America, America! We’re not exactly a democracy. We don’t vote for what we “believe in,” certainly not if we’re, uh, liberals or, good God, progressives. Our duty as citizens is to vote for the lesser evil. It’s kind of been that way my whole life, but more intensely so now than it has ever been – as the military budget keeps expanding, as racism regroups and becomes nationalism, as corporate power and military-industrialism morph into “just the way things are.”
Browsing: Opinions
There are currently three third party candidates for president: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Jill Stein and Cornell West. All three candidates claim they are running to give voters a choice and a chance to voice their views. All three insist they are not “spoilers.” Let’s examine this.
Nothing will convince Black Americans that we must go out and vote in the General Elections than to visit the National Park System and see things they can’t believe exist on Earth, much less in their own country. I know this from experience because since I first saw the national parks in 1995, few Americans have been more dedicated than me to ringing the bell. When I saw what had been hidden from me, I felt so overwhelmed and so indignant that I resolved I would not stop until EVERYBODY knew.
However, I believe civilians on both sides of the conflict have suffered enough, cried enough, and died enough!
It’s beyond comprehension that former president Trump, indicted on felony charges for attempting to overturn the 2020 election results, is receiving treatment as though he’s entitled to presidential white privileges. One could easily conclude that this current felony charge is more egregious than had he faced charges of first-degree murder or as an accomplice to Jeffery Epstein. Despite displaying narcissism and exploiting unconstitutional white privileges, he’s spreading filthy lies as contemptible as filthy flies.
VOTE!
Oh my God, the “Beloved Community”? No one talks about this – certainly not at the level of politics and national or global power. The point I’m struggling to make in this moment is that love – in the deepest possible meaning of the word– is more powerful than growling dogs and firehoses and jailcells. It is more powerful than burning crosses. It is more powerful than 2,000-pound bombs. It is the force that is able to embrace conflict and transcend it – and it should be at the core of how we envision the human future.
We’re in a tumultuous year, likely with more protests ahead. Conflict resolution experts say that these protests, these conflicts, are an opportunity for growth. People are invested and want to act. Understanding conflict phases and behaviors is a big help to turning conflict into moments of productive conversations rather than escalating anger.
The best thing about diplomacy between government leaders is that it may ease tensions. The worst thing is that it doesn’t resolve the disputes between them, making matters worse. Both aspects of diplomacy have been on view lately in East Asia.
A big part of the naysayers’ messaging strategy is to inflame fears about economic and social change. Tuning into networks like FOX News and One America News Network, it is not uncommon to get a taste of the disinformation campaign against EVs and other clean energy solutions. They wrongly portray policies meant to reduce carbon emissions and other pollution – especially cars and consumer appliances – as an attack on consumers “freedom.” They also appeal to a general nostalgia for “the good old days” when no one was asked to think about energy efficiency or climate warming pollution.