By Judith Gayle | Political Waves
It’s the lusty month of May, a time when the emergence of spring leads us to a kind of giddy relief that the cold and dark are behind. It would be lovely to throw our arms wide to embrace less restriction and more freedom of body and spirit, essentially what this season represents, but our enthusiasm seems dampened by the calamities that are not just piled up to confront us, but continue to pop up like mushrooms in dank places. And this year, we’re rather like a newly sober and regretful drunk, looking back at the trail of destruction our long binge created.
Signs of adult behavior notwithstanding, news of faulty decisions and disturbing events keeps cluttering the headlines. Elizabeth Warren has joined Al Franken and Bernie Sanders in going after the FCC and its proposal to allow charges for service, essentially gutting net neutrality. Warren has gravitas, and she ties the FCC’s suggestions to her campaign against big-money exploitation of the struggling class (et al). The new proposal violates the basic premise of net neutrality, that similar content should be treated equally, creating, as Obama has suggested, a tool for equality.
Freenet, a group dedicated to remediating this problem, tells us, “The right response is to reclassify broadband Internet access as a telecommunications service that can be regulated in the public interest.” Visit their site to learn more and find out what you can do in the weeks remaining until a decision is finalized. (They’re also mobilized to try to stop cable monopoly should Comcast be allowed to buy Time Warner.) We need to write letters and make phone calls. From their editorial at Common Dreams, Bill Moyers and Michael Winship add “… you can send an e-mail to make your opinion known at openinternet@fcc.gov. Or direct a tweet to Wheeler @TomWheelerFCC.” You can find more group activities here. This FCC ruling will gum up the information pipeline and severely limit our ability to gather, share and influence our mutual, if virtual, reality, as well as limit innovation and tech start-ups. Creating tiers in service would be an across the board game changer, little guys like you and me, bloggers and yes, astrology sites, the losers.
In other news, politicians still have their short list to manage, of course: the right invested in killing off government, the left trying to find a way around them. Despite the popularity of a minimum wage hike, Senate Pubs filibustered the debate, effectively stalling legislation to help the working poor. Reports that Obamacare now has over eight million members thwart projections on the right that it would fail miserably. Rather, conservatives seem less inclined to rail against it as they discover it helps them as much as it does Democrats, none of which will stop the House from voting another round of Obamacare-killing measures, since they’ve determined that they won’t vote anything of substance until after the election (IN NOVEMBER! Long, hot and, likely, contentious summer ahead, my dears).
FOX news continues to beat this dead horse (ACA,) much as it has whipped up a froth this last week over Benghazi. If you listen to FOX — and its contributors, Krauthammer, O’Reilly, and our squeaky-wheel of a Pub Senator from South Carolina, Lindsey Graham, who is being primaried on the right and needs anti-gummit cred — this is the worst scandal since Watergate. I guess they’ve forgotten about Clinton’s blow job, something then special prosecutor Ken Starr didn’t allow us to do for literally years, and to the tune of 70 million buckaroos. Pubs have already spent 14 million on Benghazi investigations, and still haven’t found that smoking gun that makes this more than a witch hunt.
Starr-wannabe and Pub hatchet man, Darrell Issa, has subpoenaed John Kerry (who wasn’t in the State Department when all this happened) to testify about internal correspondence that the Pubs insist upon calling cover-up. Dragging this out even more — the unhappy incident occurred two year ago — Boehner will appoint a select panel to investigate. Amazingly, some of the top-tier Pubs are tired of rehashing this non-story, but — pushed ahead by FOX and its usual suspects — the public will now be treated to another attempt to make something out of nothing (to blame on the black guy and kill some time until the election).
Most of the public, as opposed to the congress, which they think is past redemption, have suddenly got a bit of wind beneath their wings. We lived through the hottest summer ever last year, and weathered one of the coldest winters in the Midwest; I suppose we’ve learned to weather the political storms as well. We’ve stopped giving them our power and started taking a second, even a third, look at what they tell us. Perhaps we’ve even begun to change our minds. As PW contributor Carlos Cedillo told us this week, “It is what is inside of us that changes, so incrementally we haven’t really noticed.” When we ourselves change, the conversation shifts as well. And once the conversation shifts, the manifestation curve begins.
Thanks to the racist commentary by Nevadan Clive Bundy and Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, the notion that we are “post-racial” — driven home by the recent and egregious voting rights and affirmative action decisions of the Supreme Court — has been flipped on its pointy head. This week a federal judge in Wisconsin and a state judge in Arkansas invalidated their states’ voter ID laws, while a judge in Pennsylvania refused to reconsider an earlier decision striking down his state’s ID law. Insisting that limiting a citizen’s right to vote is a serious matter, courts are no longer taking a desire for “election integrity” at face value, now requiring the state to prove sufficient election fraud has taken place to justify a change. Since the nationwide incidence of actual voter fraud is less than one percent, this may signal a sea change in voter ID laws. Keep a good thought.
