Category: Politics

My views on the politics of the day.

Posted on

On Tyranny: Lesson 2

Defend Institutions

“It is institutions that help us to preserve decency. They need our help as well. Do not speak of “our institutions” unless you make them yours by acting on their behalf. Institutions do not protect themselves. They fall one after the other unless each is defended from the beginning. So, choose an institution you care about–a court, a newspaper, a law, a labor union–and take its side.

Timothy Snyder, author of On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From the Twentieth Century, 2017.

(A reminder that I am paraphrasing Dr. Snyder in this post. If you want his entire message, I encourage you to read the book.)

I do think that Dr. Snyder’s message here is very clear. If you believe in something strongly, it is your duty to support it in whatever way that you can.

Do you value good journalism? Subscribe to a publication that offers a printed version of their work. In this way you support news organizations that pay journalists to gather, edit, vet and publish factual news from real sources with actual evidence.

Do you value the vote? Support organizations like Project Vote Smart or Fair Fight.

Do you know anyone or of anyone that is suffering during COVID-19? Support legislation to help them financially, donate to your local food bank, encourage your friends and families to get involved.

Don’t stand by and think that someone else will do the work. You need to do the work. Find the cause that you value and help it to do its work.

bestrongtogether.org

Posted on

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From The Twentieth Century Overview and Lesson 1

Thank God and Timothy Snyder for this book. Timothy Snyder and Jon Meacham (The Soul of America: The Battle for our Better Angels) are my biggest reasons for hope that we will emerge out of this national nightmare.

I am working on my second reading of this little book with big content. I approached Dr. Snyder about printing the book verbatim in my Blog. He pointed out that there would be clear copy write issues with this approach.

So, because I think that getting the content of this book out to my small , but loyal, readership is important, I’ve decided to re-state the lessons at the start of each of the 20 chapters and summarize the contents in my own words.

Dr. Snyder begins his book with these words: “History does not repeat, but it does instruct.” The folks that wrote the Constitution of the United States were concerned that their well conceived democratic institutions would devolve into oligarchy (a small group of people having control of a country, organization or institution) or empire.

Tyranny comes from the Latin tyrannus meaning “illegitimate ruler.” In the 20th Century Fascism and Communism arose in Europe in response to globalization. Nation states fearing that they were loosing control of power turned to Fascism and Communism. Fascists ruled for a decade or two in Italy and Germany in the 1930’s and ’40s. The Soviet version of Fascism lasted over seven decades.

The United States has the chance to learn from history, to seek out and understand where tyranny comes from and what it looks like and then to take action to restore the democratic forces that our nation was founded upon. This will not happen by itself. Dr. Snyder has identified 20 points or lessons that he thinks will help us to do battle with the forces of tyranny in our time.

Speaking of the Contents:

  1. Do Not Obey in Advance.
  2. Defend Institutions.
  3. Beware the one-party state.
  4. Take responsibility for the face of the world.
  5. Remember professional ethics.
  6. Be wary of paramilitaries.
  7. Be reflective if you must be armed.
  8. Stand out.
  9. Be kind to our language.
  10. Believe in Truth.
  11. Investigate.
  12. Make eye contact and small talk.
  13. Practice corporeal politics.
  14. Establish a private life.
  15. Contribute to good causes.
  16. Learn from peers in other countries.
  17. Listen for dangerous words.
  18. Be calm when the unthinkable arrives.
  19. Be a patriot.
  20. Be as courageous as you can.
Lesson 1:Do Not Obey in Advance

“Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then offer themselves without being asked. A citizen who adapts in this way is teaching power what it can do.”

Timothy Snyder

Dr. Snyder gives two examples of this tendency to presumptively following the new ruler in the book.

In 1938 Austria, the decision of a large portion of the Austrian people to follow Adolf Hitler without question decided what would happen to Austrian Jews.

In 1961, a Yale psychologist conducted an experiment to demonstrate why Germans followed along with Hitler in the 30’s and 40’s. He told one group that they would be applying an electric shock to another group in a learning experiment.

The group receiving the “shock” were instructed on what was happening. The people “giving” the shock did not know what they were doing. They witnessed great pain and suffering from people that they did not know. The instructor gave them orders to “increase” the level of the shock until victims complained of chest pain and victims appeared to die. There appeared to be no concern for the fate of their fellow citizens in light of the results of the experiment.

The experiment showed how willing people were to listen to a new ruler and follow them without question.

I encourage you to get a copy of this book:

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder. Tim Dugan Books, New York, 2017.

Posted on

Remaining Calm

We’re on the third full day after the 2020 Election and we’re still waiting for results. Despite not sleeping well from Tuesday night on this week, I have been able to maintain an almost surreal state of calm during this turbulent time.

I can’t explain it. Maybe that explains it.

