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By Judith Gayle | Political Waves
The new year is here and I’m jazzed about it. I can’t shake the feeling that this is the year that things will start to come together. There are signs. The public is aware of the influences attempting to sway it as it hasn’t been in decades, the young folks are engaged because there are growing movements they can relate to, and disclosure continues to inform us even as those desperate to keep secrets work to cover them over.
Even more than these growing signs of progress, we’ve largely given up trying to make sense of the system and begun to think outside of the box. I’ve seen shifts in people’s behavior, their approach to their lives, and their livelihoods. I’ve witnessed attempts to change patterns, remediate attitudes, and moderate habits. I’ve watched as light bulbs went on over heads — and rejoiced. Perhaps we’ve finally accepted that we can’t solve our problems using the same mindset that made them. That’s a learning curve, of course, but it will change everything.
I don’t expect any of this to come effortlessly, of course, but I do expect more creative solutions and collaborative activism, more sociopolitical investment from the average Joe and Jill. At least from those who have broken out of their slumber to discover that their societal norms can’t be shoved back into outdated molds, and who can’t help but notice that a good many of the corporate entities they didn’t think too hard about — media, for instance — are showing their true colors. Like the Washington Post.
Despite its fame in green-lighting a young team of reporters to investigate the Watergate break-in and then backing them to go up against “All The President’s Men,” the Post has lost any remaining credibility with those looking for an untainted spectrum of information. It dutifully reports establishment politics now, moderately conservative and watchful for those who shake the tree too hard. I seldom read WaPo, although I miss regularly visiting Ann Telnaes and Tom Toles’ ‘toons (available elsewhere by scouting around.)
Back in 2005, for instance, WaPo writer and outspoken critic of the status quo, Dan Froomkin, began to take heat from those he’d offended and was eventually bounced off the payroll. Now the Post has axed revered lefty and #2 most famous Democratic Socialist, Harold Meyerson, due to ‘disinterest’ among the readership. According to Wiki, he was named one of “the most influential commentators in the nation” by Atlantic Monthly in 2009.
Digby announced his dismissal with this lede: “The Washington Post just dissed the single largest faction in the Democratic Party.” Bernie Sanders didn’t think there was disinterest in the things Meyerson writes, now exclusively as editor-at-large of The American Prospect. Bernie tweeted his dismay: “There are few progressive voices in corporate media. @HaroldMeyerson is one of the best. His insights will be sorely missed by Post readers.”
You get the sense that Fred Hiat, the Post editorial editor who puts popularity before duty to inform the public, would be thrilled to have Trump weigh in as a weekly contributor, bumping the readership and selling more papers, even if it means encouraging NeoNazism, xenophobia and hate speech. Hiat is, judging by standards set by his betters, no journalist. As Digby comments:
So, here we are in a primary campaign just a month ahead of the first votes. Polls show that AT LEAST 30% of the Democratic Party are receptive to Bernie Sanders’ democratic socialist message. Progressives are the single largest faction of the Democratic Party, roughly mirroring the Republican party’s evangelical support. And yet, the Washington Post is firing the one columnist on their staff who writes about the issues that are energizing these millions of mainstream Americans.
The progressive movement is under attack. The blackout on Sanders is a worrisome thing, considering how much populist support he’s getting from the average discouraged liberal. The kids love him, as do elders on the left. If he could get a foothold with the minorities, if his agenda got decent news coverage across media, he’d be a real contender. As yet, that remains to be seen — but never fear. This year, thinking outside of the box, I expect to see surprises.
This coming year will be one in which No Drama Obama acts independently as often as possible, while keeping his head below the flack shooting back and forth between candidates in the right-wing reality show. Cruz is breathing down Donald’s neck at the moment, and that should prove most interesting. If Hillary’s money and establishment connections give her the lead and it turns out she is up against Cruz, that will be two of the most despised candidates of all time running against one another.
If you read right-wing blog responses on the Clintons, the level of hatred will take your breath away (not to mention that they feel the same way about me, and maybe you) but they love Cruz and his family values. Meanwhile, establishment politicians and progressives and even many within his own Bagger schism consider him an ass. With eleven months of this nonsense to go, it would be easy enough to allow it to become background noise, but let’s try not to. This is for the presidency, and while Obama has shown us its limits, there’s no denying the power of the pulpit and the impact on direction this leg of democracy wields.
