Month: October 2023

It difficult for me to accept that Joe Biden and Donald Trump are basically tied in the polls. When I listen to people talk on C-Span or online, they are either staunch Trump supporters or merely tolerant of Biden.

I admit that since Biden announced his bid for re-election, I have been concerned about his advanced age. I admire his empathy and his policies, but I have huge misgivings about his motivation to run again. Is it hubris? Is it mistrust of the next generation? Is it ambition or ego? Is it lust for power? Or does he truly believe that he is the best man for the position because of his experience? Yes, to his credit he has experience, but he could die in office.

I’m also frustrated that we as the American people seem to have little choice over who can be a viable candidate for president. Why, in a country of 350 million people, are we stuck with two inarticulate old white men with questionable business dealings and sloppy handling of our government documents? It’s not like there aren’t plenty of younger, completely competent, energetic, compassionate, and articulate potential candidates waiting for their opportunity to run.

So, this week, I was happy to hear democratic Representative Dean Phillips announce his intention to run for president. Although he lacks name recognition and I had to research who he was and what he stood for, I think it is a great idea to have a robust primary for the 2024 Democratic nominee. So, I wrote to the Democratic National Committee to share my thoughts as a member of the Party. Here’s what I wrote using their contact us email address:

“I was thrilled to hear that Rep. Dean Phillips is entering the race for president.  Although I think Biden has done an excellent job, I have been concerned about his advanced age for some time now and have been longing for a viable alternative from our Party. 

I’m frightened that Trump might win because of a very obvious lack of confidence in Biden’s ability to fulfil another term with the vitality and mental sharpness we desire in a president.  Although I admire his character and policies, he appears weak and a bit feeble as he stumbles over his words and walks like the elderly man he is.   

I think we need a robust primary so that a strong candidate can emerge who, like Obama, can capture the hearts, minds, and confidence of the American people.  The presidency is a stressful position and we need a brilliant and energetic younger person to fill that position.

I am a baby boomer myself and my peers are either dying all around me, are enjoying retirement, or are sick.  We have had our time to lead, and I believe it is time to pass the leadership torch to the next generation.   

I’m not certain who is actually pulling the strings in the Party, but I am pretty certain that the leaders are not paying enough attention to the concerns, fears, and consternation of the voting public regarding Biden’s age and the controversies surrounding his son and the government documents he had in his possession.  Because of these things, he is a deeply flawed candidate, and can easily lose the election to that immoral and criminal Donald Trump.   Just the fact that these two men are tied in the polls tells you that we have a huge candidate problem. 

As I listen to younger people, I am not at all assured that they will turn out to vote for Biden or Trump.  They are not happy with either candidate and so I am begging you to have a primary and to encourage President Biden to step away.  He has served the nation well and it is time to find other ways to continue his service.” 

We have arrived at a time in our nation where we can no longer afford to be silent. Yes, our vote is our voice. But so is our pen, our protest, and our pocketbook. We must use all of these tools at our disposal to make our desires crystal clear in the loudest manner possible to those who proport to represent us. They respond to numbers.

One thing that hasn’t changed about human nature is our capacity to inflict heinous acts of violence upon other human beings when sufficiently provoked. In the last few weeks, the world has once again witnessed the ruthless murders of innocent people, including children, by men whose hearts are filled with a level of hatred that unleashes unspeakable depravity. It makes my heart ache. And it makes me search for answers.

Like many people raised in the Christian church, I was taught to believe that the Jews are God’s chosen people and to believe that His promise to bless those who bless the children and Abraham and to curse those who curse them was real. Because of this, there are many in the U.S. who give unwavering support to Israel without question. Politically speaking, the U.S. has taken the stance of supporting Israel because it was a beacon of democracy in the middle east. These days, even that is questionable. Perhaps part of this unwavering support stems from the fact that we supported its establishment in Palestine in 1948. That set up, however, was flawed from its inception. I understand that the atrocities of WWII reinforced the 1917 Balfour Declaration to establish a Jewish nation as a safe haven for the Jewish people. However, we did it without regard for the Palestinians (Arabs) who along with a small population of Jews, had been occupying that land for hundreds of years. The promises to safeguard the civil and religious rights of the Palestinians was disregarded.

