When I was a realtor, I worked for my clients. I was fiercely loyal. Occasionally, I found myself in a position where the other client's realtor made an error on a contract and I took advantage of that for my client's benefit. Oh, yeah, I knew what the other realtor meant to do and I knew what was routine in those situations, but this was a contract and those were my clients so I was unyielding. No, I did not privately go to the other realtor and warn them. I just realized their error and took it to my client and pointed out our advantage. I was ruthless.
I questioned myself on these decisions, and each time, my answer was: I am working for my client. They have trusted me to support their interests and that is what I must do. Even if the contract was a dual agency - even if my own office was representing both sides of the contract, I fought tooth and nail against an associate, if necessary, for my client's legal rights.
Ok, so, yeah. I did not win any popularity contests in my office or with other agents for this stance. But I did what I thought was right - considering the circumstance. It was not pretty, but it was the choice I made.
In the same vein, I believe the congressional GOP are holding firm for what they believe is right; I think they even believe their actions are moral. Their actions in the last four years, and especially in the last two years, have been appalling to those of us who want to see America grow and prosper - who want to build up our infrastructure, to honor and support our veterans, who wish for equality for all Americans. We have watched in dismay as America took an unprecedented economic blow when the GOP refused to "write the check" to pay for the debt that two wars and inconceivably low taxes for the wealthy had caused. The price to America of not paying that bill on time is immeasurable.
Why do I feel they have been doing what they feel is morally and legally right? Because I am afraid the GOP and the rest of this country do not agree on who their client is. To me, it would seem that, this being a country that professes to have a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people", it would follow that our congress would be working for all Americans. It seems, however, that the GOP congress, who, like the Dem congress, are mostly comprised of America's elite upper class, believe they are working for their own peers - working to hold that balance of power. They are not just holding it, mind you, but even as I fiercely and ruthlessly fought for my clients' interests at every turn, so the GOP is ruthlessly and fiercely fighting for "their own", and balance has been trampled and lost in the fray. Congressional Democrats, altho also comprised of mainly the very wealthy, do not share this view to the same extent because the very nature of their party's platform is to be more socially conscious.
The GOP perceive Democrats as the enemy. No longer are Dems their associates, working together in the same agency, for the same client. The Dems are working for the American people. The GOP are working to control the American people for their client, the mega wealthy. And even though they work in the same agency with the dems, they will never back down on any issue as long as their perceived client does not want them to. To be fair, now Dems perceive the GOP as the enemy. Where once the two parties were merely "esteemed adversaries", the battle line is now drawn and no one is having any fun here.
Certainly, the American people are not having any fun. This is no longer "how politics work". This is a system turned in on itself. America is on a collision course and we must stop the madness.
I hope that, should Obama be re-elected, and he will, unless the GOP manages to commit fraud at the polls, some sort of sanity can be restored in our political system. Yes, I did say I believe they are doing what they feel is morally right for their client. Yes, I believe they are committing fraud. I think that the GOP feels that lying, cheating, stealing for their client, the mega wealthy, is justified "for the greater good". Something about their belief system seems to give them the perceived moral grounds to justify their actions. Once they put themselves in a place of being more worthy than the average American, the disparity follows.
In Romney's "47%" speech, the one where he was speaking to his peers, he made it clear who he would be working for. Bush (W) gave a similar speech to an elite group when he was campaigning and he spoke mockingly of the growing rich/poor ratio and assured his audience laughingly that they were gonna keep things moving that way. And they did. Wow, did they ever.
The GOP got the bit in their teeth when Bush was in office. The massive surge of America's wealth into the coffers of the elite was intoxicating. The turbo-charged power of the government! Oh, yeah, I know the GOP screams small government - but they do this whilst wielding a mighty fist, controlling the American public, rendering us at the mercy of the corporate powers, usurping our civil rights. Ok, so that was amazing. A little trickle down theory BS, a couple of ill-conceived and tragic wars, taking the 9-11 tragedy and using it as fear-driven leverage and yeah. That was a huge coup. What a mess. When the dust settled, here we were with less environmental protections than in 30 years, a massive disparity in wealth, and a new loss of personal freedom in the name of security. And we were on the brink of total economic collapse.
