The New Scrooge

Scrooge

The new Ryan budget has arrived to the cheers of those who want to privatize the most important social nets that keep so many from drowning in the pit of poverty.

How have we gotten to this point in our country?
How is cutting cutting cutting going to make it better for those on the margins?
Why is being an obstructionist as honorable as one who compromises and dedicates to making life better for everyone in society?
Why is wealth the marker, by which people are judged?
Why are we acquiescing to the uber rich on discussions which they have no experience?
They have not been poor, marginalized, lonely, criticized and abandoned because of their inability to accumulate bricks of money.
They have not slogged through the swamps of Viet Nam or belly crawled in the sands of Iraq or Afghanistan.
They dare to pound their chests taunting for war in Iran!

Crowds check their brains to hoot and holler for the very person who would insure that they were sent first to fight. Fight to protect the further accumulation of whatever it is that drives these men to shout for fiscal control, as they dump boatloads of cash into senseless foreign adventures.

We seem punch drunk by the constant assaults on our sensibilities.

I hope enough of us know what the right thing to do is, as we get pushed this way and that way by the daily cycle of news.

We need to go back to asking each and every time, “Is this in the best interests of the majority of our citizens?”

If it is-let them know!

If it isn’t – let them know!

Chill Out!

Photo by M Barrett Miller

Chill out!!

Recently I pulled away from the helter skelter noise of traffic-burdened streets to get a little peace and quiet.
The closest place to get out of the maelstrom was a massive cemetery that spans blocks of prime Seattle real estate.

As I sat listening to the rain pounding down I couldn’t help but notice a site preparation awaiting a long-term resident.
The longer I looked out the window the more the scene began to unfold.

I was wandering the past through the eyes of that noble fir standing quiet guard over the souls of thousands.
The present was under the sagging rain filled tarp waiting for guests to say their final goodbyes.
The future was in process under the watchful eye of the crane operator perched high above all the craziness below.

The longer I sat there the more ridiculous all the negative arguments raining down on us from strutting politicians seems so be in light of the obvious, just outside my window.
We are here as unseen flashes on the cosmic clock. Hardly long enough to make much of a dent in the workings of the universe.
The present candidates for the presidency continue to go on about the horrors of gay marriage, contraception, immigration, religious inferiors, tax equity and health care for all, as they saber rattle towards more conflict in the name of liberty.

Seems so simple.

Try your best to get out of your own way as you search for answers and someone to tell you are really okay and deserving of being loved.
Leave the rest of the searchers alone as they try to find some balance with all that is pulling at them, in one way or another, confusing them, as they desperately look for an answer somewhere-anywhere.
Let them live by what they have found workable for themselves.
Let them love whomever they love.
Leave them alone.
Don’t worry – be happy!

“…I shall be telling this with a sigh 

Somewhere ages and ages hence: 

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-- 

I took the one less traveled by, 

And that has made all the difference”
Robert Frost

What are they Thinking?

Whats going on here?
What are the Republicans thinking?
Is this a sound platform for the Republican party?
Have I gone nuts or have they left the rails?
Are women really who they want to target??

The following is from U.S. Senator Cantwell pleading for people to stand up and scream at those who seem determined to curtail the rights of women. 

"...Between Rush Limbaugh’s disgusting smears and Mitt Romney’s plan to “get rid of” Planned Parenthood, it's clear that the right wing will stop at nothing to advance their anti-women agenda. But now, the New York Times is reporting that Republicans plan to OPPOSE a critical extension of the Violence Against Women Act.  The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) -- which helps survivors of domestic violence -- will come to the floor for extension in the next few days. When VAWA first made its way through Congress in 1994, it enjoyed broad bipartisan support. Yet last week, not one Republican voted in favor of the extension in committee. Not one. And reports now say that Republicans are planning to oppose passage..."  

Stop KONY 2012

WHO IS JOSEPH KONY?

JOSEPH KONY IS THE WORLD’S WORST WAR CRIMINAL. IN 1987 HE TOOK OVER LEADERSHIP OF AN EXISTING REBEL GROUP AND RENAMED IT THE LORD’S RESISTANCE ARMY (LRA).

THE LRA HAS EARNED A REPUTATION FOR ITS CRUEL AND BRUTAL TACTICS. WHEN JOSEPH KONY FOUND HIMSELF RUNNING OUT OF FIGHTERS, HE STARTED ABDUCTING CHILDREN TO BE SOLDIERS IN HIS ARMY OR “WIVES” FOR HIS OFFICERS. THE LRA IS ENCOURAGED TO RAPE, MUTILATE, AND KILL CIVILIANS–OFTEN WITH BLUNT WEAPONS.

