Democracy

Say What?

The comments

of AOC


that early

Woke-ism

“was crazy”

may be

honest

reflection

or shrewd

correction

or a suggestion

that 

it failed.

Before

folks were

Woke,

if  others

spoke

in ways

that offended,

the Language

Police

condescended

and tended

to shame

and blame

in the name

of dignity

and identity.

This did not

happen

suddenly.

It’s really

how language

moves ideas

and ideas

move language

and how

cultures evolve.

To solve

one problem

for feminists,

the emphasis

on marital 

status

(or not)

begot

the term,

Ms.

Perhaps

ambivalent,

but it is

equivalent

to Mr.;

not Miss

or Mrs.,

as it 

dismisses

marriage

as relevant

to maturity

or identity,

as Mr.

does for

males.

The idea

of equality

needed

to be

addressed

in the way

in which 

we address

each other

politely.

It took

a while

for some

to

get used

to using

Ms.,

especially

without

thinking

about why.

And so

the outcry

and ridicule

became,

if not 

the rule,

then commonplace,

but many 

more

began to embrace

the concept

and the title

as vital.

Enlightenment.

Awareness.

Woke.

Progress

then backlash

when politics

and linguistics

create

whiplash.

Who knew

that young

people

knew

what

pronouns

are?

And did 

#Me Too

go too far

or cut off

the conversation?

Excesses

and mistakes

should be

undertaken

not 

at the 

expense

of  good intentions

forsaken.

DEI 

is poison

now,

because

implementation

was absurd.

Diversity,

equity,

and inclusion

should

not be 

an intrusion

upon

merit

and excellence.

Will artificial

intelligence

neutralize

what

has become

ever more

politicized?

If language

serves

to emphasize

concepts

or dis or re-

enfranchise,

we must

share this

enterprise,

and exercise

free speech

judiciously.

So Much Winning

Heads

are spinning

from

so much winning.

Will the center

hold

for the old

guard,

now marred

and practically

tarred

and feathered;

barely tethered

to the new?

Or will old

theories

of society’s

ills-

with the 

no frills

pitch

to ditch

the sonofabitch

and MAGA

for a

180 degree

nominee

of the left

wing

bring

much needed

reform?

Universal

health care,

making each 

trillionaire

pay their fair

share

of taxes,

and getting

big money

out of

politics

could fix

a lot,

and now

the socialist

wing

thinks it

can bring

the goods

for good.

But the vehement

establishment

insists

progress

consists

of compromise

with the precedent

of incremental

change.

In this

strange

new political

climate change,

with wild fires

and constant

storms,

reforms

mean

radical

undoing,

(see abortion

and immigration),

despite 

what might

be problematic.

Pragmatic

politics

now means

to nix

what is

to fix

what is

likely

to be 

much more

difficult

to effect.

To protect

what’s been

how to win

an election,

when

the only

selling points

are

Not MAGA

and Not Socialist,

the grist

mills

little

for the little

guy

who is desperate

to try

something

else. 

But can

the Bernie wing

bring

everything

without

examining

and acknowledging

where

such universal

policy

programming

has failed

in the past?

Can so much

winning last?

Miller’s Crossing

He gave 

the green 

light

to expedite

what might

be among

our most

shameful

policies.

With no

apologies,

the traffic

stops

continue

with a view

to a kill.

ICE agents

pick

immigrants

at traffic 

stops,

as per 

Steven Miller’s 

program.

Lacking

required

body cam,

or just

not turning

it on,

these agents

of the government

have managed

to kill

innocent

victims

of this

harassment.

Yet another

incident-

2 over

the last

week.

A brief pause

in the strategy

only to be

tragically

reimplemented

by only

this demented

administration,

because

halting immigration

at all costs

is the priority.

The policy

of traffic stops

was suspended

very briefly

before reinstating,

chiefly

for being

afraid 

of appearing

weak.

Miller’s fear

of immigrants

and Trump’s

and the rest

of his malcontents’

have crossed

all lines

of acceptability.

Citizens

want immigration

reform,

but not in 

its current

form.

We now

have a system

of immigration

that keeps

those

without

documentation 

deportable

and outside

protections

of labor

law.

Traditionally,

Republicans

have focused 

on security

(aka deportation),

and Dems

have focused

on

legalization

when taking

on immigration.

