Sadly, We are Living In A Political World Of The Unreal

We are living in a political world of the unreal, where what is, isn’t, and what isn’t, is.  Where fact and fiction are reversed so that we are to believe the untruth as the truth and the truth as the untrue.  Where the current occupant of the White House bellows that he is the only one who knows and speaks the truth and all others speak “fake news.” This same person asserts that he “knows more than the generals,” “that he is the only one who can fix the economy, that nobody knows the economy more than he,” that “he is gifted and has the greatest memory and has more respect for women than anyone in the world.”  

This is someone who, often, has a difficult time speaking coherently in a discussion, cannot remember from moment to moment what he has said or what position he has taken, and treats women as objects with a sense of his being entitled to touching the genitals of those whom he finds attractive.

He is someone who lies, denies that he has lied, says derogatory things about others that are really descriptive statements about himself and is clueless about how transparent he is being in his words and behaviors.

This is someone whose need is to create chaos, confusion and conflict around issues and people, so that what is being focused on, becomes blurred by the shear blizzard of absurdity that swirls around him at any one time. His polarizing of one group against another, his questioning of the very agencies and people who are investigating his campaign’s involvement with the Russia’s attempt to interfere with our Presidential Election are examples of this deflecting behavior on his part. His recent assertion that the Nunez Memo exonerates his campaign’s involvement with Russia during the 2016 Presidential Election is another example of his creating a narrative that is baseless, blatantly untrue and embarrassing.

This is someone who holds a grudge in the typical fashion of a true narcissist and enters into tweeting tantrums as a daily exercise in making a fool out of himself.  His emotional maturity and his poorly developed impulse control rivals that of an eleven-year old, school yard bully.  

He is a person who scapegoats and expresses distain for immigrants, is supportive of white supremacists, whose distorted view of reality is creating the political environment that we, in America, and around the world, have to live within.

The current President’s candidacy was predicated on the racist “birther” lie. His platform was predicated on misstatements of facts about the American economy.  His ‘bringing America back’, chant fails to acknowledge that it was America’s economic strength that allowed it to survive and rebound from the 2008 recession better than any economy in the world.  His “making America first” campaign is a poor excuse for making America appear to be the victim in its dealing with others in matters economic. Who would want to go into any relationship with the idea that the United States is going to get the winning deal with everyone else we are going to negotiate with in any business dealing? His is a buyer beware, strong-arm approach to dealing with others. Again, his bulling attitude will fail in relation to other world leaders. His claim to build the American military into the strongest force in the world, is pure and simple hyperbole.  America’s military is the strongest in the world.

Our current President is a reality show that has, sadly, gone public. And, we are the witnesses and victims of his delusional world, words and behavior.  What we can do as responsible citizens of the United States is to watch and listen and speak truth to power and resist the craziness of this moment in our history.  Above all else we must trust that our Democratic Institutions and those who represent us are strong enough to deal with the likes of this current incarnation of an Ugly American, as we did with the likes of Joseph McCarthy and Roy Cohn in the 1950’s. In this, we have no choice but to prevail.

As Simple As Treating Others, As We Would Like To Be Treated

This week has been a jarring experience for many Americans:

 

·      We had the President’s words regarding people who immigrate from Haiti and Africa that rang out as statements of either abject ignorance, or out-right racism.

·       We had the false alarm in the Hawaiian Islands, of a nuclear attack that many believed to be true.

·      We have an atmosphere of conflict, confusion and chaos in our government. We have the possibility of a government closure over an unresolved immigration policy.  Such unrest and upset certainly impacts the people of our communities throughout the country.

So what can we do about such a set of circumstances? Can we change our President’s ignorance or racist inclinations?  Can we correct the error that caused thousands of Hawaiians to fear for their lives?  Can we do anything that corrects our immigration policy so that our government stays open? In a word no. We are dependent on those who are responsible for dealing with these issues to do their jobs.

