politics

That Much

Learning how much 

is too much

is such 

an opportunity 

for discontinuity,

yet we continually

test

when

what would

obviously

be best 

would be 

much less.

But,

what 

if

there’s more

in store 

than we 

thought

before?

Enough

is a tough

sell.

Or even

tough

to tell.

We don’t

learn well

enough.

Fear

of missing

out,

FOMO,

is about

feeling

relevant

and as 

a participant

in whatever

is current.

It’s like 

living

as each

day

is the last.

Not like

the day

before,

or 

to store

more

for 

what’s ahead,

but 

for the moment

instead.

We want

connection

and protection

from 

loss.

Fear is boss.

Fear

drives

avoidance

and excess

and creates

a mess,

more or less.

It’s purpose,

is survival—

alerting

us to 

the arrival

of actual

threat.

But constant

acquisition

distorts

the position

of threat

to a bet

better met

with restraint.

But that ain’t

what the super-rich

and powerful

do—

especially 

you know

who.

Living exclusively

from 

much

to much

is a crutch.

With so much

winning

why

keep spinning;

missing

it by

that much?

Eyes on the Prize (more tries)

On this MLK

Day,

all I can say

is,

“Oy vey!”

Snubbed

by Norway

(as if they

were the 

Nobel

Committee)

he intensifies

his demand

for Greenland

as he’s denied

the prize

for peace,

saying

he no longer

feels

an “obligation

to think purely

of Peace”.

The increase

in tensions

clarify

his intentions

just from

seeing 

Green.

He’s

envious,

avaricious,

tyranical,

maniacal,

unethical

and none too

intellectual.

The prize

is still 

peace

and 

freedom

from

oppression.

Though you

realize

we must 

never

normalize

his

agression

and self

obsession,

we’re reminded

today

of MLK

and a more

peaceful,

moral,

and hopeful

day

when our

country

tries

to do

better.

Toolbox

Containing.

Constraining.

Obtaining.

Boxing.

Targeting.

Marketing.

The only tool

the fool

has 

is to fuel

fear,

and buy

out

the other

guy

and buy

in

to all

out

crack up.

ICE

picks

at towns

as

crack-

downs

abound

while they

go around

hammering

down

on the innocent,

intent

to invent

probable 

cause

for arrest.

Meanwhile,

he’ll suggest

we “invest”

in 

Greenland,

with the best

minerals

for our

arsenals

and somehow

our oil

on Venezuelan

soil

is worth

the toil

to foil.

Nothing is going

according

to Hoyle.

But this guy

who’s 

“a builder”

will hammer

away

day after day

and drill

baby, drill

until

he thinks

he’s nailed it.

He’s screwing

us

bit by bit

and won’t 

quit

or admit

enough.

Indecent

and cruel

has defined

the tool,

for this

Mr. Fixit.

He alone

wants to

rule

without

adherence,

and cares

not at all

about

actual

governance.

Feeling

boxed in?

Then begin

to activate

and donate

to build

a constituency

with coherency

and fluency

in 21st century

democracy,

which 

must look

differently

than 

in name

only.

Killing Good

ICE fired,

killing  Good;

a chilling

killing,

as she was 

driving forward.

Claiming

self-defense,

denying

evidence,

the Feds

heads

nixed

investigation

with their

fixed

interpretation.

Those present

at the event

who saw 

the incident

witnessed

an agent

fire

not at a

tire,

but directly

at the face

of Good.

Minneapolis

is a city

well acquainted

with authority

killing citizenry

while assuming

immunity.

We thought

we got further

from George

Floyd’s murder

until mere 

blocks away,

where

the other day,

Good

became

the next

victim.

And then

in Oregon,

where Feds

were in

Portand,

agents

shot 

2 people

at a targeted

vehicle

stop.

Once again

a Fed 

lead

with a shot

and then

said

he did not:

he claimed

he’d

have been 

maimed

as he

maintained

they 

were a

serious threat.

They 

may

have survived

but we are

deprived

each time

ICE fires

and conspires

to legitimize

despite

witness eyes.

They are

trying

to terrorize

US.

Why does

an ICE

agent

seeking

an illegal

immigrant

need  to be

armed

like a militant?

It’s no accident

that this

government

sees 

customs

enforcement

as lethal.

It’s unethical, immoral

and 

criminal,

and unmistakable

that they

would

do anything;

even killing

GOOD.