THE LRA IS NO LONGER ACTIVE IN NORTHERN UGANDA (WHERE IT ORIGINATED) BUT IT CONTINUES ITS CAMPAIGN OF VIOLENCE IN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, AND SOUTH SUDAN. IN ITS 26-YEAR HISTORY, THE LRA HAS ABDUCTED MORE THAN 30,000 CHILDREN AND DISPLACED AT LEAST 2.1 MILLION PEOPLE.

WHAT IS THE GOAL OF KONY 2012?

INVISIBLE CHILDREN HAS BEEN WORKING FOR 9 YEARS TO END AFRICA’S LONGEST-RUNNING ARMED CONFLICT. U.S. MILITARY ADVISERS ARE CURRENTLY DEPLOYED IN CENTRAL AFRICA ON A “TIME-LIMITED” MISSION TO STOP KONY AND DISARM THE LRA. IF KONY ISN’T CAPTURED THIS YEAR, THE WINDOW WILL BE GONE.

WE ARE TAKING ACTION TO ENSURE THESE TWO THINGS:

1) THAT JOSEPH KONY IS KNOWN AS THE WORLD’S WORST WAR CRIMINAL.

2) THAT THE U.S. MILITARY ADVISERS SUPPORT THE UGANDAN ARMY UNTIL KONY HAS BEEN CAPTURED AND THE LRA HAS BEEN COMPLETELY DISARMED. THEY NEED TO FOLLOW THROUGH ALL THE WAY AND FINISH WHAT THEY HAVE STARTED.

WHY ARE WE MAKING JOSEPH KONY "FAMOUS"?

INVISIBLE CHILDREN’S KONY 2012 CAMPAIGN AIMS TO MAKE JOSEPH KONY FAMOUS, NOT TO CELEBRATE HIM, BUT TO RAISE SUPPORT FOR HIS ARREST AND SET A PRECEDENT FOR INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE. IN THIS CASE, NOTORIETY TRANSLATES TO PUBLIC SUPPORT. IF PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THE CRIMES THAT KONY HAS BEEN COMMITTING FOR 26 YEARS, THEY WILL UNITE TO STOP HIM.

SECONDLY, WE WANT KONY TO BE FAMOUS SO THAT WHEN HE IS STOPPED, HE WILL BE A VISIBLE, CONCRETE EXAMPLE OF INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE. THEN OTHER WAR CRIMINALS WILL KNOW THAT THEIR MASS ATROCITIES WILL NOT GO UNNOTICED OR UNPUNISHED.

See What we at Let Kids Be Kids is doing about it.

  For more information email us  letkidsbekids@mac.com

"I Will Always Love You!"

                                       "I Will Always Love You!"

Everybody has probably already said just about everything there is to be said about this song and Whitney Houston’s ability to belt it out like an angel.

What hasn’t been said is how challenging it is to live up to the words in the song.

Sure, if we have a “civil” split with someone our stated hope, to anyone that will listen, is that your soon to be previous love will find happiness and love in their lives.
Right, love and happiness with someone else!
Really!
How many of us are so sacrificial that we can actually let someone leave, or leave ourselves, hoping they find all that you were unable, or unwilling to offer, in the arms of someone else.
Wow, this is asking for a lot from mere mortal man.

Is it just me that harbors those wild and crazy thoughts that she will come back just because I will always love her, or are other people equally crazy?
Does she actually care what I am feeling?
Does she think of me at all?
Wasn’t it me that turned on that song, between tears, when she was packing up to search for the rest of her life?

Now, on top of everything else, I have the capacity to look in her window, thanks to Facebook, and see just how happy she has become without me.

Well Whitney, I guess on balance it was all worthwhile!

I’ll try harder.

Thanks for coming this way and leaving your incredible song behind. You said it way better than Dylan…

Barnes and Noble Closed?

                                                       What!!

Photo by M Barrett Miller

Barnes and Noble closed their store in the University Village, in Seattle, a couple of weeks ago!
How could that have happened?
A major book merchant, and anchor store, going dark in a thriving shopping Mecca may be the canary in the cave.
Was the rent really jacked beyond affordability?
Why would a “mall” manager make it difficult to stay as a cornerstone in the sea of Chinese product options throughout the mall?
Have book sales dropped so far that it doesn’t make any sense to have a premier store in a mall anymore?
Are we subtlety being moved to Kindles, iPads, Nooks, as bookstores seem to disappear right in front of our eyes?
Is this our fault?
Is this my fault since I have cut back on buying books?
Yes, I’ve increased ordering books from my neighborhood library rather than forking out twenty or more bucks for a new book.
Yes, I downloaded a copy of the “Quiet Australian” written by a friend rather than pay the thirty plus dollars for his print on demand edition. Have you ever tried to read a 1,600 page book on an iPhone!?
Yes, the books I have written also have download ability. Yep, I make three times as much on an electronic edition than I do on a print edition.
Yes, I quit my subscription to the New York Times and the Seattle Times!
Yes, I am getting a lot of my news surfing news sites and listening to Progressive radio.
So, what’s left for me at the University Village mall?
I can get ripped on “Blue Indonesian” coffee at Starbucks and stagger over to the happiest store in the world, Apple, and drool over what I can’t afford.