But these

policies

should not

compete;

they

could meet

at an intersection.

What have

been

competing

policies

are each

and both 

necessities.

The best

direction

would be

leading

to legalization

WITH

a better,

preferably 

nonviolent,

security

enforcement.

James Talarico,

a Dem senate

candidate

from

Texas,

likes to say

what sounds

like progress,

“Our border

should be

like a front 

porch-

it should have

a welcome

mat

out front

and a lock

on the door.”

A community

living in

uncertainty

is certainly

in fear.

It’s clear 

that fear

is the object

of Miller’s

project,

as he projects

the threat

upon 

not-yet

documented

immigrants.

So ICE
is set

to impose

the threat

and get

those 

they suspect,

where

roads

intersect

at a red

light.

MIller

wanted

crossing

the border

to be

an issue

of law 

and order

if it only

means

security

to satisfy

his insecurity

that this

country

is overtaken

by those 

who are

liminal

and therefore

criminal.

6 deaths

“accidental”,

or for

alleged

self defense

against

defenseless

drivers

committing

no offense

in those 

moments

beyond

documents

in question,

as the

traffic stops

continue

at Miller’s

crossing.

A Brief Illness

Wilson’s stroke,

FDR’s legs,

Kennedy’s back,

Reagan’s gunshots

and then

his dementia,

Bader-GInsberg’s cancer,

Trump’s COVID,

Feinstein’s capacity,

Biden’s capacity,

Fetterman’s stroke,

Kean’s depression,

McConnell’s…..?

Would it 

kill us

to know

about 

each illness

that no

one

wants to

admit?

Bit by bit

details will

flow

until we know

what was.

Because

health

equals stealth

with maximum

security,

privacy

will always

be first.

But the thirst

to know

if those 

elected

will show

up 

for work

tomorrow

or in 

a week

or so,

is so elemental

and the work

consequential,

that the obfuscation

and/or lies

flies

in the face

of acceptability.

Of course,

the probability

of opposition

is why such

a position

of denial

or just silence

is the preference

for the powerful.

Just 

status quo,

even though

we all know

something

is very wrong.

And then

the news

of a senator’s

passing

unexpectedly,

at least

it seemed

to be

when I read

that Lindsey

Graham

died suddenly

from “a brief

illness”.

The less

revealed,

the more

concealed,

the greater

the concern.

We always

learn

that

transparency

is best,

but continue

to test

the wisdom

when power

is at stake.

Maybe we

make 

the mistake

of wanting

politicians’

admissions,

when decisions

are made

to evade

which arouse

suspicions

about what

omissions

are kept

from the public.

When an official

gets sick

or dies

suddenly,

more than

curiosity

seems

to be

appropriate.

A brief illness

is less

than 

an unknown;

it indicates

knowledge

of cause.

And if the pause

in information

is because 

of national

security,

it seems 

to me,

that’s understandable.

Investigating

cause of death

indicates 

a question,

while 

“a sudden, brief

illness”

is an intentional

non-mention;

yet another

suspension

of truth.

We have a

nondisclosure 

disagreement

in government,

when 

an appointment,

however

temporary,

should be

federal protocol.

We may not

know all,

but some

would be 

welcome

before 

more damage

is done.

We claim

to be

an open

and free

society.

That is the 

country

that Lindsey

Graham

served

and that 

served

him.

We can’t let

that die

with him.

Maine Drag

Guilty

until proven

innocent

against 

the recent

rape charge,

an issue

so large

it trumps

a Nazi

tattoo,

the guy

who would

defy

old categories

and deny

old stories

or try

to eschew

what he knew

was problematic,

was a “new”

democrat

who wasn’t

an aristocrat,

but an oysterman

everyman,

if every man

were accused

of rape

and had a 

Nazi

tattoo.

The senate

race

in Maine

has been

an insane

drain

on Dems

everywhere

who care

about

how to 

gain

a majority.

The midterm

priority

to return

to accountability

was weirdly

accommodated

when Platner

was nominated,

as he won

as an outsider.

Brash

and progressive,

if not transgressive,

he’d upend

the successive

terms

of Susan Collins.

But Platner

won’t be

Maine’s

Democrat

nominee

even if he

were innocent.

Now the race

is a drag

causing 

confidence

lag

in the ability

to find

a good 

candidate

at this late

date.

A late

update 

happened

not long before-

in 2024-

and look

how that

election

ended.

