June 30, 2022

The University of Congress

" (There is a) powerof the Congress to inquire into and publicize corruption, maladministration, or inefficiency in agencies of the Government. That was the only kind of activity described by Woodrow Wilson in 'Congressional Givernment' when he wrote: 'The informing function of Congress should be preferred even to its legislative function'."
-- U.S. Supreme Court; Watkins v. United States


One of the most important things that came out of the Senate Watergate investigation is their final report. The above quote is from page 40 of the 2005 fromthe Carroll & Graf edition. On the same page, there is a quote from another US Supreme Court decision that further quotes Wilson in advocating for the power of the Congress -- both the House and Senate -- to investigate issues and educate the public.

Obviously, the January 6 Committee is doing a great job of this. And I think it is inspiring a lot of us in the context of knowing how important winning in November is. Being old, I can say it is inspiring my generation, who watched the televised Watergate hearings. I've been talking with old friends and associates from that bygone era, who were more socially and politically active back then, but who usually limit themselves to just voting in recent decades. And they are all saying that they recognize that it is essential for everyone to do more now.

I also had a long talk with the campaign manager of the Democratic candidate in my district in rural, upstate New York. He is, in my opinion, the perfect candidate for this district. Though we are outnumbered by both republicans and independents around here, I am confident that he will get some republican botes, and a lot of independents.That's how a Democrat wins in these parts.

Educating the public isn't limited to committees. Individual Representatives do this with e-mails and mailings, and meeting the public in town halls. More, they do this when they are interviewed on television. However, there is something particularly powerful found when a group puts their minds and talents together to educate the public in the manner the J6 Committee is doing now. We are witnessing history.

I respect what every member of the Committee is doing. There is balance in their approach. Yet I will say there is one member -- quiet so far -- that I am particularly eager to hear interviewing witnesses when her turn come, and that is Rep. Stephanie Murphy. I think that those who have heard this lady speak know what I mean. After serving in national security, she opted to challenge a republican in 2016, and has earned the respect of everyone around her.

Perhaps one of the most important lessons of the J6 hearings is that we have to work together to save this country. Now, anyone who knows me knows that I'm on the left edge of the Democratic Party spectrum. I recognize that my opinions are not in the majority on a number of issues. My favorite elected representatives are known as "the Squad," and are the six most progressive members of the House. But I'm delighted to work for the campaign of the liberal congressional candidate in my district. I will serve as the campaign's connection to the Left.

More, although Rep. Murphy identifies as a "blue dog," I have great respect for her. It's important to recognize what type of candidate can win in a congressional district. And, for more extreme examples, though I have little if anything else in common with them, I respect Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, and Cassidy Hutchinson for the roles they are playing in educating the American public on the attempt to overthrow our elected government.

June 28, 2022

Timing

"Observe due measure, for right timing is in all things the most important factor."
-- Hesiod


Timing is everything in making love or war. Donald Trump imagined that there would be portraits of him at the Capital on January 6, in the spirit of George Washington crossing the Delaware. Bad timing.

Today, he is splattering out messages, denying he really knew Cassidy Hutchinson, and everything she testified to today. Again, bad timing.

In many sports, one must practice form, then train to add speed to that form, which results in power. Yet that potential for power depends upon timing. It wasn't just that the great Henry Aaron could swing a bat hard -- he timed those pitches that he knocked out of the stadium. Trump mastered none of these, hence he choked when he stood at the plate of history. Then he threw the plate against the wall.

The January 6 Committee has shown a mastery of form, speed, power, and timing. Although I recognize that advances in technology have added to the appeal of their public presentations, I think these hearings are the very best I've ever seen. Better than Watergate, better than Iran-Contra. And the Senate's Watergate hearings set the bar high.

Today's hearing has been compared already to two of the most important Watergate hearings witnesses, John Dean and Alexander Butterfield. Dean brought the scandal into the Oval Office in his testimony. Butterfield was a surprise witness, who had confirmed that there was a White House taping system three days before his public testimony. when the Committee allowed republican counsel Fred Thompson to ask the key question.

