Tag: politics

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this election matters

Sometimes, I feel like I’m just coasting, letting the tide move me without even putting my oars in the water. I do my day job, take care of the animals, eat, sleep, and then start over the next day.

Other times, I get to do wonderful things or make myself do difficult things. Last week, I went to a conference. In a few weeks, I’ll go to LA for music and spend a couple of days at Disney by myself. After that, I need to go to Tucson to help my stepmother with a few things.

Difficult. Fun. Difficult.

In the middle of all that, I have a day job to do, and we have a national election coming up. I’ve never been more adamant about an election before this one. If we are to survive as a democratic republic, we must vote blue up and down the ticket.

I am a passionate proponent of women’s healthcare and reproductive choices, the LGBTQIA+ community, BIPOC equality, and taxing the rich. I want to elect the first woman president, and give her a blue senate and house so that we can make progress.

So, that said, please get out and vote. Our lives depend on it.

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one year on

One year ago today, I was working from home and had one of my monitors tuned in to watch the certification of the electoral college votes. I was watching not because I expected anything would happen, but because I was relieved that we would finally have a competent adult in the White House.

Well, I expected a few theatrical objections from the Republican side of things because they’d already proven that they were incapable of behaving like rational adults. I didn’t expect to be watching a full-on insurrection.

In fact, I was so incredulous when it started to be clear that something was happening, that I called my mother to confirm what I was seeing was real. For clarity, I don’t have cable tv, I was streaming on YouTube, so I was looking for confirmation that the news was showing the same thing.

Needless to say, not a lot of work got done the rest of the day as I watched the coverage.

There was a lot of shock and some fear on my part, a lot of disbelief too.

In the days that followed, as more and more information came out, that disbelief turned to anger, and over the last year, as we learned more and as social media posts made during the insurrection went viral, that anger grew.

In the last year, some of those people went on trial and went to jail, or had to pay fines. The length of the sentences grew as they went along, working their way up to those who committed the more heinous acts that day.

This is not over, not until those at the top face justice. Not until the full truth about who was involved behind the scenes is known. Not until those in office who were involved are expelled.

I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that the very existence of democracy in America is on the line.

On this anniversary, I hope a somber remembrance will lead us to better days, dear Readers.

Photo by Louis Velazquez on Unsplash

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and some gave all

I read a lot of books that involve loyalty to a leader or to a country. It’s a prevalent thing in most fantasy and sci fi stories. The deep devotion to a beloved king or queen, the drive to protect the homeland, is a big part of the human experience.

In the real world, that devotion isn’t quite as poetic, but still as moving.

We’re in a phase of recovery here in the US, where we still have a large swath of citizens who’s devotion is not to the country, but to a man, which is problematic since we are not a monarchy. That kind of allegiance belongs in the books, not in our reality, at least not here in a democratic republic.

However, today is a day we have set aside to look to those who put their loyalty into the defense, not of a person, but of our nation, those whose service freed our nation from tyranny, those who defended our nation from outside aggression, even those who fought and died to keep our nation from severing into two.

Whether or not I agree with the direction our military has taken in the last decades, I have the utmost respect for those who put themselves in harms way, and paid the ultimate price.

There are many, because our wars have been numerous. Men and women who died somewhere far from home, who suddenly stopped writing home, who may still lie in some forest grave, unmarked and forgotten…men and women killed by gunshot or missile strike, by bayonet and sniper, roadside bombs and musket…all in the name of the country we call home.

Today is a day that we remember, “All gave some, and some gave all” and we remember those who fell. We may not know their names or faces, but we can hold them in our hearts all the same.

It is time for us to remember that in the USA the feelings of national devotion should be directed, not at a person or even a flag, but at our country, this democratic republic that promises us a government by the people, for the people.

I hope your day is filled with hope and love and kindness, Readers.

Photo by Justin Casey on Unsplash

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cancel this

Let’s talk about “cancel culture” for a minute. I got to thinking about this the other day, and how folks are up in arms about the idea of “cancel culture”. I mean, what do those words actually mean?