Posted on

Still Calm

Still feeling calm. Thanks to MSNBC Journalists for preparing me to be patient in waiting for 2020 Election results.

Posted on

W.W.J.D.

Some of you know that this is shorthand for “What Would Jesus Do?”

My political belief system, in fact my entire belief system is based on the Biblical New Testament teachings of the man known as Jesus of Nazareth. These teachings can be found in the books of Mathew and Luke in the Bible. These teachings are attributed to Jesus. This is important because the teachings of Jesus are the foundation of the Christian religion.

I bring this up right now to make a point about how many Christian denominations have strayed from the core message of Jesus as expressed in the Beatitudes from The Sermon on the Mount and The Sermon on the Plain. The link above goes into some detail on the 10 Beatitudes.

Christianity is at the core of my beliefs, although my religious affiliation has broadened over time. I found that the Christianity of my youth was becoming more dogmatic and less in line with my liberal religious upbringing. Christianity now is a part of my Unitarian Universalist faith.

I urge you to read about the Beatitudes in more detail in the second paragraph link above. As you read them, I encourage you to judge yourself and your political views with them. If you are a Christian, do your current views and political leanings align with the teachings of Jesus? Here is a list of the Beatitudes:

  1. Blessed Are the Hungry
  2. Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit
  3. Blessed Are the Truly Poor (money and physical resources)
  4. Blessed Are They That Hunger and Thirst for Justice
  5. Blessed Are Those Persecuted for the Sake of Justice
  6. Blessed Are Those Who Weep
  7. Blessed Are Those That Show Mercy (the Meek)
  8. Blessed Are the Single Hearted
  9. Blessed Are the Peacemakers
  10. Blessed Are the Pure in Heart for They Shall See God

As Mr. Spock says, Live Long and prosper.

Posted on

Open Letter to President Trump

Dear Mr. President,

Let me take this opportunity to wish you the best on your upcoming retirement. The country and you are very deserving of this unselfish service that you are giving your country.

You have been of great service to the United States of America. You have shown us how we can “Make America Great.” Notice that the word “Again” isn’t included. Sir, that’s because “Great” hasn’t happened yet. We as a country will be “Great” when we live up to the words of our founding Fathers and the living document called the Constitution of the United States that they wrote over 250 years ago. But, thank you for bringing greatness to our attention. We needed that.

“Great” will happen when all citizens of this marvelous country are treated equally and have the same access to life, liberty and and the pursuit of happiness as those with white skin. You have taught us to face up to our collective national ignorance about race.

“Great” will happen when Americans see government at all levels as a tool for bringing the Constitution to life for all Americans. Thank you for alerting us to the value of a government that works by showing us what it looks like when it doesn’t work.

“Great” will happen when Americans learn what is in the Constitution and how it translates into everyday life. Thank you for putting a spotlight on the Second Amendment. By doing so, you put the light on the entire Constitution. I have not been this attentive to the Constitution since my high school Civics class.

Sir, I need to list a few things on my mind before I continue:

  • Re-unite immigrant children at the Mexican border with their parents
  • Apologize for your Access Hollywood comments about women
  • Create a fair tax policy for all (the rich pay their fair share)
  • Release your income taxes.  The American people deserve to know where your money is coming from and how it might affect your decision making when it involves foreign countries.
  • Stop the rapid spread of COVID.  Too many people have died unnecessarily (more or this later).
  • Treat the Press with respect.  They aren’t “fake news.” You’ve done us all a great disservice by eliminating the word “Truth” from public discourse.
  • Be honest and make it a habit to tell the truth
  • Allow the Justice Department to do it’s job without interference (aka find an Attorney General that enforces the Constitutional laws of our great country).
  • Keep your hands off of Democracy.  Don’t badmouth the voting process. It is fair and it is working.  Leave it alone.  Win or lose, the process is more important than the person.
  • Leave foreign governments out of American sovereignty. We can make our own decisions without outside interference.
  • Remember that you were Impeached for trying to tamper with a US election by enlisting information from a foreign government.
  • Be humble.  To deny humility is a Faustian bargain.
  • If you lose the election, step aside for the next president.  That’s how it is done in a Democracy.
  • If you are re-elected, really drain the swamp this time.
  • Protest is a Positive.
  • There’s more to the Constitution than the Second Amendment.  You might want to consider that as the person who took an oath to protect and defend the Entire Constitution. 
  • What’s this about the Turkish President asking you to drop charges against a Turkish Bank? And our own Attorney General willing to do it?
  • And, let’s be honest. You never really had COVID did you?
  • Don’t take any more photos with Red, White and Blue in them. They just don’t go with Orange.

COVID. I have been trying to figure out how to say this without being too blunt about it. But, I can’t believe that all of the mistakes that your administration has made on the handling of the Coronavirus have been done out of ineptitude.