While I like historical comparisons, I think that Cassidy Hutchinson is unique. Dean was testifying with "use immunity," and looking to make a deal with the Department of Justice. Butterfield was an Air Force veteran, who was simply doing the right thing. Hutchinson has had threats to her safety, and will now endure the attacks on her character that the Trump cult is famous for.

Yet there are some interesting post-testimony indicators that things are crumbling for Trump and Mark Meadows. Former chief of staff Muck Mulvaney said Hitchinson is honest, and others must now testify. If a muckraker like Mulvaney is abandoning ship, things are growing far worse after today.

I might disagree with 99% of Hutchinson's social-political views, but I respect what she is doing for this country.

Peace,
H2O Man

June 27, 2022

On Human Gardening

I am happy to see that the January 6 Committee is holding an "unscheduled" hearing tomorrow. While it certainly can't undo the Supreme Court's assault on reason and science, it should serve to get us back to taking care of business. Each of us has our own unique response to the rabid republican declaration of holy war; for me, this includes meditating on the teachings of those human beings that I recognize as the prophets.

I consider Bob Marley to be among these people, imperfect and 100% human, who delivered a message of truth over the centuries. I should note that the lyrics to the above song were authored by Peter Tosh, another of my favorites. As Peter was murdered on Spetember 11, 1987, I will suggest that younger readers unfamiliar with him listen to some of his music, both with Bob, and after. "Downpresser Man" is one I'd recommend.

"Downpresser man
Where you gonna run to
Downpresser man
Where you gonna run to
Downpresser man
Where you gonna run to
All along that day"

It helps me to listen to them as I tend to my garden. My son and I recently acquired a collection of artifacts from the widow of a guy that I used to know from walking the fields. Rather than sell them, where the collection would be broken up and leave the area, she wanted them to stay local with a young person who understands their value is not measured in dollars and cents. The collection has over 500 artifacts that document human beings living here, on this land, for over 12,000 years. There is some fascinating science that seems to document the Original Americans were here much longer than that, although there are still differing opinions among the experts. I keep an open mind.

About 100 of the artifacts are gardening tools. They range from about 2,000 bc until shortly before Europeans arrived. My late friend used these to decorate his gardens, and his widow "hinted" it would be nice if we did the same. I told her that they would be added to those we've already placed there. My son built me a beautiful labyrinth where my large, above-ground swimming pool sat before a tree fell on it. On the rock walls that he built for raised-bed gardening, he placed hundreds of fossils, mapping the earliest tiny life-forms, from water to land, including ancient trees, and even a fish, before mapping out the timeline of human history.

Carrying those rocks out, I think of one of the two mentors I had as a teenager and young man. I was an angry, troubled person in that phase of life, so much so that the universe decided not only that I required two mentors, but that they had to be extraordinary. I was so bad that in high school, my favorite teacher called me aside one day, gave me a book, and said I needed to read it ..... not for class, but for life. It was "The Autobiography of Malcolm X." She was, by the way, the same teacher who brought me bags of food when I was a homeless teen, so I trusted her.

Now, one of those mentors was Onondaga Chief Paul Waterman, who I have quoted a thousand times on this forum. With him, I learned the traditional history and wisdom of the Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois Confederacy. For years, I have overlapped his lessons with the archaeological record, and they match up well. With Paul, I also got to know many other Chiefs and Clan Mothers, who serve as the Wisdom Keepers.

When I work outdoors with my son, or when we walk the fields, I tell him about the things I've learned from this, both from Paul and others, and from sitting in university classrooms. I tell him how Paul and my other mentor, Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, redirected me from a path that likely would result in prison or death, to the correct path. My son thinks the most hilarious story came one night long ago when a friend and I, both teens, were in a store to buy beer. We had money, but the synergy of intoxicated and stupid kicked in: I told him I would grab a few extra cases, and run out the employee's back door. He would buy beer, and I'd meet him outside. It made perfect sense at the time.

He said employees were watching us, so I told him to leave. Then I grabbed cases of beer, and dashed out the back door. Two athletic employees were chasing me, so by the time I was out the door, I had set the cases down, and began hurling bottles of beer at them. In my extended family, you had to box and play baseball, and I had a mighty accurate fast bottle, er, ball. They hurried back inside. Somehow, I was never caught and charged. I did worse things, for sure, but that was the most stupid.

