November 16, 2021

Walk in History

"Hey, I think I found a piece of a pipe ..... and here's another one!"

My sister had sent a package of old photographs, newspaper articles, report cards, and other school paraphernalia she had sorted out after our mother died. Among them was a nine-page report on Native Americans I had wrote in second grade. My children consider it both interesting and a giggle, as it documents my early fascination with social justice.

The elementary principal had earlier spoke to our class about the history of our community, focusing on Mohawk leader Joseph Brant's meetings with General Herkimer, which took place on what was now one of the school district's baseball fields and tennis courts. That evening, I told my family what I had learned. My mother told me about one of our ancestors who was friends with Brant, including Brant's having him adopt two Indian children orphaned by the Revolutionary War.

My two older brothers would show me the sites of Brant's camps. I learned that when Brant went to warn white settlers to leave the area on the eve of the border wars, some of his warriors took the settlers' clothing from clothes lines, and some put on women's bloomers as a joke. I needed to learn more, and began collecting books on Indians, some of which are still in my library.

At that young age, I already knew that some of my siblings and father's friends had black skin. But I didn't think of this as an important distinction. I was aware of some concerns expressed when a third grade teacher had beat one of my brother's friends bloody, but I did not understand it was because she disliked him because he was black. But that community provided me with an education over the years, about relations between red, white, and black peoples.

These relationships were rooted in the pre-war, colonial era. They influenced the route this country would take, right up until my son took me for a walk earlier this month, on one of the sites my brothers showed me long, long ago. It was where black people who had escaped from slavery camped, along side of Brant and his warriors. This was where, through the sparse grass, my son found the two pieces of a pipe bowl.

We discussed how, during the Revolutionary War, Colonel Jacob Klock had sent an urgent message to Governor Clinton (Clinton Papers; Vol 3; pages 402-4), warning about the Indians and escaped slaves at this site. Clinton passed word on to General Washington, and the result is known as the Clinton-Sullivan campaign. Through the years, especially when the longest canoe race in the world takes place (Clinton Canoe Regatta) nearby, I would take all of my children to this field and related sites, to discuss history.

One of the things they found interesting is explained in Gary Nash's 1974 book, "Red, White, and Black: The Early Peoples of America." It has to do with how white culture viewed the two other groups. Black human beings were viewed as domestic animals, to be kept uneducated and separate from whites, in order to get maximum labor from them. They could buy or sell black human beings at auctions, much like the "farm auctions" that take place frequently around here today.

Indians, on the other hand, were generally considered to be wild animals. There was a year-round hunting season that was closely related to the white culture's desire to expand their territory. When the remaining Indians were subdued, there was a compulsion to wipe away their culture's traditions -- as they had the black people brought from Africa -- but with a different goal. Europeans in the northeast found it impossible to enslave the Natives, like Spain had done in Central America. Short hair cuts, "proper" clothing, and the bible were the tools needed to "tame" these wild humans of the woodlands. And unlike with black people, there was a need to educate the Indians, though never really allow them equal status to white men in America.

Now, my children had an advantage: my extended family includes all of what my friend Rubin called "the Tribes of Humankind." So when we discussed history, they had interacted with a wide variety of skin color on relatives and friends. It helped them understand the life experiences of, say Rubin Carter, who they considered an uncle, and Chief Paul Waterman, their third grandfather. It also helped them understand when, in 1998, at that canoe regatta, a gang of seventeen members of a racial hate group assaulted their cousin, a high school scholar/athlete, because they didn't like a black kid getting so much good press. They left him for dead in a dark field, although I'm glad to say he survived.

This education did not inflict the damage that a portion of white Americans -- who identify this as "critical race theory" -- believe it would surely it would. I grew up in a different world than my parents, or my ancestor who was friends with Joseph Brant. My kids have grown up in a different world than I did. They interact with a wide variety of non-white people, and understand that while they share a lot in common, there are different experiences that define the reality of others' lives. In fact, it provides young people the ability to unite for social justice. Perhaps that is really what scares those intent upon proventing "critical race theory" -- or what I call "history" -- in schools. It's sad that they are living in the past, rather than being here, now.

