INTERESTING TIMES

Over the last few years I have been "othered" by a surprising number of Americans.  I have been called names by right-leaning folks who have mistaken me for a leftist.  They called me a statist, a snowflake, a libtard.  The leftists call me names too, especially when I reveal my libertarian sympathies.  According to them I'm a transphobe, homophobe, islamophobe.  I'm a woman so I don't get called sexist, but I do get called honey and darlin'.  I'm so tired of it all.  If you think I'm on either of those two sides, you're wrong

I believe that as humans we all should have certain rights, human rights, the most basic of those being dignity.  There is nothing dignified about name calling.  Tribalism doesn't have to go this low.

I believe that by working together, the people of a nation can achieve great things.  Working together means getting past our differences enough to team up and think about the common good.  I believe in the basic Christian values I learned as a child, that we should help out those in need, that we should be kind to all, even those who've made mistakes, even those who are different from us.  It appears to me that democracy depends on us sharing those beliefs, and that a certain selfish narcissism has overtaken our culture.  People say me mine, not us ours.

I believe in peace over profits.  Sure, war is profitable.  I did regret selling my Haliburton stock years ago, but I couldn't stand to have it in my portfolio.  I'd rather live in a time and place when I do not fear being shot just for showing up on the street.  I'd rather live in a time and place where connection is more valued than conflict.

I don't get my way.  I want my vote to count in a democracy, and because of where I live and the way this democracy is structured, my vote doesn't count.  I am building a micro-culture with me and mine, a small world where people are kind to each other, where listening happens, where compromise is possible.  It doesn't fix the problem with our government, but it helps keep me sane.

I do NOT stand with the loudmouths on either side of this culture war, especially not the fascists.  We cannot let them remain in power.  We must somehow reach the people who fear socialism and communism, because we are so far from those concerns it's not even funny.  We the people must speak up for decency, for fairness.  And we are, we will.

I am frustrated and agonized by the malfunction of our government, by the two-party paralysis, by the electoral college and all the devices by which my vote is removed from the count.  I am aggravated that I do not live in a swing state, so I don't even get to see the sneaky pac ads that musk paid for.  I am aggravated that humanity, even the richest of humans, seem to still be inadequately evolved to work together longterm.  We are too easily misled, too easily fooled.  I mourn for all that we have lost, and hope that the screaming can be stopped and reasonable, kind people will once again step up to assert that cooperation is the way, and drama and dominance make for a masculine wet dream but result in unhappiness and disaster.

These words were found in my father's handwriting:

THE HAPPY WANDERER

I. I love to go a wandering, along a mountain track,
And as I go I love to sing, my knapsack on my back.

II. I tip my hat to all I meet, and they wave back to me,
And blue birds sing so loud and sweet, from every greenwood tree. 

IIII. Oh may I always wander, until the day I die,
And may I always laugh and sing, beneath God's dear blue sky.


VIVA LA COMPANIE

I. Let every good fellow now join in the song.
Success to each other and pass it along.

II. A friend on your left and a friend on your right
In love and good fellowship now let us unite.

III. Now wider and wider our circle expands,
Let's sing to our comrades in far away lands.

 

I have just acquired a packraft.  My first one.  I’ve been lurking, curious about packrafts for years now, watching my friends, listening.  I come at packrafting from a whitewater background.  I’ve run rivers in every kind of craft.  Kayaking and rowing remain my favorite ways to flow.

 

I see packrafting as a means to access rivers that require carrying my boat farther than I want to carry a hardshell.  These days whitewater kayaks can easily weigh 50 pounds before I put float bags, a water bottle, a throwbag, hand paddles, first aid kit, and lunch in there.  The packraft weighs 8 pounds, plus add in all that same stuff.  Carrying my backpacking kit plus 14 pounds of boating gear is still going to be a load, but I am excited to do it.  Nothing is more enticing than a new wilderness river.

 

I understand that lots of people come at packrafting from the opposite direction.  It’s a forgiving craft in which to learn to paddle whitewater.  More maneuverable than a raft, it gets you interacting with the river on that individual scale.  For these folks it could easily be their favorite boat out of their whole quiver, because it offers the most independence.

 

The trap I see is the one I face.  I have seen friends do it—transition to the packraft for self-support missions and then have a hard time getting back in the hardshell.  For people who aren’t confident in their roll, or who flip over too much in a kayak, the papckraft is an obvious choice.  You get to go on the river without such stress and worry.  

 

The problem with removing that stress and worry is that it blunts your edge.  Just as paddling a kayak with really good stability does.  You stop sitting up and engaging your lower core, instead relying on the boat to provide balance.  Eventually you merge with the blob that you are sitting on which might as well be a couch.  Pass the popcorn.

 

My plan is to maintain my edge as long as possible.  I paddle an edgy kayak that requires me to sit up and paddle actively.  It flips me over really fast if I get lazy or inattentive.  Thankfully my roll works, and this combat-roll practice is making it better.  I’m not young, so the downslope is in sight, but for now I’m still getting better at kayaking.