Then along came Obama. He was determined to be a president for all the people. Now, this is where we are gonna talk about race and bigotry. America electing a Black president really stirred that shit up. Oh, yeah, it did. Look I know we all "only drank two beers" but somehow, America got drunk and stupid on the backlash of that situation. Whether openly hostile, downright monstrously nasty, mildly bothered, thrilled, proud, or astonished, Americans noticed.
To be fair, I will say that most (ok, about half of) Americans work at being unprejudiced. But the very fact we work at it shows it is an issue. Check out another situation: A recent study shows that a woman working in the field of science, applying for a job will be turned down in favor of a man with less qualification. That woman, while a student in that field will be graded one full grade lower for the same work as a man. That is, unless her professor is a woman, in which case, she will be graded even more harshly. Now, if you ask people "do you feel men are more qualified in science than women, based on gender alone?" The answer will usually be "Certainly not. Why, that is preposterous". And yet, those are the facts. So yeah, we try to be unprejudiced - but we've got a long way to go, baby.
From the moment Obama was elected, people started attacking him in a way I have never seen before. Yeah, I have seen it get ugly. And crazy. The way the GOP went after Clinton was mind boggling. First we had Whitewater.... it was never ending. But the way "hip and cool" people attacked Obama was just astonishing. And the ones who did not attack him just looked away.
Whether at the front of the pack, leading the attack or whether swept along in the pack fever, or whether politely averting our eyes whilst our president, a good man, a wise man (a lot wiser now, I dare say), a brave man, an intelligent man, a great man, was treated in really a horrid manner, we are all complicit. If we did not stand up and say "Hey, that just ain't reasonable or fair or cool", we took part. I remember when Hillary announced her candidacy and a good friend came to visit. This man prides himself on respecting the Native American values. He is generous. I had always respected him. And I still do on some levels. But he came to visit us and sat in my home, scorching Hillary, roasting her on the spit of his hatred and prejudice. He even called her the "C" word. My husband joined in (altho he would not go to that "C" place, for heaven's sake) and I left the room, appalled. I did not speak up. I utterly failed her, I failed my gender. I failed at human decency.
Later, when a woman I have known for 30 years spoke of her scorn and contempt for Hillary, I did speak up. She went on at length about how unqualified Clinton was. I asked her if she had in fact, ever listened to Hillary speak. The answer was no. I asked her if she was aware of Hillary's actual positions. She said no. As it turned out she hated Hillary for the same reasons many Americans did: 1) Bill cheated on her and she did not leave him 2) She was not thin or young and 3) She lacked a penis.
Ok, I threw that last one, the elephant in the room, in there. Yeah, we have a pecking order in America. If you are a woman and not young and thin, or a man and not White, or if you dare to be caught DIF (Doing anything but hiding under your bed If Fat) then you, let's face it, are gonna get pecked. Our apathy, our disdain, our contempt, our attitude toward anyone "different" who reaches out and does something exceptional is tangible.
In the same way that we turned on Hillary, Americans stood back and allowed the ugly specter of bigotry to rear it's head and weaken our country after the 2008 election. We did not bother to hear what the man really said. We did not question the accusations. In fact, we left the room - and allowed our government to be taken over by the Tea Party-infiltrated GOP in 2010 - No qualification necessary to be elected to Congress that term other than bigotry and hatred. Our leaders had a new goal -"taking back America" (from that Black guy) and if they had to take down America to get him, then so be it.
Obama is pretty darn resilient, and this brave pioneer, the veritable Jackie Robinson of American politics is still standing. Now, if the GOP will just get out of the way, then he can continue to do the things this country needs.
That, though, getting the GOP to get out of the way is a tall order. The power and glory the GOP felt in the Bush years, the insane greed that has swept over the one percent. Yeah, that is tough to turn around. But Obama did that. And the backlash has been terrifying.
You guessed it: Here I go on another comparison. Ever cut down a locust tree? That thing immediately sends out suckers for 35-40 feet in every direction. Those things grow like the vines in a nightmare fairy tale. You have to keep rooting them out, tearing them out, hacking them out. They just keep on coming. For years. But eventually, if you keep at it, they subside.