Peace,
H2O Man

PS: Between us, my son and I found a variety of projectile points, pottery sherds, and two pieces of a broken pendant. A lot of history there.

November 13, 2021

Rittenhouse Trial

From time to time, there are criminal trials that help define an era. Sad to say that the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse appears to be one of these. As repulsive as Rittenhouse is, perhaps the most unsettling aspect of the on-going trial is the behavior of the judge, the Dishonoable Bruce Schroeder. Thus, people of my generation have been comparing the judge and the trial he is highjacking to other infamous trials of the past.

The first one that comes to mind is then 74 year old Judge Julius Hoffman, in thr trial of the Chicago Seven. The trial originally had eight defendants, but the case against Bobby Seale was declared a mistrial during the trial. Born in the previous century, Julius was a prime representative of the system that the defendants had been protesting at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. There was a police riot outside of the convention, and the defendants were charged with crossing state lines to start a riot.

The song linked above tells part of the story. Julius had Seale bound and gagged when he insisted on representing himself. Julius would put his utter contempt for the other defendats and their legal team on the record frequently throughout the trial. The defendants were aware that this would not be a fair and just trial, and so they made it theater. The judge's rulings were so bad that the convictions were overturned on appeal. But what was one of the strangest parts of the whole thing was that Judge Hoffman's treatment of Abbie Hoffman.

Although he expressed frustration with Abbie's antics, he tended to treat the YIPPIE! leader like a favorite grandson who was full of mischief. And this held true, even when Abbie insulted him in open court. Thus, Judge Schroeder's obvious affection for Rittenhouse reminds me of that: another self-righteous, cantankerous old judge -- one who doesn't much care for people exercising their Amendment 1 rights -- who cannot hide his concern for a defendant.

Another judge from a damous trial that comes to mind is Lance Ito, from the criminal trial of O.J. Simpson. Like Judge Schroeder, Lance was following the media's coverage of the trial. Schroeder has complained about legal experts strongly disagreeing with several of his rulings. He views himself a "victim," a status he denied those killed by Rittenhouse. Ito, on the other hand, was flattered by the "Dancing Itos" ( see the end of the below link). Both star in their own made-for-tv drama.



Generally, courts should be where a search for truth is conducted. In my opinion, they usually are. Even in high profile, tense cases, judges can keep the focus on the case at hand, rather than seeking the limelight themselves. One that comes to mind was the infamous Manson family trial. The original judge, William Keene, had at first allowed Charlie to represent himself. When Manson attempted to derail the trial, Keene reversed himself. Manson then filed an affidav of prejudice, which lead to Charles Older hearing the case. Few people today remember much about either judge, beyond their handling a terrible case with dignity.

When I've listened to Schroeder, I've thought that it isn't only jurors who should faithfully avoid any exposure to media reports on the case. Or talking to others about the case. This, despite his attempt at humor yesterday, when he attempted a joke about hearing from one of the few friends he has left. This trial is too important to let an ass-clown like Schroeder infect it with his prejudice favoring Rittenhouse.

November 1, 2021

Orange Matterless Custard

It's time for DU Exercise Class! Line up, and count off by ones.

Suppose that this week, a federal grand jury returns an indictment against Steve Bannon. This is in the realm of possibilities. Next, suppose that Donald Trump issues a second Bannon pardon. This, too, is within the realm of possibilities. Yet no one would possibly mistake this as reality-based, as it would carry no legal authority. Rather, it would be cause for laughter and merriment.

Let's take it a step further. Suppose that next week, Trump issues what he insists is a Presidential Executive Order, that holds that insurrection is not only legal, but mandatory. Would anyone take this seriously? Yes, of course: the republicans in the House and Senate would pretend that it is legit. But it is highly unlikely that even Clarence Thomas would say that it is an unanswered constitutional question.

The same holds true should Trump try to classify or de-classify government records. No sane person would suggest that Trump has any of the privileges of the presidency. This will hold true when people such as Bannon attempt to claim they need not testify to the House committee, or if the current Department of Justice and White House can provide the committee with requested documents. The only option the Bannon-types have is to take the fifth. But, by law, they will have to take it in response to each and every question asked of them.