As Pogo once said, “We have met the enemy... and he is us.”
In this case maybe it’s the guy looking back at me from inside the mirror!

They are not all Crooks!

                                                    They’re not all Crooks!

Seattle street art. Photo by M Barrett Miller

I seem to be hearing more and more people say, “Ah, they’re all crooks!” whenever any positive comments are made about a particular politician.

Most recently I heard it while a group of volunteers were serving a lunch and complimenting the president on his State of the Union address. There were comments made by others about how it was all “just political” and that he didn’t mean anything by his comments beyond trying to lure in the unsuspecting. One of the people in the group asked a detractor whom they were going to support. The comment about all of them being crooks was readily accepted by a number of people inclined to vote for anyone but the current president.

It appears that those making such statements are unable, or unwilling; to sift through their minds the choices available that might be running au contraire to their preconceived ideas.

Enough with the equivalency remarks!

Everyone is not a crook and everyone doesn’t cheat on his wife or stash money in overseas banks. Not everyone is richer than Croesus or had a lace-curtain upbringing.
There are, believe it or not, many members of Congress, the Senate, the judiciary and yes, in the White House, that are upstanding members of society dedicated to doing their level best to serve our country.
Sure, everyone has personal foibles but they don’t deserve to be constantly lumped in with those that have truly jumped the shark.

They are not all crooks!!!

Love Thy Neighbor as...

Governor Christine Gregoire, of the great State of Washington, recently shared with her citizens that she plans on introducing legislation that will allow same sex marriages.

Can you hear the intake of breath from those that are sure this will be the end of mankind, as we know it??!!

The Pope chimed in last week with the following on marriage and same sex marriage, “…“This is not a simple social convention, but rather the fundamental cell of every society. Consequently, policies which undermine the family threaten human dignity and the future of humanity itself...”

Next thing you know, he and the other flame-throwers, will be quoting the “Good Book.”

Lets take a stroll through their source material.

In the Old Testament, called that by those that put slightly more stock in the New Testament, don’t know it is more accurately referred to as Holy Scripture, the Bible or the Tanakh, the Hebrew acronym for its three major sections Torah (the five books of Moses), Prophets, and Writings.

There are 5,888 verses in the Torah, and homosexual behavior is mentioned in just two of them. Leviticus 18:22 reads, "Do not lie with a male as one lies with a woman. It is an offensive thing."
Leviticus 20:13 repeats the prohibition, and claims that such an act to be a killing offense.

That's it! Nothing else about who can lie with whom! Interesting it says nothing about women so presumably the boys of old were as intrigued by ladies getting frisky as they are today-

Rabbi Mark S. Glickman of Congregation Kol Shalom said it so clearly in a recent Seattle Times article.

“…Note that the Bible only discusses sexual contact between two men; it contains no prohibition whatsoever of lesbianism. If the Bible is to be our guide, we'll be hard-pressed to find a reason to forbid women from marrying women.

More generally, the meaning of these two verses isn't at all clear. The Hebrew term for what they prohibit is "mishk'vei-ishah" literally, "woman-laying." A man isn't supposed to "woman-lay" with another man. I suppose "woman-laying" could refer to any sexual contact whatsoever, but it could just as easily mean something else.

Maybe the Bible is prohibiting certain sexual positions. Or maybe it doesn't want sex between men to be a matter of conquest as it often was between men and women during antiquity. Maybe the Bible just wants homosexual activity to be different from heterosexual activity.

Regardless, the Bible doesn't mention same-sex marriage at all. Same-sex marriage hadn't been invented back then…”
Neither had the internet, MySpace, Facebook, Studebakers or Tutti Fruti ice cream.

So, now what?

Perhaps the righteous will claim the bible meant to say something that is not in the book, or impose upon the books hidden meanings and codes telling us how bad all this really is for all of us.

Okay, how does any same sex marriage impact anyone else?
If a traditional marriage arrangement lives next door to a couple of the same sex is that going to influence their loving relationship?
Will kids run amuck if they uncover that some neighbor is married to someone of the same gender?
Will a hetero’s medical insurance soar because “they” are getting equal coverage?
Will traffic lights stay red longer?

