Seven Questions

With the Maryland filing deadline fast approaching for those who are (or are considering) seeking public office in the 2018 election cycle (February 27, 2018 to be precise), this blog is once again considering what questionnaires (if any) to send out to various campaigns.  Of course, the issue mix ranges depending on a number of factors (for example: whether the candidate is seeking a Federal, State, or Local office). 

While we can discuss specific policy proposals all day long ($15/hr federal minimum wage, Medicare for All, etc…), I like to return to exploring “first principles” to understand how candidates think about underlying issues. 

That said, these are the questions I find foremost on my mind in 2018, in no particular order:

1)      Do you consider the increased concentration of economic wealth in the United States to be corrosive to our democracy?  If yes, how should this issue be addressed? If not, why not?

2)      What are your thoughts on social democracy? 

3)      Racial discrimination continues to plague our nation.  This is evident in our workforce (hiring practices, income disparities, opportunities for advancement, etc…), in the administration of our criminal justice system, in systemic efforts to disenfranchise voters based on race, in the relative dearth of substantive environmental protections for communities where people of color constitute a large percentage of the population, and in other facets of American life.  What steps can and should be taken to address these issues?

4)      Thinking about the principles of liberty and equality, and this can apply to any given challenge (fiscal, social, etc…), how can they both be promoted to ensure that the “unalienable rights” of all Americans are protected?

5)      Let’s assume that something called “class warfare” exists.  If so, who has been winning? For how long? And in whose interest is it to continue the war?  

6)      Considering the UN’s sustainable development goals which refer to gender equality as a “fundamental human right,” how is America performing when it comes to promoting gender equality and what specific steps can and should be taken to secure true gender equality in the United States?

7)      Many LGBTQIA Americans have expressed concerns that the current Administration (and those who view the world similarly) are dedicated to rolling back recent legal protections fought for, and recognized, in this country.  What steps can and should be taken to safeguard the rights of LGBTQIA citizens to participate fully in the “pursuit of happiness” stated in our Declaration of Independence?  

Will this be the basis of the questionnaire? Who may receive it?  Who may respond to it of their own volition? Stay tuned, as more will follow...

In solidarity.

F#$% “Civility”

From the Desk of Slats MacCune: Professional Dreamweaver.

Done clutching the pearls yet?  We live in times that are too brutal for more genteel phrases such as “de-select civility.” 

Civility should not be an excuse for pusillanimity in the face of fascism, or authoritarianism of any stripe.  Sometimes, direct action is the only way to roll.

Stripping ideology aside, bullies take comfort in the expectation of measured responses.  When I was in the 7^th grade, a cul-de-sac tormentor named Frank put me in a head-lock and would not let go.  He thought that I would not react strongly to his aggression.  When I wheeled around and punched him in the face, the dynamic shifted immediately.  From that point on, I earned the wide berth I was given.  It wasn’t a time for a polite debating society.

Shifting to far more serious and systemic matters, Brittany “Bree” Newsome was a hero for climbing that flagpole in South Carolina and removing that evil Confederate flag.  The protestors were right to pull down the “Confederate Soldiers Monument” in Durham, NC recently. Those who call for moderation for the sake of moderation in word and deed are abdicating their moral responsibility to speak out against the hate mongers who have a) always plagued America and b) are re-asserting themselves quite vigorously in the Trump era.         

I know you folks in Howard County put a premium on (some might say fetishize) the concept of civility as an end in-and-of itself.  Civility should not be exercised automatically. Not everyone deserves it.  Nazis certainly don’t.  The “alt-Right” doesn’t.  Frankly, these fascists and their fellow travelers rely on “reasonable” people who choose to act “civilly” as opposed to taking a stand and fighting back. 

As Dante wrote about those who “in a time of moral crisis” opted to “preserve their neutrality,” there are people “who made, through cowardice, the great refusal.”  Now is not the time for equivocation or vacillation in the face of those who embrace the dogmas of hatred.  And if that means not turning the other cheek, then so be it.