We need to stop averting our eyes while people attack our leader. We need to stop drifting into the fray as a result of pack fever. We need to start helping him hack out the roots of corruption in our system and make America stronger, better, safer, more prosperous, healthier - for all of the American people. And for the sake of the world.
No, I do not think Democrats are blameless in the current mess. But as Barney Frank says about the two parties and the current situation, "We're not perfect, but they're nuts".
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Growing a Party
The Green Party likes to complain loudly and often, and in inappropriate settings, that they were banned from the major presidential debates, that they qualified by registering in enough states to have a possibility of winning enough electoral votes. However, that is not the only criteria. They must also be polling in 5 major polls with at least 15% popularity - for good reason. That reason being - without this rule, anyone could go register across the nation and then force her way into those debates. A madhouse would ensue and the American people would learn even less about the candidates who might actually win. We might, however, have the makings of a new reality series.
No, it's not easy getting in the door, or for that matter, to the debate floor - and I am sorry that the Green Party is struggling with this. Perhaps they need to re-think their method of addressing the situation. As long as they are acting like angry, disruptive protestors, they are not winning me over. I doubt they are winning the American public over. It makes me wonder what their true motive is - to make a statement or to hold an office. Walking into the political arena of this country and saying "Hey, I know, we will be the new leaders" just ain't gonna cut it. First they need to learn how to be team players. That is how life works.
Jill Stein and her followers have the right to their opinions and it's supposedly a free country. That does not give her the right to circumvent the debate rules. If she wants to change those rules, I bet there is a better way than getting arrested for blocking traffic. It is not like it was a human rights issue. Or perhaps it was: The right of the American people to try to learn who, among the actual contenders, they agree with on the issues. There were other debates for nearly two years prior to that one where Dr. Stein made her scene and she had plenty of opportunity to get her message out. The trouble is, she needs more money and supporters to effectively do that. "Cheating" by hogging the show at the debate, to me, was in very poor form Again - she needs to work her way into the position she desires - respectfully. Is she running for President or for Occupier? She needs to choose one.
I know the Green Party has been around for a while. In fact, it has a "hippie dippie, leftist" reputation to live down - or perhaps just polish up - before any Green Party candidate has a chance of being elected president. I'm pretty sure Dr. Stein's recent antics are not solid steps in that direction. I will say that losing the political party name "Green-Rainbow" was a good step. Can you just imagine the Marlboro man moseying up to the polls thinking to himself "Yeah, I reckon I will just vote a straight 'Green Rainbow' ticket"?
As a person with the "hippie" name "Oak Leaf" I am saying these things not out of prejudice against "hippies" (God, I sure hope so, anyway), but out of sisterly tough love - hey, people - if you want respect, act respectfully.
No, it's not easy getting in the door, or for that matter, to the debate floor - and I am sorry that the Green Party is struggling with this. Perhaps they need to re-think their method of addressing the situation. As long as they are acting like angry, disruptive protestors, they are not winning me over. I doubt they are winning the American public over. It makes me wonder what their true motive is - to make a statement or to hold an office. Walking into the political arena of this country and saying "Hey, I know, we will be the new leaders" just ain't gonna cut it. First they need to learn how to be team players. That is how life works.
Jill Stein and her followers have the right to their opinions and it's supposedly a free country. That does not give her the right to circumvent the debate rules. If she wants to change those rules, I bet there is a better way than getting arrested for blocking traffic. It is not like it was a human rights issue. Or perhaps it was: The right of the American people to try to learn who, among the actual contenders, they agree with on the issues. There were other debates for nearly two years prior to that one where Dr. Stein made her scene and she had plenty of opportunity to get her message out. The trouble is, she needs more money and supporters to effectively do that. "Cheating" by hogging the show at the debate, to me, was in very poor form Again - she needs to work her way into the position she desires - respectfully. Is she running for President or for Occupier? She needs to choose one.
I know the Green Party has been around for a while. In fact, it has a "hippie dippie, leftist" reputation to live down - or perhaps just polish up - before any Green Party candidate has a chance of being elected president. I'm pretty sure Dr. Stein's recent antics are not solid steps in that direction. I will say that losing the political party name "Green-Rainbow" was a good step. Can you just imagine the Marlboro man moseying up to the polls thinking to himself "Yeah, I reckon I will just vote a straight 'Green Rainbow' ticket"?
