What is the “R Word?” If you don’t already know, you’ll have to keep reading to see.

So, the Tulsa Massacre’s 100^th Anniversary got me to thinking. Most Americans had never even heard of this tragedy until the last few days. I had heard of it back in college in the late-1970s, though not through any course I was taking. “Black Wall Street” was a term I had heard about from my own self-directed research, and from conversations with other like-minded students—some of whom were Afro-American Studies majors (which was a relatively new course of study back then. I’m pretty sure it had only arrived at my college about 5 years before I did). But what I’ve been thinking about lately is how the Tulsa Massacre stands out as perhaps the worst event of its kind—but is nowhere near the only event of its kind. So, I want to take this moment when so many Americans are starting to wake up to the realities of this country’s racist history, to bring to light a few more, similar incidents.

We show a near-constant stream of images of poverty in America, and the faces associated with it are usually Black &/or Brown. But we don’t spend all that much time explaining how that happened. We don’t often ask our teachers, our elected officials, or even ourselves, “How did we get here?” Why are there so few upper-middle-class neighborhoods that are predominantly Black (yes, there are some, btw, but they rarely if ever get shown or discussed). How did so many Black people wind up in poor neighborhoods?

There are lots of reasons, and almost none of them are told truthfully or in context. We’ve all heard of slavery and Jim Crow, and we all know that racism still exists. And frankly, those things alone are big enough hurdles to explain a lot about the economic situation we find ourselves in. But they are not the whole story. Not by a longshot. Do yourself a favor and do some real digging into the history of Redlining; or into the origin of Levittown, Long Island; or the G.I. Bill (and the racial covenants that kept Black GIs from fully benefitting from it); or watch the incredible documentary by Ava DuVernay on the 13th Amendment.

Don’t have that kind of time? I hear you. That can take years, to be honest (though, time well spent, IMO). So, here’a a bullet-point list of a few other things you might want to check out. Things that help put poverty in context.

This list is far from scholarly (a quick Wikipedia search turned these up), and even further from comprehensive. But just skim the titles of each these next several paragraphs. Then I want you to raise your hand—or better yet, leave a comment, if you have even heard of more than half of these incidents (liars, you can just put your hands down now):

Thibodaux Massacre of 1887-Louisiana:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thibodaux_massacre

“Tensions broke out in violence on November 23, 1887, and the local white paramilitary forces attacked black workers and their families in Thibodaux. Although the total number of casualties is unknown, at least 35 black people were killed in the next three days (more historians believe 50 were killed) and as many as 300 overall killed, wounded or missing”

New Orleans Dockworkers Massacre of 1895: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1895_New_Orleans_dockworkers_riot

The 1895 New Orleans dockworkers massacre was an attack against black, non-union dockworkers by unionized white workers on March 11 and 12, 1895. The mob killed six black workers. The incident had its roots in both economic pressure and racial hatred. The riot marked the end of fifteen years of racially unified unions in New Orleans, for example in the successful 1892 New Orleans general strike just three years before.

Wilmington Insurrection/Coup of 1898: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilmington_insurrection_of_1898

The Wilmington insurrection of 1898, also known as the Wilmington massacre of 1898 or the Wilmington coup of 1898,^[6] was a mass riot and insurrection carried out by white supremacists in Wilmington, North Carolina, United States, on Thursday, November 10, 1898… The coup was the result of a group of the state’s white Southern Democrats conspiring and leading a mob of 2,000 white men to overthrow the legitimately elected local Fusionist biracial government in Wilmington. They expelled opposition black and white political leaders from the city, destroyed the property and businesses of black citizens built up since the Civil War, including the only black newspaper in the city, and killed an estimated 60 to more than 300 people. It has been described as the only incident of its kind in American history because other incidents of late-Reconstruction Era violence did not result in the direct removal and replacement of elected officials by unelected individuals.”

Phoenix (SC) Election Riot of 1898: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_election_riot

“The Phoenix election riot occurred on November 8, 1898, near Greenwood County, South Carolina, when a group of local white Democrats attempted to stop a Republican election official from taking the affidavits of African Americans who had been denied the ability to vote… The riot ignited after white land-owner Thomas Tolbert began to take affidavits of African Americans who had been disenfranchised by the new Constitution of South Carolina. Tolbert, brother of Republican candidate Robert R. Tolbert, urged African Americans to fill out and submit an affidavit if they had been prevented from voting… Violence and chaos ensued: an estimated twelve African Americans were fatally shot or lynched, hundreds more were injured by the white mob, and one white man was killed.” 