Maybe all these overly excited people should delve into the real message of all holy books and try to live their lives accordingly.

“Love thy neighbor as thyself,” might be a good place to start.

Ministerial Exception!!??

Is this the way it should be???
Supreme Court rules against the rights of employees!!
Limited worker rights...
No recourse if fired for "religious" reasons...

“…In what may be its most significant religious-liberty decision in two decades, the Supreme Court on Wednesday for the first time recognized a "ministerial exception" to employment-discrimination laws, saying that churches and other religious groups must be free to choose and dismiss their employees without government interference…”

"The interest of society in the enforcement of employment-discrimination statutes is undoubtedly important," Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. wrote in a decision that was surprising in both its sweep and unanimity. "But so, too, is the interest of religious groups in choosing who will preach their beliefs, teach their faith and carry out their mission."

What this means in reality is that anyone who works for a religious organization can be dismissed by that organization if the employer deems the employee is teaching, or acting, or in conversation sharing a thought, that may be considered au contraire to their particular interpretation of the tenets of their faith.

Unfortunately, the way this has been applied over the ages, and in a recent Seattle court case, has nothing to do with teaching religion or being in anyway responsible for religious teaching beyond ones capacity as an employee.

In the Seattle Archdiocese employees are caged in the language of their contract and in the accompanying employee handbook that states they must walk the talk of the Catholic Church irrespective of whether or not they are a secretary or a math teacher. In the Archdioceses view all employees are an extension of the spreading of the faith and fall under Ministerial Exception.
That this concept is a stretch seems to have eluded the Supreme Court.

A recent Seattle case involved a teacher who blew the whistle on his principal for stealing. Here are excerpts from Sean Taeschner’s case, the teacher who was fired and won against the church claiming their exception.
“…Judge Michael Hayden stated that Mr. Taeschner was a state-certified teacher and mandated reporter and there to protect children first…” The judge said he was not going to rule against teachers that might fear turning in perceived illegal activities by church staff or other officials to authorities and lose their means of making a living…” The church appealed twice and lost. A financial settlement was awarded Mr. Taeschner at the cost of him never working for his beloved church again-

A computer employee in Yakima, Washington, was fired for reporting the contents of a priest’s computer to his boss, the bishop. The priest, who had asked this employee to look at his computer because he was having problems, swore the employee had put the questionable contents on his computer. The employee attempted to sue but lost his case, as he did teach a religion course making his claim invalid in the eyes of the court and their acceptance of the churches claim.

Another employee, a teacher, orchestrated outreach to people suffering from HIV/AIDS. When he bristled at the charge he was “promoting the gay agenda” to students he was ultimately fired for teaching contrary to the teachings of the church. He did not teach religion or take part in any religious observations, rituals or professions of the faith.

None of the above could receive unemployment as the church chooses to take their exemption from paying into unemployment.

Thanks to the Supreme Court religious organizations can pretty well do what they want towards their employees.

People who are considering working for any religious organization might want to spend a little time looking at their rights before they leap at the job offering…

Strong Women Scare Weak Men!

Hearing more statements from the Republican Presidential contenders today on their positions on women and sexuality I toss out the following.

1) Whats with calling for the curtailment of birth control country wide?
2) Why do these men think they have a say on what women can choose and not choose to do with their bodies?
3) Whats with curtailing the ability of the LBGT community to adopt children?
4) Whats with all the fuss over whether or not same sex people want to get married?
5) Why roll back Dont Ask Dont Tell?

An overwhemling number of people on a political forum responded that the current Republicans don't believe any of the above and are only saying it to flim flam the gullible "bible thumpers."


Do you think thats an accurate description of whats going on this primary season???

Still Dreaming!

I was talking with an old boy the other day that told me that even though he’s closer to 100 than he is to 75 he still dreams of a number of things possible and impossible.

He still watches the ladies go by with thoughts he acted on in his forties. He still hopes that there is a kiss, a hug, and more, before he calls it a day and bows out for good.
He knows the chances are slim but he has hope in the jaws of truth.

He still hopes there is more adventure ahead that doesn’t involve a doctor, nurses, more meds or an emergency ride to the hospital. He wants to walk through wild flowers way up in Alpine country. He knows he can do it if he can just get past his relatives who struggle to keep him caged.
He’s plotting an escape plan!
He is okay saying goodbye from a makeshift shelter under a grand Cedar tree tucked way up the back a beyond.