For those of you who like year-end lists, here are a few: this is some of what the Supreme Court accomplished in 2015, and what they’re thinking about. SCOTUS, by the way, is THE big deal for 2016 because the new president will have as many as THREE nominees to deal with.
As for unfinished business — and there’s always plenty — here are the most under reported stories in both the U.S. according to Bill Moyers, and in the Middle East according to Juan Cole, both opinions as trust worthy as it gets.
2015 was a difficult, bloody and daunting year, but it is behind us, and 2016 asks us to commit to using our imagination, our common values of decency, self-respect and belief in democratic principles to make this new one a game-changer for us all.
Yes, we’re going somewhere this year, my dears. I can feel it vibrating, shimmering just out of sight, even if we’re tasked with digging through the craziness to get to it. I’m encouraged to refine my vision for what I want the year to bring us all, to share that whenever possible, to keep my patience and my balance.
The Pope made a few comments at his final prayer service of the year, mentioning how it was impossible to forget “so many days marked by violence, by death, by the unspeakable suffering of so many innocents.” Still, he pointed to the “great gestures of goodness, love and solidarity” that don’t make headlines as “… signs of love [that] can’t and mustn’t be obscured by the tyranny of evil.” He added that good always triumphs.
Gandhi would approve. He told us, “When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won.”
That’s the vision for 2016. Stay in your heart, step beyond your fears, and let’s see what we can make of a year of truth and love!
Isn’t that amazing? “If Hillary’s money and establishment connections give her the lead and it turns out she’s up against Cruz, that will be two of the most despised candidates of all time running against one another.” Oh, that just can’t happen Jude.
I try to imagine how aliens or even history perceive the crazed movements going on in the Now, especially the U.S. political circus. Down here on the ground it is too bizarre and personally, I can’t take it anymore. Thank you for distilling it for us my dear, you’re a better woman than me.
Listen, I’m really holding out hope; something that will turn the tide in a demonstrable way, what with this month’s astro picture for the U.S. With transiting Jupiter and the North Node conjunct the U.S. Sibly natal Neptune in Virgo, transiting Neptune in Pisces square the U.S. Sibly Uranus in Gemini (the same degree of Gemini as where the conjunction between Pluto and Neptune took place), and transiting Saturn conjunct the U.S. Sibly chart’s ascendant, January 2016 appears to carry a reasonably clear message for us natives. Wake up (natal Uranus) and gather the facts (in Gemini), then get serious (trans. Saturn on the ascendant) and when you understand (trans. Jupiter) there is a path forward (trans. North Node) if you think with your heart (conjunct natal Neptune) regarding practicality (in Virgo) and compassion (again, natal Neptune) regarding issues that affect us all.
First and foremost are two imperatives; improve gun control law, and extend help to the refugees – either from our southern border or from Europe and the war zone, or better, from both. For God’s sake remember who you are and where you and your family came from. It is ridiculous to think that “what you have” is going to remain just yours. No matter what, there is a tsunami heading our way, figuratively speaking, and we will be left picking up the pieces. So stop killing each other, and reach out to those who desperately need help while you still can. Save your own soul while saving others from horrors beyond belief.
At least that’s how I’m reading it.
And these are just the biggies. Never mind the inner planets, the little centaurs and asteroids, the minor aspects, the impact of cycles reaching climatic intersections with each other; just look at the in-your-face stuff. Someday it will make a great movie, but right now is (again, relatively speaking) the Real Deal. Sure, we’d all like to escape from that, but it is test-time. Find your godliness, we all have a spark of it, and do the right thing for chrissake.
I only hope and pray that Bernie Sanders is reaching as many U.S. citizens as some reports show. Mainstream media certainly isn’t the source; I recently saw/heard a talking head on a Democrat-friendly program say and I paraphrase, “Bernie Sanders isn’t a nice guy”. What? Well, the panel had written Bernie off for the love and respect of Hillary Clinton and the powers behind her. That particular asshole is protecting his own paycheck I suppose. It was a totally uncalled for remark.
Honestly Jude, I believe we as individuals are being guided by higher beings (or higher selves) to help and even move us toward salvation. Seriously, on Sunday my electricity for the living/dining room went out about 5 minutes to 5 PM. Circuit breaker could not be set to ON, Right in between Christmas and New Year’s I’m supposed to find an electrician? Once I realized the only real problem was the TV, never mind electric clocks, lamps, etc. I was okay. I had to have my TV back by this Sunday though. I must see the start of the final series of Downton Abbey. Sigh.