Although Paul had met people as stupid as I used to be, he could not relate to my youthful rage, so that is where the Hurricane came in. We had a couple things in common, although on the surface, there were significant differences. Much of his early life was the experience of many young black guys in an urban setting, or in reform school. I was an Irish second-generation small farm family, with some BCI Senior Investigators that somehow knew what trouble my brothers and I were making. (That remained a mystery until I was an adult.)

I was a pretty good boxer, and was featured in an article in a boxing magazine when I was 13, authored by a British writer. We corresponded through letters and cassette tapes, talking about boxing, prison, and my conviction that most adults were stupid. Rubin had known Malcolm X, and paraphrased him in a question: "If they are truly that stupid, then why do you behave in a manner that allows them to control your life?" I would use that same question, years later, when I worked with troubled youth convinced adults were stupid beings.

At the age of 18, Rubin told me to hang up the boxing gloves, and to go to college. Though I questioned that, of course, but did. And at that time, my conversations with Rubin started on another path. He began talking about the meaning of life, and what human evolution was possible at this time. That coming from a long line of DNA, that modern humankind must evolve psychologically, or we will bring our own extinction upon the human race.

When people would ask Paul about the "Iroquois religion," he would say that it wasn't a "religion," but rather, a way of life. Rubin, on the other hand, was an atheist. His paternal line was of Baptist ministers, and he knew the bible. He had also studied Islam, and he called the human we know as Jesus as "the Master." And he pointed out things such as the Gospel of Matthew quoting Jesus sixteen times in what are much like the essence of Buddhism. Most fall into concepts of balance, but three are specifice: Do not be afraid.

We are in a horrible time, and I'm not suggesting that we will not emotional responses. Those can be good things, because we are human beings. But our best responses are those that -- by no coincidence -- separate us from the republicans, who are the angry bottom-dwellers that worship Trump, guns, and a "religion" that is shallow and fragile -- and very destructive. Many of their victims wll suffer, and some will die. Thus, to paraphrase Albert Camus, our job is to lessen the numbers that may suffer and die.

Finally, if we form a DU baseball team, though I'm too old to throw a good fast ball, I could be of service as a pitching coach.

June 26, 2022

Must See

June 25, 2022

Universe 25: Of Mice & Humans

I've had the opportunity to communicate with a fairly large number of people in the past 24 hours. Since I opt to communicate with a relatively small group of people, they are all good people I enjoy spending time with. A somewhat varied group of people, thanks in part to the telephone and internet. And I've spent some time watching the news and reading opinions, mainly those on this forum and facebook.

Everyone I spoke with was concerned about the Supreme Court's ruling again a New York State gun law. It makes me wonder how closely one Injustice was associated with the group looking to steal the 2020 election. Obviously, we know his wife was a member of the White House's effort to coordinate with the Trump campaign. We know how he voted regarding releasing the former administration's e-mails, that included his wife's unhinged rants.

Any Supreme Court Justice that is that openly corrupt needs to go. It is no coincidence that, besides wanting to do away with democracy in the context of elections, Injustice Thomas also wants to not only restrict women's healthcare, to to outlaw that which does not fit into his religious superstitions. Along with Roe, he wants to overturn Griswold (contraceptives), Lawrence (sex outside of marriage), and Obergefel (the right for adults to marry the one they love).

One option that is open to us is to work like our lives and liberties depend upon it to elect enough candidates in November so that Thomas will be impeached and convicted. We can abort his career on the high court. That option is available to us. It is entirely up to us, both individually and as a group, if we take that path.

Of the two dozen people I've spoken with, only one said that no, it's too late, that democracy in America is dead, and we've lost the fight. Instead, he was content to wallow in anger, frustration, bitterness, and finger-pointing at those he wants to blame for what he believes were past mistakes. I understand that good people can have temporary emotional responses to current events, but recognize that to travel the path I advocate, it requires sacrifice. And that includes a willingness to sacrifice those emotions and behaviors that are a stumbling block on this path. I told him if he lacked the capacity to stop blaming others in the self-righteous way that we see all too often, he needed to sit to the side of the path and think about the damage that self-righteousness always inflicts. We can all agree that Thomas's self-righteousness is toxic, and something we do not need to infect the Democratic Party.

