It’s a new time now, a new era of resistance. I have created RedBluePurple.org as the new home for my political journey and invite you to join me there. There will be no new material here for the foreseeable future but this blog will remain alive.

Stand tall friends. Stand tall.

Now when I say I know about The Way Things Should Be, I’m speaking both empirically and generically. Obviously, like almost anyone, I have my own biases on specific topics and I get that for matters like those The Way Things Should Be is not always an absolute so much as a brokered compromise that meets some of my own ideals but maybe not all of them. Concepts like what makes a good educational system or what is the best way to make a pie crust can be malleable and probably should be malleable based on a plethora of conditional parameters relevant to the participants of the conversation. Those are generic ideas of The Way Things Should Be, albeit with specific features, and in reality there may be a several constructs that create effective solutions. Most topics will inherently fall into this category. We converse, share opinions, follow up with factual data to prove a point or strengthen an argument, coalesce on an agreed compromise-or not, and move on to the next. There is often room for growth or change to these ideas, though not always, and that’s understandable. As we learn more, as the world changes, so too might our assumptions of the generic Way Things Should Be.

But there are other, more intrinsic, less malleable concepts out there and The Way Things Should Be for these matters shouldn’t really be in much debate. I’m talking about things like equality, fairness, love, respect and tolerance. Stripped down to their basic ideals these intangible yet important concepts are nothing less than the building blocks that help us understand The Way Things Actually Are and how they got that way. I think that anyone who understands these concepts intellectually, these elemental human connections, can agree on what they mean and how they look and feel. We know what equality means whether or not we choose to adhere to it. We recognize peace and love when we feel it or live within it’s sphere of influence. We can talk about these ideals with a common point of general reference, at least most of us can, without too much rancor or debate. These are the things that matter, that bind us as a civil society, that allow us to move forward more or less together. These should be the unspoken underpinnings of all our conversations about the Ways Things Should Be and without a collective agreement that we begin with these basic tenets in hand no real cohesion of conversation can occur. No progress can occur. No consensus, no compromise, no commonality. We might assume that we all share this underlying recognition and nonverbal agreement as a basis for our discourse, maybe not in absolute terms in every specific situation, but surely at least in principle and as a point from which to start. We need not agree on the specifics for every single topic, but we must at least agree to start from a common point. When we polarize, when we demonize, when we dehumanize each other before we even begin to converse we get nowhere. We shuffle off incensed, unheard, dissatisfied, and defeated. We embrace the negative aspects that drive us apart-inequity, self-absorption, hate, disdain, division.

Ask yourself a simple question- do I prefer to be loved or disliked? Do I want to be treated as an equal or as an inferior? Do I operate from a position of inclusion or do I shut out those who may look, act, think, or feel differently than me? I know my answers to these questions, and while I’m not perfect in my application of these ideals, I strive to be. I’m guessing that you do as well. So why then are we, as a people, a country,  a species, continually casting each other in the most unflattering light and working at cross purposes as if human happiness is a zero sum game where only one perspective triumphs over all others? Why do we allow our political, religious, and corporate leaders use all the negative aspects to create division among ourselves? Why do we embrace it?

We all have ideas of The Way Things Should Be. Our determinations are based on both the visible world and our subconscious biases, constructs embedded into our psyche by decades of instruction and experience and repetition. And that’s OK, because we all develop differently even as we are created equal. We can find compromise within criticism when it comes from a position of respect. We can find peace and prosperity when it comes from a position of tolerance and love. We can all create a better future when it comes from a place of compassion and a sincere desire to leave our world better for those to come.

We can debate and disagree but we must not demonize or hate. We can continue the human experience together or we can destroy our potential and return to a primal state. The choice should be obvious. The path should be clear. The Way Things Actually Are today isn’t The Way Things Should Be. I think you know that to be true and it’s up to all of us to fight for what is right before we fight for what we think is best.

Talk to you soon…..it’s good to be back.

Dream or Trap ?

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You know that feeling you get when you find out you’ve been had? The one where you roll your eyes back a bit and think to yourself, “You sure fell for that one.” Sometimes you can laugh at your own empty-headedness and appreciate that the joke is on you. But sometimes, like when you never even perceived that a joke was afoot, realizing you’ve been had is like a swift kick in the gut. Sure, you catch your breath after a few panicked moments of gasping, but then you go on with things, albeit a bit more cynical and wary.

No, I did not send my bank account number to a prince in Nigeria in exchange for a bazillion dollars. Had I, such would fall into the first category of being “had.” Instead, I think that I’ve finally reached a moment of clarity, an epiphany if you will, regarding the mythical American Dream.

(Cue sound effects) What a sucker.

Maybe more accurate to call it the American Delusion, for like the magical pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, the American Dream is always, by deliberate design, just out of reach. No matter where you are in the pursuit of the dream, the hazy promise of more or better something convinces you that you have not yet achieved the success that the American dream represents. It is both alluring and insidiously rotten, and yet it is as much a part of who we are as is the air we breathe. And as invisible as the oxygen that passes into our lungs, so too do we fail to see the trap slowly springing until we are too far in to make a clean escape.