As a person with the "hippie" name "Oak Leaf" I am saying these things not out of prejudice against "hippies" (God, I sure hope so, anyway), but out of sisterly tough love - hey, people - if you want respect, act respectfully.
Insult to Injury
I feel insulted by Mitt Romney.
I have been doing a little research on the guy and it appears he actually is an intelligent man (unless, like his business, tax and political endeavors, he also cheated at education). It seems he was valedictorian of his college graduating class. Also, clearly, he has enough savvy (or, one could argue, cutthroat nature) to pile up massive amounts of money. For the sake of argument, lets give the man these two qualities: Intelligence. Business savvy.
So - here is what chaps my ass: Romney's entire campaign has been based on the premise "tell a lie often enough and people will believe it" with a huge dollop of "keep moving around and they cannot land a swing" thrown in.
Today I was viewing an article about Romney's various distortions and I am not sure whether the man is simply a pathological liar or whether he has so little respect for the American people that he is confident that enough voters will blindly embrace his blatant lies and vote against the guy he is portraying Obama to be.
Who is that guy? Oh, you know, anti-American, inept in every way, with "failed policies, failed policies, failed policies" bwaaak! Polly wanna cracker. Yeah, and so much more..... there is the soundly debunked "apology tour" claim - which I see scarily deliberately ignorant people ranting about daily.
When not spewing bald face lies about Obama, Mitt is busy painting an ever-changing picture of his own magnificent beneficence. Oh, yeah, he is gonna create 12 million jobs. How? Oh, that is a secret, ya know. Actually, economists seem to agree that if Romney does nothing, 12 million jobs will be created as a result of Obama's stimulus and other efforts - despite the massive obstruction we have endured at the hands of the GOP in congress.
Where was I? Oh, yeah, lessee, 12 million jobs, lower taxes for all (even tho taxes are amazingly low for all now - and virtually non-existent for the mega rich). Yeah, lower taxes, that sounds good. Lower taxes, more wars, more jobs, lower deficit. How? Now, June, don't you worry your pretty little head over that. Mitt will discuss that with the right people at the right time and handle it.
The incredible urge to lie seems to outweigh any perceived need for such. For instance, when introduced by Wolf Blitzer during the Republican debate, Romney came up with "I am Mitt Romney and yes, Wolf, that is my first name too." Uh, yeah - no. Yeah, it is a small thing, but it shows yet again that the man just makes stuff up as he goes along. The reason the guy keeps making so many gaffes is because of his desperate need to manipulate and sway people. He can not seem to turn that off. In fact, he has so much disregard for the facts that one has to wonder how he could possibly be qualified for such a serious job as President of the United States.
Mitt Romney is a showman - and really, a damned poor one. But he has a few things on his side. One is the ignorance (largely contrived) and fear and bigotry of many of his supporters. So here is an intelligent man - capable of doing at least business in a successful way (if success is measured by piling up all the marbles by any means possible, thus rendering the actual game short lived because no one will continue to be able to play. But hey, we gave him "business savvy" in the beginning, so - onward). Instead of running for the highest office in this country as that - as an intelligent man with business savvy, he is running as "More White and therefore more American than that other guy", as "Mr Magic" who can do all these wonderful tricks that defy logic - "Trust me". Yes, he is running as "I stand by what I said, whatever it was" and throughout his campaign, he is running FROM actually giving any details - details of his plans, details of his tax history. He is running from answering basic policy questions. It is the most evasive, deceitful, hate provoking (I am referring the dog whistle tactics) intelligence insulting campaign I have ever seen.
Yes, insulting. And even as the right wing's would be leader can not stop himself from lying at every turn, even for no good reason, similarly, he can apparently not stop himself from continuing the very actions that have hurt America deep in it's core - and that is the looting of American businesses.
Mitt Romney is like a pirate. He sails around the country finding companies that are rich and vital, boards them, kills off the crew, ships the equipment to a place where he can use it outside the arm of American law and morals, and stashes all the loot. Whenever possible, he gets the good ol' US government to help fund this enterprise. And even now, whilst running as the guy who cares so deeply about the American people, Romney is dismantling yet another profitable company, rendering 170 more Americans jobless.