Now, I am not unrealistic. I don't think any person is "perfect" .... no politician, no one who is willing to do their best to defeat the threat posed by the religious superstitions or militias of the republican machine. We are human beings. But if we put our minds together, we can walk the path to victory.

Peace,
H2O Man

June 18, 2022

What a Fool Believes

"A learned fool is more of a fool than an ignorant fool. " —Molière (Jean-Baptiste Poquelin)


A gentleman contacted me today on the internet, someone I haven't talked to since the late 1960s. I do keep in contact with his sister, and knew that he had maintained what I consider a hippie lifestyle. He is a talented musician, very intelligent, and a life-long Democrat.

He said that since the start of the January 6 Committee hearings, he finds it harder to talk with ignorant fools. He said that he has stopped talking to some of the people that he encounters where he lives. Since he lives in Florida, I said I can understand that, but that I think educated fools -- a species found in all fifty states -- are even more frustrating to bump into.

I am not, of course, pretending that I came upon John Eastman in person. The mere watching of the third presentation by the J6 hearing, which focused some attention on Eastman, was both good and bad enough. It is a reminder that the gravitational force of a sociopathic "leader" not only draws in creeps, it brings forth their true essence. One might suspect that Eastman is on a collision course with legal consequences.

It will be interesting to learn Eastman's role in connecting with the Proud Boys and other groups associated with planning the violent coup. Currently, some forum members are speculating who was the connecting figure. Being prone to using models, let me suggest we view the White House as a hydra, with tentacles that include several that reached into the militias. Besides Eastman, there is Steve Bannon. Also, since the hydra has regenerative powers, we must inlude Roger Stone, one of the infamous Brooks Brothers Riot planners and participants.

(Note: In the 1960s, "The Hydra" was the underground newspaper in the school I attended. When the three brothers who created it -- who considered themselves to be Weather Underground -- went to state prison, I reprised the newspaper.)

It strikes me as interesting that several republicans are being honored for doing the right thing. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that some did, and others like Liz Cheney still are. I do respect that. But it strikes me as a bit odd that "doing the right thing" is now unique in the republican party, rather than what should be expected. Perhaps one day we will reach a point where doing the right thing is expected in government.

One more thing: there have been reports of some tensions between the J6 Committee and the Department of Justice. This is neither something to discount or to think will create a crisis. First, it is extremely common, when two government agencies are in semi-coordination with a specific group -- no matter at what level of agencies -- for their to be some tensions. This happens at the local, state, and federal levels. But it generally works out, and reportedly will be resolved in July.

June 15, 2022

Trump and the Unspeakable

“Sociopaths are attracted to politics because the see it as a sphere in which you can be ruthless and step all over people. That fact that some politicians can tell such awful lies is another example of sociopathy. Sociopaths lie—they see nothing wrong with it.”
― Alexander McCall Smith, The Revolving Door of Life


Malaise posed two questions to start an interesting and important OP/thread two days ago Here is the link to it:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=16796605

As happens when I read something of interest, I found myself thinking about it last night, when I watched the second Committee hearing for a third time. Indeed, I was thinking about it this morning, while watching highlights of yesterday's hearing on various news reports.

Malaise asked how a self-absorbed individual could do so much damage, and how so many numbskulls could join forces with him? Those are serious questions, deserving serious answers. I'd like to take a minute to expand upon what I said there, which was "a sociopath with access."

Ancient DU readers know that I like to use models to illustrate human dynamics. Today, the reader can pick an atom or solar system. A sociopath is at the center, and their gravitational force frequently brings others into their orbit. Erich Fromm goes into amazing detail about this in his 1973 classic, "The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness." The closest beings to that center will be those who we know as having anti-social personality disorders. Let's just call them criminals, shall we?

The next layer will be potential criminals, usually men and women who are okay with what they often call "bending the rules," and we'll call lower level criminal behaviors. Then clusters of shit-dust entities, that want to wear uniforms and legally torture and kill human beings. These are those that stormed the Capital. Finally, there are Don, Jr. and Eric Trump, who enjoy killing defense animals on an African safari.