There 

is no ideal

candidate,

but to bet

on the base

instincts

not only

stinks,

but drags

Maine

and

the whole

country

down.

Even W,

son-of-a

Bush,

was a push-

over.

Wanting

a beer

with a candidate

is inadequate

to governance.

Substance

should count

an inordinate

amount,

not one’s bank 

account.

Wanting

an outsider

taunting

the system

is wisdom

not always

true.

Who meets

the standard

is answered

by history.

Victory

delivery

should be

considered

carefully,

because

then 

the term

must 

be served.

What must be

preserved

can’t be

dragged

through

the mud.

Just look

at that 

Maine stud,

Graham Platner.

Happy Birthday to US

The labor

was intensive;

the birth,

expensive,

and everyone

celebrated

what the fathers

created.

(But actually,

necessity

is the mother

of invention!)

A declaration

of independence

from the king

would bring

forth

on the fourth

of July, 1776

an evolution

of politics

from the critics

of monarchy,

with a vision

of democracy

that somehow

included

people

as property

for almost

another

century.

But the muscle

memory

of and for

opportunity

has guided

the trajectory

of this 

then new

country,

founded,

and now

hounded,

by old men.

When was 

America

just a 

replica

of her

ideal?

Electing a

president

set a precedent

for self government,

but how 

to effectuate

is still 

a debate.

What makes

America great

isn’t innate

or fate.

It’s the pursuit

not just

of happiness

but of 

the less

obvious

equality

of every

body;

even the ones

who look different 

from you

and

with whom

you disagree

(or worse).

The curse

of freedom

is over

abundance;

tolerance

of bigotry,

and over

reliance

on individuality.

The miracle

of the American

ideal

is made real

every day

while

also being

contradicted.

We may be

conflicted

over 

what seems

inflicted,

depicted

incessantly

on our screens.

But tomorrow

we’ll all

face 

the sky

as fireworks

fly,

like celestial

candles

on our

birthday 

cake.

What gifts

will you 

give?

Or will

you just

take?

Do you

expect

party

favors?

On our

best

behaviors,

we’ll

make sure

we’ll

endure

for

another 250

and more.

Happy Birthday

to US. 

The New Colossus

I just returned

from

the land

of the Golem,

(a sort of 

Frankenstein,

that predates

the Shelley

tale),

where 

the Soviet

and Nazi

lost to

democracy,

and memory

is preserved

not erased.

The Golem

of medieval

fantasy

was initially

created

as a magical

protector.

It (he)

was large

and clumsy,

slow-witted,

and soulless;

immune

to conventional

weapons

or pain.

(Sound familiar?)

It would become

eventual

that this 

folk hero

would grow

fearsome

and violent,

which meant

its destruction;

a lesson

we keep

needing

to learn.

We tend

to yearn

for 

a protector

and champion:

strong-

even masculine-

forgetting

that subletting

power

weakens

us.

“The New Colossus”,

by Emma Lazarus,

was the poem

befitting

Lady Liberty.

The Mother

of Exiles

whose torch

is a beacon

of light

for the weary-

quite

a contrast

to the dreary

giant man.

Trump is a

hulking,

clumsy,

dimwitted,

soulless

(faux)

protector,

whose power’s

run

amok

with endless

luck;

a new colossus

for us

in the worst

way.

But for America’s

semi-

quincentennial

birthday,

I say,

remember

anew

“The New

Colossus”:

“Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…”

as us.

Our strengths

are not

artificial intelligence

(though with regulation,

such sensation

could be transformational).

By 250,

we

need to

grow up!

The New Colossus

is not this monstrous

idiot.

It’s the generous,

creative spirit

that is 

inspired by

and of 

liberty;

not irresponsibility,

but human

dignity,

integrity,

and decency,

with liberty,

and justice

for all.

Strait Talking

In memory

of those 

who died

in the name

of our 

freedom,

we pause

for their

cause,

US.

May

their 

memory

be 

for a 

blessing-

not messing

around

to the sound

of patriotism.

Now,

war hawks

are in peace

talks

with Iran,

and this

administration

is desperate

for this

to end

well

after it fell

into the trap

of trying

to sell

a war

of his own

making.

Faking

progress

in this mess

is,

by now,

expected.

Remember

how

he directed

that bleach

injected

would cure

those affected

by COVID?