Yeah, Mitt is so ruthless that he simply can not pause in his piracy for the sake of appearance whilst selling himself as "Mr. Magnanimous". Or is it that he is just so damn sure Americans are too gullible to notice?
I have been doing a little research on the guy and it appears he actually is an intelligent man (unless, like his business, tax and political endeavors, he also cheated at education). It seems he was valedictorian of his college graduating class. Also, clearly, he has enough savvy (or, one could argue, cutthroat nature) to pile up massive amounts of money. For the sake of argument, lets give the man these two qualities: Intelligence. Business savvy.
So - here is what chaps my ass: Romney's entire campaign has been based on the premise "tell a lie often enough and people will believe it" with a huge dollop of "keep moving around and they cannot land a swing" thrown in.
Today I was viewing an article about Romney's various distortions and I am not sure whether the man is simply a pathological liar or whether he has so little respect for the American people that he is confident that enough voters will blindly embrace his blatant lies and vote against the guy he is portraying Obama to be.
Who is that guy? Oh, you know, anti-American, inept in every way, with "failed policies, failed policies, failed policies" bwaaak! Polly wanna cracker. Yeah, and so much more..... there is the soundly debunked "apology tour" claim - which I see scarily deliberately ignorant people ranting about daily.
When not spewing bald face lies about Obama, Mitt is busy painting an ever-changing picture of his own magnificent beneficence. Oh, yeah, he is gonna create 12 million jobs. How? Oh, that is a secret, ya know. Actually, economists seem to agree that if Romney does nothing, 12 million jobs will be created as a result of Obama's stimulus and other efforts - despite the massive obstruction we have endured at the hands of the GOP in congress.
Where was I? Oh, yeah, lessee, 12 million jobs, lower taxes for all (even tho taxes are amazingly low for all now - and virtually non-existent for the mega rich). Yeah, lower taxes, that sounds good. Lower taxes, more wars, more jobs, lower deficit. How? Now, June, don't you worry your pretty little head over that. Mitt will discuss that with the right people at the right time and handle it.
The incredible urge to lie seems to outweigh any perceived need for such. For instance, when introduced by Wolf Blitzer during the Republican debate, Romney came up with "I am Mitt Romney and yes, Wolf, that is my first name too." Uh, yeah - no. Yeah, it is a small thing, but it shows yet again that the man just makes stuff up as he goes along. The reason the guy keeps making so many gaffes is because of his desperate need to manipulate and sway people. He can not seem to turn that off. In fact, he has so much disregard for the facts that one has to wonder how he could possibly be qualified for such a serious job as President of the United States.
Mitt Romney is a showman - and really, a damned poor one. But he has a few things on his side. One is the ignorance (largely contrived) and fear and bigotry of many of his supporters. So here is an intelligent man - capable of doing at least business in a successful way (if success is measured by piling up all the marbles by any means possible, thus rendering the actual game short lived because no one will continue to be able to play. But hey, we gave him "business savvy" in the beginning, so - onward). Instead of running for the highest office in this country as that - as an intelligent man with business savvy, he is running as "More White and therefore more American than that other guy", as "Mr Magic" who can do all these wonderful tricks that defy logic - "Trust me". Yes, he is running as "I stand by what I said, whatever it was" and throughout his campaign, he is running FROM actually giving any details - details of his plans, details of his tax history. He is running from answering basic policy questions. It is the most evasive, deceitful, hate provoking (I am referring the dog whistle tactics) intelligence insulting campaign I have ever seen.
Yes, insulting. And even as the right wing's would be leader can not stop himself from lying at every turn, even for no good reason, similarly, he can apparently not stop himself from continuing the very actions that have hurt America deep in it's core - and that is the looting of American businesses.
Mitt Romney is like a pirate. He sails around the country finding companies that are rich and vital, boards them, kills off the crew, ships the equipment to a place where he can use it outside the arm of American law and morals, and stashes all the loot. Whenever possible, he gets the good ol' US government to help fund this enterprise. And even now, whilst running as the guy who cares so deeply about the American people, Romney is dismantling yet another profitable company, rendering 170 more Americans jobless.
