"...until you see the whites of their eyes."

 "...until you see the whites of their eyes."

-Colonel William Prescott @ the Battle of Bunker Hill )

Yesterday, I engaged with the protester, who had a large Trump flag and some type of amplified gadget playing Trump speeches and "Hail to the Chief". Speaking with him, it turned out he was an activist with the Republican party in "the near beyond" South Mountain.

I determined that he had two missions: To show his support for Trump and to own the libs.

He was successful at both, gathering a cluster of counter-counter protester folks around him, one of whom kept screaming "F**K YOU!, F**K YOU in his face. Others, shouting, called him a racist or a Nazi.

It seemed obvious to me that this was not his first rodeo. He was cool as a cucumber while those accosting him had a complete meltdown.

As that storm ebbed and flowed as people moved about, some attempted to reason with him in a respectful way. He responded in a respectful way.

I listened to him, got some very basic info from him (mainly, how he came to support Trump and how he became politically active).

After that I backed away and continued to watch the drama with the sole intent of - if it came to it - photographing a possible violent incident and reporting to the police who struck the first blow.

HAD IT TURNED UGLY, folks would have certainly videotaped it, uploaded it, it would have gotten into the news media, and people would have seen a ground of peaceful liberals screaming at and beating the shit out of a Trump supporter.

I had to leave halfway through the event and, presumably, nothing "newsworthy" happened.

So I also had two missions: to remind both myself and the counter-protestor that we are both normal human beings and neighbors as well as to make some admittedly tiny effort to de-escalate the situation and - if necessary - accurately report how things started.

So he did what he came to do and I did what I decided to do in response to that unanticipated situation.

After a couple of years escorting at the Allentown Women's Center , it wasn't MY first rodeo either.

Prayer of Supplication for Ukraine (Readout)

 Last night, I did something I’ve rarely done recently.

I went to church. And to an evening service. In the middle of the week, even. 😇

A service held at Saint Mary's Ukrainian Orthodox Church on Fullertown Ave. in Allentown.

My purpose was to attend the town hall to follow, an event to feature Susan Wild (for whom I campaigned despite my (at that time) Republican registration) and other local officials.

Sadly, I wimped out of attending the town hall after the "brief prayer service" that was to precede it. I should have realized that "brief prayer service" has a different meaning in the Orthodox tradition, where a friend once told me a wedding service took about six hours.

This was fully an hour long gorgeous, ancient, and intensely spiritual ritual complete with vested clergy (including the officient, Western Eparchy Hierarch and Consistory President, His Eminence Archbishop Daniel), candles, incense, an astounding choir singing exotic solemn baritone hymns in a language (Greek? Ukrainian? It wasn't Latin. And it sure as hell wasn't Russian - more on that later).

Also, the congregants and visitors stood for the entire time. (I wasn't warned about that!)

I struggled to my feet as everyone rose to acknowledge the bishop (or so I thought), and then remained standing. And remained standing. Everyone (including little children and elders with canes) stood for the entire hour.

The only reason I didn't sit at about 40 minutes was that I decided I'd be God double-damned if I'd be the only one in the filled to capacity church who sat while I was sitting four pews behind two Ukrainian soldiers in battle fatigues who had been so seriously wounded that had to be evacuated to and treated in America.

Needless to say, they didn't sit.

Neither did a couple of other soldiers in fatigues that I saw. Not sure if they were Ukrainian or, more likely, Ukrainian-American troops from the parish. The one guy I saw had one little kid by the hand and another on his shoulders. For the whole service. Standing.

As far as I could tell, the vast majority of those that came to the service went downstairs afterwards to the fellowship hall to engage in the town hall, but I was beat. And I had problems hearing what was said - including the modest bits that weren't in Ukrainian.

And I was furious.

That brief, sixty minute dip into Ukrainian culture shifted my understanding of the historical context of the war.

Yes, it is the largest conventional arms attack on a European nation's sovereignty since World War II. The war where my Scout leaders and other elders fought fascism in Europe and the Pacific.

But this conflict in which free people fight to retain that freedom against a pitiless dictator with such huge advantages in manpower and weapons is so much more.

Putin's Russian Federation is not just attempting to steal a nation’s homeland and its resources and kill those who stand in their way.

Putin is determined to extinguish the reality of Ukraine. Its culture and its people’s group identity: everything this "short prayer service" embodies in microcosm - the iconography, the incense, the liturgy, the language, and Ukraine’s tradition and history.

It is ethnic cleansing.

And the result of our recent coin-toss, margin of error election has caused us - has caused me - to join Putin's axis of autocracy: a pariah country in the eyes of our former democratic allies who stood beside us and spilled their own blood when we were attacked on September 7th.

And what Putin has done to a formerly free Russia, President Trump and "robocop" Elon Musk fully intend to do to America.

