Black Swans of History in the Year of the Fire Monkey: Bernie Sanders

The USA hasn't seen a serious national political campaign mounted by a Socialist since the 1920 presidential election. Ahead of the 2016 election, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an Independent and Democratic Socialist, is running as one of the two major Democratic candidates seeking the presidency, all the while generating a lot of excitement and energy.

A hundred years ago, the Socialists ran as a third party and garnered 3% of the popular vote. In Oklahoma, the Socialists in 1916 brought in 15.5% of the vote - a sharp contrast with the last couple of cycles (2008 and 2012), which went heavily Republican and even more heavily Conservative/Tea Party Republican. In 1912, Oklahoma had gone 16% for Eugene Debs, in 1908, 8.5%, and in 1920, 5.3%.  Recall also that women could only vote in some states and couldn't vote nationwide until the 1920 election -- less than a hundred years ago.  

During the 2016 Democratic Primaries, Bernie Sanders  (b. September 8, 1941, Brooklyn) has outright won in New Hampshire and tied in Iowa. Even in very conservative places, he's exceeded 20% of the popular vote among Democrats.

Feel the Bern! 

What is Bernie Sanders' appeal?  He is direct, dramatic and endearing, going after "Wall Street," "Big Banks" and billionaires. These are particularly good targets in the wake of the Great Recession of 2008. 

Sanders seeks to bring a "Revolution" to Washington, making health care universal, a college education tuition free, and the environment better protected, among other things. If anyone wondered what happened to the Occupy Wall Street movement, "Feel the Bern" may well represent its aspirations. 

In 1979, Bernie Sanders wrote and narrated Eugene V. Debs: Trade Unionist, Socialist, Revolutionary, 1855-1926. He knows history well.

In my own family, there were several coal miners laboring away during the late 1800s and early 1900s. At least one miner from both my maternal and paternal lines died in a mining accident (in Pennsylvania and Illinois, respectively), and others died fairly young from the impact of terrible working conditions on their health. Several of my ancestors were active members of the Progressive Miners of America aka Progressive Mine Workers of America. 

Personally, I've been a Socialist since age 23. I support social spaces and concepts  -- libraries, parks large and small, mass transit, and universal health care, etc. -- and a well-defined separation of church and state. 

I'm also a pragmatist. While Sanders has certainly shaken up the race as a Democratic Black Swan foil to Donald J. Trump in the Republican field, the reality is that Hillary Clinton remains the front runner for the Democrats.  

The chances of a Socialist "Revolution" taking charge of the conservative so-called "Center Right" USA, let alone withstanding a savage "Counter-Revolution" from the "Trumpenproletariat," Big Business, Tea Party brutes and evangelicals, is highly unlikely. 

Refer to the Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939 for an inkling of what kind of nastiness this would entail, and multiply the population involved by fifteen times. 

The biggest challenge for Socialism is continued involvement and engagement. Americans tend to be able to keep interested in big things for maybe two to eight years tops (the range of all the big American wars). Then American folks move on to something else, or become something else. 

In the USA, there is no mass Socialist Party infrastructure. 

Socialists do fine within the framework of multi-party parliamentary systems in countries that are not overwhelmed by theocratic tendencies. 

In the USA, the two party system continues to dominate all national elections -- whether folks like it or not. 

When will you join the Revolution? 

Today's Rune: Wholeness. Happy Leap Year!

Addito Salis Grano, or: Who Do You Love, Who Do You Hate?

Recent comments by Frank Freeman, one of my UNC-Chapel Hill classmates, led me to some thinking, resulting in this little flow chart of sorts. Active reference to this may help clarify how you or anyone feels about anybody, ranging from the president of the United States of America to a next door neighbor.

Frank pointed out that a person in general support of President Obama would support a certain specific action by him, but if President G. W. Bush had done more or less the same action, they'd have stood in opposition; likewise, political enemies of President Obama would not and will not support his actions no matter what they were or are or could be, precisely because they are opposed to him. Seeing this, Frank said he was more or less "on the fence," and took a more neutral position in many matters.