After 3 days of TV abstinence I went and bought a 40 ft. extension cord and was back in business. Higher beings are trying to save my sanity though. 3 days of TV abstinence have cleared up my indigestion, by calming my nerves. The TV hasn’t been on at all today. I’m turning over a new leaf.
The happiest of New Years to you and yours dearheart. Thank you for today’s connection to the sane and the wise and the just; it’s good to know they are out there. Thank you for keeping us on track through 2015 and hopefully, for the rest of 2016.
be
I couldn’t agree more, be. Those who hear Bernie speak can’t deny the emotional connect with We, the People — and those who whine about where we’d get the money for all this haven’t looked at corporate welfare, lately. Ending give-away’s to the oil industry and requiring corporations to pay taxes would fix much of what ails us!
For me, as for you, this presidential election comes down to moral duty. To back anyone else besides Bernie in this race would be to deny what I believe in and what I want for myself and my country, and there are millions more standing with us.
The ‘enemy’ at this point is the meme that Bernie can’t win and that he’s too far to the left to have a chance. That ‘left’ is all that remains of mid-20th century democracy — the kind that built the middle class and provided an educated electorate. And he isn’t poll-driven, he’s authentic. Bernie didn’t come to us, WE came to Bernie, who reflected the values shown us by Elizabeth Warren.
Thanks to the obvious bias of Debbie Wasserman Schultz and her manipulation of the DNC, I’ve withdrawn all moral and financial support from that organization. It may be Hillary’s “turn,” but in 2016 that really feels like throwing in the towel of populism and thinking INSIDE the box. Not this time!
There are some really good reads out there today, and here’s one that points out that Bernie is the ONLY candidate that wants to change the foreign policy status quo as policeman of the world.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-preble/bernie-sanders-frustration_b_8900646.html
He’s flying in the face of the military-industrial complex, of course, which shakes out to big money — and he’s the only one actually going after that, as well.
There’s a really interesting read from Harvey Wasserman over at TruthDig, titled “At 70, Baby Boomers Face a New Acid Test.” He points to the toxicity of corporations, the lack of law to curb their nihilistic greed as the cancer that’s eating us alive.
We worry ourselves sick over climate change and nuclear proliferation but allow corporations to suck us dry. It should be noted AND WELL that there is only ONE candidate who is not ally to big corporations! Here’s a bit of Wasserman, to sober up the American voter on this issue:
“A corporation cannot sacrifice short-term profit for long-term environmental benefit. Greed is the absolute master of all the corporation does, with human and ecological consequences of zero concern except for public relations reasons, which fluctuate.
“When a corporation does business, it expects to gouge you. When it crashes, it expects you to bail it out, with no penalties to those in charge (see the crash of 2007). When it demands global trade deals, it expects to negate the power of the human community.
“If you wanted to design an economic/industrial entity more perfectly suited to eradicating human life and destroying our planet, you could hardly do better than the modern transnational corporation.
“Our species at this time seems impotent to control this malignancy. We may have hugely transformed our views on race, feminism, sexuality, sexual preference, music, the arts, the environment, organic food, imperial war and much more; but the global corporation is the twisted, mean-spirited sociopath that turns all it touches to death itself.”
Read it here:
http://www.truthdig.com/report/page2/at_70_baby_boomers_face_a_new_acid_test_20151230
We’ve got our work cut out for us. As Bernie says, it’ll take a movement … and we’re it. And rather than just give up in the face of enormity, we need to hear the ring of truth in the other thing Bernie says: “Together, we can do anything!”
So, with a year to go, I’m taking my stand. And be, you know how you can always tell when a person has spent too much time on FOX News (because they rudely try to talk over others?) You can tell the cut of someones political jib by those who trash Sanders. If you don’t want his form of democracy, that’s one thing, but to mess with his character? Politics!
To you, be, and to all of you — let’s make this a GREAT year, one in which we can feel good about our decisions and grateful to be guardians of the American process of democracy. If we do, speak, extend, and support all that is loving and open-hearted, we can’t go wrong!
Back a few years I created a theoretical art exhibit that took viewers through a variety of visions (known paintings) hung in a hall formed as a conch-shell spiral (golden ratio). The exhibit culminated in a “chaos room” from which one had a choice of exiting through several different doors (with substantially different “outcome” locations). –And still it seems this we are living–and even more so.
Well, the Pope and Gandhi make good company for you, Jude.
Let there be Light (and NOT the LED of a television, Be! lol. good new leaf 🙂
xoxo