,”

This is us.

So long as we are persuaded by “alternative facts,” slogans, and double speak but tune out science, photographic evidence, and statistics,

This is us.

So long as we buy the empty promises about the wonders of trickle down economics and reject efforts to raise the minimum wage,

This is us.

So long as we profess that Earth and all its things were created by God but deny global warming, pollute our rivers and drill baby drill,

This is us.

So long as we debate whether gun lockers have a greater right to privacy than our daughter’s privates. So long as we lobby that the 2nd Amendment is absolute and unequivocable, but tweet against and act to curtail the 1st and 4th,

This is us.

So long as we offer thoughts and prayers for all of God’s children, but sit nearly silent as antisemitism, Islamaphobia, and hate crimes are committed in her name,

This is us.

So long as we declare “Mission Accomplished” all while knowing it has hardly begun,

This is us.

So long as we’re more offended by the black athlete who uses his celebrity to kneel in silent protest for equality than we are the white Christian billionaire who use his bully pulpit to disparage an immigrant nation,

This is us.

https://www.newsandguts.com/link/nation-senator-jeff-merkley-saw-immigrant-detention-center-children/

Trump Translated

Oh, Kim Un, my darling

I’ve hungered for your touch

A long, lonely time

Time goes by so slowly

And time can do so much

Are you still mine?

I need your love

I need your love

God speed your love to me

Lonely rivers flow

To the sea, to the sea

To the open arms of the sea

Lonely rivers sigh

“Wait for me, wait for me”

I’ll be coming home, wait for me

Oh, Dear Leader, lil Rocketman

I’ve hungered, for your touch

A long, lonely time

Time goes by so slowly

And time can do so much

Are you still mine?

I need your love

I need your love

God speed your love to me

Lonely mountains gaze

At the stars, at the stars

Waiting for the dawn of the day

All alone I gaze

At the stars, at the stars

Dreaming of my love far away

Read more: The Righteous Brothers – Unchained Melody Lyrics | MetroLyrics

The Gaslighting of America

The gaslighting of America continues. Peer past the latest tweetstorms and staged drama orchestrated to distract you from reality. At heart our Donald Trump is a reality show star. It’s the only thing he’s ever been really good at. Scripting fake storylines and passing it off as reality. Manufacturing drama and faux conflict by introducing alternative facts and other stressors designed to produce outlandish sound bites and bombastic over exaggerated reactions to everyday situations. Carefully editing select moments of a person’s most vulnerable moments to create archetypical characters. Misrepresenting them in order to make a show entertaining to the masses. Keep them coming back for more. There’s no denying he knows how to spin a good yarn, keep people talking.

Not only that he has the perfect temperament for it. He holds no real convictions or loyalties and is convincingly able to take any position necessary to advance a storyline. Cross whatever line so long as it furthers his own agenda. A literal caricature of every villain of every film ever made. A billionaire product of affluent affirmative action who sells himself as a man of the people. A self proclaimed tycoon who was placed directly at the top of the business pyramid; never understanding what it means to actually lead. To advance on merit, not name. Able to skip the lessons of middle management the man has never learned the virtues of empathy, humility, accountability and communication.

My fellow Americans, we need to wake up and stop reacting to the newest scandal being scripted by this White House. Tune out the latest episode and ignore the narratives being pushed by this merry bannon of deplorables. Change the channel and end this shit show.

Tune back into the American story instead. The one piloted by our founding fathers nearly 250 years ago. Pitched on hope, equality, opportunity, freedom and in building a better tomorrow. Rooted in resistance to intolerance and hate. Understand that story is now in danger of cancellation. Only a coordinated campaign by “we, the people” will guarantee its renewal #Resist #TheResistance

History Has Its Eyes On You

You can sense the impending explosion. Hear the kindling crackle and feel the intensity of the heat rise as the embers glow ever brighter. You know this is no ordinary fire. That the smart thing to do is take cover. Yet you remain anchored in place by past experience. “You’ve never been burned before so why panic now,” you say to yourself. Besides, you are prepared for an emergency. The fire extinguisher is nearby and other traditional safeguards are in place to prevent catastrophe. So you ignore your spidey senses and do nothing. You stay in place and wait, prepared to react to whatever may come next. Oblivious to the fact you may never get that chance.

We’ve had 44 other presidents in this country. Some who previously served in the role were not good men. Many were corrupt and power hungry. Some had authoritarian tendencies and used the bully pulpit to foster divisions amongst the American citizenry. Others personally profited from the office. A few could probably be best described as immoral or maybe even criminal.

