The Nixon Pardon Was a Death Knell

The basic tenet of democracy is that no one is above the law. This is the bedrock upon which all other democratic ideals and lofty aims is built. 

The United States of America heard the death knell of democracy on the day that Ford pardoned Nixon. On that day, the fact that those in power would not be held accountable was on full display, and there was no outrage. 

The US is failing the test of basic kindergarten:

Don’t lie, don’t cheat, don’t steal. 

If it’s not yours, don’t touch it.

Be respectful, and whenever possible, be kind.

A kindergarten teacher, fed up with the incessant tattletale activities of her students, installed a phone in the coat closet just for the children to report the infractions that they saw. It worked amazingly. Children reported pulled hair, lunch money infractions, being late, saying mean things, everything that you would expect. They tattled on their parents as well as on each other. This, in so many ways, is the epitome of democracy: reporting an infraction, regardless of the status of the offender, expecting that the rule of law will swoop down and have its say, setting everything to rights. Children have an unerring sense of fairness. But this is not about Rawls.

The experiment worked until it suddenly didn’t. 

It didn’t take long for children to notice that nothing was coming of their reports. Not for wearing un ugly outfit or for pulling hair. Not for their parents or adults, and not for the children. When this anticipated accountability failed to materialize, the children’s participation waned and then disappeared altogether. The children had given up. 

The Nixon pardon stands out, but it is far from the only instance of those in power in the US slipping free from accountability. What makes it so distinct in my mind is the lack of outrage. Everyday adults—not only just the cronies of the perpetrator—took the pardon in stride, defended it even, as simply what one would expect. This was presented as sincere, a genuine belief that this pardoning of corruption was defensible and ought to be done, not merely expected. Impeachment, the highest crime in the land against an elected official, would simply and predictably be pardoned by his successor.

Today, we are faced with rampant corruption, and at times there seems to be outrage, but more than anything there is a thread of cynicism, a shrugging dismissal as though to say It’s all unfair; what are you going to do? 

This stance of political powerlessness by the citizenry is the antithesis of democracy.

The American Fascist

"The American fascist would prefer not to use violence. His method is to poison the channels of public information. With a fascist the problem is never how best to present the truth to the public but how best to use the news to deceive the public into giving the fascist and his group more money or more power."

- VP Henry Wallace, April 9, 1944

“In the end, civilizations perish because they listen to their politicians and not to their poets.” Lithuanian artist Jonas Mekas

The Representative that we need

Political rallies and primary elections are driving me a little bugnutty right now. 

No one seems to do much more than leverage the broken system for their own gain.

In late August 2017, the Boston Globe asked Jeff Ballard "when you talk to voters in the district, what's their most pressing concern, and why do you think you're the best person to address it in Congress?" Ballinger replied:

Corporations have such a pervasive influence in Washington that people don't believe that elected representatives can really address the problems of the country. My skills as a corporate crime fighter organizer are key to rallying people to demand reform. Politicians won't get money out of Congress.

The Art of the Possible

"politics is indeed the art of the possible. but that includes intervening on conditions of possibility when you can, not just accepting what is currently considered feasible." --- Olúfémi O. Táíwò

The Civic Connection -- Rasoul

Another great interview. Today I spoke with Sam Rasoul, State Delegate for the 11th district, which includes my fair city of Roanoke. It was a delightful experience, filled with lively and genuine conversation about social justice, political trust, the impact of extreme poverty, increasing options and changing mindsets, and favorite moments about serving.

Keep watching this space for the audio file.

The Civic Connection -- Goodlatte

Today I interviewed Bob Goodlatte, federal representative for Virginia's ninth district. We talked about HR 29, his proposal to terminate the federal tax code of 1986 -- the whole thing -- as a way to force a conversation about what would be better.

I look forward to keeping the conversation with Goodlatte going.

Philippines closing the mines and not even apologizing

NPR had an interview with Philippines Environmental Secretary Gina Lopez today, who shocked world markets by announcing the closure of 23 mines due to environmental concerns. The Philippines, the world's largest source for minerals, including tech-important nickel, is drowning under the global needs of minerals and is paying a heavy cost in resources, human as well as natural. Lopez nixed a proposal from Nickelodeon's parent company, Viacom, for an underwater theme park off the eco-friendly island of Palawan.

Hello, 400 hectares of underwater theme park - you're going to kill our environment, man. You know, people with money, they come in, and then they just do things. Like, the world is not here for you to rape.

Let Liz Speak

"She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless #shepersisted."
So must we all.
Tradition does not require compliance.
Mitch McConnel cannot silent dissent simply because he finds it offensive.
We must not kowtow to bullies.
We must #StandTogether.
#LetLizSpeak

Doomsday looms

The closest ever, and just getting closer.