Robert Charles Riots of 1900 (New Orleans): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Charles_riots

“The Robert Charles riots of July 24–27, 1900 in New Orleans, Louisiana were sparked after African-American laborer Robert Charles fatally shot a white police officer during an altercation and escaped arrest. A large manhunt for him ensued, and a white mob started rioting, attacking blacks throughout the city. The manhunt for Charles began on Monday, July 23, 1900, and ended when Charles was killed on Friday, July 27, shot by a special police volunteer. The mob shot him hundreds more times, and beat the body. White rioting continued, with several blacks killed after Charles had died. A total of 28 people were killed in the riots, including Charles. More than 50 people were wounded in the riots, including at least 11 who had to be hospitalized. Blacks made up most of the fatalities and casualties.”

Atlanta Massacre of 1906: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_massacre_of_1906

“The Atlanta Massacre of 1906 was an attack by armed mobs of White Americans against African Americans in Atlanta, Georgia (United States), which began the evening of September 22 and lasted through September 24, 1906… The final death toll of the conflict is unknown and disputed, but officially at least 25 African Americans^[4] and two whites died.^[5] Unofficial reports ranged from 10–100 black Americans killed during the massacre. According to the Atlanta History Center, some black Americans were hanged from lampposts; others were shot, beaten or stabbed to death. They were pulled from street cars and attacked on the street; white mobs invaded black neighborhoods, destroying homes and businesses.”

The Brownsville (Texas) Affair of 1906: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brownsville_affair

“The Brownsville affair, or the Brownsville raid, was an incident of racial discrimination that occurred in 1906 in the southwestern United States due to resentment by white residents of Brownsville, Texas, of the Buffalo Soldiers, black soldiers in a segregated unit stationed at nearby Fort Brown. When a white bartender was killed and a white police officer wounded by gunshots one night, townspeople accused the members of the African-American 25th Infantry Regiment. Although their commanders said the soldiers had been in the barracks all night, evidence was allegedly planted against the men.^[1]

As a result of a United States Army Inspector General’s investigation, President Theodore Roosevelt ordered the discharge without honor of 167 soldiers of the 25th Infantry Regiment, costing them pensions and preventing them from ever serving in federal civil service jobs. The case aroused national outrage in both black and white communities. After more investigation, several of the men were allowed to re-enlist.”

The Slocum Massacre – (Texas) of 1910: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slocum_massacre

“Between eight and two hundred black residents around Slocum, Texas were killed by hundreds of armed white men. Eleven white men were arrested, none went to trial. The Slocum Massacre occurred on July 29-30, 1910 in Slocum, Texas. Only six deaths were officially confirmed, but it is estimated as many as one hundred African Americans lost their lives in this massacre. Historians have provided several explanations for the motives of the all-white perpetrators of the massacre. When the story spread, it was altered to favor the white suspects and the black residents of Slocum were blamed. The whites from the mob did their best to destroy any evidence against them. African Americans reached out to higher levels of government for a fair investigation, but little to nothing was done on their behalf. As a result, the African American population in Slocum, Texas declined drastically.”

East St. Louis, Illinois 1917: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_St._Louis,_Illinois

“On July 1st, an African-American man was rumored to have killed a white man. Violence against African-Americans continued for a week, resulting in estimations of 40 to 200 dead African-Americans. In addition, almost 6,000 African-Americans lost their homes during the riots then fled East St. Louis.”

Red Summer of 1919. Tension in the summer of 1919 stemmed significantly from white soldiers returning from World War I and finding that their jobs had been taken by African-American veterans.^[54]

• 1919: Elaine Race Riot (Elaine, Arkansas)
  • 1919: Washington race riot of 1919
  • 1919: Jenkins County, Georgia, riot of 1919
  • 1919: Macon, Mississippi, race riot
  • 1919: Chicago Race Riot of 1919
  • 1919: Baltimore riot of 1919
  • 1919: Omaha Race Riot of 1919
  • 1919: Charleston riot of 1919
  • 1919: Longview, Texas
  • 1919: Knoxville Riot of 1919 (Knoxville, Tennessee)

Rosewood Massacre (Fla) of 1923: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosewood_massacre

“The Rosewood massacre was a racially motivated massacre of black people and destruction of a black town that took place during the first week of January 1923 in rural Levy County, Florida. At least six black people and two white people were killed, though eyewitness accounts suggested a higher death toll of 27 to 150. The town of Rosewood was destroyed in what contemporary news reports characterized as a race riot…Rosewood had been a quiet, primarily black, self-sufficient whistle stop on the Seaboard Air Line Railway. Trouble began when white men from several nearby towns lynched a black Rosewood resident because of accusations that a white woman in nearby Sumner had been assaulted by a black drifter. A mob of several hundred whites combed the countryside hunting for black people and burned almost every structure in Rosewood. Survivors from the town hid for several days in nearby swamps until they were evacuated by train and car to larger towns. No arrests were made for what happened in Rosewood. The town was abandoned by its former black and white residents; none ever moved back, none were ever compensated for their land, and the town ceased to exist.” 

