Shocks to the System: Saturday Political Soap Box 247

So, some people ask me, "Hey, Tom!  What's the most influential book you've read about politics?"*

Thanks for asking.  Well, in recent years, the book that has impacted me the most has been The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein, a well-credentialed and award-winning journalist, columnist, and author.

The Shock Doctrine's premise is that many on the right, including politicians, the super-wealthy, and major corporations, use the cover of crisis to further their own agendas.

Katrina was used as an excuse to impose free-market solutions on New Orleans, privatizing public functions, such as schools and utilities.  The same thing happened at a larger scale in Iraq.

Disasters also make perfect opportunities for legislation to improve the lot of those already in charge.  You can see that in the legislation bailing out the banks and major corporations during the 2008 economic collapse.  Less successful were efforts to rein in the same players who caused the crisis.  What feeble attempts to check them has been whittled away and reduced to white noise by successive Republican Congresses and the current Republican White House.

Democrats are often participants in this power grab for concentrated wealth, either willingly or unwillingly.  Democrats have their donors that they have to keep happy, so many are nowhere near as progressive as they should be.  Democrats also believe that action is better than inaction, so they more quickly compromise for crumbs, just to get Republicans to do something.

You can see that in current legislation around the pandemic.  Republicans get 90% of what they want - a massive slush fund to major corporations - a $500 billion slush fund, complemented by up to $4.5 trillion in support by the Federal Reserve.  Meanwhile, the backbone of America, small businesses, have to scramble for PPP funds while competing against larger businesses, many of whom have the inside track on bank relationships and lawyers/accountants who can barrel through the paperwork.  Individuals are handled a mere pittance, a one time shot of funds barely able to cover food or rent for a month.  State governors play an end-around the slightly extra unemployment benefits by prematurely opening their states and eliminating unemployment for those unwilling to put themselves and their loved ones at risk. 

The working poor aren't warriors.  They're cannon fodder to protect the wealthy interests that exploit them and the stock market that doesn't benefit them.

The Democrats stand in line, let McConnell dictate things, thinking that NOW it is their turn, with the House coming up with a bill that does more to shore up individuals and local/state governments, and the Senate Republicans will refuse to even consider it.

The condition to even consider a bill?  McConnell wants employers protected from lawsuits by employees who get sick because the employer has not put in adequate protection measures.  It's Shock Doctrine essentials - improve the lot of the wealthy and powerful at the expense of everyone else.

There has been a lot of whining by Republicans that the House legislation is an excuse to put in Progressive wish list items that go beyond the current crisis.

You know what I say to that?

Well, no s---, Sherlock.  'Bout fricking time!

Pot. Kettle. Black.

Naomi Klein realizes this, and an excellent follow-up book of essays lays out the case for an aggressive Green New Deal.  It would transform this country  FOR THE BETTER.  Because we cannot continue to have authoritarian capitalism centered only around the interests of the exploiters at the top, and socialism only when it benefits the most advantaged.  Capitalize gains, socialize losses - this is a motto we can no longer afford.

I won't go into the Green New Deal here.  I don't want to write forever (people stop reading after a while - heck, probably only 10% of you got this far), and I hope to move on to another Story Time with Mr. Tom (shameless plug). Still, I do have other blog posts that discuss it, and I do highly recommend her book pictured above.  It is an important example of why Progressives need to start using the Shock doctrine themselves.

It's not enough to just check the Republicans.  It's not enough to take a few crumbs while they stomp off with the bulk of legislation.  It's time we stood up firmly for the radical change that is going to be necessary to truly save the country and the planet.



*no one asks me this.  No one really asks me anything, except maybe, "What's wrong with you?  Why aren't you smiling?"  Thank god we wear masks now.  Maybe I won't get asked that so much.

Walking the Talk

My son, Doug, is an environmental scientist.  He works at an environmental firm in the Atlanta area.  He has earned his P.E. (Professional Engineering) certificate and has worked on the environmental side of projects throughout the southeast.

Unlike his Dad, Doug doesn't just talk about the environment. Not only does he work in an environmental field, but also now that he is a homeowner, he is adapting his home to be as environmentally friendly as possible.

In the picture above, you see Doug and Benjamin putting on some finishing touches to some gardening boxes they are going to have in the front yard.  They hope to grow their own vegetables, herbs, and fruit.  They are helping the idea of urban gardening come to life.

