Amendments Of The Heart

By Judith Gayle | Political Waves

I’m a fan of Texas populist Jim Hightower, a man cut from the same cloth as dearly departed Texans Molly Ivins and her lifelong friend, Governor Ann Richards. Hightower is a man of the people, driven out of Texas government by its uniquely rabid brand of conservatism. He recently wrote a blog piece entitled, “Has The United States Gone Crazy?”

Political Blog, News, Information, Astrological Perspective.His answer — yes and no — illustrates the dichotomy of our social conflicts but reflects the hope of our growing, if fledgling, movement toward populism. Nothing less can counter the sweep of political radicalism, corporate control, and the staggering political influence of family trusts that have turned us into an oligarchy.

Yeah, crazy. This was the week that a three-year-old kid in Arizona shot and killed his 18-month-old brother with a neighbor’s gun, a five-year-old in Kentucky shot and killed his two-year-old sister, and a little three-year-old girl in Utah fatally shot her two-year-old brother. This is the week when an emotionally disturbed young man in Southern California stabbed his three college roommates to death prior to a shooting spree that killed three more and injured 13, before turning the gun on himself. Despite multiple warnings, from postings on social media to parental alerts to the police, the young man was able to legally purchase multiple semiautomatic handguns and hundreds of rounds of ammo. This is also the week that conservative deep-thinker, Palin-supporter and failed political candidate, Joe the Plumber, responded to the moving plea for the end of gun violence from the father of a Santa Barbara shooting victim, by tweeting “Your dead kids don’t trump my constitutional rights.”

Crazy. The on-going problem of getting adequate and/or approved drugs to kill death row inmates resulted in Justice Sam Alito halting an execution here in Missouri, leaving the situation under advisement. That didn’t stop our attorney general from announcing a death date for the next in line, right around the corner. And it didn’t stop the Tennessee governor this week, frustrated by his own death-row hiccups, from signing a bill allowing the use of the electric chair if lethal drugs aren’t forthcoming. Electrocution has been considered ‘cruel and unusual’ punishment for decades, but the rush is on for some of the Midwestern states with crowded death rows. A politician in Florida has suggested the return of the firing squad, and, given how many Floridians are carrying concealed weapons, that should prove very popular. It’s almost as though these state systems think their ability to kill off their unwanted is short-lived (to God/dess’s ear).

In that regard, this is the week that the Supreme Court handed down a number of decisions — their Hobby Lobby verdict should come next week — including a break from the dominance of the Federalist faction in the review of IQ requirements for death row candidates. Based on the latest disability standards of the American Psychiatric Association, Arthur Kennedy (who serves as the right-leaning swing vote but went left this time) made it clear in his majority opinion that ” … intellectual disability is a condition, not a number.”

This was a rebuke to the four conservative justices who are hostile to the notion of “evolvement” in psychiatric opinion. Frankly, I think their grievance disputes the concept of evolvement itself, humankind in this nation having sprung, perfect and unchangeable, into the Gawd-approved political and social contract of 1776.

Essentially, the conservatives, who traditionally champion harsh punishment, have been thwarted in their quest for absolutes. They wanted a black and white template to indicate who can and cannot be held responsible for their crimes due to mental impairment. The dissenting opinion (from Roberts, Alito, Scalia and Thomas) railed against psychiatric opinion, insisting that the 8th Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment) should reflect ” … our society’s standards—which is to say, the standards of the American people—not the standards of professional associations, which at best represent the views of a small professional elite.”

I wonder if it occurs to the right-leaning justices that they themselves represent the view of a professional elite, and are not necessarily the spokespersons for “American standards.” I’m forever astounded that the conservatives think they are the only game in town. Reminds me of the old joke about St. Peter taking a newcomer on a tour of heaven, shushing him and telling him to tip-toe past the open door where a large group of Southern Baptists are gathered because “they think they’re the only ones here.”

Ninety-four-year old John Paul Stevens, retired Supreme Court Justice, has published a slim volume of suggestions entitled Six Amendments: How and Why We Should Change the Constitution, a half dozen small changes that would clarify some of our amendments, consistent with “what the framers really intended in the first place.” Regarding populism — policy for the good of the people — Stevens proposes changing the First Amendment’s protection of free speech to allow “reasonable limits” on the amount of money candidates and their supporters can spend on elections. That would tilt the game board back into place, wouldn’t it!