A film was made about this incident in 1997, starring Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle, Esther Rolle and Jon Voight:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120036/

This is a brief snippet of the known incidents between 1887 and 1923. That’s over 20 such incidents in 36 years: a small window of time, before Redlining, and after slavery! And without even mentioning the impacts of over-policing, under-educating, and poor housing.

The scales have been so far out of balance for so long that many people think that this is what a level playing field is supposed to look like…well, they’re wrong! The surprising thing about American society isn’t that Blacks have suffered and struggled for so long, it’s that there has ever been a Black person to have overcome those odds and to have succeeded in spite of them. That there has ever been a W.E.B. DuBois, or a Dr. Charles Drew, or a Madame CJ Walker, or a Jesse Owens, or a Jackie Robinson, or a Marian Anderson, or a Martin Luther King, Jr, or a Shirley Chisholm, or a Colin Powell, or a Barack Obama, or a Charles Bolden, or a Kamala Harris is somewhat miraculous, given the odds that have been stacked against every single one of them for the exact same, ridiculous reason…the color of their skin.

What might our country have achieved if they and so many others before them had been championed instead of terrorized—encouraged instead of discriminated against? We’ll never know. But what we do know is that the playing field is still nowhere near level, and that we will continue to waste vast amounts of potential, and miss out on the chance to correct vast amounts of injustice, if we do NOT make good on the promise of our country, and make right what has been wrong for the entirety of its existence.

So, yes, count me as one who believes that “the R Word,” Reparations, are in order, and have been since the first slave ship landed here. The only question is, are we ready, as a society to look at these hidden tragedies of our past? Are we ready to face the implications of those incidents and countless others? Are we ready to even attempt to re-pay our debts?

Today, on MLK Day, the White House released a document called “The 1776 Report.”

Click to access The-Presidents-Advisory-1776-Commission-Final-Report.pdf

This “a-historical” document adds nothing to the actual historical record. In fact, on Page 1, it says this:

“Of course, neither America nor any other nation has perfectly lived up to the universal truths of equality, liberty, justice, and government by consent. But no nation before America ever dared state those truths as the formal basis for its politics, and none has strived harder, or done more, to achieve them.” (emphasis added)

Umm, yeah, okay, if you say so. But to release this trash on MLK Day is just one last trolling, one last kick in the groin, to Black people in particular, and to fair-minded non-racists in general. It is a parting shot on the way out the door that seeks to gloss over the realities of the horrors of our history as a nation.

Then there is also this little nugget. In these last days of the 45 Nightmare…I mean, Administration, he is rushing, no forcing through a new General Counsel of the NSA.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/17/politics/michael-ellis-nsa-general-counsel/index.html

Gee, what could go wrong? I won’t even speculate. But you should feel free to.

I bring these things up, not because I don’t think any of you knew about them, but rather, because I am pretty sure that you do know about them. MY question is, what do we do about them? What do we do about a nation wherein several elected officials are still, even in the wake of recent events, are still promoting the notion that the election was stolen. And they are apparently succeeding in their messaging—polls show that roughly 70% of Republicans claim to believe that Biden stole the election.

So, I can only see two options: either these elected officials and their tens of millions of supporters actually believe something for which there is simply NO actual evidence whatsoever, or they know that that’s BS and are using that as cover for their real agenda—to keep America a White/Far Right-controlled nation for as long as possible. So…what to do?

My somewhat tongue-in-cheek suggestion had been something like this: “upon further review, the ruling on the field at the Civil War is over-turned…y’all can go!” But as I think of it, does the abusive spouse typically file for divorce? I’m guessing not. So…maybe it’s up to US to leave. Maybe it makes sense for us to start thinking about what we want a free, fair, fact-and-science-based country to look like…and to create one!

What is the other option? To expect the ~72 million people who voted for 45 to suddenly “come to their (actually, to our) senses” and start to see the error of their ways? For them to start to see themselves as the “Bad Guys” who are in need of rescuing from their Darker Angels? Good luck with that!

We have learned a lot from the last 4 years, haven’t we? And one thing that I have learned is that there are far more people who want an entirely different future than I want than I had been aware of, and more than I am willing to live with as compatriots. Again, they are either entirely clueless, &/or in full denial (or, just an utter lack of empathy) of the implications of their actions and beliefs. But from where I sit, there is no shot at reconciliation here.