To play the game, imagine various different names as Person A.  What if Person A was Abraham Lincoln? Frederick Douglass? Angela Davis? Try Ted Cruz. Dick Cheney. Sarah Palin. Hillary Clinton. Bill Clinton. And so on.

Figuring out your attitude by using one of the columns may help clarify where you stand on just about anybody and anything.  

Some attitudes shift with the passage of time. A person may hate a certain boss only while said boss holds any direct power over said person. All power is temporary, if only though mortality or external change in circumstance. 

Another person may unconditionally love a spouse for a while, and later unconditionally hate that same spouse, perhaps as s/he changes status to become an ex-spouse. And so on. 

What do you think?

In conclusion, people on either end of the spectrum will probably never be able to get through to each other. To a person in love, the object of love can do no wrong. To a person in hate, the object of hate can do no right. Neither side will ever convince the other of anything, at least for the time being.

Today's Rune: Fertility. 

Leviathan

The idea of a social contract matters, of civil society. Would one prefer some kind of ideal like life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness or a permanent state of violent chaos?

Check out what Thomas Hobbes wrote about living without any order or rules or social contracts or government whatsoever:

"where every man is Enemy to every man; the same is consequent to the time, wherein men live without other security, than what their own strength . . . no Arts; no Letters; no Society; and which is worst of all, continuall feare, and danger of violent death; And the life of man, solitary, poore, nasty, brutish, and short."

-- Hobbes, Leviathan or The Matter, Forme and Power of a Common Wealth Ecclesiasticall and Civil, 1651.

In 2013, let's take something as basic as water. If there were no rules on water usage, what do you suppose would happen during this year's droughts? If there was no government service, how do you suppose people would acquire water on a daily basis in most places? Yet destruction of government is exactly what Tea Party ideology stands for. Yes, ideas matter -- especially when put into practice.

Today's Rune: Defense.   

Lee Daniels' The Butler (Take I)

Today, walked around downtown and then checked out Lee Daniels' The Butler / The Butler / Le Majordome (2013). I thought it was important to see this as part of an audience, and am glad I did, not only for the more immersive big screen experience but also because as the credits rolled, enthusiastic applause broke out. That was cool. The Butler is an ambitious film, covering (episodically) a period of eighty years, though mainly focusing on the period from about 1957 to the early 1970s, hot times for the civil rights movement in the USA (with a reprise in the 1980s dealing mostly with personal responses to US policy toward South African apartheid, and the 2008 election). 

The Butler hits several key historical touchstones and showcases a heady ensemble cast (see French poster above for a roster of actors). It's sort of like a compressed movie equivalent of Mad Men, toggling between work and home lives and including cultural changes, but foregrounding civil rights themes, dynamics and events that are more in the background during the AMC series. 

Today's Rune: Defense.    

Bill Maher in Durham

Saw & heard Bill Maher tonight at the Durham Performing Arts Center (capacity about 2700 people).  He's sharp and wicked, more relaxed than on TV, clearly enjoying every minute of his performance - and it was a generous one, pushing two hours straight. Looked like he was wearing a Cuban style shirt, more casual than on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher. The audience was eclectic and appreciative. I loved it!

Bill Maher's stand-up topics in Durham ranged through all the impolite, telling topics like politics (including North Carolina's politics), religion, sex and social mores. It's a way fun job, but somebody's got to do it.

From Mormons to Catholics, Bill Maher does not spare the rod, yet when it comes down to it a la Flannery O'Connor's way of seeing and not unlike the great Voltaire, he's still pretty Catholic.

Last time I visited Tar Heel Land, the Tibetan Buddhists were in Saxapahaw. This time, Bill Maher in Durham -- and the Durham Bulls right next door, complete with fireworks and a victory.

Today's Rune: Joy.   

Syria's Turn

Today marks a significant turning point in the Syrian Civil War (2011-present) because the USA will now officially supply armaments to the rebels fighting Syria's Bashar Hafez al-Assad-led government forces. 

Above is an ethnoreligious map courtesy of Wiki Commons (from 2012).

To compare scale, Syria has many more people involved than did the American Civil War of 1861-1865, in which more than 600,000 died. Syria's population (including refugees) is about 23 million strong; so far, probably more than 100,000 people have died in its current civil war (about 93,000 is the official UN estimate as of today, mostly civilians).