Another change he would make, the addition of just five words, would no doubt create chaos in the Red states and cause the NRA full meltdown. Stevens proposes that we bring the Second Amendment into the 21st century by adding the phrase “when serving in the militia.” The Amendment would then read in full, “the right of the people to keep and bear arms when serving in the militia shall not be infringed,” making Joe the Plumber’s cold-hearted commentary moot. Yet another suggestion ends the death penalty, making it prohibited as are excessive bail, and cruel and unusual punishment.

Amendments to the Constitution are tough to pass, of course, but they’ve been passed before, an example to the whole of the republic that our national vision, as proposed by the founders, is a flexible, evolving blueprint for liberty. The process requires both Houses of Congress to propose the amendment with a two-thirds vote, then the proposal to be ratified by three-fourths of State legislatures.

That’s a lot of consensus in this day of fractured politics, but if we look at the movement to repeal Citizens United, we find a number of states in favor of repeal, with any number of individual counties and cities endorsing its demise. In addition, there are several grassroots groups working toward its end, including Senator Al Franken, who is calling for an amendment overturning the ruling. Google ‘amend Citizens United’ for a listing of activism opportunities.

These amendments are neither red nor blue, Dem nor Pub. Much of this should easily find bi-partisan support, especially among those who have found party membership — EITHER party — distasteful. The Pubs have radicalized to the point of future obscurity, given their inability to flex or create a tent large enough for all. The Dems even find themselves distasteful, caught in a system that pits their better instincts against their will to survive politically.

And it’s easy enough to be cynical about populism on the left, despite the ideals of Warren and Sanders and Grayson. Easier than that to blow raspberries at populism on the right, merging Tea Party outrage with Libertarian isolationism, à la Rand Paul and Paul Ryan (Ayn Rand poster children.) But cynicism is the coward’s way out, and populism as Jim Hightower conceives it calls us to our better angels, to what we know deep in our hearts is not just right, but worth fighting for.

We’re poised on almost three weeks of Mercury in Cancer, trined to Nessus, as outlined by Eric here on the Planet Waves blog. Cancer is a sign that feels deeply and has a tendency to self-protect. That’s not all Cancer is famous for, however. It takes the pulse of the people, has a populist ease that’s based on intuitive familiarity with the essential life-giving concepts of nurture and home and safety. It knows how to care for itself and others. We could use some of that in our political conversation right now. We could use some empathy for one another, for the lasting virtues of friendship and charity and compassion within our human family.

With Mercury urging clear thinking and responsibility, we can muck out some of the fears that we’ve tucked back in the emotional corners of our consciousness. We can renew our contract with ourselves to provide for one another in kindness, in safety and in integrity. The populism Hightower talks of is a reminder that we are the very people who are necessary to make the changes that lay ahead, the citizens of today and tomorrow who will build a future from the rubble of the collapsed era we find around us today.

7 thoughts on “Amendments Of The Heart”

  1. From the Department of Politics is Personal, and on the topic of forgiveness, especially as concerns the death penalty, I received this e-mail from a member of our little Democratic Club, here in the Pea Patch. This man is a priest, although he doesn’t have a parish: he was a Methodist minister for years, who chose to become a monk. He is quite involved, here in Southern Missouri, in trying to make legal change in our death penalty option. His e-mail to the group follows:

      Dear Democratic Friends,

      I risk offending one or two of you, but I want to share this. The MO Supreme Court just set midnight of July 15 to execute John Middleton, having already set one for June.. Years ago when I was just beginning to get concerned about the death penalty, I asked for a pen pal — someone on death row. I was given John.

      We have been corresponding regularly for years, and we talk occasionally by phone — everything from family to Bible to football. He is my friend. It will not be easy, as we walk these final weeks together. I just found out about the date, so have just written to him. What can one say? Just that I am willing to be with him for the execution if he would like.