They have also installed solar panels on the roof of their house.  They are awaiting a battery that will help them use built up charges, but they will soon be off the grid, contributing more energy than they use.  For this service to Georgia Power,  the utility company will be charging them a monthly connect fee, even though they are increasing NOT DECREASING Georgia Power's bottom line.

It's just one small way that the state of Georgia has decided to fight renewables rather than progress the state forward.  Utility profits are more important than moving the state forward in combatting global warming.

They also have a battery operated electric car, the Nissan Leaf!

So, my son is doing more than Senator Dianne Feinstein from California.  Yes, it's true.  She may have here own plan in mind that she feels is superior than participating in the Green New Deal.  Yes, it's true.  The video of her confrontation with the children advocating for the Green New Deal was only a snippet of her meeting with them.  Nevertheless, it does not look good, and her attitude toward them is not promising.

Doing things like Doug is doing, as individuals, is very important.  But it won't stop what's coming.  That will take changes in government attitude, fixes in law and regulations.  And congressional representatives, even Democratic ones who understand that doing something is important, may have to be pushed to move faster and more decisively.

And that will only happen with activism.  And like the civil rights era, sometimes that will seem noisy and impolite.  The time for quietly sitting in line behind the lobbyists is over.  It will take a non-violent protest.  It will take efforts that will cause attention and fuss.

The quiet children, the polite children, the ones who wait in line, will get ignored.

The stakes are too high.

Time to make some noise!

The World Doesn't Always Go On

A celebrity loses her mind, and posts a photo that is way beyond any measure of good taste, disgusting and despicable.  She is rightly condemned, and she loses her position at a major media corporation.  What she did is, sadly, not an isolated incident.  Horrible statements and photos appear all across both sides of the partisan divide, and one act never justifies another.  We all pray for a greater civility and respect in our culture.  Things can be corrected.  The world goes on.

We are in the process of shredding our social safety net, with huge cuts in programs that benefit the average American.  Health care, Medicaid, Medicare, Meals on Wheels, public education, environmental protections, and even Social Security (particularly the Disability portion) are all being considered for massive cuts, or even elimination. Although the resistance to these changes will be greater than some suspect, these and other domestic programs are under siege and will likely see substantial changes.  But what one group of politicians take away, another group can restore later.  The world goes on.

Our democratic institutions are under severe stress, as there may have been collusion between a political campaign and a hostile foreign power.  But we should not lose hope.  There is now a special Prosecutor, and the free press has not yet been dismantled.  I have faith that the truth will be revealed, and that patriots on both sides of the partisan divide will come together to resolve the problem in the best interests of the United States of America.  The world goes on.

President Trump, in his infinite lack of wisdom, withdraws our country from the Paris Climate Accords.  The idea, I guess, is to put America First, and to double down on the fossil fuels that are causing climate change.  In this case, the world doesn't go on.

At least, it doesn't go on in any recognizable way.  The likelihood of worst case scenarios, as projected by the overwhelming body of scientists and scientific evidence, becomes almost a virtual lock if the United States government turns it back on it.  The worst case scenario is that, within the next generation or two, large swaths of the Earth will become uninhabitable, and there will be hundreds of millions of climate refugees  It will make the few thousand Syrian refugees we were afraid of look like a grain of sand on an infinite beach.  The best case scenario is that other countries ignore us and find green solutions and alternative energies that mitigate the extremity of damage we could face.  Of course, that leaves the United States as a declining and irrelevant power, and out of the loop for the green economy to come.  But that is the choice our President has made.  America First will become America Last.

There are still signs of hope.  Many states, municipalities and even corporations are turning their backs on the President's withdrawal, and forming a kind of Climate Rebel Alliance.  Lacking federal support will hurt immensely, but not surrendering shows courage and the vital importance of moving ahead, whatever the obstacles.

The world doesn't always go on.  It may be easier to break than some people think.  But you have to hope and pray that more wake up to their mission, as spoken of in many of the great faiths, to be good stewards of this fragile planet.

The Mystery of the Trash Tossers

We are literally making trash islands in our rivers, lakes and oceans.

I don't understand what's going through their heads.

It's incomprehensible to me as to why they do what they do.

Nevertheless, they do it.  The evidence is all around us.

I've been walking more in my neighborhood.  Another attempt to improve my health and become slightly more fit.  I've even gotten have one of those fittle bits that counts the number of steps you take.  This really begins to draw into focus my previous days of immobility, so it's been a powerful motivator.