 

I don’t intend to roll my packraft.  I will try it, but not hard enough to hurt my shoulders.  If I find it easy then I’ll do it, but no straining.  I got a self bailer so I can just climb back in to self rescue.  I’m hoping that with my whitewater skills I won’t flip over too much.  We shall see if I fall into the packraft trap.

You don't know me.  I'm from Tennessee and I was born in the 1960's.  I've been an independent as long as I've been politically aware, because it is clear to me that both of our dominant parties here in the United States of America have become corrupt.  Both are overly influenced by big money, favors and whatnot.  Political figures on both sides have found ways to work the system to stay in power and enrich themselves.  Both parties have become more extreme because our voting systems including closed primaries cause that.  The incentives in our system are all wrong.  It might seem to be time to blow it up, to clear the slate in a dramatic way.

I would argue there's a right and wrong way to clear the slate.  Blowing it up is the wrong way because so much useful stuff gets destroyed in the process.  The right way would be to update our voting systems so that no one population gets to decide for all of us.  Open primaries, non-partisan districting, and ranked choice voting would fix our problems immediately.  The far left wouldn't be stuffing wokeness down our throats.  The far right wouldn't be trying to set up an authoritarian who will rule without regard for the Constitution.  We would have more options, instead of always having to choose between extremes that are both awful.

The beauty of the American system of government and its Constitution is that it was designed to keep any one faction from gaining absolute power.  That saying about power corrupting, and absolute power corrupting absolutely--that's absolutely true.  Our government was designed to keep anyone from having too much power.  The plan is to force us to compromise for the good of the people.  Compromise is hard work. 

Our government is supposed to be OF the people and FOR the people.  Not OF the academics, Christians, rich people, minorities, white people, men or any other single group.  OF THE PEOPLE.  FOR THE PEOPLE.   This is why America is a beacon on a hill for people all around the world.  A place where regular people have a chance.  A place where you won't get killed because you look different or celebrate a different totem.  THIS is the greatness of America.  Our forefathers had a vision and we have carried it forward for over 200 years.

Democracies usually fail before 200 years.  It's rare for a democracy to last as long as this one has.  And it is riddled with imperfections.  It needs work, a big update, a major overhaul.  Those who pretend it's perfect are totally nuts.  We made a lot of changes early, and the civil war forced us to make a bunch more changes.  We're about to have to get busy again.  If this democracy doesn't fail this November because too many people vote for a DICTATOR, we still have a lot of work to do.  The Democrats aren't autocrats like DJT, but they aren't going to give up power easily either.  WE THE PEOPLE must force the changes needed, and those changes will disempower BOTH of our dominant political parties and return the power TO THE PEOPLE.  Ranked choice voting.  Open Primaries.  Non-partisan districts for voting. 

Democracies require work!  They don't work if the people aren't paying attention or doing the work.  A failing democracy is not a reason to give up, it's a reason to get after it!  If we let Trump win it's because we gave up, we were too lazy and too ignorant to make the updates needed to keep rulership in the hands of the people.  Or return it there, really.

If we let our government fall prey to a dictator who ditches the Constitution, we will have lost all that we've fought and died for, for so long.  We'll be right back where we started when those rich Brits and the king were bossing us around.  Don't remember that?  It's because it was 200+ years ago!  History seems real boring until you start repeating it.  The LAST thing we need is to let Trump destroy all the democratic systems in our government in order to glorify himself.  It will take hundreds of years to dig ourselves back out of that pit.  Autocracy is a very bad trap. 

If we let the Dems take this next election, we might live to see the changes that would actually help!  We'll be fighting against them too, but at least they aren't about to ditch the Constitution and ignore federal law to deport a whole bunch of people.

There are LOTS of other changes that we need to work on, but our voting systems must come first.  I pray that NO DICTATOR gains power before we are able to hit the RESET button on our systems and keep working toward a more perfect union.

Even those too lazy to vote feel it their birthright to blast our elected representatives from every direction.  We complain bitterly when we do not get all we want as if it were possible to have more services with lower taxes, broader health care coverage with no federal involvement, a cleaner environment without regulations, security from terrorists with no infringement on privacy, and cheaper consumer goods made locally by workers with higher wages.  In short, we crave all the benefits of change without the costs.  When we are disappointed, our response is to retreat into cynicism, then start thinking about whether there might be a quicker, easier, and less democratic way to satisfy our wants.

--Madeline Albright on page 116 of Fascism, A Warning.  This quote comes on the heels of a section about globalism and about the manipulation of public opinion using the internet.  The first part of this book was the best short history of Europe I have ever read--for once it made sense.  Excellent read: recommend.

 
What people don't seem to know is the goals of the Forward Party.  The platform on the website is admittedly vague, and this is because the Forward Party is made up of Independents, Republicans and Democrats who agree on one thing: the current two-party system is driving us into a hole, and we have to fix our institutions in order to pull ourselves out of it.  The goal: Fix Our Institutions, starting with Elections.

So, what can we do that will change the direction of this failing democracy?  WE CAN FIX OUR ELECTIONS by bringing these three issues to the top of our priority list and acting on them.  If we can fix our elections, we might be able to pull our Anocracy back toward Democracy.