No matter who served in office, however, Americans were able to take comfort in the fact that our checks and balances were architected to prevent catastrophe. We took comfort in the fact that though our democratic institutions and individual freedoms may get temporarily burned, the house and those residing inside it would remain. That we would live to see another day. Another vote.

Unfortunately past experience does not apply to Donald Trump. The safeguards currently in place are ill equipped to adequately protect against such an unconventional threat. They were built on the premise of trust. On the belief that those in office serve the public and will act logically and represent the interest of the majority of the electorate. If not they will be voted out in a free and fair election or otherwise neutralized under the law.

Moreover, to function as designed our system of government relies on the informed consent of the electorate. It assumes facts exist and that a free and independent press will enjoy the freedom to report them, without being required to give equal time to the talking heads espousing alternative facts.

Our founders were well aware the threat a single authoritarian posed to individual liberty. They took great care to design a system of government with three separate, but equal branches of governance. That way if one branch sought to abuse its power the members of the other branches had the tools to bring action to protect the greater whole. Much like a fire extinguisher, however, these tools were not meant to be passive. There success is dependent on somebody being there to operate them.

We know Donald Trump is petrified of the Mueller investigation and where it could lead. Guilty people generally still know what they’ve done. We know Vladimir Putin, a former KGB agent who has never before acted with America’s best interest in mind, went to great lengths and invested precious Russian resources specifically to elect the man who promised to “make America great again!” We know that Mueller, Rosenstein, Comey, Berman and Wray, all life long Republicans, are going to unprecedented lengths to raise the red flags to the American public that there is some serious cause for concern. We know of the public refusal to denounce Putin by name or hold Russia to account for its attempts at interference in our election. We know of the public threats and private attempts to fire Mueller and end the investigation. We know the man who mocked his predecessor for doing so, telegraphed forthcoming military operations to our enemy apparently with ample time for them to prepare! Yet, despite all evidence that an unprecedented threat looms, the vast majority of our elected officials continue to play traditional politics. Act content to rely on reactionary safeguards.

Let me be clear. I don’t give two shits about party politics. This has never been about red verse blue. This is about patriotism. This is about the evolution of the American dream. We can no longer stand by passively. Our representatives need to get off their asses and do their intended job. Grab the extinguisher before the flames erupt uncontrollably and the conflagration consumes us all.

 

 

A Terrorist By Any Other Name

It’s easy to blame Muslim leaders for the rise of terrorism. To point out the hypocrisy of Imams and Islamic leaders for their refusal to use the full power of their positions to condemn those fundamentalists who commit horrific acts in the name of their God and prophets. To demand they do no more to convince the world that Islam is not a violent religion. That the misguided acts of a few are not representative of the whole.

America has a similar problem. Our standing as leader of the free world, the land of hopes and dreams and beacon of freedom for the world’s oppressed and under privileged is fading. It’s time for our leaders to recognize the rise of white Christian domestic terrorists. A fundamental sect comprised primarily of disgruntled youth who bastardize the words of God, Jesus and our founding fathers to justify their own acts of violence and deplorable behavior.

For years our leaders have more or less ignored this growing threat. Rather than condemn and stigmatize the larger group we have excused their behaviors as the acts of a lone wolf, a disturbed and misguided individual or other one off. Of course nothing could be further from the truth. These repeated attacks are all connected to a larger movement. A confederacy of hate and white supremacy that preys on the outcasts and piranhas of our society. They rely on conspiracy theory, fear and alternative facts to connect with the fringes of society who otherwise lack a voice. They use tried and true methods of organized dogma, scape goats, propaganda and slogan to radicalize new members. They encourage recruits to arm themselves with military grade arsenals and practically dare them to try out their new toys on the deep state and liberal elites who seek to prevent their ascension.

The time has come for Americans to protect their standing in the world. To make clear that this group of radical domestic terrorists do not define this great nation or her people. We are the land of the free and home of the brave. Let’s act it. The time has come to call out and differentiate the majority of us from those who now seek to change our identity. Who wish to hit a pause on the progress button and redefine a once great nation’s values and ideals.

The Hairy Arm Handlers

Do you really think rational people would use fiery language to withdraw from the Iran nuclear treaty under obvious phony pretext and formally move the US Embassy to Jerusalem in the same week if peace was their goal? We need to stop analyzing events in a vacuum.