The President’s Crude

Now we know

“The Donroe

Doctrine”:

Mucho dinero

in exchange 

of Madero

for American oil

on Venezuelan

soil.

Putting

in custody

another

bad guy

can’t justify

“We’ll run

the country”

now.

Trump’s 

surprise

invasion

required

no persuasion

of the American

people

or 

of Congress,

no less.

But 

oil stocks

grew,

so why 

renew

energy

when we

can invade

another

country?

(Just 

a week

prior

the national 

ire

was affordability.)

Not everyone

is a Beverly

Hillbilly.

And what

about 

the instability

in that 

petro-country

without 

democracy?

We know

he loves

the oil

industry,

(his BFF

is the

head Saudi).

The military

action

may have 

been

perfection

(although

almost

100 people 

were killed),

but

the ramifications

for such invasions

are not

sympathetically

viewed.

Insatiability,

not stability,

or responsibility

drives

the probability

of more

of Trump’s

crude

presidency.

Let’s not

forget,

that at 

Trump’s 

direction,

the January 6th

insurrection

made possible

not just 

the attack

on

The Capitol,

but his ability

to ignore

democracy,

and implement

crude

policy

seemingly

for free,

or for

the deals

he 

gets

when he makes

such bets

with the 

oily

captains

of industry.

Trump’s crude

presidency

has cleverly

worked

around 

democracy.

But this

is the year

to renew

energy;

new energy

to mitigate

the worst

effects

of this 

climate crisis

Trump’s crude

presidency

has imposed

upon us.

All in the Family

* This piece was written before news of Nick Reiner’s arrest. The title is even more loaded now.

Meathead

is dead.

Found inside

his home

with his wife

alongside,

so far

it seems

a double

homicide.

I nearly cried

because

of the sense-

lessness

of the mess,

not just

because 

he was 

terrifically famous.

You know

Reiner’s 

bio,

though

I thought

there’d be 

more

to come

from 

the actor, 

director,

charitable, 

political

voice

of liberal

democracy

(Democratocracy?).

Just

what happened

has yet

been determined,

but another

moment

of violence

against

innocents

should 

test our

tolerance.

This happens

each day,

to the not

so famous,

without

the same

attention.

Shame 

on us

for acting

helpless;

for not

trying

to prioritize

ways to

minimize

crimes

of violence.

Like an

estranged

family,

we

disagree

grossly,

to such 

a degree

that we

no longer

see

commonality

or humanity.

The Reiners’

political activism

was party

driven

with the intention

of improving

the lives

of each American.

They believed

in an American 

family;

that

ALL

in the family

are worthy.

Our family

needs therapy.

Our family

needs policy

that reflects

reality,

not inspired

by conspiracy

theory.

The irony

is that

MAGA country

is a horrible

Archie,

and the real

Meathead

is the POTUS

instead.

Season’s Greetings

The night before

the gore,

they rehearsed

what was

in store 

or fantasized

their fetishized

distorted

tales 

of woe

that as far as

they know

mattered.

Battered by 

thoughts

and delusions,

the conclusions

of violence

would silence

the noises.

Their voices

screamed 

from the gun

one

message,

like Manson

said,

“…I’m 

already dead.”

Attacks 

on the innocent,

including the recent

ones in Syria,

Australia,

and at Brown

here in America,

may have different

motivations,

or justifications

but the ramifications

are the same.

Our grief

will be brief

before the next

act of audacity,

as our capacity

to respond

adequately

is diminished.

But the work

is unfinished,

and always

will be,

to see that

we can

live 

with dignity.

The Festival

of Lights

could be claimed

by many:

Diwali

and Christmas

and of course,

Hanukkah,

the one about

the menorah

lights 

for 8 nights

invites

us to 

illuminate

when the nights

are longest.

The strongest

need not

be a zealot

or one who

forgot

pain.

The main

point 

of the miracles

is light

when darkness

obscures

and lures

us with fright.

This prolonged

night 

when monsters

prey

upon the innocent

intent

on a violent

incident,

must not be met

with nothing.

Any thoughts

and prayers

are just layers

of abstinence—

absence

of light

that we might

enact

if our politics

weren’t so 

cynical.

In atypical

fashion,

compassion

and action

would be 

miraculous,

whether

or not 

you’re religious.

As they say

with cliche`,

“Take back

the night!”

“Be the light!”

It’s always

the season.

Congratulations, World!