Yeah, Mitt is so ruthless that he simply can not pause in his piracy for the sake of appearance whilst selling himself as "Mr. Magnanimous". Or is it that he is just so damn sure Americans are too gullible to notice?
Monday, October 29, 2012
Arrogance and Divisiveness
I watched a video last night of Piers Morgan interviewing Ann Coulter regarding her use of the "R" word. Piers had two points: The word "retard" is offensive to mentally disabled people - in fact, it is the veritable "N" word to them. Also, calling the president of the United States a retard is quite offensive and inappropriate.
Of course, as you surely guessed, Ms Coulter never wavered. She just got louder - and louder, using the opportunity to call the president of the United States several other names, repeatedly: Loser, idiot.... ah... some I do not recall, thank goodness.
Piers Morgan handled himself well, I thought, considering who he was dealing with, allotting an extra segment to the interview and continually beseeching Ann to "fess up" - to acknowledge the man with Downs Syndrome who wrote a heartfelt letter asking her to stop using that word in that way. Not only did Ms Coulter refuse to acknowledge the gist of the letter, she went on to bash mentally disabled people saying something to the effect of "pshhhh.. Like - I am so sure THOSE people are gonna be following my twitter feed". (I really wanted Piers to pick up on that statement and ask the Queen of Mean just what she meant by it)
Ann and Piers exchanged some friendly-seeming threats - she made several claims that she would not be appearing on his show for varying lengths of time. Finally, he pronounced that she would be banned for 13 months. We shall see how it all plays out.
After that fun-filled glimpse of just how deeply into denial a hateful person can wrap herself to hold a ridiculous position, Ann left and I decided to "channel surf". Fortunately, I remained tuned in long enough to discover that Morgan's next guests included John Franklin Stephens, the man with Downs Syndrome who had penned the beautiful letter to Ann.
John spoke from the heart and never wavered in his attitude of kind dignity. His final remark was to thank Ann for helping him make over three million new friends.
Wow.
I have been writing about intelligence and politics. American Democrats like to cite studies that show that generally, people who relate to the Democratic platform tend to have a higher IQ than those who gravitate toward the Republican platform. I have looked at some of that data and it certainly seems to be true. Obviously, Republicans take offense at that claim - and in fact, some very intelligent people are Republicans. I do think that the more intelligent "conservatives" are usually wealthy and that "conserving" their wealth is their main reason for their leanings.
Ok, now I have wandered knee deep into a quagmire of discord. Let's see if I can navigate to my landing.
Here is the thing. I am pretty darn intelligent, measured (at one time, anyway) by some standards (even tho I am not sure if "democrat" and "republican"are supposed to be capitalized) and I tend to deliberately downplay that when I talk to people. I think this may be why: When I go to visit Texas, where I lived for several years of my childhood, I pick up a bit of a Texas accent. There is a video of President Obama addressing a group of Black Americans and he is speaking a little differently than say, when he gives a State of the Union address. (The right sure likes to make a big deal of this - hey, it's not like he changes his skin color.... ah, but I digress) I think it is human nature to adapt to our surroundings. I notice that when I speak to technical support I really dumb down. I think it is a form of surrender - of stipulating that I know nothing so they will not speak to me in techie talk which mainly goes over my head.
Sometimes, I have talked over peoples heads myself. I had no idea I was doing that. People get really offended by the implication that they are less intelligent. And yet, here is the thing: Plenty of people are smarter and more educated than I am. Also, check out this list: I tend to be a "rage-aholic" and as such, I was not nearly the loving, compassionate mother at every crucial moment that, upon reflection, I sure wish I could have been. When I first met Ram Dass, not knowing who he was, I tried to give him the brush-off. I do have a powerful sense of intuition (altho determining which is esp and which is paranoia can be a challenge). I also have these challenges: poor vision, obesity, depression, various physical injuries... I am rather overly compassionate - hauling slugs and snails off to be re-located, catching spiders in my house and putting them outside. When I want a bug to die, I bring in my husband who is actually a much kinder person than myself, but who has the sense to know that some things have to be dealt with this way and the guts to carry it out. Being rather short (or for a woman, "average") I also call him in to fetch jars off the top shelf in the kitchen.
