Category: Politics

Nuts and Wrecking Balls

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Destroying is easier than building. The current administration is learning this. The only piece of original legislation passed is the tax bill. But that was a layup. All other accomplishments involve gutting regulations and undermining the previous administration’s accomplishments. The whole stock market is booming rhetoric–come on–eliminating consumer protections and regulations–any monkey can do that. Let’s get real. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to solve for x. The long term harm in exchange for short term gain caused by this administration, however, is something the next administration will have to grapple with and we will have to suffer through.

We elected somebody that proclaimed he was good at building. If this is the destruction portion of the project, we might want to consider a new project manager because whatever this is, it seems to be late and over-budget already.

Oh yeah, and this tax bill…  The only real thing he passed… I hope the next administration demolishes that. Because like everything else this administration has done, it’s a bill that really isn’t in the public’s best interests–remember, all those regulations that are being gutted exist for a reason.

The Master of Puppets—REVEALED

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Recently, the New York Times reviewed a book entitled THE SECOND COMING OF THE KKK: The Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s and the American Political Tradition, By Linda Gordon. You can read the review by clicking here. Below is an exceprt:

“Unlike the first and third Klans (the third appeared during the civil rights era), the 1920s Klan was well integrated into American life ‘The KKK may actually have enunciated values with which a majority of 1920s Americans agreed,’ Gordon writes.”

In other words, the KKK was normalized and its reach into the everyday is what made it powerful. It was embedded into society, culture, and politics.

This got me thinking smarted thoughts with my brainy-brain.

Considering where we are today, is it plausible that although the KKK label is poisoned, the ideals, values and hate associated with it might be just part of the American fabric? Let’s think about this using the concept of the “deep state”. Administrations might change, political directions might shift, but those embedded in the national security apparatus hold on to secrets and shadow agendas regardless of who holds power. Alternatively, as ideals and values are passed from generation to generation, the values of hate are normalized and become part of the whole. Similar to the concept of the invisible hand of the free-markets, this is the invisible hand of hate. And this generational hate is the root cause of the structural violence prevalent in our culture, laws, and systems of government today.

The invisible hand of hate is dangerous because it operates on its own. It’s institutionalized. And as a result, laws might be passed and regulations proposed without consciously having racist intent, but they have racist results, because, well, they are racist. For example, mandatory minimum rules.

“No place for hate” signs are everywhere. If we want to get rid of the hate embedded in our culture we have to do better than lawn signs. Let’s begin with examining who benefits and why. For example, let’s very sincerely explore the reasons why affordable and quality healthcare is so exclusive, or the reasons and history of why marijuana is illegal, or the reason for the continued existence of funding schemes for public schools that create a known imbalance of funding for black and brown schools compared to white schools. From there we’ll have better insights as to how to purge hate.

I’ll make a bold prediction (and here it is, the great reveal) – once we begin asking why and follow the path backwards, we’ll be walking down an very narrow path that leads to nondescript doors of a extraordinarily big, nameless building, and there will be an ancient white-man greeting us. His name is Midas, and he is the god of greed, and he is responsible for institutionalizing the concentration of power, and weaponizing people’s differences, to remain in power.

We have a broken machine – can we fix it already?

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I do my best to stay away from political noise – but today the FBI is indicting Paul Manafort and his number 2. This is bigger than political noise – this is the beginning of an story that will live on past us. Years from now people will be asking “where were we when…,” to the events that might unfold from this point forward. It might be that big. But still, I can’t help but notice that the political machine that brought us here, which is the the same machine gamed by this administration, still has the same broken cogs, and there is no effort being made to call the machinist to fix it. Hopefully the outcome of whatever is about to happen can lead to more than arrests and real voter reform – anything less than that would be an empty victory.

The Biggest Threat to National Security might not be Climate Change

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I’ve been doing some thinking about the concept of evil recently. Much of this stems from our president’s response to hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico, as well as his desire to make healthcare unattainable to those that need it most.

There was a question during the 2016 debates that was posed to Bernie Sanders regarding the biggest threat to national security, and Bernie cleverly responded climate change. I believe our president said illegal immigration when posed the same question–don’t quote me on that, though it sounds like something he’d say. But isn’t a lack of empathy towards the poor and less fortunate from those in power just as big of a threat to national security as climate change, immigration, or some rogue nation? Could lax gun laws also pose a similar security threat? They are supposed to keep us secure, but somehow the math in that equation isn’t really adding up.

What I’m dancing around is that the president doesn’t have any real interest in helping Puerto Rico recover. Puerto Ricans do not vote. Texans do. Environmental regulation isn’t really in the best interest of large corporations profiting on abusing the earth’s resources. Ensuring that all citizens have access to affordable healthcare isn’t in the interest of insurance providers or those that govern. And ensuring that strict gun laws exist to help prevent more senseless killings is not in the interest of the gun lobby or the NRA. War though is big business and the big boys like that. See the thread here? I’m proposing that maybe the biggest threat to our national security might not be as easy as a canned answer that tested well in a focus group, works great on a debate stage, and generates media soundbites. Shoot, Donald Trump might not even be the biggest risk to national security, he is just a man–an evil man, but just a man nonetheless. America will continue to survive after him. But what drives him and those like him will remain, and that is self-interest, which is at the root of climate-change crisis and all of the other crisis we face. It might be that we have created a system that has enabled it’s own undoing.

Is it possible for people and leaders within a democratic capitalist system to shed their self-interest for the sake of national security?