What better

peace prize

than one

the size

of a building

for the ever

-gilding

DJT?

He literally

replaced

The United States

in the name

of the Institute

of Peace

to increase

the number 

of times

the man’s name

of presidential

crimes

appears

on real estate.

A nonprofit

think tank

(words that

don’t rank

in the lexicon

of POTUS Don),

got DOGED

earlier

this year.

Located near

the Department

of State,

“the great-

est dealmaker 

in our nation’s

history”,

with the help

of the Department 

of Government

Efficiency,

has taken over

the Institute 

of Peace

by force.

Of course,

you know

that Hegseth’s

Signal Chat

that blabbed

war stuff

is enough

to remind

us that

conflict

remains

constant 

each instant

with this

president.

Amidst

global conflicts

this president

inflicts

strikes against

Venezuelan

boats

just off that

coast,

and threatened

attacks on

Venezuelan 

land.

No Nobel,

but hell…

the building

will tell:

The Donald J.

Trump

Institute of Peace.

It will surely

compel

only him.

A spokesperson

then fed

the press

and said,

“Congratulations,

world!”

Going Greene?

Could this climate

change

be more strange

since

a faction is 

going Greene?

That anti-

Epstein

lean

lead by

Marjorie Taylor

Greene,

the conspiracy

theory

machine

amplifier,

is taking

a higher

road 

and putting

the load

on Trump.

The sport

of support

of a politician

becomes ammunition

in the next

election

round.

Support

is substantial

when it’s

financial;

it need not

mean

moral or

emotional

approval.

Still,

money spent

is acknowledgement 

and a willingness

to abide

on the side

of what 

money will 

buy.

Just look

at the guy

who will try

to get

in bed

with any

(and every)

naughty

Saudi.

But back

to Marjorie,

who can

see

with

laser-like

efficiency

the value

of the spotlight.

She just might

be

the perfect

thorn

as she persists

her endless

scorn

with seeming

righteousness

against the hideousness

of the monstrousness

of sexual predatory

behavior.

Once her enabler,

he’d now like

to disable her,

but Marjorie

Taylor

sees GREEN.

If you feel torn

about watching

with popcorn

this ick-fest

contest,

I suggest

you just

let it

rest.

The best

you can do

is to

continue

or start

to be part

of real

greening

solutions. 

All conclusions

point to

intrusions

of human greed

and the need

to live more

sustainably. 

Understandably

daunting

with disaster

ever 

haunting,

environmental

concern

should earn

more 

of your

attention

and support.

This Giving

Tuesday

I hope you’ll

pay gratitude

and/or express

your attitude

of stewardship:

Climate Action Now

Home

BeyondPlastics.org

https://www.beyondplastics.org/

Citizens Climate Lobby

Homepage

Fashion Revolution

Home

These are 

some orgs

with which 

I regularly 

engage,

helping

to assuage

my rage

and fear

and to use

the tools

of democracy

for a more healthy,

greener

place 

for humanity

to thrive.

Concession Stand

Did they cave

in order 

to save

the neediest

or 

the greediest?

Was it brave

to behave 

as though

moral clarity,

a Washington

rarity,

would be effective

from the perspective

of the “burn 

it all down”

running

DC town?

If the concept

of the plan

was to intercept

the ban

on government

programs

that feed fams 

that need

scaffolding,

their spoiler

alert

for the inert

seems 

rather baffling.

The longest

government

shut down,

biblical

in sound,

40 days

and nights

of fights

with little

to show

for it all,

as health

care costs

will soon

balloon

without

the ACA

subsidy 

extension.

The incomprehension

of many

a Democrat

is that

the 8 who

conceded

got nothing

they needed.

All they got

was a vote,

which will

likely be rote,

denying

affordable

health care.

Where the 8 

stood

was understood

as caring 

about those

most affected,

while they

are protected

from being

re-elected.

If the shut down

is ended

but ACA

breaks

not extended,

then will

the concession

stand?

Right now 

it looks

feckless,

but against

the most

reckless

governing

party 

in American

history,

ultimately,

the Republican

majority

in congress

will temporarily

halt progress

until 

congress

will

flip for

the midterm.

Meanwhile

we squirm

while they

confirm

that air 

travel

will not

unravel

for Thanksgiving.

This game

is shameless,

but certainly

not blameless,

and the blame

belongs

to the ones

who

use real

people

as pawns

for 40 dawns

or for

ever,

if they could.