Now that this warm-up exercise has been completed, let's return to reality. Trump can't do the things he wants to do, but you can do something tomorrow -- if you haven't already. You can vote. And you can remind family and friends to vote.

Peace,
H2O Man

October 19, 2021

Incarcerate Steve Bannon

One of the most interesting and important discussions going on in this country has to do with if the Department of Justice will prosecute those ignoring subpoenas from the Congressional Committee investigating the January 6 insurrection. I was pleased to hear President Biden say that they will prosecute. This is a good thing, as prosecuting people like Steve Bannon is essential.

Yesterday, my little sister contacted me about this. She had read where some people were expressing doubt that Attorney General Merrick Garland would pursue the criminal referrals. She asked me about the process -- both the history and how it might unfold in the current situation. I said I wanted to look up some information on the history before the Committee votes on Tuesday to bring it to the full House.

A short time later, my little sister told me that she had read a "tweet" by Jill Wine-Banks that gave her confidence. I noted that Jill is brilliant, and always an important source of accurate information. While I've seen others express pretty much the same thing, I put a lot of trust in the Watergate Girl's opinion.

At the same time, I know that some in the media will try to add drama to what is happening, when no more drama need be added. A Department of Justice official says that the DOJ will evaluate any referral, and decide to either pursue it or not. In a very real sense, he was saying the correct thing -- a president should not influence DOJ policy on legal matters. Trump was correctly attacked for doing exactly that.

Apparently, Rep. Ted Lieu expressed some frustration that the DOJ and justice system is moving slowly on action against those defying subpoenas. But this is not a "controversy" that some media attempted to portray. It goes to the full House for a vote, before sending the referral to the DOJ. Steve Bannon's will be the first actual referral to the current DOJ. We all recognize that the Trump DOJ was corrupt, likely criminally so in several instances. But it's a different playing field for Bannon, with no Trump to pardon him.

Rep. Lieu discussed proposals to increase Congress's ability to enforce subpoenas without involving either of the other branches of the federal government. A person can agree or disagree with parts or all of the proposals he spoke of. In evaluating such things, one should keep in mind that there are both positive and negative potentials with such changes -- and with not changing.

Since the issue of people failing to honor their legal duty to appear before the committees that haved subpoenaed them during the last administration, and at the start of this one, it should concern all of us. As citizens who recognize that our opposition wants to deny us our rights -- starting with the right to vote and have all votes counted -- we should be informed about the process that begins to unfold tomorrow. I am sure that there are others here who are better informed than me, but I still wanted to share a link to a site I find helpful:

https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/RL34097.pdf

It is a report on by legislative attorney Todd Garvey, that provides a good amount of information. Garvey has served in that position in the American Law Division of the Congressional Research Division since 2009. I found some of the most important and interesting information started on page 34. Most of the past cases involve a conflict between Congress and the Executive branch, for only an administration can claim executive privilege.

The Biden administration is not attempting to cover-up for the Trump cult. Donald Trump has no legal status that allows for executive privilege. Steve Bannon was not part of the administration at the time in question. Not to mention that claims of executive privilege tend to admit that the January 6 insurrection was a White House operation.

September 30, 2021

A Question

Thank goodness that the media is willing to cover Duane Chapman's attempt to insert himself into the Gabby Petito story. Just when the media was reporting what Gabby's family had noted in a press conference -- that there are lots of "missing" people ignored by the media -- we are saved from the distraction of reality by a convicted murderer, turned "reality star." Just think of the potential of Brian Laundrie joining Dog's bounty-hunting team!

Yet this social decay demands more. The American public's "need to know" requires a joint press conference with Chapman and Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, a match made in a social septic tank, in case Brian is hiding on the Jersey shore. And where is Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson, to discuss the cultural implications of the case? How is the public's appetite for truth to be satified without her insights?

September 24, 2021

Power

"I can tell you right now, there are no secrets. There's no mystery. Yjere's only common sense."

