Democracy

Do the Right Things

Now

a days,

the craze

on the right

is amazingly

cynical.

And yet

in spite

of spite

from the wing

on the right,

Speaker

Johnson

held tight.

An aid

bill 

was passed

long past

due

due to

bogus

focus

on spending,

practically

upending

alliances

with defiance

and reliance

upon

noncompliance.

In an ecosystem

governed

by climate

change,

creating

crisis

after crisis

after

crisis,

invites

us

to assess

how we 

address

this long 

term

condition.

What 

long

ago

was our

nature

has become 

abused

when 

government

was accused

of being

the problem.

Both right

and left

have

at times

been

reckless,

and feckless

leaders

or worse

have worsened

us.

But now

the right

can not

claim

righteousness

or

correctness

or validity,

much less

acceptability.

A country

of rights

abdicating

responsibilities

and civilities

creates 

possibilities

for horrible

vulnerabilities

and instabilities.

Reclaim what 

is right!

Our climate

crisis

requires

innovation

and

restoration

of what 

is right

and wrong.

The warming

of the planet

is overwhelming

us

just as 

the heated

rhetoric

in politics

is stifling

us.

Worse,

it is killing

us.

We know

what is

right,

but

complain

it became

too hard

to sustain.

Tomorrow

is Earth Day

and soon

Mother’s

Day,

sentiments

that deserve

acknowledgements

all year.

As

our democracy

needs us,

so does

Mother Nature.

The climate

crises

among us

and around

us

need us 

to do 

the right

things.

Mother

nature,

inside

and out. 

I mean,

as a verb:

to curb

what 

has been

unfathomably

disturbed.

Nature 

needs

mothering;

nurturing

to thrive.

Our twin

climate

crises

demand

each 

of us

to do 

the right

things-

even when

difficult-

to nurture

what’s

left.

Asleep at the We’ll

The cult

of personality,

regardless

of criminality

or venality,

reveals

a mentality

of those

who follow

their hollow

leader.

With a wink

and a nod,

and a facade

of leadership,

it’s actually 

worship

of dictatorship.

He feign’s

populism

while always

the victim

of a system

that seeks

to convict 

him.

Needing support

to pay 

bills

(which he won’t

pay),

he shills

to thrills

of Magaworld.

To them,

he 

is “we”;

he is their

guy

who will

defy

and deny

endlessly.

Aggressively

fomenting

without 

literally

saying,

the wink

and the nod

are  conveying.

Outside

the courthouse 

he boo 

hooed 

his plight,

lying

that his

right

to live

freely

has been 

taken

from him.

Yadda

Yadda

Yadda…

it’s all

so exhausting

and seems

to be costing

him.

Day one

of the first

trial,

he was

caught

nodding

off–

unfortunately,

off camera.

Asleep

at the

“we’ll”,

he’ll

be revealed,

but it 

remains

to be 

seen

when,

and if

it will be 

enough.

Thoughts and Prayers (Making America Pray Again)

Get your steaks,

ties, 

water,

vodka,

bogus degree

from T

University,

NFTs,

mug shot

mugs,

golden sneakers,

cologne,

bible,

and more!

all for the low

low low

price…..

Wait!!!

The price 

is much

much much

too high.

He really

puts the mess

in messiah

complex.

Or just the 

reflex

to deflect

to protect

his project

which he

projects

on others.

How is it

all

possible

at all?

(audible

sigh).

He’s making

America

pray again!

For Chrissakes,

it’s Easter!

And his “favorite

book”,

said the crook

(who displayed

it upside

down

alongside

the military

blocking

lawful

protestors),

has always

been his

political

bible.

He loves

his sheep

and the silence

of the lambs

as he fancies

himself

the shepherd 

and lion,

some bizarre

minotaur

defying natural

or any

laws.

He loves

to pedal

the idea

of his crucifixion

with each

fiction

he spews.

As we know,

thoughts

and prayers

live in heads

and hearts.

But insurrection

and presidential 

resurrection

are results

of human

actions;

accumulations

before

elections.

Democracy,

as we see,

in this era

of crazy,

is more

than voting.

Activate

and advocate!

Thoughts

and prayers

never stop

the shooters.

The Key Bridge Collapse

The bridge

collapsed

right after

we left:

The bridge

that was

called

The Key.