They are proud of themselves!

I’m not just talking about the insane fringe that stormed the Capitol. I’m talking about the tens of millions who, if there was an election today, would no doubt still vote for 45!

So, we need to start having some very hard, but I think, very real discussions about what a new, divided nation might look like. Where would we live, and which parts of the country would we concede to them? There do seem to be way more of us than there are of them, so we should have much more physical land than we leave behind, but we would need to have some type of national vote to see how many people want to remain behind, and how many want to be a part of the New American Experiment? (Hey, maybe “New America” will be our new name?)

A few other key questions: how long would we allow people to move, freely, from one nation to the other before their citizenship status becomes “permanent.” Would we both keep using the same currency, just as most of Europe does with the Euro? What about things that cross back and forth over the borders between the two nations—rivers, mountains, clean air, oil pipelines, etc?

Most of the other trappings of government will take some serious negotiations—starting with the nukes and military might, of course. I would expect/hope to maintain an open border and a peaceful neighbor status…like we have with Canada. But I really think it’s time to move on.

Please don’t look at this as a bad thing. The new nation we create really can seek to achieve what the words of the Founding Fathers always spoke of—but never came close to implementing. And maybe, just maybe, one day, the people we’ll be leaving behind (in what might still be called the United States of America) will see why we left…and why our way is “better.” But I’m not holding my breath on that one. And as for remaining in a “marriage” of citizenship with them? I’m done. I don’t see any reason for it. I don’t see any path forward.

But (maybe) that’s just me…what do you think?

These last few weeks have shown us in fairly stark contrast what the two major political parties see, want, and hope for, both in November and beyond. Their respective conventions—which I admittedly could only tolerate/consume small portions of—spoke volumes to those who would care to listen.

In short, each side sees the other are duplicitous, evil, and as a threat to the very fabric of this nation…and from where I sit, they’re both right.

However, the problem, IMO, wasn’t these two conventions, but rather, the Constitutional Convention. Yes, the one in 1787. That’s where the nexus of the problems arose. Because both of today’s political parties pick and choose when to take the Constitution literally, and when to take it logically, as in, “updated for modern interpretation.” More on this later.

I read Thomas Edsall’s NY Times opinion piece entitled “I Fear That are Witnessing the End of American Democracy as we Know it” the other day. Touching article, well-written. But I disagree whole-heartedly with the title. We’re not witnessing the end of American Democracy—we’re re-witnessing the beginning of American Democracy, all over again! https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/26/opinion/trump-republican-convention-racism.html

For example, the Electoral College was a concession to the South to get them to agree to whole notion of a Constitution (to replace the obviously dysfunctional stop-gap—the Articles of Confederation). The “EC” (and its corresponding clincher, the 3/5ths Compromise) gave the South way more representative power than the North wanted to concede to it—for example, Virginia wound up with 12 Electors out of the 46 total Electoral College votes. But the EC was a means to an end. It got everyone to sign off. In fact, the framers had no idea that the EC would actually produce a winner, and figured that, once the EC failed to do so, the House of Representatives would actually select the President. That was the plan! (And it has happened , but not since 1824.) This whole EC idea was supposed to be a concession to get things started, and then the “real” decision would come from those few, wealthy, powerful White men who were already elected to Congress (via one vote per state, but you get the point). This was before political parties even existed, and before there was any reason to believe that only two main candidates would be competing for the position. To be clear, to this day, the rules say that the Electoral College gets one shot at deciding the winner, and that if no one person has the clear majority of EC votes, then the House gets to (s)elect the President.

So that brings me back to the notion of literal versus modern interpretation of the Constitution, and the Declaration of independence. That whole preamble thingy, you know, the “We the People…a more perfect Union…and the Declaration’s opening, “We hold these truths…all MEN were created equal”…yadda-yadda. Who do you think they were referring to? And that annoying Second Amendment to the Bill of Rights, with its “right to bear arms.” What are we to make of these phrases? Well, like that book that many of you refer to as “The Bible,” (clearly it is, at best, A Bible, not The Bible, but more on that another time), you can find whatever you’re looking for!

So, if you’re a Right-wing, Trump-ist/Republican, you can find solace in the literal interpretation of “the right of the people to keep and bear arms,” among other things. So, yeah, you can point your AK-47 at a group of Black Lives Matter protesters, because, you know, the 2^nd Amendment says it’s okay. But does it make any sense at all that protection of the ownership of the muskets and bayonets of 1787 were meant as guarantees that we can buy AK-47s, Uzis, or “bump-stocks” for the semi-automatic weapons of 2020?! Of course not. The 1^st Amendment guarantees me freedom of peaceable assembly, which one could argue, means that I can “peaceably assemble” by any means of transportation I choose, no? But that doesn’t mean that it’s against the Constitution to require me to have a driver’s license, or to post speed limits, or to require me to have liability insurance on my car, does it? Those impositions on my right to peaceably assemble seem reasonable now, right? Because we understand that the technology has increased so dramatically that it makes no sense to apply 18^th-century transportation realities to 21^st-century transportation. But I mean, literally, maybe it does mean that requiring driver’s licenses violates my 1^st Amendment rights, but no one is making that argument, are they?