-- Oren Lyons, Faithkeeper; quoted from page 64 of "Wisdomkeepers: Meetings with Native American Spiritual Elders, by Harvey Arden.



I saw a news report, I think on ABC, that focused on the national media's paying more attention to missing white women with blonde hair, than to missing non-white women. I was encouraged by the thoughtful report. I learned a few things, such as that FBI statistics showed that in 2020, 540,000+ people -- including 340,000+ juveniles -- went missing.

Of course, many of these missing people were found alive. That's good. But a lot of them were found dead, and that's bad. And far too many are never found. These groups include a wide range of human beings, although for this discussion, I'd like to remain focused on women. While "missing women" is not a new dynamic in our country, it is an uncomfortable measure of social pathology.

If we were to look at one house in the United States -- let's use the Laundrie home, as a handy example -- where a woman has gone missing as Gabby Petito did, we can identify that there is what we used to call "dysfunction" when I was a social worker. If a community has a hiigh rate of women going missing, we know it has serious problems. And if a country has significant rates of women going missing, it is a pathology that decays the nation-state's social fabric.

Now, good people agree that each case is important. It shouldn't matter what color their skin or hair is, any more than how tall they are, or their favorite flavor of ice cream. Yet there is a dynamic, particularly in the national media, that Gwen Ifill called the "missing white woman syndrome." Charlton McIlwain has noted that this dynamic imposes and reinforces a racial hierarchy in American culture. And while statistics document that federal and state officials are aware of the large number of missing women. What statistics cannot document is how seriously investigators take each case.

This morning, I watched a clip from a right-wing Australian news agency reporting on the Gabby Petito case. The three white reporters were more than indignant -- outrage doesn't fully describe it -- that some American reporters had noted that there isn't national coverage of missing non-white women that compares to "missing white woman syndrome." They highlighted two black journalists who had commented on this -- one from MSNBC, the other from CNN. They demanded that the two apologize to Gabby's family, completely unaware that they were exposing their own bias.

I take a particular interest in missing Native American women, if only because they are ten times more likely to "go missing" than are others. More, I'm old enough to remember when, in one state with a large Native American population, a white man would only be charged with a misdemeanor for raping a female on Indian territory. That state remains a conservative, primarily republican stronghold, with a governor opposed to science. In talking to a number of older Native women, they mentioned that VICE provides some good coverage:

https://www.vice.com/en/topic/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women

Another sent me this:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/all-out-search-media-attention-gabby-petito-reveals-glaring-disparity-n1279980?cid=sm_npd_nn_fb_ma&fbclid=IwAR1nCT6E93Lw87iCWkBdvBzD50NEGfb3G4GUlVBCdMf3SIVLeKuGta5yxlg

It's not a competition to identify who is more or less important. It is a struggle to create a safer, better society. To paraphrase Albert Camus, maybe we can't end all the pathology that damages our culture, but perhaps we can lessen the number of victims who suffer. The starting point is to learn just how wide-spread it is for women to go missing in 2021. If Gabby Petito's case is to find full meaning, it will be in the expansion of the collective consciousness of the American public.

What do I mean by collective consciousness? The example I used in conversation with my daughter today involves building a foundation. If one person is good with a back how, another with mixing cement, another with laying blocks, another with installing proper drainage outside the walls, and another at filling in along those walls, their collective talents build a strong foundation by coordinating their efforts. Each contributes according to their talents. The result is solid enough to then build a sturdy house on top.

To deal with our culture's missing women pathology -- or, as we were reminded by the mass shooting in Tennessee, the other social pathologies -- it demands that people at the grass roots level become active participants. Law enforcement often becomes involved after it is too late, as I know from numerous brutal cases that two of my uncles solved. Politicians must play a role, but I will end with another quote from "Wisdomkeepers," from Tadodaho Leon Shenandoah, when asked about the greatest power (pagec 104):

"I myself have no power. It's the people behind me who have the power."

That means you.