The video

that captured

the rupture

of the structure

that gave way

the way

dominoes

fall 

in succession

reminded me

of the twin

towers

collapsing—

each floor

on top

of itself

until

mere dust.

How quickly

collapse

occurs

once 

what was

painstakingly

built

becomes broken.

Lives lost.

And lost

connection.

The Key Bridge

may be

an exception,

except

it seems

like an 

expression

or projection—

a metaphor

for

our political

situation.

An enormous

vessel,

out of control.

broke

the bridge

that was key.

Making Ago of It

MAGA

became

a party

to insanity

with no

real

vision,

just 

division.

The sense

of impending

ending

of what 

we treasure

is the measure

by which

we react.

Humanity’s

mortality

(and certainly

Democracy’s)

is what we

tend

to see.

At least

let’s not

go further

but add

some fervor

to be the

preserver

of this

life

now.

The party’s

over

so let’s 

stand

our ground

into the ground

this time

around.

Screw

decorum—

a forum

for repression.

Bring

obsession

and regression

to the fore

and the floor

of our House.

Hats off

to 46,

who wants

to fix

so much

that is broken.

The Center

of Gravity

has normalized

depravity,

self serving

and unnerving.

Calling themselves

Conservative

is interpretive

at best.

Suggesting

Great

while exhibiting

hate

is actually

reflecting

our past.

We’re better

off

and on 

a path

forward,

certainly

since

COVID.

But what

we thought

was outmoded

has a devoted

following.

Wallowing

in grievance

and demanding

allegiance

will not

forward

us.

Looking toward

what was

is blurry,

leaving out

the worst

and worry.

But many

feel 

more confident

in the current

fever dream.

The wish 

of 4 years

ago

is merely 

to hold

on.

Making

America

Great

Again,

as though

it’s something

we only

know

from long

ago,

is oh so

hollow.

Track and Field

I track

my body’s

expenditures–

tallying

steps,

REM,

and deep

sleep.

My  convenient

device

provides

advice

to keep 

me resilient.

Physically,

it’s working;

I’m doing

better 

than expected.

But my

field

of vision

is narrowing,

as the harrowing

crises 

overwhelm these

data points.

In order 

to prevent

sleeplessness

and foster

resilience,

I need 

to care

less.

But I can’t.

We need 

to engage

in ways

that are 

interactive

and creative;

that address

the mess

from fossil

fuels

and plastic.

Truly drastic

measures

require

forgoing

pleasures

to which 

we have

become

accustomed.

Losing

trust,

witnessing

those 

intended

to see a

democracy

upended

is exhausting

to track.

And depressing.

The alienation

in this nation

is in part

caused by

a conflation

of news 

and entertainment

—infotainment—

and cruelty

so that duality,

not plurality,

is insisted

upon.

We are lost,

and the cost

is literally

killing

the country

(and others)

and the planet. 

Helplessness,

more than 

sleeplessness,

is the urgent

and important

crisis to meet.

As we track

our daily

routines,

we are 

far

afield

from living

from what

we’ve been

given.

We have 

retreated

to repeated

tasks

when what

is actually

asked

of us

is to heal

each other

and our

environment.

Elder Care

Some don’t 

care

about one

candidate’s

age

or

gaffes

or (potential?)

crimes,

because:

demeanor.

The meaner,

the better;

such

a go

getter.

His vim

and vigor

and ability

to trigger

libs

is his

super 

power,

despite

his dour

countenance

and incompetence

at everything

but delaying.

He’s playing

the game

to win

at all 

costs,

which,

as of now,

costs him

about a half

a billion

dollars

plus interest

each day

he doesn’t

pay.

“So what?”,

they say,

“He’s here

to stay”,

because

he’s the

Mr Fixit.

But if

the fix

is in

unless he

wins…

oh there is

no

logic

to the diabolic

hyperbolic

sclerotic

neurotic

chronic

liminal

criminal

chief

cheat,

other than

to serve

himself.

And the slow

moving

Joe

is suffering

from low

approval

ratings

despite 

succesful

governance.

But media

presence

presents

a problem

for the elder

statesman.

Looking

frail

on the campaign

trail

is worse

than the prospect

of going

to jail

in our current

democrazy.