A closer equivalent might be the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) -- Spain had a population of about 24-25 million people at the time. An estimated 500,000 died in the course of that internecine war; I'm not sure if the total number includes 150,000 or so executed by the government of Generalissimo Francisco Franco in its wake, or if the total rises to 650,000.

As with Spain, so now with Syria also in the sense of drawing in other nations, volunteers, weapons and additional supplies.

The Spanish Civil War is often depicted as a technological testing ground and precursor to World War II. The Syrian Civil War may be seen within the larger context of the "Arab Spring;" as for other effects, they will unfold with time.  

Today's Rune: Strength.    

Syriana: Send Lawyers, Guns and Money?

Well, folks, the violent chaos in Syria continues. Most reading this have some idea of what's going on, though about one in five American adults have not heard of, not seen footage of or even know of the existence of Syria. On the other hand, about the same number of American adults do have a pretty decent idea of what's going on. 

Syria has a population of about 23 million people, with a density of circa 307 people per square mile/118 per square kilometer. By comparison, Texas has about 26 million people and a density of 98 people per square mile/38 per square kilometer. Like people in Texas, people exist in Syria, too. 

As a result of the Syrian Civil War (2011-present), refugees flee, casualties mount. What next?

According to a Pew Research Center for the People & the Press report released just a few days ago, "Modest Support for Military Force if Syria Used Chemical Weapons/Americans Express Little Interest in Syrian Conflict." 

"Since the Syrian conflict began in 2011, it has never drawn much attention from the U.S. public. At most, only about one-in-five have tracked developments in Syria very closely."

Nonetheless, according to the same Pew survey: "By 56% to 24%, Republicans favor the use of military force against Syria if the charges that it used chemical weapons are proven. There is less support among Democrats (46% favor vs. 34% oppose) and independents (41% favor vs. 36% oppose)." 

Link to full overview: http://www.people-press.org/2013/04/29/modest-support-for-military-force-if-syria-used-chemical-weapons/

Another very recent survey concluded thusly: "Most Americans are not following the conflict in Syria very closely. In the HuffPost/YouGov poll, only 34 percent of respondents said they had heard a lot about the conflict. Another 48 percent said they had heard a little, and 18 percent said they'd heard nothing at all."

Link to full article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/01/syria-poll_n_3194927.html 

Should outside powers send arms shipments to the Syrian rebels? 
Should outside powers increase humanitarian aid? 
Should the US intervene as it did in Libya, with mostly air and naval support as part of a multi-national effort? 
Should a US-led "coalition" invade and occupy Syria as was done in Iraq and Afghanistan?
Should the "Great Powers" "facilitate" a "regime change?"

One thing we can all be sure of: something more is gonna happen regarding Syria in 2013 and it ain't gonna be pretty.

Today's Rune: The Self.

Gitmo and "The American People"

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I think it is critical for us to understand that Guantanamo is not necessary to keep America safe. It is expensive. It is inefficient. It hurts us in terms of our international standing. It lessens cooperation with our allies on counterterrorism efforts.  It is a recruitment tool for extremists. It needs to be closed.

Now, Congress determined that they would not let us close it -- and despite the fact that there are a number of the folks who are currently in Guantanamo who the courts have said could be returned to their country of origin or potentially a third country.

I'm going to go back at this. I've asked my team to review everything that's currently being done in Guantanamo, everything that we can do administratively. And I'm going to reengage with Congress to try to make the case that this is not something that's in the best interest of the American people. And it's not sustainable.

The notion that we're going to continue to keep over a hundred individuals in a no-man's land in perpetuity, even at a time when we've wound down the war in Iraq, we're winding down the war in Afghanistan, we're having success defeating al-Qaeda core, we've kept the pressure up on all these transnational terrorist networks, when we've transferred detention authority in Afghanistan -- the idea that we would still maintain forever a group of individuals who have not been tried, that is contrary to who we are, it is contrary to our interests, and it needs to stop.