Having worked in forsensic mental health, especially in running the weekly county jail group, domestic abuse groups, and with some fellows released from state prison for a short vacation, I encountered a number of sociopaths. (Hint: they always try to disrupt groups.) They spanned the range from really fucking stupid to moderately intelligent. Yet they all shared an inability to really think ahead of the consequences of their destructive behaviors, something that led to not only self-destructiveness, but caused damage for the idiots around them. And for perfectly innocent people with the bad luck of being in their way.

Trump is really not much different that the fellows and one female sociopath I worked with. He might dress differently -- for now -- but the only real difference is that the social station he was born into allowed him to buy access. That included access to high society and to the media. Without the money, Trump is at best an inmate in the county jail. This, despite his uncle being a professor.

Much of high society rejected Trump as a buffoon. An obnoxious asshole. They were, of course, correct. This brings us to some of the republicans we witnessed providing testimony to the J6 Committee. Unlike in other countries, Trump did not have absolute power, such as his idol Putin has. Hence, when they witnessed his attempts to obtain that level of power, one of two things happened: they either quit or were fired.

But our system of government is distinct from Putin's Russia or Saddam's Iraq. It was preparing to eject the toxins from its system, based upon the 2020 election. The J6 Committee is documenting the multi-step effort of Team Trump to remain entrenched, despite the law. And we all know what happened as a result.

What we don't know yet is the extent of Russian influence. This isn't limited to what we know happened in thec 2016 presidential campaign. However, I shall reprise a lyric used in posts here back then ..... Trump and Putin are both white nationalists. Putin has the support of the white nationalists in Russia, which are para-military militias. And white nationalists in the US creamed their jeans when Trump was elected. He believed he could use them much like Putin does.

There are links, currently being investigated by the DOJ, regarding the linkages between the Russian and US white nationalist groups -- including "training" one of the Russian groups provided to at least one of the groups involved in the insurrection. I think at least one forum member posted about these connections recently.

If anyone has read this far, it should encourage you to work like hell to make sure we win the November elections. Our system of government is actually designed to prevent a Trump or his cult members from grabbing power. But our system depends upon the active involvement of its citizens.

Peace,
H2O Man

June 13, 2022

Ashli Babbit died for Trump's Sins

"Ashli Babbit had been preparing for this day, the day when world events would turn her way. When a discouraged friend on Twitter asked last week, 'When do we start winning?' Ms. Babbitt had an answer: 'Jan 6, 2021.' " -- New York Times; January 7, 2021
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/08/us/who-was-ashli-babbitt.html


I did not know Ashli Babbit, or even that she existed, until after her death at the January 6 insurrection. Now I know that she had served in the US Air Force for 14 years, before "struggling to keep a pool supply company afloat." (Ibid) I know that she religiously believed in the gospel of Q-Anon, and believed that Donald Trump was both honest and cared about her.

While sacrificing one's life in a just war is noble, I am curious how her family and friends feel after watching today's Committee presentation. Are they, like some of those charged and convicted for their participation on that awful day, aware that Trump lied -- purposely lied to them -- and betrayed them? That he was fully aware that he lost to President Biden?

Are they even dimly aware that Trump had two goals: to steal the election, and to raise money ? And that he would gladly sacrifice their lives, or their freedom, as quickly as he would allow police officers to be assaulted and killed?

Perhaps they recognized that she died for a lie. Or maybe not. For far too few people make the effort to look inside, evaluate, and live, with the same spirit as that person who sacrifices him/herself in a just war. And that is sad, indeed, for one need not "die" in that effort, but just stop inhabiting the lower levels of human potential.

June 12, 2022

A Former Fox

“The rebellion on the populist right against the results of the 2020 election was partly a cynical, knowing effort by political operators and their hype men in the media to steal an election or at least get rich trying,” he wrote in a Los Angeles Times op-ed. “But it was also the tragic consequence of the informational malnourishment so badly afflicting the nation.”
-- Chris Stirewalt

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/10/fired-fox-news-editor-chris-stirewalt-to-testify-at-jan-6-riot-committee-hearing.html


As you may remember -- though it seems so long ago -- Stirewalt was the first to call Arizona for Joe Biden. Thus, he was attacked by Trump and the cult, and eventually fired in January by Fox News. Curious timing, eh?