Will stopping

Biden

be easier

than stopping

Trump 

from running?

This could 

be stunning.

Write

to your 

pols

regardless 

of polls

and tell

them how

much

you care.

A democracy

is not 

a one man

capability.

We are much 

more

than this

sore

spot

of old

white

guys

clinging.

Never Mind?

Lemme just say

that one 

should pay

one’s bills.

The latest

threat

to NATO,

though,

we can’t ignore

as a sure

bet

to upset

yet

again 

the anti

MAGA

as the saga

continues.

The irony,

as Andy

Borowitz

reminds us.

is that

the guy

who never

pays 

his bills

somehow 

instills

a sanction:

a sort of

permission

for Putin’s

aggression

and obsession

with expansion.

Trump

is playing

quarterback,

wanting his

own

Super Bowl

back;

treating this

as the halftime

show

Ushering

in 

the third

quarter

after ordering

House

Repubs’

ignoring

the border

deal

that could

have helped

our immigration

situation,

and also

Biden.

And who 

could forget

Hur’s hurling

insult

at the aging-

before –

our-eyes

POTUS,

who 

side steps

stepping aside.

Designed

to undermine

Biden’s

candidacy,

Hur’s report

tends

to distort

his role.

Now 

what’s on

everyone’s

mind:

Who’s

mind

is more

demented?

The tormented

one 

who foments

aggression

and hate

with a spate

of indictments

and trial dates?

Or the decidedly

decent,

accomplished

statesman

whose

lack

of alacrity

walking to

pressers

has had no

bearing

on his

ability

to engage

in serious

matters

at home

and abroad

with some

of the greatest

successes

despite

what impresses

the minds

of voters

most.

It used

to be

“It’s the economy,

Stupid!”

Now,

it’s just 

stupid.

And we can’t

never

mind.

Immune from Immunity

Phew!

What we knew

we knew—

(iykyk)—

that we need

immunity

from

POTUS
immunity

as decided

unambiguously,

unanimously

by a panel

of 3

bipartisan

judges.

Now the matter

shifts

to the supremes.

Will they

or won’t they

take the case

that sets

the pace

for the race

against

time

for trials

and a trying

election

season?

There is no

immuno-

compromise;

only immuno-

suppression .

And our immuno-

deficiency

is the inefficiency

of our system

of democracy

where time

and norms

seem easily

distorted

and contorted

through sordid

actions

and throwing

spaghetti

with ketchup

at the walls

of justice.

Now I worry

about some

justices

who curry

favor

with the uber

wealthy

and stealthily

conceal

their

deal

making.

Our system

is not immune

to the opportunistic,

parasitic,

narcissistic

one(s)

who herd

the weak

as they seek

power

with immunity.

But for now,

this inoculation

immunizing

us from

presidential

immunity

is welcome.

Next,

we brace

for the case

of Colorado

and the 14th

Amendment

in the POTUS

race.

At least

there’s

the Super

Bowl

to distract,

and the debate

will shift

to Taylor

Swift—

silly stuff

when we’ve

heard enough

about immunity

for now.

American Idle

The story 

of 

“The Golden Calf”

is a warning

against idolatry.

But only

recently

did it occur

to me

to consider

why

a calf?

Ancient cultures

and cults

and myths

regarded

bulls as sacred.

Among

the cattle

prominent,

the bull’s

dominent

stature

was a godlike

feature

in the ancient

world.

So why 

a calf

on behalf

of the Israelites

awaiting

Moses’ return?

Perhaps

the calf

is merely 

half

of the force

of the all

powerful.

And now

the maga,

at least

in Iowa,

have their

bull

ever ready

for the next

bullfight.

How perfect

that bull

means the opposite

of real

much like

the appeal

of the bs 

king

who says

it like

it is(n’t).

The bullfight

has officially

begun

although

this bull

has been

bullying

and running

forever.

He’s been 

stabbed

and tested,

but he has

bested

the best

efforts

to contain 

him.

He worships

idolatry

especially

of himself.

It would be

laughable

or a parable

if it weren’t

so horrible.

He’s the

American Idol

of the maga

nation—

a minority

whose sacred

cow

may be

a criminal—

and is 

no longer 

liminal.

America,

we can’t 

remain

idle.