Now, it's a hard case to make because I think for a lot of Americans the notion is out of sight, out of mind. And it's easy to demagogue the issue. That's what happened the first time this came up. I'm going to go back at it because I think it's important.  

News Conference by the President, James S. Brady Press Briefing Room, Washington, DC. Link to full remarks just to the right of this colon: News Conference by the President | The White House

So I ask any representatives of "The American People" to weigh in here. Shut Gitmo down or not?  Do something about the prisoners or do nothing and let the chips fall where they may? And: why?

Today's Rune: The Mystery Rune.

White Smoke, New Pope: And Along Comes Francis

Where were you when Pope Francis was chosen?  As for me, it's Hot Springs, Arkansas, at the Arlington Hotel, watching on CNN. He seems like a good choice, with Saint Francis as earthly model: San Francesco d'Assisi (circa 1181-1226). Our new Francis is a Sagittarius, which means he probably has a wild streak; things will happen with him in charge of the Roman Catholic Church. Saint Francis was a reformer, close to having been declared a heretic but instead, kept in the fold. Defender of the poor, friend of the birds.  Now, Pope Franciscus of Argentina.

What a year, this 2013 A.D., what an epoch -- in the midst of climate change, social reform, start of a second term for Barack Obama, retired pope (Benedict XVI), death of Hugo Chávez, election of Pope Francis I, 50th anniversary year of the death of JFK. And it's only March! What next?

Today's Rune: Wholeness.       

Dreamgirls

With Beyoncé, Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Hudson all sittin' pretty in Schaefer City these days, and fresh from checking out the Barack Obama 2.0 Inauguration and Super Bowl XLVII celebrations, I finally came around to watching Dreamgirls (2006) -- and liked it. Here in Bill Condon's adaptation of the 1981 Broadway show, the setting is moved from Chicago to Detroit. This fits well with its alternative universe take on Motown and the rise of a "girl group," in this case the transformation of the Dreamettes into the Dreams, with a few attendant nightmares thrown in to keep things spicy. There is a firm sense of historical backdrop, things like Martin Luther King, Jr.'s early tryout of the "I Have a Dream" refrain at Detroit's Cobo Hall during the "Great March to Freedom" of June 23, 1963 (distributed on vinyl by Motown) and the 1967 Detroit riot. 

The full story of Motown is a hundred times more compelling than the streamlined refraction of it depicted in Dreamgirls, but for legal reasons, we'll have to wait for the mini-series with the real music. Maybe by the year 2060 or so, somebody will get to see it. Still, in Dreamgirls, Eddie Murphy is good as an amalgam of singers, Jamie Foxx stands in deftly for Berry Gordy, Beyoncé equates with Diana Ross, Jennifer Hudson with Florence Ballard and the Dreams with the Supremes. Let's not forget Danny Glover as an old school manager, plus Anika Noni Rose as the third main Dreamette-to-Dream singer.

Today's Rune: Journey.        

Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall

President Barack Obama, at his inauguration ceremony today, invoked the progress that's been made in the United States of America since its founding. He specifically traced social progress inspired by "Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall." This is not the first time he's done this, but today it was expressed to a much larger global audience. He had earlier noted at Barnard College on May 14, 2012: "That's how we achieved women's rights, that's how we achieved voting rights, that's how we achieved workers' rights, that's how we achieved gay rights, that's how we've made this union more perfect."*

Today, the President also said:

That is our generation’s task -- to make these words, these rights, these values -- of Life, and Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness -- real for every American. Being true to our founding documents does not require us to agree on every contour of life; it does not mean we will all define liberty in exactly the same way, or follow the same precise path to happiness. Progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time -- but it does require us to act in our time. 

Wonderful. I loved this and all the speeches, and seeing the people, and the ceremonies, and the singing, and the parades -- all great. And man, it sure beats a lot of brutal alternatives.  

*Source: Chris Geidner, http://www.metroweekly.com/poliglot/2012/05/obama-at-barnard-speaks-of-activism-from-seneca-fa.html 

Under Title VII of the Civil Right Act of 1964, the federal government made it illegal throughout the USA for empoyers to descriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. This has been expanded, some by federal law and some by various state laws, so there are now additional protected realities like gender/sexual orientation, pregnancy age, disability, weight, height and others that can't be used as the basis for discrimination. "Don't ask, don't tell" discrimination was ended in the US military by the Obama Administration in 2011.

