Resistance
In the early eighties when I was in high school, a buddy and I feared that the U.S. and Soviet Union might go to war and exchange nukes. We decided that we needed a bomb shelter, and proceeded to dig a large hole - over several weeks' time - hidden in a thick grove of young pine trees on my parents' land. We abandoned that project, mainly because the sandy soil kept collapsing. Over the following years as my thinking matured and I observed that the world did not go to war en-masse and that the world generally seemed to be getting better, I came to believe that it would continue to get better over time. Never, ever, until recently, did I believe that our America, the melting pot, the bright beacon of Democracy in the world, would move toward tyranny as rapidly, rabidly and radically as it has.
When I was in Iowa City for surgery in February, I spent a lot of my recovery time immersing in politics media, and reading political books. The shit coming out of Washington was sickening. I had time to go to the library, and to wander around downtown, and I saw nothing, observed nothing, to indicate that people were feeling as I was. I expected to see students protesting, to see protest signs, some sign of discontent - but nothing. It felt unreal that the city could be so oblivious... but then, that was February, before the country suffered the many horrors that have since been perpetrated on the American people. Since February, there has been much more vocal and visible opposition; the Hands Off!, May Day and the No kings! protests, and the ICE raids with their ensuing protests, marches, rallies. Almost every day now there is some resistance action somewhere in the country. I've plugged into Indivisible groups in locales where we've traveled to get a sense of how the resistance work is building, and I can say with confidence that it IS building, and that I am encouraged.
To understand how the country got to where it is now, one needs to study the history. This, I have been doing. I've been absorbing a lot of reading material, which, as a retired person, is a luxury I now have. I've been reading about democracy, freedom, rights, tyranny, protest and resistance, and more. What's happening in our country is not normal, and our democracy is at serious risk. This isn't just a political fight between Left and Right. This is a battle for democracy - or for dictatorship, depending on where one stands. Taking sides on issues won't fix this.
Along with all the reading, I've been trying to figure out what tangible actions I can take to help defend the country, beyond simply waiting for the next election cycle. Kristin and I have protested, called our representatives, boycotted, funded progressive opposition, and more. The fact is, at the rate the radical fascist oligarchic right is moving, we may very well lose our democracy long before there are any elections that can make a difference - that is, the next set of elections may actually be rigged so that it will be impossible for democrats and progressives to regain enough power to stop us from slipping into full-on dictatorship. My concern isn't just idle conspiracy theory or alarmism - this is informed by solid research (e.g., see On Tyranny; Twenty LessonsFrom The Twentieth Century). Our democratic house is burning, and we need to put out the fire before it's gone.
I am profoundly sad for this country, for the people who so obliviously go day to day through their lives, not realizing or understanding that what they have is seriously at risk. Young people TikTok'ing, Instagram'ing, SnapChat'ing and immersing in all the other mind-numbing apps and games they're addicted to, ignorantly being steamrolled by powers they could see if only they would look. Those who've been radicalized by Fox News, Breitbart and all the other right-wing trash-pit media to be racist, sexist, xenophobic, bigoted, misogynist haters, believing every lie told by the fascist regime - who don't, can't see that their country is being destroyed around them, and that they will end up suffering badly from the collateral damage because the regime doesn't give a shit about them unless they're rich (and unless they're mega-rich, they'll likely be robbed anyway). And of course, all the innocent and beautiful people who just want a good life - good housing, safe food, a clean environment, a good job, health care, protection from violence - who will instead be economically raped and physically terrorized simply because they aren't white European males and are therefore a target of the regime.
Despite all that, I am also profoundly hopeful for America. It is waking up. Resistance is building. We are already far down the road to tyranny, and I don't expect that the road ahead will be at all smooth, but it is clear that the American people do not want what is being shoved down their throats. We The People can - and will - remove the fascist scourge and return America to the People, ALL the People. If you're not already engaged in the resistance, I urge you to do so. The easiest way to get started is to go to Indivisible, find a local group near you, and get plugged in. Or go to MoveOn and find something that speaks to your heart and plug in there. But ACT. NOW.
Travel Photos
Since I last posted just after leaving the Grand Canyon in late May, we've covered a lot of ground, making our way through Arizona, Nevada, northern California and into Oregon. We've seen a lot of stuff, some interesting, some beautiful, some cool, some boring. I'd love to talk in depth about the pictures below, but as has become more usual recently, I want to limit this post to a reasonable size, so I think I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Please ping me if you want to know more.