Peace,
H2O Man

September 21, 2021

A Fly in the Ointment

In the late summer of 2006, I was having lunch at an extended family function. People were talking about various issues in the news. Out of curiosity, I asked a relative if he thought a freak named John Mark Karr, who was being imported from southeast Asia, had killed a little girl named JonBenet Ramsey? My relative was a retired FBI agent, as was his father. After controlling his laughter, he said no, Karr had not killed anyone.

He explained to me that at times, the media is used to distract the public's attention from something else that they should actually be paying attention to. Such distraction always involve something that creates a strong, automatic emotional response. My next question was if this was something the Bush-Cheney administration was engaged in? The answer was no, that while they sometimes hired outside groups for assisting in perception management, this was a specialty of groups that function no matter who is in office. They may be tasked with coming up with emotional keys such as "yellow cake" and "mushroom clouds" for an administration, they are as capable of manipulating a simpleton like George W. Bush as an average American.

Yet, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, to be blunt.

The case of Gabby Petito is tragic. Her family is devastated. The boy friend's family is also suffering, though his parents' refusal to talk with investigators has not shed them in a sympathetic light. Her murder will cause pain in her community. That should not happen to any person, though it continues to happen all too often. The Petito case has no doubt brought up painful memories of similar cases for many of us. For but one example -- and I could list a half-dozen -- a good friend who I had a mad crush on in 9th grade went to visit her mother in Florida. She was murdered by a freak with a chain saw. I can still clearly see her beautiful face in my mind's eye as I write this.

While a single, isolated tragic case sometimes make the national news, it rarely gets the amount of coverage as the Petito, Ramsey, or Elizabeth Smart cases. One could conclude that this is intentional. The target audience is obviously those who identify innocence with white, blonds, cute females. This causes some negative responses, not always expressed, by those who are aware that white, blonds, cute females are not the exclusive victims of "going missing." Intentional or not, the media can create divisions within groups that should be united by such violence against women.

Watching various news reporting on Gabby's case -- including an internet site from a station in the community she lived with her boyfriend in -- it is evident that emotions tend to block out rational thinking. Viewers were texting questions that suggest they had zero understanding of how investigations work, much less the Constitution. A crowd of citizens gathered on the murderer's parents' lawn, and while public gatherings are also covered in the Constitution, there are obvious potential problems when a group of grasshoppers can turn into a mob of lucusts. This phenomenon only takes place when emotion trumps rational thought.

I've been discussing this topic on an internet forum, with members of a group that excludes Trump supporters. It is similar in some ways to the unstable behaviors of Trump supporters. I've outlined it in the contexts of individual versus group psychology, with overlaps in a sociological view of societies under the stress and anxiety of change -- including social decay. Many people respond on an emotional level,, and believe whatever gets those emotions sparking in their brain. And that is mechanical functioning.

It is not putting the parts of the brain that evolved to make us potentially a fully conscious human being. I do not use that term in the way that "woke" -- while potentially a good concept, can be a shallow fad -- is currently used and abused. I mean conscious, rational, organized thinking, the type that accepts that others have wants and needs. The type that recognizes the distinction between Gabby's social media posts, and the police footage. The type that identifies the seemingly never-ending numbers of teens and young ladies who go "missing" as unacceptable. And that, by no coincidence, is the type of thinking that identifies the actions of the Trump cult as unacceptable, too.

Fear is never overcome by more fear. Anxiety is not dealt with successfully with more anxiety. Frustration is not curbed by more frustration. Hatreds are not cured by way of more hate. An unconscious mind cannot become conscious unconsciously.

Rather than allowing the Petito case to serve as a national distraction, we should use it as a model of how emtions are manipulated on a large scale. It is not that different than the way in which those who practice perception management -- be it lies about incubator babies on concrete floors, yellow cake and mushroom clouds, or how the 2020 elections were stolen -- have manipulated the 40% of the unconscious American public.

September 8, 2021

Water

"We must seek out the spiritual people, because only that is going to help us survive. We have a great force -- a great brotherhood. This brotherhood involves all living things. And that, of course, includes all of us. We are talking about the natural world, the natural force, all the trees, everything that grows, the water. That is part of our force.