    

















On July 16, 1998, at the 150th anniversary celebration of the visonary Seneca Falls Convention of 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York, I heard Hillary Rodham Clinton speak these words in person: "We are, as one can see looking around this great crowd, men and women, old and young, different races, different backgrounds. We come to honor the past and imagine the future." Hillary was at today's inauguration, too -- in the capacity of Secretary of State.

From the 1848 Declaration: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal . . ." 

And: "we insist that [women] have immediate admission to all the rights and privileges which belong to them as citizens of these United States." This was, of course, considered wildly radical at the time.      

Today's Rune: Fertility.

Straight Outta the Mouth of Texas: One More Time for the Cheap Seats

I. "RP," the current long-running governor of this bizarre Interzone had this to say today:

“There is evil prowling in the world -- it shows up in our movies, video games and online fascinations, and finds its way into vulnerable hearts and minds. As a free people, let us choose what kind of people we will be. Laws, the only redoubt of secularism, will not suffice. Let us all return to our places of worship and pray for help. Above all, let us pray for our children."

Here's my "shot" at unspooling the heady thought processes of this cowboy -- only months after he lost to another man who in turn lost to Barack Obama last November in the US presidential elections:

1) Evil flows around and into people.
2) There is an invitation to choose our choices.
3) Laws are insufficient.*
4) There is a suggestion to go off to pray for help.
5) Pray for "our children."

*Apparently some sort of strange non-religious people depend on laws to help society function with some semblance of sanity.

“In fact, the piling on by the political left, and their cohorts in the media, to use the massacre of little children to advance a pre-existing political agenda that would not have saved those children, disgusts me, personally. The second amendment to the Constitution is a basic right of free people and cannot be nor will it be abridged by the executive power of this or any other president.”

6) Apparently some non-religious political enemies are acting badly, backed by "their cohorts in the media."
7) The kids at Newtown would have died anyway.
8) His political enemies disgust him, apparently more than any little gun violence at Newtown.
9)  The right to bear arms is "a basic right" -- but it's underlined through Constitutional Law, isn't it? Yet in #3 above he stated that laws are not enough, etc.  
10) Suggesting, perhaps, that the right to carry rifles and handguns is a Divine One.**
11) US president bad. Him good. 

**Go back to your Bible, folks. There's got to be a passage in there somewhere showing that Jesus wants all good Christian Texans to have a stockpile of firearms!  Like David Koresh and the Branch Davidians, right?  Forget all the jive about turning the other cheek this and thou shalt not kill that. It's all about the basic right of a free Texas people, and they'll damn well shoot if they want to. Yes, indeed, it's their Interzone and they'll shoot if they want to.

Hey, man: why have laws at all? Let's just resort to "Frontier Justice" like the good ole days. Stand yer ground, boys! Heehaw!

Today's Rune: Gateway.

The Forest and the Trees

I've been aware of history and politics long enough to know that this a big deal: the re-election of Barack Obama to a second presidential term despite an almost exactly split body politic. The fact that this election has proceeded through the intricate ways and obstacles of civil society rather than the main alternative -- civil war -- is heartening in the longterm.                                                                                                                                                            

With history and politics and in life itself, it's best to see both the forest and the trees -- the big picture and the details embedded within that big picture.

North America has endured many wars over the centuries. In Mexico, the Revolution was underway a hundred years ago. In the USA and especially in its breakaway states, the American Civil War raged 150 years ago. 200 years ago, the US and Canada were battling it out in the War of 1812. Overseas in Syria now, in 2012, violent, destructive civil war rages at this very moment, and will until it burns itself or most of Syria out.

These alternatives, between civil society competing for power and policy direction in relatively peaceful political ways or battling it out with heavy weapons in a vast, merciless and patricidal bloodletting, are the choices.

Rejoice in democracy at work. Rejoice in civil society. Look for common ground.

Surely most will agree that infrastructure must be shored up, that it's a good thing to do that.

Surely most will agree that there must be a sustainable ecosystem in order for us to survive.