At the same time, though, the literal interpretation of “All men are created equal,” which modern-day Democrats hold onto as justification for treating everyone fairly, was clearly not what the 1776 document had in mind. They didn’t mean to include: women, Blacks, Native Americans (a term that didn’t even exist back then, btw), etc. No, they meant Wealthy White Men…period! And the modern-day Republicans mean what the Founders meant!

So, did Black Lives Matter “back in the day” when these documents were written? Um, not so much. Like I said (and you well know) only three-fifths of each Black person was counted for purposes of: the Electoral College, House representation and resource allocation, but of course, none of us (Blacks) could actually vote or be elected to, you know, represent ourselves, anyway, so, whatever. And how many of today’s Republicans do you think would vote against re-implementing anything in this paragraph? I mean, as I’ve mentioned before, it was only 20 years ago that Alabama voted to allow inter-racial marriage…by a vote of 59-to-41! (Hey, if a law re-instituting slavery was on the ballot this year, what would you think the results would be, especially in the South? Asking for a friend…)

So, who’s right and who’s wrong? Should we listen to what the Founders said, or what they meant? We are the nation that said “All men are created equal,” but really only meant it for Wealthy White men. Maybe, what we really need is another Constitutional Convention! Maybe we need to require one ever 100 years if not sooner, in order to reflect the actual, applicable realities of the technology, the demographics, the economics, and the international environment we find ourselves in. And hey, if this “American Experiment” isn’t working, maybe it’s time to move on! Why should we assume that this enormous nation, which came to be by the quasi-genocidal elimination of its original occupants (the modern-day Canaanites, Hittites, etc?), is somehow “guaranteed” in perpetuity? If we can’t get enough of us to agree on the direction we should move in—if we can’t get enough of us to agree on whether we should follow what our Founders said, versus what some of us would like to think they meant, then maybe it’s time to say, in the words of the NFL, “upon further review, the ruling on the field (of the Civil War) is over-turned!” (The South will not be charged with a timeout…y’all can go!)

What say ye?

So, I know that some of you are less than thrilled with Biden’s VP choice. I hear you. I don’t necessarily agree with you, but I hear you. Senator Harris is not exactly a bastion of Liberal/Progressive excess (despite the Right’s whining). Neither is Mr. Biden, for that matter. Hey, I wanted Senator Warren to be atop the ticket from the giddy-up! But it is what it is. Frankly, I’m not as disappointed as some of you seem to be with this ticket. It’s not as exciting as 1960, 1992, or 2008, mind you, but we could’ve done a whole lot worse. (We already are, remember!)

So, the Short Game is easy. There is only one mission for November—win the Triple Crown! Take back the White House and the Senate, and retain the House. NOTHING ELSE MATTERS! (Well, yes, clearly the Census matters, too.) If Bugs Bunny and Daffy-Damned-Duck have “Ds” next to their names in your state on the Senate and House lines, you’d better be a Warner-Brothers/Looney-Tunes-votin’-for-so-and-so…period!

Why? Because of the Long Game. For everyone who is saying that Biden-Harris is not Progressive enough…well, you’re correct. But tell me, are they more or less Progressive than the alternative? Obviously I’m not the first or only one to make this point, but I’m going to make it nonetheless. The Progressive wing will be the foundation of the Dems victories in November, make no mistake. And those who ride that wave won’t forget it…we won’t LET them forget it this time! But there are still votes/voters in the middle who we cannot afford to lose to the other side. If picking a Progressive VP costs us the race, what was the point? Now, I’m not saying that it necessarily would have cost us the race, just that it’s a risk I can see the logic in avoiding. Because we have simply got to win the Triple Crown, and the best chance of that happening is with us taking the center of the board. (There’s a reason why “Pawn to King 4” is the first move of most well-played chess matches, and why 3-on-2 fast breaks in hoops, soccer and hockey prefer to put the ball/puck in the hands of the person in the middle.)

What we have to remember is that the other side plays to win! They’ll do whatever it takes. Because they’ve had their eyes on the Long Game since even before Roe-v-Wade, but damn sure ever since it. While we always try to “play fair.” Well, I’m sick of losing fairly! I want to win, by any means necessary. Because I think this year is that important, and I know you do, too.