I always thought that canceling something that is a waste of time or money was the right thing to do. Got a subscription to a magazine you never get around to reading? Cancel it. Moving and your new place doesn’t use the same utility companies? Cancel them.

Canceling something that no longer serves you is a good thing.

Let me say that again, canceling what no longer serves you is a good thing.

That celebrity espouses views you find harmful? Stop following them. That politician proves they don’t even hold to their own standards of behavior? Stop supporting them.

That doesn’t make you dismissive. It means that you know the value of your own time and money. It means that you expect those you elect to represent you actually do the job you elected them to do.

Yeah, I struggle sometimes in dividing someone’s behavior or beliefs from the work that they do. When it is heinous enough behavior or expression of beliefs that I feel hurt people, I will choose to no longer give them money. Is that canceling them? Or is it moving my money toward those who do not denigrate others?

And if you decide that it is canceling, then explain to me why that is a bad thing?

We’ve been doing the same thing as long as we’ve been on the earth. Why is it suddenly something to complain about? We each have to decide what is good for us, what we believe and what we support. We each get to decide where and how we spend our money.

Personally, I believe that cancelling something before it begins to weigh you down is one of the healthiest behaviors we can do as adults. Cut it off, cast it aside and keep going, unencumbered by that which no longer serves you.

As always, your mileage may vary, but don’t be afraid to leave that baggage at the baggage claim and get to motoring.

Now coffee and some migraine meds are on deck. And kitty cuddling. You have a great Friday, Readers!

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rights and consequences

Some musings on 1st amendment rights, hate speech, and consequences:

The 1st amendment guarantees us (US Citizens) the right of “free speech” but many in today’s USA do not seem to grasp what it means and how/when it applies. Freedom of speech is written into our constitution to protect citizens from action by the government simply for speaking in a way that disparages the government. The government can not arrest you for speaking out against any government official (unless you cross the line into calling for someone to be assassinated).

What the first amendment does not protect you from is the consequences of your speech from non-governmental sources.

So, if, for example, you stand in the town square, surrounded by people in clown costumes and say “Clowns are stupid and all you clowns deserve to die,”…well, you have the right to say it and no one is going to arrest you, but you very well might be set upon with seltzer water and balloon swords. That is not a violation of your free speech, but it is consequences of what you said.

Likewise, if you tell someone that Joe over there deserves to be stabbed in the face because he’s an asshole, and that someone stabs Joe in the face, your free speech is not being violated if you get arrested for incitement.

If you work for a company and your contract includes language that states that you, as a representative of that company, must behave a certain way, and you don’t, say you say things publicly that contradict the company image, while you still have a right to say those things, the company also has the right to fire you.

When you build your identity on what is ostensibly hate speech, be you a politician or an actor, don’t be surprised when those who find your hate unpalatable turn away from you. When that hate speech incites someone, or a crowd of someones, to take violent action, don’t be surprised when you find yourself on trial. That doesn’t violate your freedom of speech, it holds you accountable.

And as a side note, if you find yourself among that crowd of someones incited by a person’s hate speech and goading to commit a crime, you are culpable for your actions, regardless of who “told you to” do them.

Have a great day, Readers, and as always, be kind.

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come into the light

Yesterday was a pretty monumental day here in the US. Did it fix everything that is wrong with our country? No, of course not. There is so much work to be done, and not all of it can be legislated.

Right now there are thousands of people who were led down the fantasy-laced rabbit hole that was QAnon having to come face to face with the reality that they were mislead, played for fools even. There are hundreds facing federal charges because they believed they could forcefully keep their want-to-be dictator in office. There are millions of Americans who feel as though their voices will no longer be heard.

Of course, those are the voices we need to understand, not to give them power, but so we do not forget that hate and anger have the power to destroy lives, and not just those given over to the hate and anger.

As someone who was once very far to the right side of the political spectrum, while also being poor, I understand how easy it is to misplace the anger and frustration of your living situation by blaming those who have nothing to do with the reasons that your angry and frustrated. Blame is always easier than responsibility.