Whatever our feelings are, surely more of us can seek out and find more common ground.

Now, under the shade of sturdy trees in the great forest, let's get to it!

Today's Rune: Signals.   

Chinese Whispers: Big Bird in Exile?

All day after last night's presidential election debate, stories and jokes about Sesame Street have been bouncing around the cybersphere. It's sort of like the old game of "Chinese Whispers," also known as "Telephone" or, as its surrealistic cousin is called, "Exquisite Corpse." Even people on the street are talking about it. "Poor Oscar the Grouch," one guy quipped. "He's already living in a trash can; if Romney won he'd be totally homeless." Ha! What next, Big Bird in Exile?

Here's what started millions of cyberbubbles zipping around the world -- Mitt Romney's statement (on October 3, 2012), in Denver:  "I'm sorry, Jim. I'm going to stop the subsidy to PBS. I'm going to stop other things. I like PBS. I love Big Bird. I actually like you too. But I'm not going to — I'm not going to keep on spending money on things to borrow money from China to pay for it. That's number one."

This was Romney's only specific budget cut proposal during the debate. 



Beyond Sesame Street, there's China and Chinese people. One of the last things I ever took notice of about Big Bird prior to last night was a special called Big Bird in China (1983), something that seems all the more apt today. Nowadays, the economies of the USA and People's Republic of China are intextricably linked. But even so, China and Chinese have down the centuries been convenient scapegoats for various and sundry. It's almost hard to believe, but even in the 20th century a lot of Americans still referred to any Chinese person as a "Chinaman" -- and that was the more "polite" epithet. This fact is wickedly lampooned in the Coen Brothers' The Big Lebowski (1998). Walter Sobchak (John Goodman): "The Chinaman is not the issue here, Dude. I'm talking about drawing a line in the sand, Dude. Across this line, you do not . . . Also, Dude, Chinaman is not the preferred nomenclature. Asian-American, please." And there's the matter of "some Chinaman" in the Korean War.

A quick perusal of stories that include the word "Chinaman" in the headlines of that hoary American newspaper of record -- the New York Times -- reveals a lot about what constituted "acceptable language" and widespread attitudes in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

November 22, 1884: "A CHINAMAN A CHINAMAN ALWAYS." This discusses the legal status of one Ah Kee, born in Hong Kong. ". . . Judge Brown held that a Chinaman was a Chinaman, no matter where he was born or where he lived. A Chinaman could never lose his nationality . . ."

October 2, 1885: "A CHINAMAN STRIKES BACK." This was an incident reported from Bismarck, "Dakota:" a "slightly intoxicated" man named Thurston "passed a Chinaman who was sitting in front of his laundry. Turning around, Thurston slapped the Chinaman in the face, saying: 'What the ____ are you doing here?' The Chinaman sprang to his feet, knocked Thurston into the street, and would have killed him if he had not been pulled off."

September 15, 1888. "HE WAS A GOOD CHINAMAN. AND HE TRIED TO BE JUST AS GOOD A CHRISTIAN."  

One Lo Ye reportedly died of a heart condition during a Sunday school session. "He had given up his habit of worshipping brazen images and material representations in hideous forms of beneficent heathen gods, and intended to become as good a Christian as soon as possible . . ."  Afterwards, "scores of Mongolians came to the chapel to gaze upon the feautures of the dead. With impressively sad countenances, they came, gazed in silence for a moment, and then with even more sorrowful faces went away."

October 18, 1888: "A CHINAMAN IS A CHINAMAN." (Sequel to 1884 story above).

July 8, 1904: 'CHINAMAN ROUTS ITALIAN. With Hot Iron and Water He Resents Attack on His Queue."

One John Trepori, "an Italian," reportedly was harassing one Lang Ung "at 36 North Fourth Avenue." A stiletto was involved,  and then a pistol. As things went from bad to worse, Trepori "drew a revolver . . . and fired point blank at the chattering Chinaman," who was not seriously injured. Both men, however, were arrested.

July 28, 1907: "AGAPE AT CHINAMAN'S WIFE. White Woman Lectured Harlem Mob Which Threw Things -- Police Called."  This story revolves around one "Wo Lee, Chinaman, at 1329 Amsterdam Avenue . . . near 125th Street." A woman identifying herself as Mrs. Wo Lee reportedly asked a gathering crowd, "Didn't you ever see a white woman married to a Chinaman before? I am sure you must have. Why, I have even known white women to marry
negroes . . . Please go away now."

And so on. Today's syndicated news outlets are slightly more subtle in revealing many such biases and prejudices, yet they're still quite outrageous when you investigate closely. Can you imagine looking at 2012 from the perspective of a hundred years from now? 

As for Big Bird and Sesame Street, in November I'm voting for Barack Obama again -- just as I did in 2008. Even a hundred years from now, I suspect, my voting record will stand proudly. 

Today's Rune: Joy.

Citizenship

We, the People, recognize that we have responsibilities as well as rights; that our destinies are bound together; that a freedom which only asks what’s in it for me, a freedom without a commitment to others, a freedom without love or charity or duty or patriotism, is unworthy of our founding ideals, and those who died in their defense.

As citizens, we understand that America is not about what can be done for us. It’s about what can be done by us, together, through the hard and frustrating but necessary work of self-government. . .

America, I never said this journey would be easy, and I won’t promise that now. Yes, our path is harder – but it leads to a better place. Yes our road is longer – but we travel it together. We don’t turn back. We leave no one behind. We pull each other up. We draw strength from our victories, and we learn from our mistakes, but we keep our eyes fixed on that distant horizon, knowing that Providence is with us, and that we are surely blessed to be citizens of the greatest nation on Earth.

Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless these United States. 

-- President Barack Obama, Democratic Party National Convention, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, September 6, 2012.

Today's Rune: Flow.   

The War Room

Elizabeth Warren, Bill Clinton, et alia: more powerful arguments for the Democrats and the re-election of Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Wonderful rhetoric and supporting analysis.

My fellow Americans, all of us in this grand hall and everybody watching at home, when we vote in this election, we’ll be deciding what kind of country we want to live in. If you want a winner-take- all, you’re-on-your-own society, you should support the Republican ticket. But if you want a country of shared opportunities and shared responsibility, a we’re-all-in-this-together society, you should vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden. -- Bill Clinton, Charlotte, North Carolina, September 5, 2012.

Couldn't ask for a smarter, more persuasive approach.

Today's Rune: Strength.

Democracy, USA

Excellent start to the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. Julián Castro, mayor of San Antonio, gave a cascade of persuasively compelling reasons to support Democrats in general and President Barack Obama for a second term.

 

 

Michelle Obama delivered a beautiful and powerful speech in support of Barack Obama and the Democrats.
 

Deval Patrick, Governor of Massachusetts, also delivered a powerful speech. All three key Democrats -- and several others in between -- shared a common enlightened vision. All three called on Americans to vote in the 2012 election. In 2012 as in 2008, Yes We Can!

Today's Rune: Breakthrough.

The Social Darwinists

                                                                                                                                       

Characterizing the bipolar political system in the US as dysfunctional is one thing, but saying that there's no difference between Democratic and Republican policies is empirically false. The main difference is in priorities -- today even more clearly defined. The Obama Administration seeks to implement and maintain a rational approach to the future with a moderate safety net in the tradition of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal. The role of government is important in this tradition, and seen in a positive light. The Republican challengers -- Mitt Romney and Tea Party Congressional Representative Paul Ryan -- view the government's role very differently. To them, building up the military-industrial complex is paramount, weakening the social safey net (i.e. "What I know is Texas, and here, you're on your own"), cutting texas for the wealthy, and privatizing without oversight is the way to go. These are significantly different approaches, indeed. 

 

To me, the Social Darwinist approach of the Romney-Ryan ticket is unnecessarily brutal. The Obama approach is much more civilized. Of course government can be made more efficient and responsive to the needs of people -- but don't throw the baby out with the bath water. Besides, the rich are doing quite fine the way things stand. In fact, if elected, Romney would be the wealthiest man to become US President in more than two hundred years. Do the super rich really need further encouragement?

Thoughts?

Today's Rune: Signals.