The American Dream (capitalized, probably trademarked by some corporation somewhere) is vaguely described as a society where the “citizens of every rank feel that they can achieve a “better, richer, and happier life.” But better than what? Richer how? Happier by what measure? How does a person know if they have reached the dream? Is it an individual dream for us each, a particular dream for similar groups of people, or a generalized dream determined by the behavior of the majority?

Actually, it’s all of the above. There is a societal, generalized version of the American Dream that includes a well paying job, owning a home and car(s), having a familial unit of some sort, taking nice vacations and having lots of things. One layer down there is a second dream layer applied to particular groups of people-groups divided along ethnic or professional or religious or educational criteria, for example. This dream gets more specific in how the generalized dream gets flushed out. Add the final layer-the personal dream-then squish them together and “Voila!” -your American Dream-customized, but always within the parameters of the larger, pre-determined dream variables.

Let’s take a step sideways for a moment. In a normal dream-the kind you have when asleep- things are often fluid and non-sensical as they play out. Sometimes these turn scary, other times confusing, but you always wake up knowing you’d only had a dream. In a daydream-the spaced out for no reason kind of thing-the desired outcome almost always is realized, and with the minimum effort required, but you snap out of it and get back to your business. Now step back to the American Dream. In this dream, things are often stuck in slow motion, non-sensical and scary and happy and wierd, but you know you won’t wake up because you aren’t asleep. And you also know that no amount of hard work will guarantee a happy ending. Because it’s still just a dream, stupid. And reality never follows the script in our head.

To ever even come within reach of achieving the classic American Dream, there are certain steps that you must take, and once taken, you must take them again and again and again until your legs finally stop working altogether. At the heart of the classic American Dream is the source of its power- money. Without this key resource, the American Dream can not be yours. So most of us work and toil day in and day out to amass as much of this magic ingredient as we can. Then we can feed it back into the dream machine and claim our prizes. The more we work, the more money we may get. The more money we get, the more things we can buy. The more we can buy, the closer we are to having the things that make up the American Dream- in whatever shape it takes for us. We measure our worth through wealth; our mastery of the dream by the size of our warchest. We equate happiness to treasure, and never more than when we are surrounded by our material things. We trade relationships for e-lationships. We abandon the real world for reality-based entertainment. We prefer sensation to real feeling. And yet somehow, we never quite reach the dream. It’s always just a little bit farther away than we thought.

And so we keep doing the same things. And so does everyone else. And so the dream continues to wield its silent power, keeping us in line by keeping us reaching.

And mostly, we just go along with things, because that’s just how things are supposed to go. This is how we live, at least most of us do. Those who don’t clearly don’t count anyway, because they aren’t part of or striving for the American Dream. And if you’re not going to have the American Dream, what, really, is the point?

If there is anyone left out there who actually comes here anymore, be ready…I’m back!

From my article Foreign Relations Roulette  (Feb. 27, 2005):

“To begin with, we should have a real heart to heart talk with our “allies.” We need to make clear, in no uncertain terms, that our goal is to help create a world that guarantees people the rights of freedom, the rights to have a representative government of their making, and a chance at prosperity as they define it. We, along with our other allies, should offer them all the technical, practical, educational, and financial assistance to help bring them up to developed standards. We should listen to their methods and ideas regarding “social growth” and incorporate them when practical. We need to be willing to share life-changing advances with other governments and ensure that they use this knowledge for their people. In exchange, we need to make clear what we expect from them in return: a quick transition towards a stable, elected representative government that provides for its people’s needs as defined by the people and an atmosphere of personal freedom and responsibility. And then, perhaps most importantly, we must lead by example. We must show our sincerity by including these countries and their people in the changes rather than just throwing money to American companies with a mandate to “fix the place.” We must clean up our act here at home and we must embrace actions that show the world that we are committed to world peace above capitalist profit.”

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From the Interview

(On directions to Mid-East envoy George Mitchell)

“And so what I told him is start by listening, because all too often the United States starts by dictating — in the past on some of these issues –and we don’t always know all the factors that are involved. So let’s listen. He’s going to be speaking to all the major parties involved. And he will then report back to me. From there we will formulate a specific response.”

(On the Israel-Palestine situation)

“I do think that it is impossible for us to think only in terms of the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict and not think in terms of what’s happening with Syria or Iran or Lebanon or Afghanistan and Pakistan.

These things are interrelated. And what I’ve said, and I think Hillary Clinton has expressed this in her confirmation, is that if we are looking at the region as a whole and communicating a message to the Arab world and the Muslim world, that we are ready to initiate a new partnership based on mutual respect and mutual interest, then I think that we can make significant progress.

And so what we want to do is to listen, set aside some of the preconceptions that have existed and have built up over the last several years. And I think if we do that, then there’s a possibility at least of achieving some breakthroughs.