I’m not sure

who said

he puts 

the ID

in idiot,

but the 

shoe 

does fit.

So

I have no

expectation

of consolation

on this 

sad

Memorial Day.

He’ll lay

a wreath

in Arlington

Cemetery

as is 

customary,

while

the rest 

of the country

mourns

the loss

of each

daughter

and son,

and no one

in particular,

just the vast

number

who have

died

for the legacy

of American

democracy,

that now feels

like almost

a memory.

Mourning

in America

turns

the sunny

phrase

dark,

in stark

contrast

to days

of strength.

The length

of this aberration,

a scourge

on our nation,

long

beyond

sensation,

will someday

be a bad

memory.

When will

Memorial

Day

be 

only

for the past,

not a forecast?

I hope

that at

last

the Strait

of Hormuz

opens

and continues

to be 

a conduit

and we 

don’t forget

how we got

in this situation.

Memorial Day

should remind

us 

that the wars

behind us

are warnings

not just 

of mournings

but of what

all those

young people

died for.

The Friends and Family Plan

His Friends

and Family Plan,

paid for

by each 

American

citizen,

will be

a slush fund

of $1.8 billion

for those 

who have

suffered

“weaponization”,

is his

master plan

of corruption.

It may be

in his DNA,

and this is

the ultimate

NDA,

the ultimate

American

exceptionalism

for him.

His slush

fund

to shield

him

from any

audit or tax

tracks

with 

everything

he’s tried

so far:

Enriching

himself

and his allies

as he tries

to use 

the Justice 

Department

to enforce

his lies

and schemes,

while continuing

the rewriting

of history,

encouraging

and enabling

attacks 

on Congress,

physically,

verbally,

and ideologically,

while circumventing

governing.

A one-man

weapon

of mass

destruction,

whose

corruption

knows

no bounds.

And what

happens

when

the violent

men-

Proud Boys

and Oath

Keepers

having

been convicted

after having

inflicted

violence

without 

penitence

some having

started

to serve

a sentence,

get paid

a reward

for their

subservience

to him?

Will he

have

a private

militia?

The ex-cons

and The Con Man

need his 

Friends and Family

Plan

to keep

themselves

protected.

With a cadre

of the rejected,

disaffected,

and closely

connected

he’d like

this corrected

permanently

so that he

will never

pay,

and those

who opposed

him

will

foot 

the bill.

Only

a criminal

would

devise

such

a scheme

to make it

seem

like 

he is all

powerful.

He may

be 

a Strongman

but he is

a weak,

weak

person.

Final Exam

This isn’t

the apocalypse

now.

From crisis

to crisis,

it’s obvious

that the matrix

of destructive

forces

forces

us

to confront

the unimaginable,

uninhabitable

once-impossible-

except 

in the bible-

series

of conditions

that some

claim

to be 

premonitions

in the name 

of “The Lord”.

If this

is the end,

it sure is 

slow moving,

and improving

is still

within reach.

It’s our 

judgement

and reckoning,

not super-natural

beckoning

that alters

reality,

really.

The broken

covenant

between

government

and constituent

has us

almost drowning

in the flood

of mud

slung

at the innocent,

guilty

of being

a participant

in

the American

experiment.

The fear

that the end

is near,

if not

already here,

is not

unreasonable.

It’s not 

infeasible

with the 

Artificial

Intelligence

emergence

and the

resurgence

of the popularity

of populism

and faux

democracy-

or democracy

practically

in name 

only.

And the changing

climate

for the worse

only adds

the worst

verse

to this

curse

of bad poetry

where

history

rhymes.

Crimes

are normal

for the dictatorial

and other

abusers

with greed.

But their

end days

are near,

despite

the fear

they impose

upon us. 

I suppose

any crisis

could be

a catastrophe

like you see

in a movie,

but the apocalypse

is a partial,

if not

total,

eclipse

of the good

that still

exists.

Horror

insists;

but good

persists

in spite

of it.

And there

are more

of us

than

there are

of them.

So,

sure,

condemn

the mayhem,

but be part

of a solution

to this pollution

that makes

it so hard

to breathe

freely.

This test

is really

challenging,

and managing

is arduous.

But I believe

the best

of us

is not

past,

but passed

generationally

intentionally,

representationally,

changing

from an ending

to finally

remembering

the right

questions.