      Grace,
      Paul

    Grace, indeed! If you’re of the praying persuasion, please join me in prayers for John and Paul.

    Couple more words about ‘crazy,’ as in denial … which takes a remarkable level of stubborn determination to ‘disbelieve yer lying eyes.’ When we mention Joe the Plumbers ‘sick’ comments, we need to find a spark of compassion for this level of denial (even if it is threatening to us) because we never know when something is brain chemistry or just perversity.

    Here’s a link to the tale of a dude in Virginia who steals Sandy Hook memorial signs because he doesn’t believe the shootings ever happened. Add this level of ridiculous to the climate change deniers and Holocaust deniers [same thing we want to fry Iranian’s over.] Hard to grok this in fullness, but it’s out there … and it IS a kind of sickness, truth to tell.

    And speaking of climate change, tonight is the next to last episode in Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Cosmos series, and apparently he hammers home the undisputed fact that global warming — those are the words he uses, which polls tell us resonate more fearfully than does the phrase climate change — is real. Watch a clip from Mother Jones. Cosmos, counter intuitively, is on FOX TV, so check your local channels; if you miss it, you can watch it on the National Geographic channel on Monday night, or stream entire episodes here.

    I LOVE Stiglitz, be — I would trust him and Bob Reich to rule the whole financial kingdom, as far as I’m concerned. Thanks for adding more thoughtful commentary. And as for voting our principals …

    Note to Californians: You have a primary vote coming up on the 3rd. According to BallotPedia, Marianne Williamson (no party preference) in District 33 is being projected as a winner for Waxman’s old seat in November if she can make it past the primary. Alan Grayson has endorsed her. See what she has to say, here — it would make Elizabeth Warren smile.

    There are other strong progressive candidates out there as well, Pete Aguilar in District 31, for instance.

    DO make time to vote, dearhearts. If we’ve learned anything these last years, we’ve verified that politics IS personal!

    Blessed be, all and thanks for the conversation!

  2. If only we could clarify to voters the simple truth that the rich/corporations aren’t paying their fair share of taxes; if we could just drive that understanding into the minds of the voting public, and if we had candidates that would RUN on that issue – balancing the tax bills fairly – we could move forward on all necessary changes. But we have been bullied (we being the government), by the rich corporations who lobby (bully or seduce) the elected officials to continue raping the coffers, the people, and the land all for the benefit of the rich.

    As transiting Pluto opposes the U.S. Sibly Sun and squares the U.S Sibly Saturn, we the people cannot escape this truth. With transiting Uranus opposing the U.S. Saturn and squaring the U.S. Sun repeatedly, this basic unfairness between rich and poor becomes more and more consciously understood. The Cardinal Cross in April drove home explicitly how little the rich corporations value the middle and lower classes and it would seem those citizens are now ripe for grasping how valuable their votes could be when harnessed to an idea and a convincing candidate for change.

    We have pondered the transit of Mercury into the sign of Cancer, his trine with transiting Nessus in Pisces, and his station retrograde back to Gemini where a couple of weeks later he will station direct at 24+ Gemini. In that degree of Gemini he will activate the energy of a total lunar eclipse from June 2011 (by conjuncting that Sun at 24+ Gemini) which featured Venus at 7+ Gemini, the same degree of the Gemini New Moon that took place less than a week ago. Two weeks later in 2011 the Cancer Solar Eclipse featured Mars also at 7+ Gemini. The U.S. Sibly Uranus at 8+ Gemini and the progressed U.S. Uranus at 7+ Gemini were affected by these 2 eclipse connections. These were personal planets, therefore symbolized very personal and conscious actions taking place at the time.

    Ironically, the 2011 eclipses fell between the 2 entries of Neptune into Pisces (April 2011 and February 2012) and the 2nd entrance included a Moon at 24+ Gemini square Venus at 24+ Pisces who was opposite Mars at 22+ Virgo, the same degree as the U.S. Sibly Neptune. In true Neptune fashion, these connections have been hidden from us but now they are about to be revealed by Mercury, who today is in the sign of Cancer and is preparing to station retrograde conjunct the U.S. Sibly Venus (and Karma) who symbolizes money and what we value.