As citizens, we vote, we speak out and demonstrate and we wait for those who are suppose to represent us to behave like concerned adults.  If that doesn’t happen, and it has not for the better part of the last ten years, we are left with the consequences of our leaders inaction and disregard for the welfare of those who they are suppose to represent.

We have been living through a season of holding on to dogmas rather than appreciating others differing view of reality.  This has deteriorated into what is referred to as “tribalism.”  Tribalism has led to treating human beings as if they are so many pieces of furniture that can be moved and manipulated at the will of others. Sadly, we have been living through a time of viewing people as a means to an end and not an end in them selves.

Our country is suffering under this ignorance based, self centered, “it’s my way or the high way” approach to creating stalemates and political stagnation.  As a global leader, we are becoming a laughing stock to others and are undoing what we have spent the past 80 years creating; a safe, global community of equals who are working together to provide for the safety and needs of our various national and regional communities.

What we can do is to bring our core essence as people and as citizens---our awareness, compassion and human kindness--- into our sphere of influence and not get sucked into the vortex of the self-serving ignorance that is prevalent today.  We can treat others as we would want to be treated and over time, slowly but surely by our example and courage, we can effect change. We have role models in this way of relating to difficult, at times appearing, insurmountable problems.  One is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Another is John Lewis.  Still another is Andrew Young. And there are many others whose lives have been placed on the line to stand for the importance of each one of us, for each member of our human family.

It takes one breath at a time, one step at a time, one blog article at a time, one example of standing up for an issue at a time, one vote at a time and, the courage to be patient and to trust that Life, as our teacher, will guide us through the suffering to a new day of overcoming our ignorance, fears and insecurities. Once again, WE SHALL OVERCOME!

  

Whether By Collusion Or Coincidence, Putin's Proxy is Our President

Whether it is by collusion or coincidence, both Russia’s attempt to disrupt our Presidential election and turn American’s against one another and Trump’s campaign strategy were one and the same. 

Russia’s hacking of DNC emails and giving those emails to Wikileaks to strategically release the contents over time, were intended to harm the Clinton campaign and to assist the Trump candidacy. In addition, Russian created “fake news” coupled with Trump lies and his disparaging of women, the pitting of racial groups and immigrants against white Americans, again, had the intent and impact of dividing the American electorate. 

Trump’s catering to ‘white supremacists and the David Dukes of the world, further made his attempt to divide American’s obvious.  The release of emails and fake news was reinforced by Trump’s “crooked Hillary” mantra and, as has been shown, “if you tell the public a lie often enough, over time, the public will come to believe the lie to be the truth.”

This coordinated appearing effort between Russia and Trump is, in fact, collusion. In addition, the numerous involvements of various Trump political operatives with Russian operatives cannot be ignored or dismissed.  All the while, the American electorate was completely in the dark about what was taking place.  The American public was being manipulated in a way that was intended to destroy our electoral process.  On the basis of these realities alone, the Presidential Election of 2016 should be considered null and void. Trump’s candidacy and ‘victory’ was compromised in that process and we should have another election between Clinton and Trump to decide who should be our President.

The damning aspect of this history is that, at present, there is no way to prevent its replication in our next election. Our whole system of democratically electing our political leaders has been compromised.  The Russians, in fact, have declared a cyber war on the United States and we must take steps to neutralize their incursion into our political life. In a real sense, this declared war by Putin, short of a nuclear engagement, is potentially more devastating than an armed conflict.  If we cannot believe in our political system of choosing our political leadership and in the addressing of our political issues, Putin has accomplished his goal, and we are a rudderless ship on a stormy sea of potential political disasters.

In todays world of ‘tribal politics’ it will be difficult, if not impossible for the G.O.P. conservatives to confront this situation with integrity and enthusiasm. Their historic hypocrisy on issues of such importance....gun control, abortion rights, voting rights, global warming and alternative life styles suggests their commitment to political power trumps Trump’s illegitimacy and the Russian threat to destabilize our political system. Only time will tell whether or not the G.O.P. steps up and turns its back on self-serving political expediency. Only time will tell if the G.O.P. begins to work together with Democrats to rectify our current political crisis of being politically destabilized by Russian cyber warfare, and having Putin’s Proxy as our President.