He would like to convert the volunteering he does into a paying job.
Money is part of his escape plan.
The mere pennies that flow in, after having exhausted his savings and retirement, for undisclosed reasons, inhibit him. He has an amazing history but knows it’s next to impossible to get a job at his age. He sends out letters, resumes and copies of kudos he’s received over the years without reply. He follows up sending emails to hiring authorities asking for a response. When he gets particularly irritated he calls the potential employer asking for a response. He refuses to obey the rules of the day, from employers, telling potential employees that they should not expect replies, as too many people are applying and they aren’t equipped to handle the applications.

He hopes to add another language to the collection he has mastered. He believes his mastery of language has unique value that may open some doors for him in some far away place where he can walk the beach and dream of snagging the wily Barramundi.

He recently got a small video camera that he is going to use to tell some tales for those who may follow him over the wall.

He has a spontaneous laugh echoing the joy he has spread to others his whole life.

I am taking donations for his breakout!!

She Deserves Better!

Yesterday I spent a few hours with a 74-year-old woman as she waited to visit with her eye doctor. She needs injections every two months to combat encroaching blindness. The shots cost $4.350.00.

At 74 Betty Lou (not her real name) works 27-30 hours a week for a national grocery chain. She is paid $9.17 per hour. She has worked in the same store for the last 15 years. She stays because she needs the health care benefits and the little that goes towards some dream of retiring, for at least a few years. She lives in subsidized housing constantly afraid she will lose the meager monies that keep her in her tiny apartment.

Betty Lou never attended high school because she needed to help out at home with the children that followed her on to the planet. As a young adult she tried to get back into school while she held down various waitress jobs.  Her father’s untimely death and the onslaught of Parkinson’s to a sibling brought her back home to care for her brother. A younger sister had arrived with Down syndrome, requiring a watchful eye, resources and time from mom. A year after beginning to care for her brother her mother had a stroke debilitating her. Years went by taking care of these three family members. She got some state help and some help from family but that soon dried up. She shored up the financial challenges by babysitting after school for neighbors.

Years rolled by with Betty Lou meeting each challenge as best she could with the limited options at her disposal.
She never married. She told me she only had two dates in her life. She isn’t sorry about never marrying or having children of her own. She has story after story about the kids she sat for and how they are doing such and such now. She is invited to one family’s home for Thanksgiving and Christmas every year.

She is content. She may or may not be happy. I don’t know.

Betty Lou got her GED last year through a local community college. She is very proud of the certificate and reminds any who will listen that “education is one of the keys to bringing one to the doorway of opportunity.”

It’s too late for Betty Lou. No big new opportunities are likely to jump up at the store beyond the hoped for “dime” an hour the union is attempting to bring to her pocket book.

Betty Lou is just one of many trying to cope in a system that seems to be way out of whack. She is afraid when she hears politicians talking about cutting back this and that, as she knows without the little income she gets from her job she will die on the streets. She has outlived family and has no where to go if anything else should happen to her…

We can help all the Betty Lou’s if we just take the time to re-visit our priorities and define what kind of a country we really want to live in-

Is It My Mind That Is Lost - Or Theirs?

Lets hope the shotgun isnt loaded!!

Earlier today I strolled into Sterling Savings Bank, in Seattle, to cash a check drawn by one of their customers. When I approached the teller he gave me one of those hand signals telling me he would help me when he got off the phone. I endorsed the check placing it along with my identification on the counter. When he got off the phone he picked up my ID and checked it against the name on the check. He then raised my ID to the light like you would if you were doing a TV version of checking to see if money is counterfeit. I thought that was a little weird but said nothing-

After examining my identification he told me I had to take off my hat and glasses. I thought that maybe he needed to check my photo with “my actual face” so I went along with it. I didn’t get the glasses part, as I’m wearing glasses on my drivers license, but did as he asked. Figuring I was identified I put my hat and glasses back on. He told me very sternly that I could not wear a hat or dark glasses in the bank. My glasses, by this time, had returned to their inside mode.
I asked him if he was serious!
He was very serious referring me to a note on the front door stating no hats or dark glasses could be worn in the bank.

I got my money and proceeded to the Managers “desk” to clarify this policy. The Assistant Vice President, Assistant Branch Manager failed to see me occupying space at the proper distance from her desk, nor did she acknowledge me, while she carried on with a phone call. When I re materialized, and was bid to step forward, I asked why they had such a policy? She referred me to the note on the door. When I admitted I had blown right by the note she got very defensive asking me “how I’d like to look down the barrel of a gun held by a robber!!” When I asked her if only robbers wore hats and glasses the communications went straight down hill.
I suggested they construct a large “boot room” adjacent to the front doors where customers could check their hats and glasses prior to entering the bank inner sanctum. You can see where this headed.
You’re wrong!
I asked her if I could quote her and headed for the freedom of the streets.
Okay!
Really!
Lets see.
If I were considering an illegal withdrawal of cash from the bank the game would be afoot before the teller told me to take off my hat and glasses. It is too late when I’m already inches from the filthy loot.
What about customers that are packing iron into the bank under the imprimatur of a concealed weapons permit?
Can anyone imagine what I could be packing under my well-worn baggy Simms fishing jacket?
Long rain jackets, enormous over the shoulder purses, back packs, canes, crutches, who knows what lurks in the saddle bags attached to walkers, could potentially create a similar scenario of fear and knee jerk reactions towards customers.