It would be easier to think that your Coronavirus policy was done out of ignorance. I don’t think that this is the truth. How do I say this without using the “G” word. Your administration intentionally has allowed the virus to spread non-stop because that is exactly what you wanted. Maybe not you, maybe it was someone in your Administration or with outside influence on your administration. This virus has hit our minority populations with the largest number of cases and deaths.

The Affordable Care Act or “Obama Care.” You seem to take some special satisfaction in referring to the Affordable Care Act as Obama Care. I’m sure that the former president is proud to have his name associated with a measure that provides health care to millions of Americans who would otherwise not have it.

Congratulations to you and the minority of Americans that you represent on getting three Supreme Court Justices onto the court during your Term in office. I’m sure that you are collectively quite pleased with yourselves. Now you can appease the large share of your base that supports you only because they want to see the Roe v. Wade decision overturned. You must be proud to have based your re-election campaign on taking away rights instead of granting them. I do hope that you understand that you took two of those Justices away from another president, not that this means anything to you.

There. Those are a few things I needed to get off my chest. I’m sure that I missed a few, but this is good enough for me. I feel better.

Sir, I’ll close by saying that as much unnecessary pain as Americans have suffered during the past three years and ten months, that the suffering has made us all stronger and appreciative of our Democracy. It looks like more people will vote this year than in any past Presidential election in American history. Thank you for that.

Sir, I will further close by sayings that I might sound a bit sarcastic, but I mean all of this sincerely.

Finally, thanks again for your service to this country and enjoy playing retirement golf on your own dime.

A Grateful American

Posted on

Planned Unease

You might think that there is just no explaining the seemingly bizarre and unpredictable actions of this president and his administration of administrative incompitance.

But, I think that there is a pattern to the daily mayhem that is this presidency. Just to name a very few of the events that appear to fall into the category of inducing mayhem.

Taking children away from their parents and locking them up at the Mexican border, offering paper towels to Puerto Rican hurricane victims, a group called Q-Anon appears mysteriously online. In a California meeting with experts briefing the president about the wildfire, the president said that the climate will get cooler and the scientists don’t really know what the climate is doing. The promotion of quack medicine “cures” to treat COVID infection, things like Hydroxychloroquine. Just sweep the forest and the wildfires will stop.

Telling lawmakers to not worry about passing another much needed COVID Relief bill, but to put priority on rushing the hearings to consider this administration’s third potential Supreme Court nominee. Insisting that he leave the hospital and return to the White House while he is almost certainly still extremely contagious with COVID.

This list is long beyond your interest level in reading it. So, I’ll get to the point of this post.

Author Erick Larson’s book “In the Garden of Beasts” chronicles the experiences of William Dodd, U.S. Ambassador to Germany starting in 1933. It would be another six years before the Nazi’s invaded Poland and started World War ll.

The National Socialist Party, which would become the Nazi Party, was a prominent player in German politics, but was not yet in total control of the government. It is within this culture that Dodd, appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, had been inserted to represent the interests of the United States in a country exhibiting very disturbing tendencies in dealing with non-Aryan peoples. Many thought that the Germans were building for war. Some, like Dodd, held out hope that the German Chancellor, Adolph Hitler, really wanted peace.

Again, back to my point. In late October 1933, Ambassador Dodd met with Hitler. Dodd was convinced that the German Chancellor wanted peace, but his Consul General was skeptical.

To quote Consul General Messersmith: “I think for the moment he genuinely desires peace, but it is a peace of his own kind and with an armed force constantly more effective in reserve in order to to impose their will when it may become essential.” My point is coming.

Here’s my point. As you read this, consider the daily mayhem that the United States has lived through for the past four years and that doesn’t include COVID-19, multiple hurricanes affecting the Gulf and East coasts and devastating wildfires affecting the West.

Messersmith reiterated his belief that Hitler’s government could not be viewed as a rational entity. “There are so many pathological cases that it would be impossible from day-to-day what will happen any more than the keeper of a madhouse is able to tell what his inmates will do in the next hour or during the next day.”

I bring this up because what Messersmith was describing in 1933 Germany has parallels with the 2020 United States. The constant pathology in the White House has the effect of keeping Americans on edge, nervous, always off our centers just a little bit. This constant state of anxiety can be manipulated by unscrupulous leaders to create a state of fear and doubt which is capable of paralyzing the entire country.

This is what is happening right now in the United States. My request of you, wherever you are and whatever you do, is don’t buy into it. Overcome your fear and doubt and act boldly in any way that feels right to you short of violence against anyone.

Civil disobedience is fine, writing letters and postcards, marching with posters and banners, sending letters to the editor of whatever and whoever you are reading, record a message and send it to podcaster, radio station or website, write a blog. (That’s where this writing is coming from.)

Most importantly is to vote. Your vote is your voice. Make sure it is heard.