We can’t let them go back into hiding, because that is how they multiply without us knowing. We have to hold them accountable for their reprehensible words and actions, shine the light on them and force them to come out of the dark.

Will we change them? Most likely not. That isn’t our job. No, we simply need to let them see themselves and make them understand that they can not and will not drag our country into that dark chasm where bigotry and fear oppresses our BIPOC and LGBTQ+ citizens ever again.

Photo by Lefty Kasdaglis on Unsplash

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we need to talk

Martin Luther King day, 2021

I don’t often speak about Dr. King on this day we set aside to honor him because I would rather the microphone is passed to those who are still fighting the battle that took his life. It seems disingenuous to me the parrot his words, no matter how wise or eloquent they may be, sitting here in my white skin and privilege in a country that still devalues BIPOC.

The amount of hatred and anger I see in my fellow white Americans toward people they have never met for nothing more than the color of their skin shames me. The white supremacy on display in our nation is disgusting.

This week we will see a black woman take the second highest seat in our country, and I have no doubt that she will be hated just as much as President Obama was. She could single handedly solve the climate crisis, find a cure for cancer and eliminate poverty and she would still be hated. Because of the color of her skin.

The man leaving the white house this week has whipped these people up into a frenzy that has thus far culminated in death and defecation in the home of our governance. He has allowed over four million Americans to die from a virus by not taking action that would have prevented it from getting so bad. He has laid out no plans for vaccine distribution. He forced states to struggle to find and buy PPE for front line workers. He sent unidentified thugs in uniform to terrorize people who only want the police to stop executing them for the color of their skin. He has pardoned the most appalling people (and plans to pardon more). He has spent millions of dollars playing golf.

I could go on, but there would be no point. Instead, I’ll turn this back to Dr. King. We haven’t yet become the nation he dreamed of, where black men and women stand on equal ground with us white folks. All these years later and we are still waging that battle. It is a battle we must ultimately win, friends.

Because, black lives matter. Today and everyday.

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an act of treason

July 4th is a celebration of an act of treason. An act of dissent. The original event, the signing of the Declaration of Independence, was only one such act. The colonies had already been at war with their sovereign for some time. They had already convened a Continental Congress once to bring the colonies together and lay down plans for governance and to bring grievances from the colonies to the ear of the king, among other things.

The second congress was convened and from that congress came the Declaration of Independence, essentially a written FU to the king. These Americans were fed up, done with being the king’s dogs. So they rioted.

They started a damn war. They felt cornered, like they had no choice.

Sound familiar?

Sound like anything going on in our country today?

I keep hearing people saying that the Black Lives Matter movement is not going to get the changes they want unless they are “polite” and “protest the right way”…whatever that way is. But that isn’t how the world actually gets changed. We’ve spent two hundred years treating black and brown people far, far worse than old King George treated the colonies.

You think they don’t deserve to rise up and make their own declaration? You think they don’t have reason to destroy the property of the overlords? Is it going to take a war? A revolution?

Think that’s unAmerican? Think that’s treasonous? They aren’t even looking to create their own country, they just want to be treated like people, equal to and considered the same as white folks, by white folks.

That kind of treason is where we come from. An act of treason should not be necessary, a war should not be necessary, for us to recognize the problem inherent in our history and our present so that we can forge a better future.

And those are my thinky thoughts on this July 3rd. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness“

All men are created equal and entitled to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. All men. All.

And on that note, I shall leave you and head out to the living room to start work on Job #2. Have a nice long weekend, Readers. And contemplate the rights which are unalienable.

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it’s the end of the world as we know it

Any normal June 1st would see me waist deep in preparation for San Francisco’s Pride Festival and Parade, which usually happens near the end of June. I’d be planning training sessions for my volunteer groups and their supervisors. I’d be fielding phone calls from first time volunteers over the phone, holding skype calls to help someone get up to speed. I’d be pouring over spreadsheets, making sure each entry gate had enough people manning the donation buckets.