So, yes, we’ll have somewhat of a Centrist ticket at the top, because that’s the surest road to victory. But once we win the Triple Crown, it’s time to take off the Nice Guy hat and get down to business. And we on the Progressive flank will have to raise our voices just as loudly as if we had lost, until we get the attention of those we just helped put in office. On ALL of the issues: climate change, gun control legislation, immigration, health care reform, reproductive rights, minimum wage increases, tax code revisions, campaign finance reform, de-funding the police state, equal pay for women, or even LONGER-Game plays, like, increasing the size of the Supreme Court, or removing the Electoral College, yadda-yadda-yadda, we need to make sure that the people WE put in office, are accountable to US.

Whether it’s AOC, or Senator Warren, or Senator Booker, or Stacey Abrams, or Julian Castro, etc, etc, I want to see Progressives in the Cabinet, and at the forefront of every decision-making conversation. And I want to see the perps who will be leaving office, prosecuted! No more of this nonsense about a peaceful transfer of power; these people were the most corrupt Administration in US history! There has to be a price to pay for that, as a means of discouraging anyone in the future from trying that BS again! Due process, sure, but I’m talking about: taxes disclosed, subpoenas enforced, NDAs absolved, pardons rescinded…the whole nine yards. We deserve the truth, and if there’s been no crimes, well, then there was no need to hide behind the shroud of secrecy, was there? If we don’t do these things, what will deter anyone from pulling this same type of scam in 2024 or beyond? 45, Barr, Flynn, Stone, etc, need to be under investigation before onset of Spring 2021. And we need to make it clear that we won’t settle for anything less.

From where I sit, that’s sounds like just about the bare minimum we should ask for in exchange for us getting behind a less-than-Progressive ticket. We just don’t have to ask for it out loud…yet.

In baseball, as well as other places, August is sometimes referred to as “the dog days of summer.” The implication is that it’s especially hot and humid, the days themselves are long, and they somehow seem to drag on and on, making us weary. Personally, I couldn’t disagree more. First of all, warm weather is a blessing…period. If I never see snow again in life it’ll be fine with me, so, no complaints here about the heat. I want to enjoy every single day of summer, folks. Don’t try to short-change me with the whole “summer’s (almost) over” nonsense. We’ve got a whole month, maybe 6 weeks left of summer, and I will have a smile on my face for every single wonderfully-warm day!

Second, the days are actually getting shorter, as they do all summer. Yes, the first day of summer is the longest day of the year, so, do the math. So, not so much with the dragging on of long days. Days (as in, daytime, when the Sun is out) are shorter in August than in July, guys. Get over yourselves.

Third, NFL football training camps are getting into full swing in August (even this year, apparently, but certainly in years past). And what’s better than football? Nothing. So, August has got that going for it.

But also, August’s are times when people aren’t paying such close attention to things. These “dog days” are times when stories can be hidden from the public’s watchful eyes, if we’re not careful.

Here are a few I’m going to try to stay on top of:

According to a NY Times article from July 31st, American Ambassador to Brazil, Todd Chapman, has been accused of telling Brazil’s President, Jair Bolsonaro, that Brazil can “help get President Trump re-elected by changing their trade policies.” The article states that Iowa, in particular, would be likely to go Trump’s way if he’s able to announce a lifting of Brazil’s ethanol tariffs before the November election. Seriously?! That seems a little blatant, even for “45,” no? Yeah, I’ll be keeping an eye on that’un. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/31/world/americas/brazil-trump-ethanol-chapman.html

Market Watch (among others) reported a story that has got to be kept in focus–attempts by the White House (specifically, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy) to reduce if not close, various parts/services/offices of the US Postal Service: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/postal-service-may-close-offices-cut-service-ahead-of-election-2020-07-29 Calling it an “operational pivot,” DeJoy has ordered reductions in overtime, service cuts, and outright closures. In a year where CoVid will make voting in person extremely difficult, if not downright dangerous, why on Earth would anyone who wants to see a free and fair election think it prudent to reduce the availability and effectiveness of the US Postal Service?!…Exactly!

Another NY Times story also caught my eye yesterday. It was about a type of colorless glass that the Ancient Romans called “Alexandria Glass,” which was considered to be the of the highest-quality, and that Rome was incapable of creating on its own. And just where did this mysterious, ahead-of-its-time, prized possession originate from? Why, Egypt, of course, just like so many other things that the Greco-Roman originators of Western Thought are “credited” for. (Why was Socrates put to death by the state again? Oh yeah, for “failing to acknowledge the gods that the city acknowledges” and for “introducing new deities.” And whose “new deities” were those, exactly? This, after Socrates had been studying in Egypt for 15 years…just sayin’.) What does Alexandria Glass have to do with Socrates? And what does any of that have to do with Western Society in 2020? Perhaps nothing…or perhaps everything. As Rachel Maddow so often says, “watch this space.”

