Culture and Politics

Call it, “What you will”

I Call it,

“what you will”:

Don’t say

“Department of

Government

Efficiency”.

That would 

rerquire

dishonesty.

Instead,

go rogue

and call it

“DOGE”,

and cut

aid

to the most

needy.

And pretend

that 

“DEI”

means

something

that will

intensify

rejection

of quality

and equity

for the 

hypersensitivity

of the white guy

who somehow

now

needs inclusion.

Never say

all the words

in the acronym

because

the antonym

is the strategy.

It is beyond

tragedy.

Say 

what you will…

When DEI 

is removed

to comply,

civil rights

still apply.

They say

what they

will

to instill

their project

to reject

what they 

can.

Say what

you will

and fill

your legislator’s

voicemail

and email.

Pique Performance

In winter, 

the state

of our union

is televised

and glamorized 

by

spectacle,

political

and sartorial,

along with

a few

surprise

guests.

The congress

of Americans-

not bipartisans,

but football fans-

entertained

but not sustained

by each

30 second ad,

had their wings

and things—

what the neighbor

brings—

to the Super Bowl

party.

The game

is the same

as America;

unrivaled

in extravaganza.

Brutal

and balletic,

overtly athletic,

aggressive,

possessive,

even regressive,

while somehow

always

most impressive.

The big game

adds a name

to it’s half-time

show.

Is it possible 

that spectacle

could get

boring?

Ignoring

real lives

to ensure

the game

survives

as the 

brass

contrives

some

current

theme

for a 

social

media

meme,

has become

a fever dream.

Peak

performance

is measured

by pique

performance;

a curiosity

turned

monstrosity

destroying

our democracy.

This is not

a sporting

event. 

Do not relent.

They are hell

bent;

committed 

to their pique

performance

of  slashing

and retribution.

Your calls

and emails,

posts and shares

are expressions

of constituent

cares. 

I learned yesterday

that an excellent

defense

was the winning

way. 

Change of Life

Get rid of our Tesla.

Get rid of our Kindle.

Drive much

much further

than Whole Foods,

which is closer

than the other

grocer.

Get rid

of delivery

from Amazon

Prime,

though

I can’t find

basic stuff

as there 

isn’t enough

stock;

and what is 

present,

is

locked

away

in every 

brick

and mortar

store.

Get off 

Facebook,

so the Zuch

can’t monetize

what I publicize

only to

my friends.

The ends

may justify

the means

against

the mean

guys,

but I realize

the compromise

has already

given them

the prize. 

Blue Sky’s

attraction

as the alternative

faction

needs

to be

fun,

which,

in the long

run,

is why

we comply

in the

viral

virtual

spaces.

Meanwhile,

with traces

of plastic

everywhere

in everything

we are consuming

and doing,

abandoning

plastic

may seem

drastic,

but it’s fantastic

to think

we’ll not sink

further,

as we murder

our only

home.

Our way

of life

that you

see dismantling

quickly

by Elon’s

Department

of Government

Efficiency

is theatrical

cruelty

and insufficiency,

when 

the way we

live

is also 

driven 

corporately.

The real

collusion

is the intrusion

of his

and his

and his

and his………

businesses

in our government

when they

have no 

business

doing so.

These seemingly

adolescent

guys

with whom

we’re forced

to compromise,

have their

eyes

on the prize

of unending

wealth 

and power.

But they

won’t stay

fertile

forever.

Their periods

will stop.

They’ll get

the sweats,

as is characteristic

of the climacteric

time.

Past

their prime,

they’ll decline,

but we must

begin

to refine

and change

the way we 

engage

while

they’re on

and in

the current

stage.

The Brutalist (No spoilers here.)

Don’t read

the reviews.

Choose

to experience

without interference.

As adherents

to 

coherence,

we try 

to make sense

of the nonsense

that cruelty

induces

and reproduces

incessantly.

Patterns

familiar,

despite

the particular,

the resolute

brute

is a weed

at the root

who seeks 

repute

and power

above all.

The pall

ever thickening,

ever sickening,

ever quickening

the fall

that seems

impossible

for survival,

whose revival

is always

somewhere

here

and there

sometime

within the

rhyme

of history.

Or 

is it 

organic

matter

that’s the 

matter?

Like yeast,

the brutalist

beast

is like

a fungus

that lives

among us

fermenting.

Resenting

and unrelenting, 

misrepresenting,

circumventing

convention,

the contention

of reinvention

and prevention

of dissension

will always

play 

a part

for the brutalist,

whose

opposite

is the humanist.