Peace in the Middle East is not what this administration is after. They didn’t “ignore the warnings” of experts. Far from it. Unrest in the Middle East is good for business. It advances the agenda of everyone in the GOP which is exactly the role our so called President was born to play.

Understand this, Donald Trump is nothing more than a hairy arm. A big heaping turd placed into the picture by forces more nefarious than he. Forces that control, manipulate, and parade the hairy arm as they see fit. Who use it to their advantage to distract from what is really going on. A mistake so obvious, so glaring that all the masses speak of is the hairy arm and how out of place it is. All the while they ignore the focal point of the picture. The new world order being ushered in right under their noses. The giant middle finger Ryan, Pence, Bannon, Putin, and others are holding out to America.

Yes Donald Trump is so obviously flawed and psychologically damaged that he is the perfect hairy arm. A lightning rod bound by no sense of social norms and devoid of self awareness. A master in self promotion and expert in scripted reality. A distraction so glaring that entire news cycles are devoted strictly to him. What he said, what he tweeted, who he insulted. His latest break with protocol and tradition. As important as his ability to distract however is the ease in which a can corrupt and control him. Long before his entry into politics The Donald was known to be a con man of such notorious poor character that he made an easy mark for men of ill repute. A man who operates with no moral or ethical code, recognizes no boundaries and holds no concrete positions. One willing to offer or do anything to advance his own agenda; personal gain, adulation and protecting his family name and legacy. So long as those self interests are served he is restrained by no alliance, tradition or precedent of behavior. It’s all a part of the art of the deal as he likes to brag.

That our so called President stands for nothing should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed his career. It explains the reason so many competing right of center factions are complicit in this deplorable dog and pony show and refuse to hold our so called President accountable for his treasonous and deplorable behavior. Exposes the quid pro quo this lot of enablers received in return for their continued silence and protection. I mean did you see the smirks on the faces of Ryan and McConnell’s faces as each passed the unconscionable tax bill through their respective chamber? The glee in knowing their patience may pay off and they are about to secure the current status quo well past the point demographics would otherwise allow.

Don’t kid yourself. This is the true pay off for the GOP establishments’ (as owned by the Sheldon Adelson and the Koch Brothers) hold your nose acquiescence and endorsement of the naked emperor. The statutory erection of a permanent oligarchy where profits take priority over people and corporate interests are given favor over long term global concerns. All this backed by a stacked judiciary certain to enforce the new laws of the land. The Chief Executive and his willingness to sign any Executive Order to thank for it all.

Next take a look at the alliance of the military hawks. You know the names; Mattis, Kelly, McMaster, the old guard who suddenly find themselves in unprecedented positions of influence within the Oval Office and the champions of historic spending increases for our military industrial complex. Who seem to remain in office despite their distaste for the Commander in Chief. Is it any coincidence that cold wars and faux calls for patriotism also happen to be great recruitment tools?

We must not leave out our Tea Party friends. The proud agitators seeking to drain the swamp who seek nothing more than an all out revolution against the liberal elites. How does one explain their sudden infatuation with the one time New York socialite? Well me thinks its quite obvious what this merry bannon of deplorables gain from their unnatural alliance. To date, it’s been their agenda we’ve seen advance the most under this administration. The “deconstruction of the administrative state.” The collapse of old alliances and treaties. The dog whistles, false moral equivalents and intentional mainstreaming of what once was a deplorable fringe without a mouthpiece. Now empowered we see the results. A once powerful nation being divided by committed Democratic Arsonists who stand armed and ready to defend their Enabler in Chief.

By this point you must be wondering what any of this has to do with Jerusalem. Well the decision to immediately move the Embassy to Jerusalem was nothing more than part of the payoff in the art of the deal. Terms in the quid pro quo to Preacher Pence and the evangelical base that led them to the altar of the peach calf. Designed to usher in an age of chaos and upheaval on scales hereto unimagined.

Hypocrisy aside, there is a reason the so called evangelical Christians are complicit in this deplorable dog and pony show. A logic behind their refusal to hold our Comrade in Chief accountable for his treasonous and immoral actions. This unholy alliance between God’s crusaders and the twice divorced, porn star cheating, wannabe casino tycoon known to serve money above all else is built on the Second Coming itself!

A little known fact but Preacher Pence, Ashy Eyed Huckabee Sanders, and the rest of this jolly group of devout evangelical fundamentalists actually believe the Second Coming is imminent. More precisely they believe the Rapture is. A fanciful belief not even referenced in the Bible in which all Christians, dead or alive, will spontaneously transform to meet Christ in the air—in secret, for it will be unknown to the world of unbelievers at the time of its happening.