    We have become somewhat acclimated to recent large and shocking blows from the energy symbolized by the outer planets and now it seems the inner, personal planets are bringing home the message(s) in terms we can personally relate to. Mercury in his retrograde will remind us of things that happened to us personally in 2011 that will connect to things that happened this past week that then connect with the U.S. natal and progressed Uranus. This then will signal a breakthrough (Uranus) in conversations, data, news. . . all Gemini things. It will seem to come out of the blue but that’s Neptune’s style, and it WAS Neptune who squared the New Moon a few days ago.

    Perhaps The People are primed to take matters into their own hands now. Perhaps transiting Nessus at 1+ Pisces trine today’s Mercury at 1+ Cancer will, as Paul suggests, trigger “a resurgence of democracy”, and maybe some brave citizens will step forward to lead the charge to win back our democracy.

    A guest on Bill Moyers, Joseph E. Stiglitz has written a white paper for the Roosevelt Institute in which he asserts that just taxing unrealized capital gains would bring in over 2 trillion $$ if taxed fairly. In October, before the mid-term elections there will be a set of eclipses that could provide motivation to explore this possibility. At 0+ Scorpio the solar eclipse will conjunct the U.S. Sibly Uranian Point Hades (what we don’t want to look at) at 1+ Scorpio which is trine the present transiting Mercury in Cancer and Nessus in Pisces. Venus in the October solar eclipse will conjunct the Sun and Moon. The solar eclipse of October will also have Mars in Sagittarius conjunct the Galactic Center (universal directives), sextile the U.S. natal Moon (the People) in Aquarius while transiting Saturn (form), by then direct, sextiles the U.S. natal Neptune (formless). It looks like clarity and truth might avail themselves just in time for a new set of representatives of the People to be elected, otherwise. . . . .
    Maybe the People will take to the streets with their demands.
    be

  3. Awwww, Musicman — you write such good love songs!

    Raised as a Baptist [American Baptist, not so radical as the SB’s, but with lots of SB relatives] my musical family [pianist mother an alto/tenor, father baritone/bass, me soprano] performed spirituals/revival music for local churches much of my growing up years. My classically trained Mum always closed with the boogie-woogie version of Onward Christian Soldiers, a real show stopper! ALWAYS made me grin! Gratefully, I still have it on tape, a treasure.

    (I was shocked awhile back when someone mentioned how ghastly the context of that song was, in terms of aggressive proselytizing, but that wasn’t part of my experience in church. I was part of an earlier Christian ethic, I think. And while it was painful to make the leap out of religiosity because it meant I left my family understandings behind, I still love the song … and the singers.)

    That was back in the early 60s and we also sang in the black Baptist churches that so many … biased, frightened … white folk missed out on. Never heard the music or experienced the joy of swaying, clapping brothers/sisters in celebration of being alive. So, trust me — the Southern Baptists surely DO know how to rock, and hopefully, by then, will have ditched the rest of their stupid human tricks.

    I appreciate your talent as a wing-man on this topic, Paul. And I’m taking your advice and passing it along — LET’S ALL PUSH! We can birth this baby if we love one another enough.

    And I so appreciate your commentary, as always, be, especially the illustration of the returning energies, hitting again and again. I think it was you that suggested … a few weeks back … that this kind of thing was similar to homeopathy, changing our mental/emotional/chemical mix with each exposure. That’s ultimately how consciousness changes — to activate when a situation demands our full attention, as in disaster — and real progress is made. When we come back up for air after an emergency, we often find that there’s been change in the collective, sensitized in a very personal way. It happens bit by bit, obscured by … as you say … our Illusion of time.

    And let’s celebrate that this is a progression of growing energies, we’re not starting from scratch. Venus opened us awhile back … now we’re downloading!

  4. Thanks again Jude for giving us a broad perspective on these times; something not everyone can do and not easily achieved by mortals caught up in personal situations demanding their full attention. Tis only a notion isn’t it . . . “time”. It is relative and, when compared with the gods and goddesses of mythology, we are only allowed minutes vs. their years of Time. Plants, on the other hand, have only seconds compared to our “hours” of time to do something or undo something about the situations we face, as a whole, on this planet. Supposedly, we are more conscious than plants. In our role as Individuals, being part of history can be daunting. We won’t likely get a true sense of how our participation in it will affect the outcomes until we are very old, if even then.