"But when you gather spiritual force in one place, you also gather the negative force. We begin to perceive the enemy now, the power and presence of the negative force.

"There is a great battle coming." -- Oren Lyons; Faithkeeper; Iroquois



Chief Paul Waterman, who sat on the Grand Council with Oren, and I used to enjoy sitting quietly near a creek. He used to say that it is good to hear the voice of the water. That was no woo-woo, it was common sense. It's good to know about the water in your area, including in different seasons. Sight and hearing are involved in having a relationship with the water.

As a kid, I used to sit with my brother on the mountain behind our house. Springs of cold, clear water gushed out in the spring time. If it was a wet summer, a few of those springs would produce luke-warm, less clear water. Paul told me that as a child, the mountain springs were his favorite place to get a drink. He knew that fresh water was an essential part of nature's life force.

It's a shame that children today do not have access to clean spring water. Most of their experiences with drinking water involve plastic bottles, faucets, or a public drinking fountain. These do not always deliver clean water. In our society, the general public has been moving further away from a direct relationship with water. If they are lucky, they may visit the beach and ocean, or picnic near a lake, in the summer. If they are unlucky, they are drinking highly contaminated water, like in Flint, Michigan, and thousands of other communities across America.

I used to talk with Oren and Paul about Handsome Lake, the Iroquois prophet who spoke of specific environmental crises that would result from human's pollution. They would say it's here, with great damage having already been inflicted. If you listen to water, you know that a small group of small changes create a big change, and we are seeing the power of a number of those big changes this summer. And, of course, it's not just water, it's the pollution in the air, the soil, and in living things.

The local radio says there is a "severe thunderstorm" coming this afternoon. When I was a homeless teenager, I used to enjoy sitting in the hay loft of an old barn, listening to the rain on the metal roof. Paul always loved listening to thunderstorms. I was thinking of these things this morning, when I fed the cats, birds, and fish, and then hurried to bring my daily meal in from the garden. This has been the strangest summer weather-wise in my life-time.

Peace,
H2O Man

September 5, 2021

Hurricane Season

Rubin Carter told me a story years ago, that I was thinking about today.. A tribe of isolated hunters and gatherers, completely hidden from the modern world, came upon an airplane near their settlement. They found the seats very comfortable, never questioning where they came from. Eventually, a young adult figured out how to drive it along the ground, and they were amazed by this automobile. But they never learned the plane could fly.

This story, of course, relates to people both as individuals and as groups. I haven't been a hunter-gatherer since my early childhood. My gardening connects me with the agricultural phase of human history, and tending to the kittens, fowl, and fish imitates the pastoral phase -- especially when I feed the birds and fish bread. Still, there are many times I like to sit in a comfortable chair to make snarly comments on the internet that only I think are funny. And there are still times that I'm driven to take furthr actions, including contacting politicians to express me opinion. This includes those politicians I support, and those I oppose.

Yet, when I consider the synergy of negative forces currently gathering as a storm on our country's horizen, I recognize that chairs and automobiles alone are not up to the task of protecting civilization. I don't need a weatherman to know which way the winds are going to blow, so to speak. I'm convinced that my 1975 bumper-sticker was correct: "There's Only One Innocent Hurricane."

This unacceptable Texas "law" restricting abortion should serve as evidence of the negative forces combining to threaten society. It has united two groups that are opposed to a sane society that provides for justice for all. I hesitate to make fun of anyone's sincere religious or spriritual beliefs, I really do. Being Irish, I make an effort to only do so in private when possible. But when a minority of rigid right-wing christians want to impose their childish superstitions upon others, when they want to inflict their misinterpretations of Santa God and Stained Glass Jesus on people who do not share their superstitions, we need to take that threat seriously. And abort it, before it grows.

The rabid remnants of what was once known as the republican party has been seeking to join forces with christian right, and the Texas situation provides fertile ground. It's a cultural petri dish growing a toxic infection. It's not that the alt-white people really want an increase in poor and non-white citizens, of course. No more than the protestants in the region called Northern Ireland favor the increasing Catholic population. No, they like this for other reasons.