Sarah Palin, behaving as the fine Christian lady [sic] she’s always been, told a group this week that “water boarding is how we baptize terrorists.” The blowback came not from Sarah-haters, but from Christians who consider Sarah an extremist, not a spokesperson for their faith. Thousands of on-line Christians — whom Sarah referred to as “overly sensitive wusses” — signed petitions to that effect. Truth be told, Sarah is no longer the darling of the far-right. She got her 15 minutes plus some, but good sense seems to have finally descended from above, trumping the Wasilla Hillbilly. And if you think that’s amazing, check this out: Rush Limbaugh seems to be losing his mojo as well. His listeners have been in steady decline since his sponsors pulled out over the contraceptive “slut” tirades of 2010.
And we can never get far from rape, these days, can we? With one in every five female college students sexually assaulted, the administration has come down on the side of prevention, sending Veep Joe Biden (joined by a group of celebs) out to reinforce the announcement of 20 new recommendations from the White House Task Force to Prevent Students from Sexual Assaults. In addition to the list, the government will establish a website, NotAlone.gov, where people can get information on both education and assistance while remaining anonymous (NSA aside, I suppose).
While advocates say the recommendations are welcome, they don’t do enough to stem the tide of violence against women. Nevertheless, these victims join a growing number of complainants of sexual violence and cover-up, including the military and the church. The administration’s attention to the problem gives it added weight, in tandem with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights releasing new guidance on students’ rights and schools’ obligations under Title IX. Fifty-five colleges are being scrutinized for how they handle sexual assault, as gender discrimination disqualifies schools receiving Title IX money. The list includes Ohio and Arizona State colleges, Swarthmore, Harvard, Princeton, Tufts and Dartmouth, among many others. It’s all a little close to home, isn’t it?
It’s May. We don’t do May Day parades in support of workers anymore, sadly enough, but let’s not underestimate the potential of this month to shift attitudes and attention toward the Venus Principle of love in all its splendor. May First is also celebrated by those of mystical persuasion as Saint Germaine’s Ascension Day, sending out life changing energy to embrace the world. Then there’s Beltane, where we can allow ourselves to feel inspired, to open our hearts, to touch the lush possibilities of new growth and beginnings. Ahead of us is Mother’s Day, on the 11th, when appreciation for the nurturing attributes of Goddess reigns supreme, bringing the feminine into balance. The yearly celebration of the enlightenment of Gautama Buddha takes place on the Taurus Full Moon, and this year the festival occurs on May 14th, lending us thoughtful, introspective energy to help sort out our challenges and blessings. And finally, Memorial Day takes us into the Gemini signature on May 26th, when we examine the price we’ve paid for our warlike nature and national defense.
It’s May, spring’s sprung, and bathed in the Venus energy, we’re awakening. It’s a mystical month and a pivotal year. Keep an open heart and a watchful eye on signs of attitude change around you. That’s where it happens — in mind and heart — well before we see it come into form. Tuck some May flowers in your hair and celebrate. We’re the change, and the energy is beginning to move.
Judith, those kids are the Pluto in Sag generation. They and their elder siblings (the Pluto in Scorpio generation) are making changes. The Pluto in Scorp kids are young adults now and they are changing sexuality, gender, and how they share resources. It is amazing to see. Then the Pluto in Sag kids are working for change as the article you cited says.
As a Pluto in Virgo parent of both these younger generations I have to say they give me hope. And I will be supporting them as much as I can; I hope the rest of my generation does the same.
Speaking of incremental change — and issues whose time has come — pundits were all abuzz today about the Prez, who supports the death penalty, putting it in the spotlight for re-consideration. The numbers looking for this kind of punishment have consistently gone down-down-down over the years, although it’s still at 60-some percent ‘for.’
Discussion of the heinous crime Clayton Lockett committed and the deservedness of his death sentence dominated commentary from the right, while the left focused on those on death row that are wrongly convicted and the Supreme Court decision that execution be “humane,” based on the constitutional prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment. Al Jazeera America reports that Lockett was tased by his handlers prior to the procedure, where the collapsed vein in his groin (receiving the cocktail) was not noticed for over twenty minutes. THAT’s cruel and unusual, my friends. And as we do unto the least of these …
Segue concerning Sunday Pundit roundtables: I do NOT know why MSM invites radical conservatives like radio jock Laura Ingraham on these kinds of shows, except to creat contention! She switched topic to get all puffed up about the “innocents aborted” when it was her turn to weigh in on the death penalty. If Laura had her way, I’d be locked up awaiting my turn at the IV drip, I suppose. It never occurs to these people that it’s very seldom “inconvenience” that ends a pregnancy, but much larger and sadder issues.
I quite understand your need to address the “bigger picture,” Mia, and your sense of urgency and concern. I’ve been watching the sense of emergency being broadcast over net neutrality, with desperate concerns that the issue isn’t “sexy” enough to get sufficient attention. The issue comes across, it’s said, as boring. It won’t be boring if the average user can’t get a decent bandwidth or find they’re paying more for less down the line, but … it is what it is. Incremental, as we’ve discussed.