Many banks, in the third world, have shotgun-packing guards controlling access at the front doors. They look you over and allow in a few at a time if they feel you present no risk- (Photo taken in Antigua, Guatemala) One can only pray that all those guns down there are issued without bullets, as dying in a crossfire between the bank guard and the guard on the Pepsi truck, who is sporting a shotgun and a pistol, would lack a certain sense of style.

So, where are we going with this? Scanners at the doors, being frisked, fingerprints, eye scanning, blood drops, DNA, ID implants similar to the one my canine friend sports…
Perhaps a little humor shown by the bank as they mildly apologize for asking customers to "bare all" would go a long way towards building customer understanding and appreciation. For customers to feel they are presumed to be in the bank for nefarious reasons isnt building trust or confidence in the bankers or in each other. Yes, banks get robbed and its tough on the people who experience that but lets not run amuck fueled by fear of each other just beause we can-

I finished my banking adventures by depositing the cash at the Stagecoach Bank. I chatted with the manager there about the previous bank’s policy. He laughed at their policy from behind Plexiglas so thick that Superman and the entire Justice League would be hard pressed to dent.

We need a flash mob to show up for a little nude banking….

So, is it me that’s nuts??

1936,as current as today!!

John J Barret and Anne in Venice

Seems mighty current!!

The following is from the Jeffersonian Democrats of Northern California. Publish date fall 1936. This would have been the 1936 election.

     American Institutions

The following radio address was delivered by John J. Barrett, noted California attorney and life-long Democrat as his reasons for voting for Alf. M. Landon as President.

“…A serious fault in the American people is their complacency.  We have a sense of superiority over other nations.  We have a sense of immunity from their perils.  We have abiding conviction that no tidal wave can engulf this land even though it submerge the Continent. We are certain that we are safe against all the malign agencies that assail the rest of the race. “It can’t happen here.” That makes these times doubly dangerous for us. Because here and now the life-and-death struggle is under way. And to us primarily, at this very moment, applies the ancient admonition that “eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”

What is the particular threat against us in conditions at home and abroad? It is a threat against our democratic institutions. That is the fundamental threat; all the others are dependant on it. What are these democratic institutions? They are certain safeguards of individual freedom and individual opportunity. Where are they lodged? In the foundation of the government, in its framework and constitution. What is their idea? To divide the power of government. But why divide the powers of government? To prevent their concentration in an individual or group. Why prevent the concentration of all the powers of government in an individual or group?  Because that is the definition of a dictator, and, since time began it means the death of individual freedom and individual opportunity. Even if the dictator is sincere and well disposed?  Yes. All dictators are sincere and well disposed to begin with.  There are no sincerer men on earth today than Mussolini, than Hitler, than even Stalin.  Somebody said that virtue is more dangerous than vice, because it knows no limitations.  There is a grain of truth in that.  The criminal knows he is wrong and will go only as far as he has to.  The good fanatic knows he is right, and will stop at nothing.  That very sincerity of the dictator, his consciousness of the purity of his intentions and the benevolence of his purpose, becomes the mainstream of his regimentation of the lives and activities of his subjects.  That is the uniform history of unbridled political authority. That is the devouring and insatiable appetite of power…”

Any thoughts on the relevancy of these comments today?

Advocacy for Those Seeking a Voice

     "...  Tiocfaidh ár lá..."

Occupy Seattle et al...

Photo by M Barrett Miller

Do you feel the "Occupy Wall Street" movement is having any impact on the movers and shakers? 

Do you have any ideas on how to get actual changes made to the 99% of us trying to hang on? 

What would you like to see?

The following is from the Huffington Post.

"...Occupy Seattle protesters, now in their fourth week of demonstrations, haven't given up the ghost yet -- far from it. They had fun with the Halloween-themed weekend to focus attention on their cause, staging a mock funeral service for the death of Corporate America, complete with a brass band; a Sufi priest; mourners in black with umbrellas, and funeral dancing. The protestors have moved their encampment to Seattle Central Community College, but go back to the original site at Westlake Park during the day, providing a route for frequent marches.