Ok, so what does all this stuff have in common? They are ways that some people measure up differently than other people.
To me, this seems clear: Whilst intelligence is very important, all these other things are equally important: being stable, being kind hearted, having common sense, being intuitive, being strong, being able coordinate people, being able to speak clearly.....
Everyone has something to bring to the table. The divisiveness of American politics causes (is it the cause? or am I putting the cart before the horse here?) to single ourselves out and to exclude others. And it causes people to become proud of things they perhaps should be working to overcome.
But even as a body needs a brain to function, surely, it needs lungs, a heart, hands, legs..... and that is just what our American politics need - everyone. Every skill, every attribute. To really be a functional system, we need to all work together.
Perhaps there is something to the argument that we need a third political party, because as it stands, the two main parties we have are polarized and each one is able to cancel out the other. Three parties might bring us a sort of balance. I do think that getting there from here seems almost impossible. Who is going to "move over" and give way?
I sometimes refer to the Swiss government - not because I know anything about how their government actually operates - but because my daughter's boyfriend is Swiss and she goes to school in Switzerland and so the little glimpse I get of how that country functions: They have several political parties (they do have political dissension). They have a superior education system which is readily available to all citizens. They have an enviable health care system. They have a great sanitation system. Their streets are clean. This is what I see. I also see a functional mass transit system and very little reliance on individual cars (admittedly, their geography makes this much more feasible than does ours). It would behoove America to look at the other countries in the world and to some extent, emulate the things they do that work so well.
The divisiveness of our system -particularly in regard to intelligence - seems to have a backlash. It seems that in America, it is now hip to be ignorant. And to confuse patriotism with stubbornness. By God, it would be un-American to admit that everything about our system is not perfect just the way it is - or at least if something is wrong, surely it is the other political party's fault (you know I feel this way a lot cause I say so).
I think we all need to embrace all of our qualities, in ourselves and in each other. In this way, America can be smart enough, strong enough, brave enough, compassionate enough, wise enough to thrive.
John Franklin Stephens may not measure up on an intelligence test. Or, perhaps he would. I know very little about how this is all calculated. But I do know the man is a moving speaker and has a heart of gold. I would welcome him gladly into my political party, into any discussion of the steps this country needs to take, into my friendship circle, and certainly, he is more than welcome to read my blog, or for that matter, my twitter feed. It is an honor to be one of his three million plus new friends.
Of course, as you surely guessed, Ms Coulter never wavered. She just got louder - and louder, using the opportunity to call the president of the United States several other names, repeatedly: Loser, idiot.... ah... some I do not recall, thank goodness.
Piers Morgan handled himself well, I thought, considering who he was dealing with, allotting an extra segment to the interview and continually beseeching Ann to "fess up" - to acknowledge the man with Downs Syndrome who wrote a heartfelt letter asking her to stop using that word in that way. Not only did Ms Coulter refuse to acknowledge the gist of the letter, she went on to bash mentally disabled people saying something to the effect of "pshhhh.. Like - I am so sure THOSE people are gonna be following my twitter feed". (I really wanted Piers to pick up on that statement and ask the Queen of Mean just what she meant by it)
Ann and Piers exchanged some friendly-seeming threats - she made several claims that she would not be appearing on his show for varying lengths of time. Finally, he pronounced that she would be banned for 13 months. We shall see how it all plays out.
After that fun-filled glimpse of just how deeply into denial a hateful person can wrap herself to hold a ridiculous position, Ann left and I decided to "channel surf". Fortunately, I remained tuned in long enough to discover that Morgan's next guests included John Franklin Stephens, the man with Downs Syndrome who had penned the beautiful letter to Ann.
John spoke from the heart and never wavered in his attitude of kind dignity. His final remark was to thank Ann for helping him make over three million new friends.
Wow.
I have been writing about intelligence and politics. American Democrats like to cite studies that show that generally, people who relate to the Democratic platform tend to have a higher IQ than those who gravitate toward the Republican platform. I have looked at some of that data and it certainly seems to be true. Obviously, Republicans take offense at that claim - and in fact, some very intelligent people are Republicans. I do think that the more intelligent "conservatives" are usually wealthy and that "conserving" their wealth is their main reason for their leanings.