The world has silently stood by since 1948 as the Palestinians were systematically robbed of their land, their civil rights, and opportunities to prosper by the Israeli government. The Palestinian story is similar to that of the Native American story. In this country, Native Americans unsuccessfully resorted to terror tactics to try to stop the flow of white settlers who were encroaching on their land. Overpowered by numbers, greed, stronger fire power, and racist government policy, the Native Americans were killed in overwhelming numbers and the survivors who didn’t assimilate were removed to impoverished reservations.

What I observed along with the rest of the world was a violent (and inexcusable) terror attack motivated by broken promises, years of oppression, brutality, and desperation. It was a futile attack because, like the Native Americans, their actions have little chance of destroying Israel. However, their actions, including the taking of hostages, has turned the eyes of the world toward the plight of the Palestinian people and Israel’s role in provoking their desperate actions. Some continue to support Israel and blame Hamas, but their unwavering and uncritical support for Israel rings hollow these days.

My greatest fear is that Hamas has secured a death sentence for the innocent people they claim to lead. As expected, their terror is being met with overwhelming violence that will further devastate the Palestinians who are now doomed to mourn greater losses of life, livelihoods, and liberties. At least in the short-term. I’m hopeful for liberation in the long term.

As Israel seeks to root out Hamas terrorists who hide themselves among the Palestinian people, I become hopeful as many in the world, including President Biden, are warning the Israeli government against outright genocide. In the immediate aftermath of the terror attack, I heard Benjamin Netanyahu refer to the Palestinian people as “human animals”. Not Hamas, but the entirety of the population. I immediately recognized his demeanor as the same racist mindset that led to Native American genocide, and I understood why his government so easily oppresses and brutalizes the Palestinian people. Netanyahu’s immediate action to cut off food, water, and electricity to a population comprised of 50% children was ruthlessly cruel and many in the world recognized it as such.

If nothing else, the attack on Israel and Netanyahu’s immediate response, shined a light on the brutality of the ongoing oppression of the Palestinian people by the Israeli government. While people condemn the terrorism, they are also condemning the apartheid conditions that lead up to it, including Jews in New York who protested against the Zionist policies of the Israeli government that oppress the Palestinians.

It is not lost on me that the Jewish people who suffered so greatly under Hitler can turn around and mistreat the Palestinian people. I understand that Hamas cannot be bargained with because they continue to deny Israel’s right to exist. They have to go. However, once they are rooted out and destroyed, I believe the world must come together and impose a two-state solution that finally gives the Palestinians their own nation, complete with the freedom and human dignity they have deserved, but were denied, since the establishment of Israel.

These are serious times with serious outcomes at stake on serious issues. The opposition is stubborn and tough and often uninformed or badly misinformed. So, like everyone else who ventures into the battle, I’m exhausted. Between the political fighting within our country, two wars abroad, AI and pandemic concerns, inflation and natural disasters, I find myself needing to escape from the turmoil and angst caused by political battles that must be fought. Like any human, my mind and my emotions need a rest to maintain mental and physical health. And so, I take frequent breaks throughout the day so that I can continue to battle over the political direction of our country.

Since I’m retired, I no longer have a job to provide an automatic distraction. I have to find distractions from the difficult news reports that are presented 24/7. I know that the problem would be solved if I simply turned off the news, stopped watching documentaries, and stopped reading the newspaper. But for me, disengagement and denial feel like an abdication of my responsibility as a human being, a grandmother, and a citizen of this country. I have a responsibility to stay informed. I then I have a duty to use my freedom of speech and freedom of petition to engage in activities that I believe will help improve life for all of us. These days, I feel like I’m in a battle against nefarious characters who are greedy for wealth, fame, and power at the expense of everyone else. It’s an emotionally draining battle and I’m thankful that I’m not alone in fighting it. But I’ve noticed a drop in the number of people willing to engage any longer. Understandably, they are either discouraged, exhausted, or feeling helpless against the tide.

I’m finding that the only way to fight these emotions is to rest, get informed and then fight in small doses. I spend part of my day absorbing information from a variety of sources. Another part is spent engaging others through a variety of social media platforms, often taking part in contentious discussions. And I frequently take some time to email or write to lawmakers directly. Interspersed throughout these political activities, I take breaks to clear my mind and regain emotional strength.