More Food for Thought

Here’s one to help get started with as it relates to national security and our wants (self-interest) – The US population is increasing exponentially. The need for a better food management system is imperative. American’s eat meat because they want to, not because they need to. If we shifted to a plant-based diet and used arable land more efficiently, we’d be able to feed more people here and around the world. There are a lot of studies proving this – I’m not going to cite one, simply turn to your Netflix account and watch a food documentary. But if you are still insistent on some proof – here’s something from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition you could read. The study concludes that the lactoovegetarian diet is better and more sustainable, but not sustainable in the long-run considering it’s fossil-fuel requirements. If as a society we acted on what was best for what we need now and for the future, we’d reconsider our diets entirely and use technology to help us develop sustainable farming methods. But the thing is, I’m not a baby calf nor do I intend on growing up to be a 400 lb bovine–keep your milk and cheese, Dr. Lactoovegetarian.

Go vegan.

Don’t Stand so Close to Meme

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While we are off in left field talking about Russia, we must keep in mind that Russia isn’t the only one to blame for what happened in November. Yes, they created fake news outlets and fake Facebook and Twitter accounts, but as painful as it is, we must look upon ourselves and shoulder much of the blame. Russia didn’t vote, albeit they might have tampered with the electronic voting machines a bit (that’s yet to be proven), but they didn’t vote. Americans did (and maybe not all were counted, but that’s another issue that has to deal with election laws and gerrymandering). We allowed ourselves to be influenced, not only by the Russians, but from those inside of our circle responding to hate-filled memes. The memes that are circulated do not fall from the sky, and many of them did not come from Russia. Instead, many of them came from a little corner on the internet known as 4Chan. You can read about who they are and their influence on the election here. Memes and Facebook are the perfect combination. They have a way of saying so much without saying anything at all. They are designed to illicit emotion and make us react strongly one way or the other. So let’s re-focus the blame a bit. Russia did tamper with the election–one cannot argue that. Rachel Maddow can talk about Russia all she wants for the next eight years, or for as long as her ratings tell her its a beneficial thing to do. But the truth is, if we didn’t react to an article or a meme, it wouldn’t have legs on social media. I once said that I feel that I should shoulder some of the blame for November’s results because I did not speak up when I saw some of these memes being passed around. I’m beginning to re-think that, and maybe not speaking up in some instances is stronger than saying something, because in essence–and simply by how social media algorithms work, one’s silence and lack of reaction is a direct chop at the knees of a meme. And as I finish this last sentence, Kenny Rogers’ Gambler appears before me with the ace up his sleeve.

The Tragedy of the Gun Industry

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This article, published by the New Yorker after the Orlando shooting, traces how “concealed carry” came to be and who benefits. A lot has changed since its publication, but the money trail remains the same. The gun industry booms after national tragedies by feeding off of people’s fear. Their marketing is wrapped around that. But interestingly enough, it was a dying industry until about 1992–which, is if you recall, is when the LA riots took place and the media, doing what it does best, replayed the riot so many times that in the wake of the event a new enemy was created. After 9/11 gun sales boomed again, and after each subsequent tragedy they do as well. Ironically though, many of these tragedies are enabled by lax gun laws, which only exist because the NRA are big political donors. See the trap?  As highlighted in the article, the gun industry was loosing money when they focused on hunting, but tragedies present big business and opportunity. “Concealed Carry” is a marketing ploy gone legislative. Its efficacy is grey but the pain it has enabled is not. It is another case of the tail wagging the dog. As long as the money keeps on lining the pockets of politicians, we will not see a change in gun legislation.

Thoughts and Prayers aren’t Enough. Gun Violence Needs to End.

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Most of us this morning woke up to the news of what was happening in Vegas. Politicians are sending thoughts and prayers, and I’m sure social media is lit up with the same. Truth is, we all feel good about sending thoughts and prayers at times like this. Even non-church-goers send their prayers. We move on. Then it happens again. And in between each event, the national discourse shifts quickly to ending Obamacare, travel bans, the wall, immigration reform, and whether kneeling during the national anthem is un-American or not—yet no politician or group dares speak up about gun violence and real domestic terror. It’s simply forgotten.

See a trend here? healthcare, travel bans, the wall, immigration, national anthem–these are all issues the rich use (with the help of the GOP and other purchased politicians) to maintain their status quo, silence dissent, and keep the complexion of the majority of America familiar and white (and by now we all know what Making America Great Again really means–let’s stop pretending like it’s something above and beyond its implied intent). But when the violence is caused somebody with the same complexion as them, as it usually is in these instances, thoughts and prayers are good enough–no travel bans occur, no executive orders, no mad tweets to democrats from the president. Their tails are tucked firmly between their legs, and they move on with tweets the following Sunday targeting NFL players who kneel during the National Anthem–and the result is another engineering of public amnesia (you know, that Jedi mind trick thing they do).

Gun violence is real and scares us all–it is an act of terrorism and a question of national security. It is not something we should brush away. If politicians are truly in office to support what is good for the people they represent – it’s time to focus on stronger gun laws, healthcare for all, and build towards an America that compassionate and all-inclusive. They need to stop hiding behind their big donors who only have their interests in mind.

Politicians – I’m talking directly to you – stop allowing the NRA to peddle their bullshit and pass the kind of legislation that will prevent something like this from happening again–and if this effects your payday Mr. Congressmen or Congresswomen, remember, you signed on to be a public servant and not an NRA stooge.