Ok, now I have wandered knee deep into a quagmire of discord. Let's see if I can navigate to my landing.
Here is the thing. I am pretty darn intelligent, measured (at one time, anyway) by some standards (even tho I am not sure if "democrat" and "republican"are supposed to be capitalized) and I tend to deliberately downplay that when I talk to people. I think this may be why: When I go to visit Texas, where I lived for several years of my childhood, I pick up a bit of a Texas accent. There is a video of President Obama addressing a group of Black Americans and he is speaking a little differently than say, when he gives a State of the Union address. (The right sure likes to make a big deal of this - hey, it's not like he changes his skin color.... ah, but I digress) I think it is human nature to adapt to our surroundings. I notice that when I speak to technical support I really dumb down. I think it is a form of surrender - of stipulating that I know nothing so they will not speak to me in techie talk which mainly goes over my head.
Sometimes, I have talked over peoples heads myself. I had no idea I was doing that. People get really offended by the implication that they are less intelligent. And yet, here is the thing: Plenty of people are smarter and more educated than I am. Also, check out this list: I tend to be a "rage-aholic" and as such, I was not nearly the loving, compassionate mother at every crucial moment that, upon reflection, I sure wish I could have been. When I first met Ram Dass, not knowing who he was, I tried to give him the brush-off. I do have a powerful sense of intuition (altho determining which is esp and which is paranoia can be a challenge). I also have these challenges: poor vision, obesity, depression, various physical injuries... I am rather overly compassionate - hauling slugs and snails off to be re-located, catching spiders in my house and putting them outside. When I want a bug to die, I bring in my husband who is actually a much kinder person than myself, but who has the sense to know that some things have to be dealt with this way and the guts to carry it out. Being rather short (or for a woman, "average") I also call him in to fetch jars off the top shelf in the kitchen.
Ok, so what does all this stuff have in common? They are ways that some people measure up differently than other people.
To me, this seems clear: Whilst intelligence is very important, all these other things are equally important: being stable, being kind hearted, having common sense, being intuitive, being strong, being able coordinate people, being able to speak clearly.....
Everyone has something to bring to the table. The divisiveness of American politics causes (is it the cause? or am I putting the cart before the horse here?) to single ourselves out and to exclude others. And it causes people to become proud of things they perhaps should be working to overcome.
But even as a body needs a brain to function, surely, it needs lungs, a heart, hands, legs..... and that is just what our American politics need - everyone. Every skill, every attribute. To really be a functional system, we need to all work together.
Perhaps there is something to the argument that we need a third political party, because as it stands, the two main parties we have are polarized and each one is able to cancel out the other. Three parties might bring us a sort of balance. I do think that getting there from here seems almost impossible. Who is going to "move over" and give way?
I sometimes refer to the Swiss government - not because I know anything about how their government actually operates - but because my daughter's boyfriend is Swiss and she goes to school in Switzerland and so the little glimpse I get of how that country functions: They have several political parties (they do have political dissension). They have a superior education system which is readily available to all citizens. They have an enviable health care system. They have a great sanitation system. Their streets are clean. This is what I see. I also see a functional mass transit system and very little reliance on individual cars (admittedly, their geography makes this much more feasible than does ours). It would behoove America to look at the other countries in the world and to some extent, emulate the things they do that work so well.
The divisiveness of our system -particularly in regard to intelligence - seems to have a backlash. It seems that in America, it is now hip to be ignorant. And to confuse patriotism with stubbornness. By God, it would be un-American to admit that everything about our system is not perfect just the way it is - or at least if something is wrong, surely it is the other political party's fault (you know I feel this way a lot cause I say so).
I think we all need to embrace all of our qualities, in ourselves and in each other. In this way, America can be smart enough, strong enough, brave enough, compassionate enough, wise enough to thrive.
John Franklin Stephens may not measure up on an intelligence test. Or, perhaps he would. I know very little about how this is all calculated. But I do know the man is a moving speaker and has a heart of gold. I would welcome him gladly into my political party, into any discussion of the steps this country needs to take, into my friendship circle, and certainly, he is more than welcome to read my blog, or for that matter, my twitter feed. It is an honor to be one of his three million plus new friends.
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