Walking away from the emotionally charged political fray is something I do throughout the day. In the morning, after C-Span Washington Journal, I take a walk while listening to music and then do some gardening. Other distractions include chores like grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning house and personal grooming. I’ll spend time watching YouTube videos about BTS or enjoying K-dramas on Netflix. I read books. I play Backgammon or Spider Solidary on my phone. I have lengthy conversations with my kids and FaceTime with the grandkids. I go out to breakfast or lunch with my husband or a friend. I recently got into raising orchids as a new distraction. And today, after posting this blog, I’m going to the movie theater with a friend to see the Taylor Swift concert tour. While I dread wearing a mask for 2 1/2 hours, it is still a welcome break.

The fight to preserve our democratic republic is a serious one that requires our attention at the voting booth at the very least. I’ve chosen to do a bit more than just vote. I want to influence voters and elected officials as much as possible to do what I believe is the right thing on a variety of important issues. My tools are my words, my pen, and a few well-placed dollars from my checking account. Others attend protests, make speeches, have podcasts, post opposition interviews, sing political songs, act out scenarios, or post videos and visual arts. I admire all of these non-violent efforts that seek to reason with citizens and leaders.

I admit that the fight is exhausting. But each day, I remind myself of one phrase from a poem by Edgar Albert Guest called, “Don’t Quit”. It goes: “When care is pressing you down a bit, Rest if you must, but don’t you quit”.

Of the 195 countries in the world, some estimate that 72 percent are now under some measure of authoritarian rule and the number keeps growing. Most have fallen under authoritarian rule through carefully orchestrated elections undergirded by fearmongering, bigotry, and empty promises made by a particular party. These modern authoritarians learned their craft from Hitler, using mesmerizing bombastic speech and personal charisma in rallies to gain cult-like followings. Today, the same strategy is being implemented in the U.S. and we allow it to progress at our own peril.

The MAGA Republicans, led by Donald Trump take their tactical cues from Putin and Steve Bannon, a man who is determined to blow up our current government to establish a fascist one-party authoritarian rule like we observed in Germany. Labeling news outlets as fake, disparaging judges, criminalizing groups of people, and banning books are all in the playbook. And now we observed the ousting Speaker Kevin McCarthy because he worked with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown. This was just a start to bring the House under MAGA rule. They are floating Jim Jordan, a staunch Trump ally, as a candidate to become the next speaker. Like Trump, Jordan skirts the truth, detests democracy, and will halt any funds to help Ukraine in favor of helping Putin. It should be crystal clear that anyone who takes that job as speaker will be beholden to the MAGA agenda which at its core supports a conversion to fascist authoritarian rule.

Sadly, too many Americans know very little about our Constitution and how our form of government is designed to function and so they abdicate their duty to participate in it. I hear too many people claim that they aren’t interested in politics, completely devoid of an understanding that political outcomes deeply affect their lives and livelihoods. Too many Americans fail to follow fact-based news and are poisoned by lies, omissions, spins, and outright fearmongering. Others either fail to research candidates or they fail to vote altogether. Too many Americans take for granted the civil liberties we now enjoy and are stunned when basic rights are rolled back because the religious right now operates within our governing bodies.

While the religious right and white supremacists have joined hands in a determined quest to make this a “Christian” nation under white rule, too many mistakenly think of themselves as ultra patriots, draping themselves in the American flag and MAGA hats, attending rallies, and not fully understanding that MAGA Republicans actually seek the destruction of our democratic republic. Their ignorance makes them gullible pawns and when combined with the apathy of busy or distracted people, our country has become vulnerable to the threat of falling under fascist authoritarian rule.

There are markers of an authoritarian government that everyone should know and understand. First, authoritarian governments do not have free and fair elections. In 2020, MAGA Republican leadership showed that they are willing to steal elections by confusing citizens with false claims that a secure election (by all accounts) was stolen. In addition, both MAGA and moderate Republicans continue to work toward limiting the vote of minorities and young people by unlawful gerrymandering and voter suppression tactics. Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy along with some MAGA Republicans in the House suggest raising the voting age to 25 to limit the youth vote. What follows are the remaining attributes of an authoritarian government.

The second attribute of an authoritarian government is a lack of accountability for the use of government finances. Third, citizens are severely limited in their ability to participate in the political process as the government no longer seeks their opinion nor approval for its actions. Forth, freedom of worship is limited to state sanctioned forms of worship, if any. Fifth, there is no freedom of speech to speak out against the government and violators are met with levels of punishment ranging from prison to death. Sixth, information and entertainment content are controlled and disseminated by government sanctioned media outlets. Seventh, laws are made absent the consent of the people. And finally, under fascist authoritarian rule, civil order is maintained through violence.