This will be followed by 7 years of hell on Earth led by the Antichrist. In this period known as the tribulations, God’s chosen people, the Jews, will occupy and defend Jerusalem. They will rebuild the ancient temple in anticipation of Christ’s return. That the temple needs to be constructed atop the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa mosque, the most sacred of Muslim sites is but a minor inconvenience on the road to salvation. Particularly since those true believers will have already been raptured and won’t be here to witness the bloody consequences.

Regardless a condition of the Messiah’s return is a raging ongoing war between the non-believers. A war in which all citizens of the world must choose a side. A modern day Crusades. Hence the continued provocation of the Islamic community that stretches beyond Jerusalem.

All Americans need to understand that these dispensationalists members of the American Taliban serve God above all else, even country. They believe certain prerequisites need be in place to pave the way for Christ’s return and it is their principle responsibility to pour the cement. That isn’t opinion. Dispensationalists believe they are doing God’s will. Their daily focus is on the glory of God and they put God at its center – as opposed to a central focus on man and humanity’s need for salvation. The Prophet in Chief now their vehicle to eternal salvation.

Moving the embassy to Jerusalem coupled with the carefully orchestrated withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal are not meant to advance OUR national security interests. They are meant to advance the interests of the kakistocracy and the falsely righteous. It is the lit match being tossed into a gasoline tank. Meant to cause an explosion on a global scale, to incite violence.

It’s not all bad though. If Pence, Robertson, Graham, Huckabee and friends are right salvation is just around the corner. The Rapture will come and Christ himself will soon return to sit in Jerusalem, atop the newly constructed altar within his restored temple.

The Boiling Frog

According to lore if you place a frog into a pot of boiling water it will jump right out and escape its impending doom. If, however, the frog is put into a pot of warm water and then brought to a slow boil it will not perceive of the danger until it’s too late. The poor frog is cooked to death.

The lesson of the story isn’t found in the frog’s death, but in its life. It’s that the frog never thought to escape. It was always just a hop away from freedom but chose to remain passive. Why? Because it couldn’t even perceive of the danger that lay ahead. Welcome to America’s democracy.

The warning signs are all there. From the inept Cabinet picks and partisan judicial nominations. To the war on the free press and creation of Sean Hannity’s Ministry of Propaganda. To the reckless wag the dog foreign policy. To the manufactured inquiry into Obama’s deep state. Deranged Donald has done more to destroy our democratic institutions, strip away individual freedoms and erode our standing as the beacon of hope and freedom to the world’s oppressed and underprivileged than any modern American leader.

Moreover, the majority of us understand that there is more to this Russia story. That Deranged Donald craves nothing more than power, adoration and fortune and will go to any lengths to protect his legacy, his bank account and family name. That he acts as if compromised by Putin in everything from his repeated refusal to implement sanctions, to his hiring of Flynn and Manafort, to his flagrant obstruction, to his shady real estate dealings, to his passing along of classified information, to the secret meetings, to the tipping them off of impending military operations, all the way to the outright refusal to directly say anything negative about his Puppetmaster Putin.

Put aside that alone may mean he has de facto command of the two most powerful military forces the world has ever known. That he will never permit the liberal witch hunt to end in his removal from office. Consider only what we know instead. That Russia continues to actively promote his agenda through misinformation campaigns on social media and by actively seeking to interfere in our midterm elections. That American intelligence is aware of this activity. That our so called President has done absolutely nothing about it! Why may that be? Might it be that a free and fair election may not be in his best interest. That the thought of a Democrat controlled House alone keeps him up at night with worry that the naked Emperor will be exposed. It’s the one contingency he must not allow.

It’s time for the majority to wake up. Do not allow past experiences to lull you into a false sense of security. The water is getting mighty warm. It’s time to jump out. Recognize what is at stake. Traditional checks and balances do not apply to unconventional threats.

We cannot afford to sit back passively and wait for a long off Election Day to voice our displeasure. The stakes are too high and the future too nebulous. We need our citizens to engage in bold and direct action. National strikes, sit-ins, daily demonstrations and other disruptive but non-violent methods are required. We need to leave our comfort zones and make proactive sacrifice. The freedoms we take for granted can literally be wiped away with a stroke of a pen; an impulsive tweet, or the push of a button.