Yep, the last part is “us,” as it should be. Because it is, always has been, and only ever will be about us. If we get our acts together, we cannot be stopped. And if we don’t, well, shame on us, “we brote dat on oursalves.” So…

Urge: Urge, IMO, means trying to rally support from among those whom you suspect to be on your side, or at least, to have an open mind about the issues you are passionate about. Urging is a form of/attempt at, persuasion. (It is the hopeful precursor to/avoidance of, “Ostracizing.”) There are many ways to appeal to someone’s “better angels” to ask for their support.

Here are a few tools with which to, perhaps, begin a dialogue or conversation about how and why we need, as a society, to implement immediate and drastic change: A few reasons why police reform is essential: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaD84DTGULo

Campaign finance reform seem like a small thing to you? Watch this: https://schedule.wttw.com/episodes/261254/frontline/big-sky-big-money Why safely voting by mail is crucial this year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-nEHkgm_Gk

Secede: Okay, so maybe there aren’t a lot of you out there who are ready to seriously consider this option yet. Maybe we can use other “S-words” for now. Maybe “Start” is a better usage of the letter “S” at first. As in, let’s Start implementing these actions, not just discussing them in theoretical terms. So, how do we do that? Where do we start? Well, this, I literally can’t do alone. So, if you are on board with anything I’ve said in the last few posts, if “OBVIOUS” is, well, obvious to you, then you’ve gotta step up. Leave a comment. Add your name to the notion, so it can be set in motion…or not. This can just be another mental exercise on my part that you nod your head in agreement with, as it peters out and becomes another footnote. From where I sit, it seems like it’s time for some of you…make that, some of US, to take a stand…

Invest:

There are many ways to invest. “Obvious”-ly, you can (& should) invest your time, your effort/energy, &/or your money. So let’s start there.

You/we have to decide where our investments have the most leverage. Which issues are you willing to commit to? What problems do you think you can help solve? (Here’s where you get to, you know, speak up, by leaving a comment.) Here are a few areas/ideas that I have, but mine is just one voice (though, I’d love to hear what you think about my ideas):

US Senate races: https://www.270towin.com/2020-senate-election/  (we have to take back the Senate…period. So, this needs to be one of the issues, IMO, or the rest don’t matter.)

Racial injustice: https://colorofchange.org/

Removing plastics from the Oceans: https://theoceancleanup.com/

Indoor, non-GMO, soil-less, pesticide-free, vertical farming (aka “hydroponics”): https://aerofarms.com/

Solar/renewable rebates and initiatives, by state: https://www.dsireusa.org/

Campaign finance reform: https://www.commoncause.org/our-work/money-influence/campaign-finance/

Like I said, a few ideas, pretty much off the top of my head. Pick one, &/or, add one. But until you have some “skin in the game,” it’s all just talk. I’m trying to be about action! So, let’s brainstorm a little, come up with some high-impact, high-leverage investments we can make—of time, effort &/or money—and let’s make them.

Ostracize:

Okay, this one can be tricky, and probably shouldn’t be your first reaction to anyone who isn’t immediately on board. But it’s something to think about, to use sparingly-but-powerfully, and, IMO, with an explanation grounded in an effort to change minds. Case in point, Saints QB Drew Brees. He recently made some insensitive remarks about kneeling during the National Anthem as a means of protest. He was immediately called out on it by his teammates, and even by some of his peers from other teams. Hopefully, the message will get through to him. But if not, he will be ostracized. Players will not forget these remarks, and he will lose his leadership role in the locker room/huddle…as it should be. If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. And especially if you’re publicly, intentionally, outwardly/vocally part of the problem, well, you’ve gotta go, bro’. From my social life, from my network, from my list of people I respect and want to interact with. No matter how hard or painful that is. Because it ain’t only/all about you! And we deserve better.