This should be frightening to every American who values a free press and their civil liberties, including a) due process, b) access to the ballot box, c) access to accurate information, d) freedom of expression in speech, art, media, and music, e) freedom of religion, f) freedom to choose your profession, and g) freedom to marry whom you love. All of these freedoms that we rely on are at stake if MAGA Republicans succeed in winning the 2024 election at the state and federal levels. We have already had our right to choose whether or not to give birth restricted. Books are being banned. History is being hidden or revised. Gun owners and militia groups, the enforcement wing of fascist authoritarian rule, are being encouraged and empowered. Transgender safety and access to healthcare is being restricted. Teachers are being censored and muzzled. Public education is being threatened with starvation of operating funds. Judges are being threatened. And Trump literally threatened to close certain news outlets if he wins.

Every American should understand that Republican concern about the nation’s debt is a ruse to hide their actual intention. Probably 99% of Americans have debt in the form of a mortgage, car payment, student loan, or credit card. The question is whether you take in adequate income to manage that debt, not the debt itself. The same is true of the government. Republicans continuously make the nation’s debt management more difficult by cutting taxes on the wealthiest corporations and individuals thereby starving the government of needed income. At the same time, they want to cut spending that is designed to enable tax collection, protect the border, defend democracies around the world, and invest in the lives of Americans. Pay attention to the programs they want to cut, and you will understand that poor schools will be unable to function, climate change will accelerate, and millions of Americans will be left begging on the streets or turning to crime to survive.

I believe that their ultimate aim is to greatly reduce both the poor and undocumented immigrants who are disproportionately black and brown people through poverty-imposed horrific outcomes (starvation, sickness, disease, drug overdose, and violence). Trump’s plan is to create financial desperation and then shoot shoplifters on the spot. He will throw due process out the window. Remember how he ruthlessly separated children from their parents at the border without bothering to keep track of them? He publicly endorses police brutality. He openly called General Millie a traitor who deserves death. He refuses to defend democracies around the world while praising authoritarian leaders. He verbally attacks the character and credibility of judges. And we just learned that he wanted to bomb Mexican drug cartels in Mexico and make it look like some other country did it. This is the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination. And because of our electoral college system, he has a real chance of winning in 2024.

Despite that, Republicans know that it is becoming increasingly difficult to win elections through the democratic process because their policies continue to favor corporations, the wealthy, and white heterosexual Christian males. They simply do not appeal to an increasingly multicultural American society who value individual civil liberties, social justice, and equal opportunity. As a result, MAGA Republicans are introducing a strategy to maintain power and wealth that includes abandoning the Constitution in favor of authoritarianism. Some traditional Republicans are against this, but they too, may not have a choice.

It’s time to pay attention and to spread the word about the seriousness of the situation. Be registered to vote and make sure those around you are ready to vote in 2024 to preserve our democratic republic and our civil liberties. If we fail at the ballot box, the country we were hoping for will slip through our hands without a shot being fired.

The news this week broadcasted multiple images of groups of young people of color storming into stores and running off with armloads of stolen goods. They’re hitting high end stores, the Target and Walmart stores, as well as small businesses. Not surprisingly, Target announced that it will close seven on its stores due to excessive theft. Others will likely exit these neighborhoods too, leaving residents with fewer places to shop, higher prices, and fewer job opportunities. Actions have consequences and so does inaction.

While I sympathize with this youthful response to a system that has deprived them of a level playing field in which to thrive economically, I think family members and community advocates need to inform the young people in those videos that making away with stolen merchandise to sell on the black market isn’t winning. The system that failed them remains rigged to lock them up for their crime and to further punish their community.

I know all about this rigged system. It became clear to me as a teenager that the system wasn’t built to advance women nor black and brown people. From denying access to the necessities like decent housing and good education, to withholding the building blocks of wealth that come through high-paying jobs and capital investment, to flooding the streets with drugs and alcohol, to the over-policing and harsher sentencing of black and brown people, and to the media images that negatively portray blackness to the extent that the world blames our poverty on our cultural flaws and not on ongoing oppression and lack of opportunity. The reality is that poverty, generational trauma, and lack of opportunity inevitably lead to crime fueled by frustration, anger, desperation, need, drug abuse, and untreated mental health issues.