1. Ranked Choice Voting.  There are lots of other ways to vote but this one keeps rising to the top because it allows us to select our favorite candidate, and our second and third favorite, on down the line.  Every vote counts because if your first choice doesn't get enough votes, your second choice is counted.  In this way we avoid the current problem of having to vote for the "lesser of two evils" in order to avoid the "spoiler effect" that can occur if we vote for a 3rd party candidate.  Basically RCV (Ranked Choice Voting) will make it POSSIBLE for candidates from any party to win office if they are good enough.  But this doesn't work alone.

2. Open Primaries.  This means that everybody can vote for any party candidate in the primaries.  You will not be banned from voting in any primaries because of which party you registered with.  I'm not sure but it might become unnecessary to specify which party you belong to in order to vote.  That would be a blessing, because I find myself switching my party affiliation with some regularity in order to support candidates that I like.  I am as independent as they come, and I don't appreciate having to declare a bogus party affiliation in order to support a candidate who is part of a party.  Anyway, in some states it's just a matter of a referendum on the ballot and voters can open the primaries.  In other states, like where I live, it requires a state constitutional amendment.  Open Primaries will further ensure that good candidates from any source can rise to the top.

3. Nonpartisan Districting.  I just learned that in Tennessee the Republicans have redistricted away the last Democrat Congressional seat, the one in Nashville.  They rearranged the lines to split up Nashville Dems so that a Republican can win that seat, and will.  I'm from Tennessee.  This partisan redistricting is a crime against our nation.  I live in Oregon which is districted in favor of the Democrats.  Both parties do this, and neither should be able to.  We must pass a law that creates non-partisan districting commissions.  This change must be nationwide.  We could redistrict based on plain old geography and population.  A computer program could do it.  This would mean that minorities in any state would still have a voice, and support the process of democracy.  IT WOULD BE FAIR.  The current system allows whoever is in charge to increase their power and you know what follows absolute power--->absolute corruption.  It is happening before our eyes.

I admit, these reforms WILL BE OPPOSED by both dominant parties.  They WILL BE OPPOSED by all the major news outlets.  This is because both parties and the news are hyper-partisan.  They have boatloads of money in the game, and they will loose money if their side starts losing elections. 

That is why WE THE PEOPLE must stand up to the money and power and make these changes.  Without these changes we will not be able to change anything else.  Wars, famine, unfair taxation, disinformation and disease will be our lot.  The powerful do not willingly relinquish power, they must be removed.  We must remove them.  These changes will benefit the people, and American government is supposed to be BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE.  Not by the money, for the money.

If this American experiment ever held sway in your heart, then you know what is at stake.

 He who dies rich dies disgraced.

 

 If times were ever interesting, these are getting right up there.  In America, the Executive Branch sent an attack mob to the Legislative Branch of our government.  Marched them right down the avenue from the White House and up the Capitol steps.  One week ago.  That mob overwhelmed all barriers and invaded the Capitol through the windows, during a session.  The building was under lockdown for hours, with our representatives hidden in a subterranean chamber.  You can see the patriot invasion on youtube.  According to potus his mob looked "low class".  But then later he pronounced "we love you" to the same crew.

Then today the president is impeached for the second time.  How interesting.  Twice. May that be followed by a Senate trial and prompt Removal.  

The inauguration is planned to be a "hard target" so attacks may divert to state capitols which are considered "soft".  White supremacists have been booted to the backroads of the internet and are developing clandestine communications to sort out their next grand move.  They would enjoy a chance to kick some ass; a race war would do nicely.

The Executive Branch has been subverting the Judicial Branch by filling benches with sympathetic judges, but it is still a very separate Branch of power.  Lawyers and especially judges tend to be smart and willful and develop their own thinking rather than adopting half-baked ideology.  They see the obvious bogusness of the Big Lie.  The election wasn't stolen.  Those Attorney Generals, all 17 of them that signed on to a Texas lawsuit trying to flip the election, they aren't stupid.  They have been corrupted.  They must be getting rich.  Or have their nuts in a vise.  Or both.  Barr is probably still trying to get his nuts out.

Oh yeah and the pandemic.  Isn't that interesting?  What fascinates me the most is how utterly ignorant most people are about how the body works, and how a virus works, and why some people live and some die from the same virus.  The TERRAIN matters, my friends.  If your organs are sick, you can be weakened and susceptible without knowing it.  Science is really cool, too, it explains so much.

Ignorance about our government and institutions is also prevalent.  Broad ignorance is the terrain on which half-baked ideologies grow.  The difference is education.  But our schools have gotten as lazy as our Capitol defenses.  Believing that America truly is the greatest nation on earth has led to complacency and then denial.  What?  No problems here, we say, but the world knows better.  America was a great experiment in government, still is as of this moment. 

There is the possibility that Trump will function like a vaccine.  Just a tiny dose, well four long years.  Maybe that will autocrat-proof America.  Or maybe the booster shot will be worse.  And on top of that there is the possibility that this Republic will fail.  Trump tried to bring down this government and to date has failed.

Interesting, huh.