I think that this $10,000 bounty is the christan right's appeal to the greed of fanatics that would otherwise feel encouraged to murder abortion providers. Such killings hardly reflect well on the "right to life" crowd in the media. The alt-right is counting on a conflict between the federal government and "states' rights," to be carried out in specific regions where they believe they have the upper hand. This may have sounded far-fetched before January 6. But people my age recognize the birth of the mutant offspring of the opposition to the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and '60s. We have heard members of Congress talking about "bloodshed" in opposition to Human Rights in days of old.

We need to unite to create a front to oppose the sum-total of groups that require unhealthy beliefs and actions from their membership. Because they are forming -- indeed, they have already formed -- a front against us. We've seen the red sky in the morning. Our front needs to stop the often petty divisions that lead directly to loses in elections, and focus on our real opposition. They are our real enemy in this growing conflict.

There are all types of people in the Democratic Party. But we are all Democrats, and we are confronted to what is at least as much of a threat to this country's future as the Civil War or the Cuban Missile Crisis. That Civil War was terribly violent, although the good side won. The leaders of two nations that were considered to be enemies resolved the missile crisis with only one death. They did this, despite both men being opposed by those who favored a victory in a war with atomic bombs on both sides.

We need to fly. In my way of thinking, President Kennedy flew to new heights in the missile crisis. Dr. King flew to new heights, when he advocated for Human Rights for all of humanity's family. Both require civilian control of the police and military. I'll speculate that none of us here want the current republican party to have that control. To do that, our united front needs to determine how and where we contest our opposition. Let's go for the JFK option of going with the resolution that requires the least violence. Let's go with King's strategy of flanking the opposition on a level they can't compete on.

It is an option that is available to each of us as individuals and as a group. I think it is the best option available right now.

Thank you for reading an old man's rant.

August 29, 2021

Goldfish Crackers

"We are asking Americans to think about that because how do you ask a man to be the last man to die in Vietnam? How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?"
-- John Kerry; April 22, 1971; Vietnam Veterans Against the War, testimony to Congress

https://speakola.com/political/john-kerry-veterans-against-vietnam-war-testimony-1971


Scientists are not entirely sure about the memory capacity of goldfish. Most think that it likely depends upon the amount of stimulation they find in their home environment. Is it a day? A week? Perhaps a month? One can never know for sure, although the leading theory is that their memory is somewhere between two to ten times greater than that of the common republican homonid found in the United States of America.

I do not expect people under the age of fifty to think of John Kerry's famous presentation to Congress in 1971. But I find it curious that some people of my generation -- including republicans, and a variety of media "experts," among o0thers -- to be able to draw a line between the end of the Vietnam war and Afghanistan. I know that it would be best to set the bar low, even on the gound itself, yet it seems to have been buried six feet below the ground. The expectation of the human variety of goldfish are totally unaware of what takes place when a country loses a protracted war.

Why, my good friend who is 50% informed and 50% misinformed asked me, didn't President Biden immediately provide visas for the Afghan citizens who would undoubtably need to leave their country when the US withdrew? I mean, it's not like leaving Grenada after the noble invasion in 1983 to prevent the construction of an airport run way that would have been almost as long as the one in my home town, population 3,500. That was our nutmeg, after all.

I reminded him of Stephen Miller, a man that even my friend finds toxic. And how Miller, who does not believe the citizens of Afghanistan or Iraq are equal in human value to Europeans -- specifically, white Europeans -- did his best to stop the process of visa applications. It is not as if Joe Biden was landing on firm ground when he took office.

https://news.yahoo.com/anti-immigrant-trump-aide-stephen-223016016.html

But the thing that best defines the Trump cult, at least in my opinion, came when my second-cousin was talking to a woman who had a multitude of Trump yard signs and flags on her lawn, on the street he lives on. He recently mentioned the possibility of her taking them down. She asked why? He said because Trump was too much like Hitler. She asked who Hitler was? He stared in disbelief, until she asked, "Oh, was he the guy that killed those people?"

I do believe that everyone has the right to vote. But it seems odd that the vote of a goldfish counts as mych as mine.