The Civil Rights Movement was a beacon of hope. However, I can point to how things really turned south after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. I felt that loss to my core. Our collective pain, frustration and hopelessness manifested itself in self-destructive violence and our communities never fully recovered. By the late 70’s, the promises of the Civil Rights Movement met with the reality of an economic and social system unwilling to change.

I observed the bars going up on the windows of homes. Liquor stores owned by Asian immigrants sprung up on most corners instead of grocery stores. I observed kids being beaten up for their tennis shoes. School fights became a daily occurrence. Sports became more important than school for most boys. My brothers had their leather coats stolen off their backs. I observed a woman being tied to a car and dragged down the street by her boyfriend. Drive by shootings and gang violence became commonplace as drugs became a means of mental escape and a major economic driver.

As a tween, I felt like I was stuck in a slow burning community, destined for death if I couldn’t find a way out. My mother knew enough to keep us in church and off the streets, but I eventually realized that the songs at church always pointed to heaven or Jesus’ second coming as the eventual relief from the misery this life seemed to offer. At home, my mother suffered physical abuse from my alcoholic father, and the church folks advised her to bear it as a submissive wife while praying for him. That wasn’t a serious solution. I was terrified of the violence that could end her life. And the police were no help. Every time they eventually showed up, they did nothing. I repeatedly begged my mother to leave. Then, finally, and with the help of her parents, she left my father and moved us away from the city.

That move changed everything. I was thirteen and for the first time in my life, I could see a bright future for myself. It turned out that living away from a community of color meant freedom from the fiery arrows meant to destroy lives and livelihoods. Government policies that sanctioned a lack of educational, health, and infrastructure resources while allowing high prices, drugs, bank discrimination, and excessive police presence were all absent. In the suburbs I discovered access to everything I needed to be successful if I just learned the new rules.

Rule number one was to take advantage of the highly resourced education being offered. Rule number two was to be persistent, brave, and exceptional. Rule number three was to keep my mouth shut and to pay attention to the silent cues. I learned that the way to be successful in a system rigged against women and people of color was to trick the system into believing you are a legitimate part of it. I learned to speak and write in the language of the system. I learned to dress for acceptance (AKA: to “dress for success”). I learned that I had to be doing better, not just as good, as my white counterparts to be recognized. I learned to overlook micro-aggressions, but to make note of the bias and work around it. I learned to value my few white allies who would mentor and later sponsor me. I learned to smile when I felt like screaming. As an adult, I learned to hide cultural indicators like family pictures or black heritage art whenever I wanted to sell a house. I learned to sue when it was warranted. I learned that humility is overrated, and that tactfulness would get me further than being direct. And I learned to always keep receipts and emails because insecure white folks will try to bring you down.

Donald Trump is correct that the system is rigged. He admits to benefitting from that system for many years. That system kept him out of jail despite his sexual assault and fraud. In his mind, “America was great” when women and people of color were oppressed and lacked opportunity and couldn’t do much about it. He now thinks it is “rigged” to give us access, opportunity, and power we shouldn’t have. Obama was his undoing. Not surprisingly, his rhetoric appeals to uneducated white people who failed to take full advantage of that system when it was available to them.

Trump is selling a revised system wherein he feeds his fragile ego by dictating how government is run, picking the winners and losers, and giving these poor white folks the hope that they will be the winners against those immigrants and people of color who are now competing to displace them. The problem is that his promises are empty. He has nothing to offer them when you dig deep enough. All he has is resentment against people like Obama who circumvented the rigged system and are now exposing him for the criminal he actually is. However, that resentment threatens to lead to violence and even genocide if allowed to proliferate.

While it is true that the system continues to be rigged against minorities, and wealth inequality remains a huge problem, there are ways to navigate it. Donald Trump wants to make that navigation more difficult for women and people of color. He certainly isn’t the person to fix this rigged system. If anything, he would like to reinstate and reinforce oppression.

The 2024 election is going to be about the survival of our democratic republic. Our current Constitution and system of government gives us with the opportunity to elect representatives who work towards creating a more equitable and inclusive society that is far easier to navigate to become successful. I’m hopeful that we can create a society where young people no longer feel the need to “mash and grab” to earn a living. To accomplish this, people of good conscience must vote.