I walk in our residential neighborhood, and then at one point, I come to the sidewalk of a main road.  On that road, strewn about willy-nilly, was food  from a fast food restaurant, a place that was located in a nearby town.  There was the plastic bag proudly declaring the name of the restaurant. There was an opened take out box, half-filled, including with multiple chicken strips.  There were french fries trailed from the middle of the road to the curb.  

I shook my head in disgust, and started to walk away from it.  I mean, you can't clean up everything, can you?  It wasn't my responsibility.  Then I thought of some poor dog or other animal coming across it, and chowing down so hard it wouldn't see an oncoming car.

So I looked out for traffic, retrieved the plastic bag, scooped up the fries and take out box.  and brought it back to my house to be disposed of properly.

Who would do such a thing?  What is going through their minds when they do it?

If I saw someone do something like that, I would love to chase them down and ask them what on Earth were they thinking?  How could they possibly think it was okay to do that?  But I realize in today's world of short tempers and heavy armaments, that might not be a very safe thing to do.

I cannot fathom the rationale.  Are they more concerned about keeping their car clean than waiting to they get home to dispose of it properly?  Do they think it's the local government's fault because they don't have trash cans every few yards?

I know our rivers have a great deal of trash from thoughtless people, and dedicated organizations such as the Satilla River Keepers do yeoman's effort to clean it up.  I'd like to think that more trash containers along the river would help, but I just don't know.  If they're used to just throwing trash without a thought, would they even care to find one?

This area doesn't make trash disposal, and more importantly, recyclables easy.  There may be closer places, but we take a lot of our recyclables to Atlanta when we visit my son, Doug.  We take our papers to a place that will shred and recycle.  

It's not hopeless.  There are organizations in our area that fight trash and pollution, be it from careless individuals, or from corporations more focused on profit than responsibility.  We have groups fighting to clean up our rivers, to stop coal ash, to prevent industrial pollution to our water supply, and much more.

No, if you're tossing trash out of your car, I don't know what you're thinking.  But whatever it is, you need to just stop thinking it.  Stop it.  Stop it right now.  We can psycho-analyze later.

The Weather is Going to Get You

Watch out, politicians!  The weather and traffic are going to get you!

It is more swift and certain than any scandal or disagreement of policy, any corruption or personal sliminess.  Misdeeds do not count as much as misreads of the weather.

Even Tammany Hall machine politicians in the 19th century knew not to mess with basic services, and providing support when weather went afoul.  Mayor John Lindsay of New York city caught hell for handling snow and garbage collection wrong.

President Bush Jr.mishandled and set us down the wrong track on so many things, from Iraq to creating huge debt, tanking the economy and removing privacy rights.  But none of this was enough to make the American people turn on him.  It was Katrina, and a picture of him observing the mess in an airplane, regally flying by it, completely tone deaf to the mess that it caused.   His popularity never recovered.

Governor Christie emerged from the pack of contenders for national recognition when he put political feelings aside and embraced President Obama, seeking federal help in the devastation of Hurricane Sandy.  It helped him soar to a major re-election victory in New Jersey.  He had huge political popularity among Republicans, Independents and Democrats.

But the same things that made him made him broke him.  Using traffic congestion to get revenge on a stubborn mayor?  Using Sandy funds as a political cudgel to discipline opposing politicians, and to support redevelopment projects for your big corporate sponsors?  Found sleeping with a hooker or even a horse, taking gifts he shouldn't or strong arming public unions?  Those he could get way with, but deliberately messing with traffic and making your commute longer just for spite?  Unforgivable!

President Obama has escaped such judgments so far. He has enough political savvy to know to be all in, and offer help as quickly as possible.  And any politician worth his salt, no matter how conservative, should know not to penny pinch when it comes to weather crises.

Mayor Reed of Atlanta, whom I like, and Governor Deal, whom I despise with every fiber of my being, are both political toast.  Their response and complicity in the Atlanta SnowInch-Mageddon has done them in.  They will not be forgiven nor redeemed.  Is that fair?  Yes, they do seem to share some legitimate responsibility.  At the root, though, metro Atlanta has had a miserable time being able to properly develop infrastructure.  They have traffic problems in the best of times.  This state, and other states, often do a piss poor job of helping their major cities. Urban centers are the major economic engines that fuel a state's ability to progress and grow their economy.  But often rural and suburban politicians spend far too much time thinking the cities (often filled with, gasp!, minorities) are the enemies.