Some Christmas Reflections

Tis’ The Season To Be Jolly, Chestnuts Roasting On The Open Hearth, Joy To The World, Oh Little Town of Bethlehem and so the hymns and carols sound out across the lands during this season of hope. This is all about the anticipation that we can be our best selves in relation to one another. Togetherness, love, caring, giving to others as we would like to be given to are all expressions of us as the aware, compassionate and lovingly kind potential that exists within each one of us.

By contrast, many of us feel a sense of alienation from ourselves and one another.  All of us have been wounded by life in some way.  For many, we listen to our self created narrative, in our attempt to make sense out of our life experiences, and our inner critic trumpets that we are not good enough.  For some it is having experienced abuse in one form or another.  For others it is hunger, having no place at the Inn or hope for anything better in life. Then, there are those whose pain has had to do with illness, loss, and death.

The world in which we live either enhances our sense of togetherness or magnifices our sense of alienation. How our political leaders treat citizens and those who are not citizens makes an impact on how we feel about the world in which we are living. Are our leaders lovingly kind or do they turn away immigrants who are seeking asylum from certain death in their own countries.  Do we, as Americans, take these  who are seeking a safe, better world and imprison the parents in detention centers, and send their children away to some other detention facility for months at a time? The image of the Inn in Bethlehem comes to mind.  Only in the case of Mary and Joseph, they found safe lodging, if only in a barn, and were able to remain together as a family.

To be able to experience togetherness, hope, love, caring and giving to others, we need to feel a sense of trust in one another.  Not being truthful, acting out of greed, being vindictive towards others all erode the possibility for such experiences of love, closeness, and wellbeing.

Our world today holds the potential for togetherness and hope.  It also holds the potential for continued alienation, mistrust and despair. Each of us can play a role in determining which path we take. Do we express our true potential for compassion, loving kindness and awareness in relating to ourselves and others?  Or, do we treat others as a means to an end, as so much collateral damage in decisions that benefit our interests, only? 

Bringing Joy To The World can be as simple as treating others as we would like to be treated. Imagine what it would be like if we treated the next stranger we come upon or family member, or even ourselves, as we would like to be treated. Hope your today is filled with much love and many hugs.

Trump’s Poisonous Pen: Its Attempt To Destroy Obama’s Legacy and Our Basic American Values...

Americans are truly impacted by the political environment in which they live.  If we have a government that is felt to care about meeting the needs of people… our children, our seniors, those who are ill, our veterans, those who live in poverty, those in the work force, we live in an atmosphere of trust, hope and security.

If, on the other hand we live in a political environment that does not seem to care about meeting the needs of people, we become uncomfortable, we feel stress, on alert and wondering what is coming down the road next that we will have to deal with?

For the past year, we have had a man in the White House who has systematically destroyed everything he has touched with a pen. His obsession with reversing every Obama proposal is exactly that, an obsession.  Whether it is due to policy considerations or to get back at Obama for the way that Obama roasted Trump at the 2011 White House Correspondences’ Dinner, the result of Trumps slashing pen has been to destroy, not create attempts to meet the needs of citizens. 

His administration, in general, seems to be predicated on destroying everything that has been created over the past 80 years to protect and defend American Citizens.  He is functioning as Steve Bannon’s proxy to destroy our democratic structures with no constructive alternative in mind. What do we gain by removing over time pay requirements for those who are working over time, who still have a hard time making ends meet? What do we gain by removing Social Security, Medicare and other safety net provisions that were created to protect citizens from another 1929 Stock Market Crash?

What do we gain by having people in Cabinet positions who oppose the work that their very agencies perform on behalf of our citizens?  The Secretary of Education who is against public education.  We have a Secretary of Labor who is against unions and minimum wages and overtime pay. We have a Secretary of Energy, Secretary of Interior and an EPA Administrator who refute the impact of human induced climate change on our planet.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has been ordered to not use seven words—diversity, fetus, transgender, vulnerable, entitlement, evidence-based and scientific-based, in documents used to create next years budget. The elimination of these words negatively impact those who are transgender, abortion funding, and using science and evidence as a basis for funding. This new directive from Trump brings back the Orwellian 1984 assertion “it’s a beautiful thing, the destruction of words.”  Without words, things, issues and people just go away. Is this more delusional thinking on the part of Trump?
 