Stirewalt will reportedly be testifying during tomorrow's January 6 Committee hearing. Safe to say that Fox won't be carrying it live. But it should be an outstanding Committee presentation tomorrow morning, focusing on Trump & Co.'s planning to steal the election, and how this led directly to the insurrection on January 6.

I'm looking forward to the hearing, and the discussions here.

June 9, 2022

Fireflies Unlimited

One can make a strong case that we are experiencing a dark era in American history. There are the seemingly nonstop mass-shootings. There is the organized republican effort to bring us back into the dark ages by overturning Roe. And this evening, we will see the January 6 Committee reporting on the insurrection.

We are all aware of this darkness. We know that many are actively engaged in efforts to prevent the light of truth from illuminating the nature of the darkness. The vast majority of republicans in DC want to avoid discussing the insurrection. Fox News will not be carrying the Committee's hearing tonight.

This is directly connected to the fact that when you or I venture out into public, perhaps visiting a grocery store, we know that a certain percentage of those we encounter exist in that darkness, both without and within. They are the dark holes that are playing a significant role in sucking the life-light out of democracy.

There are other types of darkness we must be aware of. These are the nay-sayers, the stick-in-the-mud mentalities that say the needed changes -- including necessary legal charges -- will never happen. They note things like the Committee and DOJ as identifying the Proud Boys as "key instigators" of the violence on January 6, and pretend this translates to the "only key instigators," as if we should forget everything we saw coming from the White House from the November election to Trump's speech to the crowd on January . And everything that we have learned since, including from the Committee and DOJ.

This doesn't mean we will not have moments of doubt. That includes doubt about if tonight's televised hearing will help. Doubt about if the DOJ will charge those in the Trump cult who were connected to the Proud Boys, even though there were connections, with Peter Navarro having spoken of the coordinated Green Bay Sweep and the republicans in the House and Senate supporting it. Doubts about if the Attorney General determines if there is enough evidence to prosecute Trump successfully, and doubts about if even that would result in Trump being indicted.

We must still do our part. When the DOJ shines a light by indicting Navarro, we know it is a good thing. When the Committee shines its bright light on the roots of the insurrection, it is a good thing. For that is their part. Our part is to respond. To light up the darkness like thousands of fireflies on a June night.

How do we do that? Clearly, it will be fun to participate in discussions here for the next 24 hours. There are good and intelligent people here who will give insights on the most significant parts of tonight's hearing. But, as citizens, we have the responsibility to do more. Amendment 1 includes the phrase "the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Petitioning government can, obviously, include getting people to sign a letter, on paper or on the internet, and sending it to an individual or group in one of the three branches of government. But everyone knows these petitions carry the least weight or influence among the various ways of redressing grievances and concerns." A petition with a thousand signatures is far less powerful than a thousand phone calls, letters, or e-mails. Thus, it is better to concentrate on providing light by those individual contacts.

Recently, I posted contact information for the DOJ:

https://www.justice.gov/contact-us

https://www.justice.gov/doj/webform/your-message-department-justice

I suggested that forum members contact the DOJ on Friday, to do one of two things: either to express confidence in what you assume is their current approach based upon what indictments have already been handed down, or to express your thoughts about the need to iindict those beyond the members of the crowd on January 6, including those in the White House.

As anticipated, some did not respond seriously, and one response expressed the person's strong disagreement with me. And that's fine. But others responded in a more positive light. And that's what we need. I'm reminded of a few years back, when my cousin and his son were shot in a road rage incident. The drunk, off-duty law enforcement officer killed the son, and seriously injured my cousin. There came a time in thr pre-trial period where DU community members contacted the District Attorney and the judge's offices, expressing their opinions on the case. It turned out to be by far the largest number of American citizens to make such contacts in the county's history. That is Amendment 1 in action.

Amendment 1 is not in action when people take the bump-on-a-log inaction. The "it won't matter" approach that only adds to the danger of the darkness. For only the mentally dead could watch tonight's hearing and fail to recognize that the Committee is shining a bright light upon a threat to our country that remains extremely dangerous. Don't go quietly into the dark night. Light it up.