This year, in a time of a pandemic, we had already canceled the parade and festival before the current escalation of the end of the world, but I can only imagine that if we hadn’t, we’d be seriously considering it now.

Why? Well, because drunk, stupid people are hard enough to contain when they don’t have an instigator driving them to bad behavior. Because we’ve seen so many clashes of community and police (though I have never personally seen police acting inappropriately at the festival itself, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t happen) and because right now emotions are very high and the world seems to be standing at the tipping edge of something huge.

SF Pride sometimes has 1 million people over the course of the weekend. Those people come in every ethnicity, every nationality, every color, every orientation and every gender. Outside the gates there are protesters trying to tell us our “lifestyle” is wrong, or sometimes other messages that often get lost in the clamor of that many people. There are criminals looking to score drugs or to bloody someone for fun. There have been shootings and stabbings. There have been gay bashings.

Lay that on top of the racial tensions and the fear and the anger, and you’d have a recipe for one giant powder keg, just waiting for a spark to set it alight.

So here I sit at the beginning of Pride month, a little numb and staring into the heart of a country that no longer feels like home, and I hide in my house, watching the chaos around me unfold. My agoraphobia makes it nearly impossible to join a peaceful protest. We will see a spike in virus numbers. This might devolve into a civil war, or at least that’s the way it feels.

Maybe it is the end of the world as we know it. I’m not convinced that is a bad thing. It’s up to us, every individual to decide how we rise from the ashes.

Please stay safe out there, Readers. Support your brothers and sisters as they cry out in rage for change, for equality, for an end to the violence of poverty, discrimination and straight out hate.

None of us are equal until we are all equal.

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stay the hell at home

I was going to start this post with some trite comment about surviving another week in this apocalyptic hell, but realized almost immediately that not everybody has survived.  So many people I know has lost someone in the last few weeks, or has a loved one in the hospital that they can’t visit.  Nearly everyone I know has fears that a vulnerable person they love might contract this virus.

And, while we all need some light hearted humor in times like these, what we don’t need is flippant commentary that makes light of the situation.  We are standing at a precipice with our incompetent government poised behind us with a cattle prod, ready to send us hurtling to our deaths on the rocks below.

I try not to get overly political on this blog, but we can’t afford to not be political in this situation.  It is pretty clear to me that those at the top care nothing for the rest of us, and the idiots that are being goaded into protesting to end the very protections that are keeping us semi-safe, care nothing for people they do not know.  It’s going to take major losses of people who they do know and care about to reach through the cult-like group think that keeps them doing the bidding of a man who has used public office to rake in millions of dollars.

How can anybody look at the death toll numbers that climb and climb every single day and not realize that we are not doing enough to curb this thing?  How can they see stories and posts from our doctors and nurses who are fighting tooth and nail to save people without the proper PPE and with no effective treatment plan, and still demand their right to go to the movies or the beach or wherever the hell else it is they think is so damned important?

I know someone who lost her husband this weekend.  He was thirty six.  She had to drive him to the doors of the ER and leave him there because they wouldn’t let her in.  In less than twenty four hours he was in the ICU on a ventilator, unable to talk.  Her last words to his face were, “Call me when you know anything. I love you.”

He died alone, with a stranger in a mask beside him, holding his phone to his ear as his wife tried to say goodbye through choked tears.  He leaves behind a wife and three kids who are now under quarantine having to rely on the kindness of strangers to keep them fed.  Right now, they aren’t sure where he contracted the virus, as he made every attempt to be safe, but he had taken a job as a delivery driver after getting laid off from his regular job.  He had said he just wanted to help in this time of crisis.

His desire to help got him killed.

Make no mistake, Readers, this virus is a killer, and it doesn’t care how old you are or how healthy you are. It comes out of nowhere and can strike down a person in a week, maybe less.

So, stay the hell at home please!  The life you save could be your own, or your mother’s or your spouse’s, your kids, your neighbor.  Please be safe.  Love one another. Be kind.  These are weird times.

 

Cover Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash