Lessons From the Tenth Decade

Music is incorruptible.

No matter how politicians and hucksters try 

to co-opt music to their own, selfish ends, 

music resists. It perseveres to reach us all.

Some like this bit, some prefer that, but music engages all:  

Homo sap's universal language spanning our Babel-ious world. 

76 Years Old Today

 No, not I: the UNDHR.

Today is the 76th birthday of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, three generations old and still forceful despite numerous, often systemic, violations. It is primarily but by no means solely the work of the greatest of our three Roosevelts, Teddy, Franklin, and Eleanor. 

"Greatest?" Well, at least Eleanor's work is the longest lasting (unless one counts Teddy's FTC, Sherman Anti-Trust Act, and Robinson-Patman Acts; or Franklin's SEC even though these are observed more in violation that in compliance.) The declaration is often violated, certainly, but nonetheless, UNDHR has the widest impact of any of the other Roosevelts' legacies. It's thirty articles continue to inspire men and women and some government leaders throughout the world. She also inspires women by her example of hectoring her husband to respond to society's needs; of out-maneuvering Andrei Gromyko, The Soviet Ambassador to the UN; and of forging alliances with domestic Republicans and leaders from different cultures and political systems.

Now it is up to us the remind our present generation of leaders of the foundational importance of the UNDHR, May we assure its survival for another 76 years.

Cynicism and Autocracy

Many friends and I are astounded at the inappropriateness of nearly all of Trump's nominees. My hunch (only that) is that those who are pulling the strings on The Don Marionette are intentionally showing their disdain for and contempt of our democratic-republican governance institutions. By putting in place totally unqualified persons they strengthen their case for turning over government to a competent, capable autocrat and his cabal.

My prediction (only that) is that they will talk him off his tariff limb; into reductions of corporate and capital gains tax rates; into repeal of the surcharge tax on high incomes; into entitlement cuts; into a work-visa plan that exempts holders from wage and benefit minimums and assures a steady supply of low-wage labor; into restrictions on unionizing; into cancellation of student debt forgiveness and Pell grants; and into large DOD cost-plus contract appropriations. This group of confident, self-interested elitists will increase income and wealth inequalities, not reduce them.

No sense my writing my two resistor Senators, Cantwell and Murray. As for other states', only constituents can get through to them. So, please, if you of a mind and live in another than Washington State; write or leave a voice mail for your Senators -- especially Republican ones -- urging them to stiffen up and re-assert Senate responsibility to advise and consent only to nominees who are qualified to manage these complex institutions of government. There is too much at stake for Senators to cave-in to the (cabal-directed?) MAGA threats and intimidation -- and cave they will if their constituents do not speak up. 

Lessons From the Tenth Decade

When you aspire to do more than energy and will can deliver,

despair not. 

Regret is but a waste of time and a poison to the spirit.

Rejoice. 

Rejoice in partial achievement 

~~~~

and never diminish your aspirations.

America First

A sincere, deeply concerned friend of mine asked, by e-mail, for my advice on and assistance in launching a last-minute campaign to forestall the incoming administration's abandonment of Ukraine. The idea is to advertise and use social media networks to position Ukraine as "Good" in a fundamentalist Christian way, i.e., as having voluntarily given up their nuclear arsenal in the name of Peace; as having faith in the protective guarantees of the Budapest Memoranda signed both by the Russian Federation and the United States; and as being an innocent victim of Vladmir Putin, the "Evil" in this scenario. The hope is to gin up an irresistible tide of public demand for continued support of Ukraine.

Here is how I replied:

"I admire your zeal but do not share your confidence that such a campaign could be funded and launched before inauguration, nor that it would alter Vance's, Trump's, Carlson's, and Bannon's determination to see Putin prevail. There are too many other fights in the offing. I would rather try to embolden Republican Senators to withstand the contemptuous appointments being made. By contemptuous, I mean that Trump and his cohort are intentionally expressing their contempt for our system of governance, and especially for the Republican Party he supposedly leads, by nominating such patently unacceptable people to positions of power.

I would rather see you turn your passion domestically to stiffen the spine of Republican Senators to resist this radical emasculation of and insult to the Legislative Branch. They intend to subordinate it to the Executive Branch; the Judicial Branch is already sawn half through. 

My other reaction is that we have had enough of Evangelism and Christian Fundamentalism, most of which has been suborned to support the radicals. Our first priority, I believe, must be for pragmatic patriots of whatever creed to rally for the US for we have more at risk here at home than overseas. As horrible as it would be to see Putin prevail in Central Europe, it would be much worse to see Trump, Bannon, Vance, Carlson and the Heritage Foundation radicals succeed." 

I believe that they seek to tear up the rules that assure fair and competitive capitalism; that they intend to destroy civil service; that they are willing to increase income and wealth inequality; that they seek to make blood and soil the entree to citizenship; that they wish to muzzle dissent. 

In short, they wish to undermine our confidence in our democratic republican compact and in the institutions that have held us (somewhat) together for 240 years. 

(Amazing: it turns out I am the conservative here!)

If, Dear Reader, you disagree with me and want to support a Ukraine campaign, let me know and I will put you in touch with my friend. She is determined to proceed and has already begun fund-raising. Her view is that positioning Ukraine/Putin as Good/Evil will engage Christian Nationalists and Fundamentalists and force Trump's hand. She acknowledges that a domestically-focused campaign to embolden Senators is also needed, and proposes to undertake both.