    Voters merely reflect the thoughts, emotions and values of the Whole as represented by the few who vote; at least in this country. Our government, at any given time, will be a measure of how well we are educated (as a whole), what we are disturbed by (based on what voters know about the candidates they vote for, ie. through advertising mostly), and how many of us care enough to voice (vote) that information about ourselves to the government and/or history.

    At this time a minority of the citizens of this country (who COULD vote) determine our government (which party will have the most power) and, based on their choices, we know that a big part of this minority of citizens isn’t as well educated as they could be and are feeling put upon. To improve this process we need to educate the young (better than now), provide a fair opportunity for growth and prosperity for their parents (not available now), and establish faith in the systems provided by government that all of us will be cared for when unexpected troubles are overwhelming (no assurance of that now); the proverbial safety net. For a government and its society, this too is daunting.

    Bringing us back to Time. Right now, how many of us are willing to participate in a process to improve these situations which won’t likely see measurable results for years? It is possible for individuals centered on their own problems to devote something of themselves to the greater good if they can believe that their “something” helps make life better. Witness the monthly calamities which rally whole communities to participate in the restoration of comfort and calm.

    A transit of Mercury is a speedy thing in terms of time compared to a transit of Nessus. Trans. Nessus will be in the sign of Pisces (off and on) through 2033 compared to the two months Mercury will spend in the sign of Cancer (off and on) but he will be back again next year, and the year after that and the year after that, clear through until 2033 when Nessus leaves Pisces. What if, each year when Mercury in Cancer made a trine to Nessus, a little bit of progress could be made in works that benefited the whole of our society? What if we doubled that and every year when Mercury trined Nessus from Scorpio we could make a bit more progress on those programs, and when – during the same year – Mercury made a conjunction with Nessus in Pisces we could measure our progress in those programs and then begin a new cycle (year) of continued work on improving our lot in life – as a whole, based on the measured progress and course corrections each year – would it be less daunting?

    A baby born in 2014 would be 19 years old in 2033, old enough to vote. Better educated than his parents were at that age? I should hope so. Have opportunities to further his education and/or provide for himself and consider starting a family? Most likely. Feel secure that systems were in place to protect his parents, himself and his future family from unexpected disastrous events? Why not, we’ve done it before.

    Pisces isn’t a sign about beginnings though. It is about preparing for new beginnings, and therefore undoing the remnants of the old and no longer viable things in order for new beginnings to happen. Nessus forces awareness of those things. Mercury is about early learning, and in Cancer that takes place in family settings. We must start by making people aware – at the most basic level – of what needs to be removed in order for growth to begin, and this will be taught (and learned) through an emotional/feeling wisdom. It will require respect and development for human feelings – equal to the intellect – an undoing of the old standard that the feeling capabilities are inferior to the mental faculties and therefore discounted and discouraged. We will not only have to learn to balance these intelligences but also learn to integrate them to achieve a higher level of our capabilities as human beings.

    It would seem we are ready for that. Transiting Nessus spent a year or so conjunct (off and on) the U.S. Sibly Moon in Aquarius just before entering Pisces. In fact, Nessus will return to conjunct the U.S. Moon (symbol of the People and their feelings) and will be there, in retrograde, on this year’s Election Day. By noting this particular trine happening now between trans. Nessus and Mercury, we are becoming conscious of – and exploring the possibilities within ourselves of – clearing out ancestral poisons in the form of traditional family beliefs such as the inferiority of other races, religions or the sex opposite your own. By the time we vote we will also be given the opportunity to consider just how harmful the ancestral poisons of our country are that have led to the government we now have, and do something that leads to rectifying that situation.