We have lies becoming the new normal for a President. His position is that if the news media disagrees with him, or criticizes him, it is “fake news.” He admonishes us to listen to him, because he will give us the real news. He has also said that he “knows more than the generals and that he is the only one who can fix our economy.” It has been documented that fifty percent of what he says is not true.

We have collusion charges levelled against Trump and ongoing investigations that are looking in on what has actually transpired in relation to Russian interference in our 2016 Presidential election process.  We have Trump reportedly readying to “fire” the very person who is charged with a Special Investigation that is looking into those charges. And, there is mounting evidence that suggests that the Trump campaign was, in fact, being aided by the Russians in his attempt to defeat Hillary Clinton. How is it possible for the very person who has allegedly done something wrong to fire the person who is investigating the various allegations of his involvement in doing something wrong?  This is the kind of crazy behavior that, left unchecked, makes citizens uncomfortable and discouraged about their political leaders.

We have had efforts made, by this President and the GOP, to destroy health care legislation that the Obama Administration had passed into law. The Trump supported legislative process itself was an example of hastily slapping together proposals that were decided upon behind closed doors. Their's was a rush job to get something passed, regardless who was hurt in the process. Thankfully, it did not pass.  

One of the goals of the Obama effort was to ensure that millions of people would be able to gain affordable health care.  This was felt to be important because the biggest cause for bankruptcy in the United States was the inability for citizens to pay for catastrophic health care costs.

With the Trump/GOP plan, millions of citizens would have been taken off of the rolls for medical care. One of the convoluted reasons the GOP wanted to replace the Obama Affordable Care Act was because the GOP felt that people needed the right to choose not to be insured, or for people to be able to choose substandard health care options. 

Obama’s ACA required a minimum level of coverage that would protect everyone one from going without health care and would ensure that the public would not have to pay for emergency room visits that others needed and could not afford.

This was viewed by Trump and his supporters as being too ‘socialistic’ and not democratic enough. 

With that in mind, how ‘democratic’ is it for Trump to outlaw the use of specific words that relate to certain groups of people and situations in the creation of the the Federal budget? Or, what about denying First Amendment rights to people for using certain words in the creation of a Federal Budget?

Now the same process has been repeated with the Trump/G.O.P Tax Bill.  It has been hastily slapped together proposals that were decided behind closed doors. The plan to vote on it was set before anyone has had the opportunity to read what was being voted on.  Not only is the Congress in the dark about what was being proposed, so is the public.  The Congressional Budget Office has not even had the time to review the bills implications and costs. 

The review of what is presently known about the bill suggests that it is filled with untruths about what good it is suppose to be doing for the average citizen, who it is really going to help and what are its real goals.  

So far what has been discussed has only had to do with domestic issues that reflect Trump’s destructive tendencies and practices.  Internationally, his first week in office, he caused conflict between himself and the President of Mexico and with the Prime Minister of Australia. He is verbally setting the stage for another Korean War, by provocatively taking on ‘little rocket man’.  And he has caused upheaval in the Near East as a result of his Jerusalem- Israeli-Capital speech. In effect, he has taken the United States our of having a role in participating in a peace settlement in the area.

As was said at the outset, we are impacted by the political environment that is created by our elected officials.  In the past year much of that atmosphere has been fed by actions on the part of Trump and the G.O.P that have been created by a feeling that the needs of citizens and their welfare are not his administration’s focus.  As a result, we are living in stressful times of uncertainty and threat. This is not the America that our fore fathers have fought for and given their lives to defend.  It is the world that has been created by delusional and deceptive thinking by the likes of Bannon, Trump and those who enable such people in their abuse of position and power.