Okay, 5 down, 2 to go. But don’t wait until then to speak your mind. These crickets really aren’t such great company, TBH…

Organize: So that I don’t come across as being guilty of “just talk,” here, below are some attempts at tangible, real-world steps, some of which I have already taken, and would be thrilled to have you help me to mobilize. (But again, it’s not all/only about what I think. What do you think? What do you want to rally behind?) With all of the protests right now, organizing seems like it is happening already…but is it? Are these events organized, with a clear goal in place? If so, I haven’t seen it. In fact, I’ve seen some evidence that the moment is being partially co-opted by a few people who don’t even side with us on the core issues of racial justice and ending police brutality, and are “acting out” under the cover of these protests. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for peaceful protest—have been all of my life. But there needs to be a plan, IMO…an “ask” that someone or some entity can grant (or not), so we have some sense of where this is headed. From Where I Sit, it seems that there should be some serious organizing while we have everyone’s attention, and that it should center around more than just those two, albeit crucial, issues. Like, getting people in your community registered to vote, and helping them fill out the Census, for starters. What else ya’ got?

Boycott: There are lots of things worthy of your money…and lots that aren’t. Let’s open up a conversation that seeks to conduct some research into which companies don’t deserve our money. Coal-mining/fossil fuel production/fracking, agri-business/GMOs, HMOs, Big Pharma, the tobacco industry, companies that have shipped our jobs overseas and pay pennies, in horrible conditions, to produce their wares—those are low-hanging fruit. But let’s gather up that fruit and start off by calling them out and spending our money elsewhere. They won’t change their ways because of a sudden infusion of “Nice-Guy-ness.” They will only change when their profits suffer. Only way that happens if through a series of large-scale, organized boycotts. Just sayin’…

Vote: Senate races: we have to take back the Senate…period. Here is an interactive map, with color-coding to indicate which races seem to be “in play.” https://www.270towin.com/2020-senate-election/ Find a race you want to help win, figure out who the likely Progressive/Democratic candidate will be, and write that person a check…today!

If this year hasn’t shown us that Republicans/Conservatives don’t have the greater good in mind, I don’t know what will. But here are some videos that may give you a few things to think about:

Congressman Brian Sims of PA.:

https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/05/delayed-notice-of-pa-lawmakers-covid-19-diagnosis-spurs-outrage-calls-for-investigation.html

https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=683102628927090&ref=watch_permalink

Trevor Noah, host of The Daily Show:

So, the murder of yet another Black man by the police, combined with the reaction to the ensuing protests by some of our “political leaders,” combined with the socio-economic realities of the CoVid crisis (as in, what we could have done/still need to do better, which neighborhoods are hardest-hit, etc), combined with the blatant attempts to limit voter participation in the upcoming elections, are adding up to quite a lot to deal with all at once. I’m sure I’m not alone in being just about done…fed up, with where our society is heading, or rather, being led. The question is, what can I (as in, each of us, individually) do about it?

I think the answer is “OBVIOUS” (yes, my latest mnemonic invention):

Organize—get together with like-minded individuals to form local &/or virtual grassroots coalitions around tangible issues, like: voting rights, education issues, campaign finance laws, sensible gun-control, food co-ops, political campaigns, community solar, reproductive rights, affordable health care, etc, etc.

Boycott—find out which entities support the things we oppose…and stop giving them our money! They’re really not all that hard to find, if you take a minute to look.

Vote—duh.

Invest—in things/people/entities that do support your beliefs. Do the research, and support their efforts…or stop complaining.

Ostracize—those who aren’t on board with this; you’re either part of the solution or part of the problem. Maybe not right away, but if/when this builds momentum, you’re probably gonna have to make some tough choices.

Urge—others you are close to/related to/friends with, to do these things…or cut ‘em loose!

Secede—a last resort, of course, but if we don’t leave it on the table, we aren’t using all of our cards. I’m talking about playing to win…by any non-violent means necessary! Yes, I’m talking about splitting the country into two (maybe three) separate nations. I’m not sure that hasn’t kinda happened already, but without the benefits of having our own voices heard all the time. “Two Flags” would do that for most of us, and honestly, would you really “miss” being co-citizens” with the other side? I know I wouldn’t. And I doubt they would, either.

There it is, my newest/latest idea about how to leave the world better than I found it. Looks good on paper, if I do say so myself. But how do I/we put it into action? How does it become more than a catch-phrase? Well, that’s up to you guys. I literally, can’t do this alone. If you think anything I just wrote makes sense, hits home, and is worth doing something about, reach out to me. Take on a role. Accept the challenge.

Tell me which area(s) you are willing to contribute your time, energy and ideas to. Maybe this stay-at-home crisis can turn into a plus, if we use some of this unexpected downtime wisely. Pick a topic, tell me what your plan is, and I will get behind it with you. I’ll spread the word, I’ll join the Zoom meetings, I’ll help with the organizing. But I can’t do it without you. So, let me know what drives you, what rattles your cage, what you are willing to put your muscle behind…or not.

You can always leave it up to someone else to “fix.” But then you don’t get to complain…and personally, I LIKE to complain! 🙂

So I’m ready to roll up my sleeves. Are you?