    When Mercury stations retrograde it will be conjunct the U.S. Sibly Venus (values) and the U.S. Sibly asteroid Karma, all three at 3+ Cancer. That happens on June 7th and Mercury will return to 3+ Cancer in direct motion on July 1. On July 4th we will all celebrate in one way or another our country’s birth, and on that day the transiting Sun will oppose transiting Pluto, giving us yet another opportunity to observe the toxicity of our country’s present situation. Between now and election day in November, there will be even more such opportunities to become aware of what needs to go and what it will take to heal the U.S. It’s a start.
    be

  5. Sick is exactly the word, Amy. It’s a form of virulent paranoia that verges on emotional disorder. You can’t offer these people logic or common sense, their eyes glaze over … and I’m serious. It coincides with their fear that the government is going to get ’em, if not their guns or themselves, locked in FEMA camps, then their money and liberty, for sure. There’s no rational answer, especially when Libertarians like the Koch’s put billions into the smoke machine to keep their fears alive. The irony is, we have plenty to fear from government as it’s drawn today, just not the things these guys are white-knuckled over.

    I — and at least half of this nation — prefer the ‘arms’ you find useful. We’d be soooo much better off without ‘license to kill.’

  6. That feels right down the middle to me ….

    We are uniquely placed to put the zenith of 20th century genocide, war-mongering, racketeering and abuse of the serving youth, into it’s 21st century perspective. Perhaps grasping the full implication of this monumental task, as you express so succinctly Jude, is the key USP that the Populist Party needs to use to empower the as yet un-recruited voters.

    Europe is already witnessing the seismic shift in political movement that Pluto in Capricorn has long since ordained. The infighting, double-dealing, scrappling for the apple (Charlie Parker…where are you now that we need you?) and horse-trading will continue across party lines. The left, the right and the wrong will carry on the haggle and the scratch. But what is encouraging is that the conversation has begun. The psycho-dynamics of democratic action have been ramped up a significant notch on the Socratic scale.

    We cannot, and indeed should not attempt to predetermine the outcome. Man’s inherent need to create order out of chaos, juxtaposed with the universal tendency for energy to create an ever shifting chaos (entropy), ensures that the outcome will ebb and flow but ultimately reflect the will of the people.

    The keystone of the Chironic impact on the Mercury- Nessus station is the understanding that there is a hotline to people’s emotional sense and humanity, as has been well documented in PW this week. Never has there been a more important time for the resurgence of democracy, and heating up the conversation about the amendments that have been so badly interpreted to support a descent into barbarism. I do not believe that the American Constitution was designed to allow for such a breakdown, and the destruction of humanitarian values. It, like war itself, has been used to scam the American people!

    Put simply, the Founding Fathers came from a time when the hunter-killer ruled supreme, and successive Presidents lead the way in their attempts at restructuring the American Psyche. The dynamics are always such that the swings from success to failure can take in many decades and centuries. We are fortunate, as Astrologers, to be able to see that the Stars are supporting the Dylanesque view that the times need to be a’changin.

    But this insight carries responsibility. In following Jude’s lead, you can share this conversation out there into the far reaches of your communities and talk the talk. The above mentioned dynamic swings from success to failure are mirrored by the political left and right. This is completely wrong. Left and right are obsolete 20th century media spin tools: divide and conquer. A holistic humanitarian approach to the new politic, engendering the conversation and appealing to the younger generation means that the old order will fail, become obsolete and simply fade away.

    The man or woman who sets up a scrap metal business to decommission the weapons of mass destruction that America projected at Saddam has got a big job!

    It is time! Astrologically, and humanitarianly (phew). It fits, it feels right, and there is a genuine groundswell of “where the f**k did our democracy go?” This suggests that the people are ready to listen, understand, and take action!

    I would not presume to tell a woman how to give birth, for I am only a humble man, but it is time to PUSH!

    I love Saturdays when you are up Jude. I know that I am going to feel optimistic about 21st century American music when I chat with all them Southern Baptists. I hope they know how to Rock!

    paul

  7. Good grief, that tweet from Plumber Man was so horrendously cruel that it almost sounds like a sick form of satire.

    From a country where carrying a gun is usually illegal, the NRA’s obsessive outlook seems childish and unnecessary, to say the least. My compatriots are not known for a searing sense of deprivation due to the inability to ‘bear arms’. We find the two attached to our bodies to be generally sufficient for day-to-day living. 🙂

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