The American people, although not ignoring storm response, should also be focused on the engine that is creating more extreme weather in the United States - climate change.  Until we elect politicians determined to deal with that, than the traffic problems in New Jersey and Atlanta are going to look like chump change.

Be ready for a lot of turn over, American politicians!  The weather crises, unfortunately, may be just beginning.

Snowmaggedon Canceled and replaced by......FLAKEQUEST 2014!

Where the snow be???

From my driveway, as far out as I could get without wrecking my cellular device.  The white patch on the driveway is.....concrete.  There is a light cold rain, with very little wind.  No snow.  No sleet.  No ice.  

They told me there was sleet so I went out the back door of the office and this was what I captured.  I am sorry if the shocking nature of these photos are disturbing you, but I thought it was important to chronicle the truth.

The weather machine on my cellular device told me it was going to snow at 3:30.  This is the view out the attic window in my office.  Out of all the pictures in my imagination, I never quite dreamed it would be like this.

Sleet?  A tiny bit.

Icing?  If you look hard, there may be a little.  I haven't gotten much feedback yet, but I was just outside and saw a little on a plant and Alison's car.  Nothing on the driveway or road. 

Snowflake?  None noted by anybody, no verifiable sightings.

School was called off yesterday, and the start today delayed two hours.  At first, you think, they're being over-cautious, but then you see pictures of what happened in Atlanta, with some of the worst traffic jams of modern times as everyone left work and school at the same time, while the storm was in full swing.  Given that, I'll take our over-cautious route.

Still, I would have liked to see a little snow.  That would have been neat, and a reminder that seasons do occur.

FLAKEQUEST 2014 continues!

Watery Weekend and Other Monday Musings

Benjamin spent his Sunday afternoon away from us.  Our friends and fellow parishioners, John Pharr and Carolyn McNeely took him to Brunswick, where he learned about what he could do to help take of the Satilla River, how he could help preserve and make sure the water was safe.  He learned testing techniques.  He enjoyed it, and is ready to join the Satilla Riverkeepers. Now, if he can learn to get over his genetically inherited terror of insects, he might actually be able to contribute year round.

There are a lot of people who use the river irresponsibly, polluting and contamination coming from both public and commercial users.  The number of river users who thinks it's okay to strew trash all over it is astounding.  Chances are anyone who reads this is not part of the problem, but you may know somebody who is.  If you can ask them what the hell they are thinking, why they think dumping crap in the river or on it's banks is okay.  I can't imagine what the answer will be.

Speaking of watery pollutants, one of the biggest news stories in the country, although you may not be able to tell that from the mainstream media, is that 300,000 plus are without water in West Virginia due to an industrial polluter leaking some very dangerous chemicals into the water supply.  The corporation that did this is and remains unregulated, because in West Virginia law, they only store and don't produce.  Expect more of these fun loopholes as TeaPartyPublicans continue to tighten their grip on Red State America.

Another fun fact about Republicorp hold on vast swaths of this great land is it's resistance to any upgrades or repair of infrastructure.  Benjamin left school Friday almost immediately upon arriving as a water main broke near the middle school and high school.  Without working water, they were not going to keep the kids there. The pipes and much of the water supply infrastructure in Blackshear is over a century old, made of clay, and is way past the need to be replaced.  In the current political environment, good luck getting that to happen.  We will just have to stagger from crisis to crisis.

There were strong storms this weekend, and at times we heard some loud bangs on our metal roof.  We never saw anything, but we suspect that there were some major tree limbs or other objects that gave, somewhere on or near our house, a good thwack.  The weather patterns in this area are such that when the temperatures drop below freezing, it is dry arctic air, ergo killing any chance of snow.  Then the temps warm up and lo!  - the rains doth come!

It was the weekend at our church to celebrate the baptism of Jesus.  There was much focus on the renewing spirit of water, and the life and rebirth it represents.  Sunday school discussed how God is in our very act of breathing.

All in all, a very watery weekend.  A vibrant necessity to the wonder of life, and the very renewal of our spirit.  And something we each have a responsibility for.  For helping to keep pure.  To holding it sacred and holy.  For without water, there is no life.

Until next time,

T. M. Strait