With creativity

and resolve

we solve

for the time

being,

as humanely

and sanely

as possible.

Get comfortable

with selflessness.

It may not 

be painless,

but much less

painful

than the brutal

creeps

that creep

back

and attack,

when we slack

off.

You don’t

need a review

to understand

this new

iteration

of the old

intention

of the brutalist.

The cruelest

abide

on the side

of hate

or remain

indifferent

to the stain

of the persistent

brutalist

illusionist.

That’s What She Said

In a play

of morality

the other 

day,

a display

of truth

entered

the interfaith

service;

a great

service

to the country 

and to

humanity,

but not

to the mendacity

of the new

administration.

Bishop Budde

plead

for mercy

on behalf

of those

threatened

by executive

orders.

In the corridors

of religion

her decision

to confront

the affront

to decency,

magnificently

reflected

with clarity

the necessity

of and for

dignity,

honesty,

and humanity.

Obviously

aggrieved,

Vance

shook his head,

disagreed,

as his boss,

ever

resentful

and always

peeved,

later

demanded

an apology.

Christian

conviction

finally

gave voice

when Trump

had no

choice

but

to hear

her 

(and our) prayer.

His greatest 

care

was being

dissed, 

his ring

not kissed,

and boy,

was he

PISSED!

Also amidst

the insanity

that is officially

this presidency

the “MAGA GRANNY”,

as she

has been

dubbed,

snubbed

the president

and his pardon,

speaking

truth 

to power.

A rioter

on 1/6/21

she received

a pardon

for her conviction

after serving

60 days

behind

bars.

Pamela Hemphill

has endured

the horrible,

after suggesting

that Trump

is a criminal.

She admitted

she committed

a misdemeanor

to which 

she plead

guilty.

She served

her time

for her crime,

and now

suggests

she was

gaslit.

She thought

she knew

what was

true,

until

she broke

from groupthink.

Out from 

the clink

she warned

others

not to drink

the Koolaid.

Unafraid,

she shared

her story

and continues

to face

the daily

onslaught

of anger.

The real

danger

to Trump

and MAGA
is truth

and authenticity,

and the critically

powerful

women

unofficially 

(politically speaking)

speaking out.

No doubt,

they and others

will receive

threats

or tests.

They spoke

the truth

and invoked

a spark

of inspiration.

This administration

will fail,

because truth

will prevail

even when 

hushed

or temporarily

crushed.

(Even in Russia!)

Just remember:

that(’s)

what 

she said.

His Truth is Marching On

The Golden Age

of guiltless

gilt

is again

the rage

as the pendulum

tilts

away from

moderation.

The pull 

of bull*#@!

and excess

never felt less

tension

in an ongoing

extension,

despite apprehension,

of our historical

monarchical

attraction.

It’s the trappings

and happenings

of power

and endless

stuff

that make 

it so easy

to declare,

“enough

with compromise!

Super size

me!”

More 

is better. 

Greed is 

good.

Look 

what’s

happened

to 

the neighborhood.

Intrinsic

to our politics

and capitalistic

society,

is all consuming

consuming

all

mixed with

hypocritical

piety.

It always

feels worse,

this curse

of ours,

wanting

more

to store

or spend

at the expense

of innocence.

Alongside

the tide

of excessive

pride

and greed

is our 

profound

need

for individual

priority.

And now

notoriety 

is an identity

politics

crisis.

Attempts

at opportunity

for historically

oppressed

minority

communities,

is seen

as threatening

the integrity

of the 

majority

impending minority.

And how

best

to best

the rest

of us?

Outrage

us

with outrageousness

and muss

with the truth

regardless.

Some youth 

know this;

others don’t

access

facts,

much less

analysis.

And as youth

would

have it,

an easy

fix

is to nix

what’s been

and fall

in line

with rebellion.

Anger 

is simple

and made

pure

by

being sure

of owning

the truth.

Maybe

it’s not

youth

so much

as the immature

who wield

such power,

led

by that

towering

inferno.

Battle him!

For the sake

of the republic!

Remaining

democratic

is not automatic.

It requires

an all hands

on deck.

King

The King 

from Queens

is such

a drag

with his

endless

brag

and swag;

even taking

credit

for peace

in the Middle

East,

before taking

office

again,

when

in fact,

tact 

and negotiation

not merely 

inauguration

justify

celebration.

This MLK

Day

is certainly

ironic,

as the iconic

King

of nonviolent

protest

is bested

by the guy

whose cry

to make

America

great

again

will again

be sworn

in

as POTUS.