Three minutes to midnight was too many last week.
This week, one can only wonder if that's padded with sixty extra seconds of optimism.
Hint: When Trump advised folks to "Go Nuclear," he wasn't making a reference to Iran. Yet.

Nickleback 2016

It turns out that in a (real, honest to goodness, I am not making this up) national poll released this week by the PPP, Nickleback is more popular than Donald Trump.

They are rescoring the national anthem to make it sound like every other song they have released.

Bernie 2016. Seriously.

 He's a sleeper agent for a progressive policy revolution that could save capitalism from itself. 

Not So Ready for Hillary

Is anyone else as underwhelmed by Hillary's campaign as I am?

Warren 2016

[W]hat draws people to Warren is her unusual combination of guts, brains and heart--her willingness to fight, and fight smart, for what's right. To make a difference in people's lives.

That's her superpower.

Let the Diamond Age Begin

an obscure piece of the TPP agreement, the so-called Investor-State Dispute Settlement process, . . . allows multinational corporations to sue national governments in international forums and win cash judgments that cannot be appealed

I'm a cheapskate.

Just for the record, the reason I'm for a single payer healthcare system is because I'm a fiscal cheapskate. An analysis of the proposed bill by Physicians for a National Health Program estimated the immediate savings at $350 billion per year. Immediately.

But in case that's not a compelling enough reason to enact the Conyers bills, others have estimated a long-term savings amounting to 40% of all national health expenditures due to preventative health care. Forty percent. That's forty percent of $3.8 Trillion. Every freaking year. That's over 1.5 trillion-with-a-T dollars. Every. Freaking. Year.

Why are we still talking about this?

Review this on 1/20/10

From his interview with Time: I think there are a couple of benchmarks we've set for ourselves during the course of this campaign. On [domestic] policy, have we helped this economy recover from what is the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression? Have we instituted financial regulations and rules of the road that assure this kind of crisis doesn't occur again? Have we created jobs that pay well and allow families to support themselves? Have we made significant progress on reducing the cost of health care and expanding coverage? Have we begun what will probably be a decade-long project to shift America to a new energy economy? Have we begun what may be an even longer project of revitalizing our public-school systems so we can compete in the 21st century? That's on the domestic front. On foreign policy, have we closed down Guantánamo in a responsible way, put a clear end to torture and restored a balance between the demands of our security and our Constitution? Have we rebuilt alliances around the world effectively? Have I drawn down U.S. troops out of Iraq, and have we strengthened our approach in Afghanistan — not just militarily but also diplomatically and in terms of development? And have we been able to reinvigorate international institutions to deal with transnational threats, like climate change, that we can't solve on our own? And outside of specific policy measures, two years from now, I want the American people to be able to say, "Government's not perfect; there are some things Obama does that get on my nerves. But you know what? I feel like the government's working for me. I feel like it's accountable. I feel like it's transparent. I feel that I am well informed about what government actions are being taken. I feel that this is a President and an Administration that admits when it makes mistakes and adapts itself to new information, that believes in making decisions based on facts and on science as opposed to what is politically expedient." Those are some of the intangibles that I hope people two years from now can claim.

that

“But I certainly can express my own opinion here and take actions that I believe would be best for traditional marriage and that's casting my votes and speaking up for traditional marriage that, that instrument that it's the foundation of our society is that strong family and that's based on that traditional definition of marriage, so I do support that.” Did the above make sense to anyone? Bueller, Bueller? My goodness, she is worse than Quayle or W.

Who do they think she is, the President?

"In all due respect, people going around and… sticking a microphone while conversations are being held, and then all of a sudden that's—that's a person's position…" Yeah, y'all. Stop being so mean and picking on her.

Brother can you spare a ride?

While the price at the pump continues to fall as a nationwide average, the reality in my little area of southwestern Virginia is that we are feeling the pain of gas shortages. It's not as bad here (yet) as it is in West Virginia, Ohio, Tennessee and the Carolinas, but given that my fair piece of the commonwealth resides at the crossroads of all these places, it certainly makes me wonder how David and I will be able to count on commuting. The shortage has hit hardest in Atlanta, Nashville, Tenn., and the Carolinas, including the Charlotte area and the mountain towns to the west. For days it has closed civic offices, cut short workdays and even canceled community college classes. Getting to work is not a small deal in the best of times for those of us in rural locations. And with the tidal wave of unemployment running around, David and I are lucky to have jobs. So perhaps it's time I asked my neighbor-down-the-road about carpooling, and asked a neighbor-up-the-road about meeting the bus after school. One thing is certain: if we are going to make it through this crisis, it's going to be because we have gotten more creative and pulled together as people. Now let's see if the government can be as flexible and committed to a solution.