Hundreds of protesters gathered in the park on Saturday, October 29, bowing their heads to pay their final "respects" to the faceless concept of corporate greed and oppression. Mourners gathered around a draped coffin, dressed in black and huddled beneath a sea of black umbrellas.

It didn't take long after the final "amen" for a brass band to kick into high gear with tunes like "Down by the Riverside," while the crowd broke out into spontaneous modern versions of the fox trot and mambo.

Skeletons and zombies joined mothers, babies, grannies and men in business suits to celebrate the death of unequal economic practices that have held the world in what protesters consider a death grip for way too long.

The funeral service was led by Michael Douglas, a local Sufi priest. Sufism is loosely defined as the inner or esoteric dimension of Islam, and those who practice it have spanned several continents and cultures for over a thousand years. When he's not presiding over the death of corporate greed, Douglas teaches sacred art, music, and religious history to Seattle middle-schoolers.

After marching through the downtown core at 5 p.m. on Saturday, protesters settled in at the grounds of Seattle Central Community College on Capitol Hill. A Halloween party erupted at sunset, but costumes were far from frivolous. A man introduced himself as "Big Money" and proceeded to tell sinister stories of his power over America, then laughed hideously before asking "Why so serious?" and slithering into the night.

Another costume urging the break-up of the "big gambling banks," revived Washington State Senator Maria Cantwell's warning exactly two years ago that "Wall Street has a gambling problem." Senator Cantwell then stated that "Americans want to know when Congress will put an end to the Wall Street's secret off-book gambling schemes and restore our capitalist system by requiring real transparency and true competition." Judging by the Occupy movement still raging across the country, Americans are still wanting to know - and they're getting tired of waiting.

Another protestor in costume dressed as a young woman of privilege. Her sign described her character as a member of the 1%, stating that she had no student debt, plenty of family money, was well-connected, and had a corporate job. "I am not entitled, I am just lucky -- raise my taxes."

One participant wearing a t-shirt that read "One Nation Under God" pushed the envelope by holding up a sign to the protesters with an ultimatum: "Morans, Get Out." (sic)

"If God wants some people to have more money than everyone else, then that's just the way it is. It's God's will," the man told the crowd, a cigarette hanging from his mouth. "Jesus was a carpenter; he didn't have no union."

Unaware at first that the man's identity was a costume, the crowd's anger simmered and hostility filled the air. The young man kept a straight face as long as he could, but finally decided that he needed to say "trick or treat" before things turned ugly. Satire is just as prevalent as passion in the Occupy Seattle camp.

During a "speak-out" on stage lasting over two hours, the hand painted sign that marched with protesters from the site at Westlake Park to their new home on Capitol Hill waved in the increasing wind and absorbed scattered raindrops. Tents went up about 8:30 p.m., while the party and the protest settled into the damp Seattle night..."

Pig Bankers!!!

Recently, on 1 October, a friend ordered new checks from his bank.
He wasn’t paying attention to the pending charge and wound up over drafting his account by $3.31.
On the 3^rd of October he called the bank to tell them he had goofed and there would be a fairly good deposit that would be made on Thursday the 6^th. He informed the bank that there would probably be around $36.00 worth of charges coming in before he could make the deposit. He was told he would be charged $25.00 plus $8.00 a day until Thursday.
Outrageous, but manageable!
On Thursday he went to the bank to make a cash deposit of a few hundred dollars. He didn’t have a deposit slip so the teller had to look him up. While standing there he told the teller he was a few bucks over if that helped her identify his account. After a moment she said she had found the account and he was actually $232.00 overdrawn.
He was stunned but not too stunned to pass her the cash, which he knew would be used to balance the account. He stepped back asking if she could do a print out, as he had no idea how his account could be in such dire straights.
She printed him a couple of pages so he could see what was going on.
Well, there were eight debits at $25.00 a pop and four at $8.00. When he asked one of the people sitting at a desk what was going on he was told those were standard overdraft charges.
He staggered out of the bank to find a phone and call his branch. When he finally got to an officer he told them there would be a large automatic deposit on the 11^th and would they consider reducing the accumulated charges. He was told that was not possible and charges would accrue until the account was back in the black. After a bit of conversation he was told that out of courtesy to his 23 years with the bank they would consider reversing some charges when the deposit arrived.
On the 11th his automatic deposit came in to be reduced by $328.00 for the accumulated charges.
He called the bank asking if they could flip the charges to his old line of credit so he could access the full amount of the deposit. He was told no that wasn’t possible. When he asked about reducing the charges he was told that if he looked at his statement they had already reduced them by a considerable amount.

Okay, lets make this simple; you borrow $30.00 for nine days from your bank. You are okay paying a fee but are you okay paying a total of $328.00 for the pleasure? That converts to a 1,100% interest charge for borrowing $30.00 bucks for nine days!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, 1,100 % unless my math is faulty.