    

Archipelago of Nightmares

This is what happens when the Electoral College elects a reckless, feckless goon who surrounds himself primarily with intellectual lightweights and dilettantes, hypocritical office-seekers, hustlers out for a buck, and racists and their fellow travelers.

President Trump’s recent Executive Order on immigration, better known as the “Muslim Ban,” will not make America any safer.  This rushed and thoroughly under-vetted action invoked 9/11 yet oddly, it did not cover the nations from which the 9/11 hijackers came, most notably Saudi Arabia.  Could that be because of Mr. Trump’s business interests? Quite possibly but his lack of transparency on his finances makes the extent of his Saudi dealings unclear.  His failure to place the public good about his private interests, in reality and perception, is deeply troubling.  

On top of that comes the news that Steve Bannon, pedlar of alt-right bilge, is on the National Security Council.  And I thought we won World War II.   Reagan and GHW Bush had, among others, James Baker, even W had some heavy-hitters around his White House.  They were grievously wrong on multiple fronts, but they were within the bounds of sanity.

The casual- to- the-point-of-accidental relationship that exists between his Administration and the truth is evidence that the President cannot be trusted, not by Republicans, not by our allies overseas, not by anyone.  There might be occasional convergences of interests but make no mistake, there is no Weltanschauung to this President beyond a seemingly endless and bitter selfishness.

This, ultimately, will likely prove to be the undoing of his Administration.  Once a critical mass of Trump voters, and GOP Members of Congress, realize that Trump isn’t so much a Republican but an irresponsible, aspiring tin-horn with no respect for conservative values or our Constitutional order, they will move away from him in droves.  Lacking such a base, he will be like President John Tyler, a man without a party.  Let us hope this realization occurs sooner than later.

#Resist

The Trials and Tribulations of Z. Clement Folderol

Recently, I visited my neighbor…a long-time Howard County resident, the aforementioned Z. Clement Folderol.

As we sat on his porch, imbibing what was assuredly Crystal Light (“Because I believe in me!"), he mentioned that he had never seen such strife in the land of milk and honey, not since the introduction and debate over CB9-2017.

“Wait,” I said, “you were present for the Coolidge inauguration, you are saying that we are more divided, as a society, compared to then?”

“Absolutely.  Why did they call him Silent Cal?  It was mum’s the word.  Total peace and quiet.”

“That was only a few decades removed from the Civil War…and Maryland was a state where owning human beings was permissible.  Not to mention racial segregation and Jim Crow laws which were very much enforced in this state through much of the 60s.”

“Eh,” he waved his hand dismissively, “well that all worked out, didn’t it?”

“Well, to an extent, because people fought for their basic human rights…and it wasn’t exactly a picnic Clem, you should know, you were there.”

“Who can remember, after The Big One, we were just trying to settle down and raise families.”

“Those of you who were able to buy homes around here, sure, but de facto segregation persisted for many years after LBJ left office.”

He took a long sip.  “Maybe so…but Howard County has always been a haven for tolerance.”

“Has it been?  Have you attended any of the recent Council meetings?  Do you have a Facebook account?  There is some dire ugliness being said about some of our neighbors.”

“Oh you mean the illegals?”

“Read between the lines Mr. Folderol.  There are racial undertones not too far removed from the surface…being uttered by folks right here in HoCo.  It’s not “legal versus illegal,”…it’s clearly an “us vs. them” debate designed to amp up the fear quotient.  The anti-CB9 folks aren’t appealing to reason…what does that say to you?”

He squinted off in the direction of the sunset.  It being a cloudy night, there was no reason for the squint, but it matched his slow shrug. “Well,” he said, “people are afraid.”

“Afraid of what though?  Have you read the bill?  Do you think it will actually lead to a crime wave in Howard County?  Isn’t the opposition just appealing to the worst instincts of some of us?  Haven’t we seen this debate before, just in another form?”

“You ask a lot of questions.  It disrupts the quiet of the evening.”

“What progress is made without disruption?”

Stay tuned, as more will follow.