And the bottom line in all these talks and all these conversations is, is a child in the Palestinian Territories going to be better off? Do they have a future for themselves? And is the child in Israel going to feel confident about his or her safety and security? And if we can keep our focus on making their lives better and look forward, and not simply think about all the conflicts and tragedies of the past, then I think that we have an opportunity to make real progress.”

(On the Muslim world in general)

“In my inauguration speech, I spoke about: You will be judged on what you’ve built, not what you’ve destroyed. And what they’ve been doing is destroying things. And over time, I think the Muslim world has recognized that that path is leading no place, except more death and destruction.

Now, my job is to communicate the fact that the United States has a stake in the well-being of the Muslim world that the language we use has to be a language of respect. I have Muslim members of my family. I have lived in Muslim countries.”

And my job is to communicate to the American people that the Muslim world is filled with extraordinary people who simply want to live their lives and see their children live better lives. My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy. We sometimes make mistakes. We have not been perfect. But if you look at the track record, as you say, America was not born as a colonial power, and that the same respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago, there’s no reason why we can’t restore that.

And I think that what you will see over the next several years is that I’m not going to agree with everything that some Muslim leader may say, or what’s on a television station in the Arab world — but I think that what you’ll see is somebody who is listening, who is respectful, and who is trying to promote the interests not just of the United States, but also ordinary people who right now are suffering from poverty and a lack of opportunity.
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A New Trend?

If you can notice the trend in all of these statements, it is that America will do better with friends and foes alike if we listen to the positions of all sides before rushing to judgment. But further, he understands that people (or nations) cannot move forward unless they are willing to let go of the past, especially the past wrongs that have created generations of enmity.

Secondly, for too long, our foreign policy forays have been based on the “Lesser of Two Evils” policy.

Again, from my article The Lesser of Two Evils (Jan.3, 2006):

“For over 60 years, U.S. Foreign policy has been predicated upon a doctrine known as “the lesser of two evils.” In essence, this policy was used as rationale for engaging in alliances with foreign dictators whose disdain for democracy held their own countrymen in virtual bondage to their whims. These dictatorships were free to act as they pleased within their own countries without pressure from the U.S. government with regards to human rights and freedoms so long as they sided with the U.S. in international matters or engaged in capitalistic endeavors with our government and corporations. Despite a stated goal of promoting democracy and freedom across the world, successive U.S. administrations and Congresses have made pacts with tyrants who abhor individual freedoms and seek power and wealth at the expense of their countrymen.

The simple truth is that the lesser of two evils policy is a fallacy. By choosing this method of foreign relations, the U.S. has not endeared itself to the people of the world. Despite the charity of our individual citizens to poor or ravaged countries around the world, the reputation of America is based on the actions of our government. We tout our freedoms and democratic principals everywhere we go, so the people of the world can only assume that we not only approve of what our government does abroad, we dictate that policy ourselves. They may want to come here and share in that power, but that doesn’t mean they like us. By choosing the lesser of two evils, we’ve shown the world that our means justify any ends, especially if the ends means more money and leisure for us. This approach to foreign policy has made us many false allies and real enemies, and the fruition of this approach is coming home to roost in the form of terror attacks and nuclear proliferation. And while the worst tyrants operate abroad, it is we who let them. Who is worse: the man who kicks the puppy or the one who pays to watch?”

We can only hope now, as we watch the beginnings of a new approach to foreign relations by America, that the Obama administration not only understands these concepts but puts them to constructive practice around the world. Listen before you act. Act consistently to all. Do not support tyrants while espousing democracy. Follow these three ideals, Mr. President, and you’ll make great progress towards restoring our national reputation and perhaps even leave the world a better, safer place than when it was handed to you.

(cross posted at Bring It On!)

A recent AP-Yahoo poll shows that consumers don’t have a rosy outlook for their financial futures any time soon. Because of high gas prices.

From cancelled vacations to finding new jobs, people are struggling to cope with the high price of fuel. And they don’t think that current high prices are going to reverse course anytime soon.

“Do you think there’s an end in sight? I don’t,” 33-year-old Angela Crawford, a Dallas homemaker, said in an interview. “It’s depressing and it makes you nervous.”

“We just don’t do as much,” said William Fisk, 39, a former dishwasher in Freeport, Maine. “We used to go out to have dinner, but we’re cutting way back on that.”

“My parents said, ‘Come down, spend a week with us,’” said Julie Jacobs, 35. “But when you add on the expense of gas, it’s just not worth it.”

In fact, things are getting so tight, that some Nevada businesses are offering customers gas cards as incentives to keep coming in.

Oil price hikes are a direct result of the Bush policies in the Middle East. They are also a result of higher demand for oil in developing nations. They are also high as a result of financial speculators. The beating of war drums around Iran now has gas prices soaring higher.

The era of cheap transportation based on oil is coming to an end, and may be here already. The transition will cause us all to rethink many things about the way we live our lives. We are woefully unprepared as a nation.

Happy Monday.

(cross posted on Bring It On!)