To myself. To my family and friends. And their children and grandchildren. To all of us.

I am furious.

As to missing the town hall, I probably called it right.

I suspect whatever significant exchanges happened at the town hall will probably get some coverage in the news.

But, for the service itself, you really had to be there.

Bill B

Pro-Democracy Demands Factual & Ethical Truth

 

GROUND TRUTH

1. Trump lost a free and fair presidential election in 2020.

2. Jan 6th was Trump's attempt to overthrow that election's lawful results and its constitutional certification.

3. Trump's pardoning insurrectionists and cop-beaters attempt to erase or rewrite the historical facts and legitimize political violence.

ANALYSIS

Donald Trump has identified the Achilles heel of democracies: its tendency towards political corruption and oligarchy resulting in either a left-wing or right-wing popularist movement.

In America and many of its liberal, democratic allies, it is very much right-wing and has captured about 50% of the electorate.

Trump has weaponized about 20% of his supporters who are willing to intimidate, dox, swat and - in extreme cases - engage in political violence against Trump's political opponents (ESPECIALLY those within the Republican party).

He is now, in alliance with other authoritarian leaders and the tech oligarchs developing artificial intelligence,  EXPLOITING THE VULNERABILITIES of all open, democratic, liberal societies to consolidate control over the national, media, educational, scientific, and legal narratives as well as the hard federal power of the military, the justice department.

CONCLUSION

America's democratic, constitutional republic is in an extraordinarily perilous situation.

But we have inherited more than two centuries of constitutional rule and that has been especially embedded in the culture of our military who swear an oath to the Constitution, NOT the incumbent commander in chief.

We are also stubbornly individualistic and pragmatic rather than ideological.

We have agency.

1. We must be intolerant regarding the political views of those who disrespect the ground truth above. 

Befriend them, listen to and respond to their genuine anxieties? 

Absolutely. And if the love of our fellow humans doesn't do the trick, we can resort to our inner pragmatist: we need their votes to win elections!

2. We need to rebuild norms of reciprocity and trust by engaging with citizens of ALL political stripes in the intermediate democratic institutions that amplify a citizen's ability to amplify their concerns.

3. We need to WIN ELECTIONS and, for that, we need to meeting people WHERE THEY ARE rather than where we'd like them to be. 

And winnng American political coalitions are neither fascist nor super-woke.

4. Most of the above does not involve doing a whole lot MORE than what we are doing now, we need to be more MINDFUL regarding what we are doing now - saying, "hi" to neighbors we see on the street, joking with the cashier at a store, developing a non-political friendship with a fellow volunteer or hobbyist or book club member - so that we ELEVATE rather than alienate people.

5. We will need a relatively small group of pro-democracy leaders capable of strategic leadership and the ability to inspire those to risk direct political action in the form of civil resistance, including - if necessary - non-violent civil disobedience -  to PROTECT AND EMPOWER THE VULNERABLE.

https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/otto_von_bismarck_398827

Civil War 2.0: Rules of Engagement

 If you believe that the Democratic party stole the 2020 Election by committing various forms of fraud that were determinative in manipulating the electoral count in favor of Biden, then I have no interest in your political agenda for America.

Because there is no factual evidence for that belief. And the counter-evidence is abundant, vetted, and in the public domain.

If you believe that, while some citizens got out of hand, January 6th, 2021 was a largely peaceful demonstration of patriots protesting the stolen election, then I have no interest in your political agenda for America

Because there is no factual evidence for that belief. And the counter-evidence is abundant, vetted, and in the public domain.

If you don’t believe that Trump commuted the sentences of or pardoned  those convicted of crimes related to Jan 6th and immediately stopped all investigations and legal action against those not yet indicted - OR WAS JUSTIFIED IN DOING SO - then I have no interest in your political agenda for America.

Because there is no factual evidence for that belief. And the counter-evidence is abundant, vetted, and in the public domain.

I can presume your moral integrity, I can affirm your feelings about the current state of America and think my own thoughts - if not yours - on what to do about it, and I can love you even if I perceive you and others of similar belief to be a threat to America.

But while I welcome you in any attempt, any action to help bridge the gulf between your tribe and mine, I cannot respect your thinking on the matter.

You need to educate yourself.

And then I will be most attentive to your thoughts on the matter.

A Theory of Justice by John Rawls: 9 Minute Summary

 

A Theory of Justice by John Rawls: 9 Minute Summary

94 views  Jan 17, 2024  Philosophy & Ethics Book Summaries

BOOK SUMMARY

TITLE - A Theory of Justice

AUTHOR - John Rawls

DESCRIPTION:

📖 Looking for a classic on political philosophy? A Theory of Justice by John Rawls offers a compelling alternative to utilitarianism while expressing an essential part of the democratic tradition - justice as fairness. With revisions to the original text, this powerful theory is as relevant today as it was in 1971.