If your bank has a breaching Orca on its masthead you might consider running for your life.
My friend has ventured over to where the stagecoaches roam in hopes he won’t be crushed by runaway horses.

1,100 % !!!!!

The European banks drove the little guy out of the system decades ago. That is why so many in Europe use their local postal office to buy money orders, pay bills, make phone calls etc.

With the Republicans vowing to take down our Post Office you can see the day when you’ll be banking at a FedX, postal, bill paying, payday check cashing office with a giant symbol of the $ outside where the old flagpole stood welcoming you to the Post Office-

Ah, anything to protect those who praise money above all. The job creators who only charge you what the market demands of them to turn a profit.

Good luck-

What is the right thing to do????

    Seattle street art    Photo by M Barrett Miller

If It Feels Right ...

By DAVID BROOKS

During the summer of 2008, the eminent Notre Dame sociologist Christian Smith led a research team that conducted in-depth interviews with 230 young adults from across America. The interviews were part of a larger study that Smith, Kari Christoffersen, Hilary Davidson, Patricia Snell Herzog and others have been conducting on the state of America’s youth.

Smith and company asked about the young people’s moral lives, and the results are depressing.

It’s not so much that these young Americans are living lives of sin and debauchery, at least no more than you’d expect from 18- to 23-year-olds. What’s disheartening is how bad they are at thinking and talking about moral issues.

The interviewers asked open-ended questions about right and wrong, moral dilemmas and the meaning of life. In the rambling answers, which Smith and company recount in a new book, “Lost in Transition,” you see the young people groping to say anything sensible on these matters. But they just don’t have the categories or vocabulary to do so.

When asked to describe a moral dilemma they had faced, two-thirds of the young people either couldn’t answer the question or described problems that are not moral at all, like whether they could afford to rent a certain apartment or whether they had enough quarters to feed the meter at a parking spot.

“Not many of them have previously given much or any thought to many of the kinds of questions about morality that we asked,” Smith and his co-authors write. When asked about wrong or evil, they could generally agree that rape and murder are wrong. But, aside from these extreme cases, moral thinking didn’t enter the picture, even when considering things like drunken driving, cheating in school or cheating on a partner. “I don’t really deal with right and wrong that often,” is how one interviewee put it.

The default position, which most of them came back to again and again, is that moral choices are just a matter of individual taste. “It’s personal,” the respondents typically said. “It’s up to the individual. Who am I to say?”

Rejecting blind deference to authority, many of the young people have gone off to the other extreme: “I would do what I thought made me happy or how I felt. I have no other way of knowing what to do but how I internally feel.”

Many were quick to talk about their moral feelings but hesitant to link these feelings to any broader thinking about a shared moral framework or obligation. As one put it, “I mean, I guess what makes something right is how I feel about it. But different people feel different ways, so I couldn’t speak on behalf of anyone else as to what’s right and wrong.”

Smith and company found an atmosphere of extreme moral individualism — of relativism and nonjudgmentalism. Again, this doesn’t mean that America’s young people are immoral. Far from it. But, Smith and company emphasize, they have not been given the resources — by schools, institutions and families — to cultivate their moral intuitions, to think more broadly about moral obligations, to check behaviors that may be degrading. In this way, the study says more about adult America than youthful America.

Smith and company are stunned, for example, that the interviewees were so completely untroubled by rabid consumerism. (This was the summer of 2008, just before the crash).

Many of these shortcomings will sort themselves out as these youngsters get married, have kids, enter a profession or fit into more clearly defined social roles. Institutions will inculcate certain habits. Broader moral horizons will be forced upon them. But their attitudes at the start of their adult lives do reveal something about American culture. For decades, writers from different perspectives have been warning about the erosion of shared moral frameworks and the rise of an easygoing moral individualism.

Allan Bloom and Gertrude Himmelfarb warned that sturdy virtues are being diluted into shallow values. Alasdair MacIntyre has written about emotivism, the idea that it’s impossible to secure moral agreement in our culture because all judgments are based on how we feel at the moment.

Charles Taylor has argued that morals have become separated from moral sources. People are less likely to feel embedded on a moral landscape that transcends self. James Davison Hunter wrote a book called “The Death of Character.” Smith’s interviewees are living, breathing examples of the trends these writers have described.

In most times and in most places, the group was seen to be the essential moral unit. A shared religion defined rules and practices. Cultures structured people’s imaginations and imposed moral disciplines. But now more people are led to assume that the free-floating individual is the essential moral unit. Morality was once revealed, inherited and shared, but now it’s thought of as something that emerges in the privacy of your own heart.