Not lost

on us

is the oath

taker’s

Oath Keepers

and other

creepers

who violently 

stormed

The Capitol,

now watch

triumphantly

as Trump

ceremoniously

takes the oath

of the presidency

half

heartedly

under a

rotunda

so famously

seen

as the scene

of desecration.

It’s an

inauguration 

I won’t watch

or care

to see

as the frigid

air

envelopes

more than

DC.

Maybe

it’s 

good

that we should

still celebrate

the great

MLK
today,

despite

the awkward

juxtaposition

with 

this inauguration.

This once

upon a time

I bend 

to the real

King

to bring

me inspiration;

not the aspiration

of a wannabe-

get outta jail

free-

king-like

presidency.

We learn

from

this history;

the good,

bad, and

ugly.

Gulf Club

A deep ravine

between

sides

abides

enflaming,

blaming,

renaming

gulfs.

Engulfed

in fire,

raging

politcal

and actual,

as of now

uncontainable

and utterly

unsustainable,

what 

are you doing

to be helpful?

The worst

disaster of the

catastrophe

era

in which

we live

in fear

is here.

Renaming

gulfs

as flames

engulf

LA,

while some

sneer

at the wealthy

who have lost

their homes,

and others

blame

diversity 

policy

in the current

polity-

this climate 

calamity

is a conflagration

of such 

enormity

and each

abnormality

is a part

of the new

normal.

Meanwhile,

Meta

made a new

formal 

mega

change

that feeds

the MAGA
base range

by no longer

checking

facts.

Social media

enacts

the euphemism

“freedom”

to further

enflame

the game.

The Tech Bro

Club

joined the MAGA

frat

and spat

once again

on truth.

The youth

deserve

for us

to preserve

nature

and nurture

humanity.

The club

mentality

that has engulfed

and enflamed

(and wants 

to rename)

everything

is worsening

a very real

and deadly

climate 

change.

HELP!! 

1/6: A Fractional Day

Myth, ritual

and symbol

are universal

cultural

experiences.

No matter

what society,

they provide

a feeling

of unity.

What happens

when we

disagree

and see the

symbols

differently?

Or consider 

the myth

less 

an archetype

than a lie,

if not

a lot

of hype?

And when 

a ritual,

once seen

as habitual,

is challenged

in its practical

sense,

the experience

actually

makes much

less

sense.

Here we are,

4 years hence,

since

a governmental

ritual

at The Capital

turned into

a capital

offense. 

The myth

of The Big Lie

and the coup

attempt

to deny

the count

to certify

the 2020

election,

has as

its symbol

the shaman

guy,

among the

other signifiers

of election

deniers.

1/6

is its

own 

homegrown

day

of infamy;

a reminder

that tyranny

begins

in one party

singularly,

without opposition

 institutionally,

or any 

accountability.

Myth, ritual,

and symbol

are as 

meaningful

as we make 

them.

In this

case,

cultural,

they also

reference

the actual

factual

fractious

reality

of a singular

day

in January.

Insist the truth

remains whole

in future

memory

to protect

our fragile

democracy.

Shame Must Change Sides

This week

in between

is really seen

as a global

holiday

season.

The contrast

is vast

between 

the miraculous

and the rest

of us;

darkness

and light

and not

just

at night.

The kindness

reminds us

that our

gifts

mend

our rifts

and drifts

from basics.

The memory

of

the year

with a new one

so near

is condensed

to the election

and the fear

of  an inflection

point.

But another

story,

details

quite gory,

is still

quite worthy

of our

consideration.

In France,

was a

trial

so vile

it was almost

beyond

comprehension.

Gisele Pelicot

didn’t know

she was 

being drugged

and raped

and video taped

by her spouse

in their house

while men

he arranged,

(this is all

so deranged),

to violate

her

as he watched

dozens

of them

over dozens

of years.

It sears

the heart

and brain.

In 2024

Gisele

could restore

herself

and us

with justice.

The disregard

of humanity,

the insanity,

and the evil

lengths

to which

people

will go

for their

libido 

and ego

satisfaction

is not

the story’s

end.

With unfathomable

strength

and grace

she reminds

us 

to face

and say

what is so:

“Shame

must change

sides.”

Gisele Pelicot,

my shero.

Beyond

2024,

though

we will

have to endure,

we shall

restore,

and

it will

surely be

a rough ride.

Shame 

must change

sides!

And hope

resides

in action.