TIMESTAMPS:

⌚ 00:00 Introduction

⌚ 01:11 Beyond Classical Utilitarianism

⌚ 01:51 A Society's Fundamental Charter

⌚ 02:27 The Theory of Justice as Fairness

⌚ 03:40 The Veil of Ignorance and Justice

⌚ 04:23 Justice as Fairness

⌚ 05:27 Principles of Justice and Egalitarianism

⌚ 06:21 Justice as Fairness

⌚ 07:18 Justice as Fairness

⌚ 07:59 Final Recap

FULL BOOK:

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PRO-DEMOCRACY: IT'S THE ELECTORATE, STUPID.

 About 150 million people voted in the 2024 Presidential Election. About 90 million eligible (though not necessarily registered) people did not vote.

Of those who voted, the country was - broadly speaking - divided 50/50 with Republicans winning swing states by margin of error (or a little over in a state or two) amounts and Democrats winning a number of non-presidential races in some states that went for Trump and outperforming Harris in states that she won.

So the mathematics are simple enough that even I can understand them. As is the strategy.

The only liberal, pro-democracy party capable of winning a governable mandate (let's say 60% with strength to be reckoned with in the illiberal, anti-democratic states) is NOT the Greens, NOT the Socialists, NOT the Libertarians, not the numerous, oxymoronic non-partisan parties.

It is THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.

As a wanderer in the Post-Republican diaspora, I will NOT register as a Democrat unless there is some tangible (i.e., election-winning) reason to do so (as, having spent my life supporting a major political party that has show it CANNOT lead, CANNOT follow, and CANNOT get the hell out of the way, I do not think I have ANY ADVICE TO GIVE to Democrats on how they should pick candidates or run elections..

But I will also VOTE DEMOCRAT for the rest of my days, again, unless there is some tangible - ELECTION-WINNING - reason to do so.

Because, other than self-serving virtue signaling, there is no liberal, pro-democratic ELECTION-WINNING justification for doing so (with the possible exception of local and statewide elections - presuming at the state level they intend to caucus with Democrats).

And, again, the strategy is simple if not easy.

Democrats need to effectively communicate a COALITION-BUILDING MESSAGE that includes, but is not limited to, their base and that can successfully RAID the non-registered, the non-voters, and the MAGA voters suffering the buyer’s remorse that is sure to come and convert that population into pro-liberal democracy votes.

A CAPITALIST KNOWS WHERE THE BODIES ARE BURIED.

 This is depressing, but this guy obviously knows his crap.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a series of major changes to the company's moderation policies and practices Tuesday, citing a shifting political and social landscape and a desire to embrace free speech. Professor and author Scott Galloway joins Morning Joe to discuss.

Jan. 8, 2025

MSNBC.COM 'Where's the leadership?'

TRUMP CAN *BUY* GREENLAND

 Good thing? Bad thing?

I suppose it would be a good thing for America but probably not a good thing for Greenland as he'd probably use the "economic power" he's prepared to unleash to "acquire" Canada, which would mean screwing the bejeezus out of those who lived there.

Would they become American citizens with the obligations and rights of the US Constitution, like the people of Alaska and Hawaii? 

Certainly not during the next four years.

And what if those in Greenland turn down Trump's "best" offer?

Time to claim "national security" and just seize Greenland by force?

"Greenland formally withdrew from the EU in 1985. Today, Greenland is still part part of the Danish crown, but the 2009 autonomy acts give Greenland the right to secession through a referendum. So the statement by Mette Frederiksen, the Danish prime minister, that Greenland is not for sale is bunk. This is up to the seller. The seller is not Denmark, but the 59,000 inhabitants of Greenland. Neither Denmark nor the EU can stop this. 

"Last year, Ursula von der Leyen and Frederiksen visited Greenland because they were alarmed by plans of Chinese investment in Greenlandic mining. Greenland has reservoirs of natural resources including rare earth metals - a market China is keen to dominate because of its importance for batteries and other high-tech equipment. The Greenland prime minister, Múte Bourup Egede, told them bluntly that Greenland is a poor country that welcomed foreign investment, including from China. After treating Greenland with contempt and neglect for so long, it is unsurprising that the country prioritises its narrow economic interests over European security concerns. And this, we think, is how Donald Trump might get them. "

"Falling on ice in Greenland" (EuroIntelligence)

DEATH: AN ENTITY OR AN ATTRIBUTE?

Looking through my Facebook friends, I am saddened by those friends who I know to be dead.

I'm a bit agnostic about what happens after we die. Restricting myself to THIS reality, apparently nothing much.

But I SUSPECT that something transcending this natural reality is responsible for the fact that my knowing that they are dead doesn't seem to have much of an effect on how I regard their status as friends as well as the effect they STILL have on me: in some cases DECADES after they departed this life.