The lethargy you speak of is the New Age business of ignoring what’s wrong in favor of throwing all energy toward thoughts of happier outcome? The spiritual vibration has need of affirmation AND activism; seems to me that being in the moment means being responsible to and for it. We’ve created our mess. We must create something new to replace it. And you’re right, no time to lose.
Thank you, be, for the Sabian’s. They always grab me more than most symbolism, they’re so descriptive and full. I prefer parks to scalps, too — this is good news! And why is it, I wonder, that I always get mental picture of a seal — shiny black, nose pointed to the sky — when I hear the word Sedna. That’s water water, everywhere, and home to seals … but … hmmmm???
What degrees are the election day Jupiter (Leo) and Venus (Scorpio)? I have a stellium in Leo and Venus in Scorp. Would be interesting to know just how LOUDLY I’ll be roaring in November! 🙂
Last little bit — if you readers want to slap a smile on your face, go over to Political Waves and check out what our newest generation is up to. God/dess bless them, and their various causes. Just proves that the age of the human has very little to do with their soul signature!
Blessed be, all!
Speaking of unnoticed incremental changes (as did Carlos C), this Friday – as the Sun conjuncts Osiris (the reassembled god of the fertile Nile) at 18+ Taurus, Sedna will make one of her rare degree changes. Having spent a long time at 23+ Taurus (where the Sun will be at Full Moon time on May 14) she will arrive at 24 Taurus 01′ 01″. The Sabian symbol for where she is now (and where the Sun will be at Full Moon) is:
AN INDIAN WARRIOR RIDING FIERCELY, HUMAN SCALPS HANGING FROM HIS BELT. Ouch.
Sedna would probably not get much credit for the fierceness of recent times, what with the cardinal cross and all, but in hindsight she’s held that degree off and on for over a year now, and maybe she should be credited with a little prophecy revealed through her rare moves. Here is her new Sabian Symbol as of Friday, May 9th when the Moon is at 13 Virgo 25-26:
A VAST PUBLIC PARK. There now isn’t that a relief?
Dane Rudhyar gives this degree symbol a key phrase of COLLECTIVE ENJOYMENT which is a much nicer Taurean vibe than what the “human scalps hanging from his belt” gives off. Nonetheless, Sedna will be (and is now in orb of) squaring Damocles and Klotho (the Fate who spun the thread of life) at 24+ Aquarius and she will oppose Huya (the Rainmaker) at 24+ Scorpio retrograde. This will also be the basic setup for the Full Moon on the 15th, when the Sun is 23 Taurus 54 and Moon is 23+ Scorpio 54 and Sedna at 24 Taurus 05. We may be leaving the scalping behind but it looks like the rains will continue to pour for a while longer. Now if we can just find that vast public (collective) park, (intact) heads will reason among themselves hopefully.
be
Wow, even the dank places are popping up like mushrooms Judith! So…thanks for letting us know that Comcast has not finalized the buyout of Time Warner; I thought it was a fait accompli. Thanks too for the good news about judges parting the seas with common sense regarding voting rights.
Speaking of Venus and the nurturing attributes of the goddesses, I’ve learned that on Election Day, November 4, 2014, Jupiter will conjunct Wendy Davis’ Mars in Leo. Ain’t that swell? The astrology of the day (based on a chart for 12 AM in Washington DC) shows the People in an ambivalent state of mind, but open to persuasion by Vesta-like volunteers such as those seen in Texas on the MSNBC Melissa Harris-Perry show this AM. Vesta will conjunct the Great Attractor in Sagittarius and trine Uranus in Aries with passionate and irresistible persuasion to vote with their hearts as well as their heads. So in anticipation of Dems holding on to the Senate, I thank Venus and Vesta, and I thank the transiting retrograde Nessus who will have returned to haunt the U.S. Sibly Moon by November 4, with his reminder to the voters about Republican abuse of power that goes back for generations.
Since goddess Venus will rule the Taurus MC of that 12 AM chart in DC, from her vantage point conjunct the IC (roots) and the Sun in Scorpio, she will spread the love to voters in their homes, one by one (the Moon is in Aries) until it hurts (Venus is trine Chiron in Pisces) and until the nation feels they have restored (Venus in Scorpio) their country (Venus will be trine the U.S. Sibly Sun in Cancer too). The May flowers bring us tidings of joy if we are willing to walk the walk and talk the talk, so keep on talking dear Jude.
be
Thanks Judith.
There are plenty of animals and flowers where I am. I am not fearful and will be happy to transition in an instant if that is what is in store for me.
Pretending these things are not happening around me is not something I am able to do. Cliven Bundy was, on one hand, enjoying the spot light. He has not learned the importance of silence in a situation like that. His heart is in the right place.
There is an inherent trap in new age thinking that involved lethargy. Lethargy is something we cannot afford at the moment. But you know this already, Judith.
Blessings to you as well, always.
Mia
I saw a really interesting interview with Jamie Foxx the other day, in which he was asked to comment on the black communities’ disgust with Donald Sterling, and Jamie said he understood it, that Sterling was old, he’d come up in a time when blacks weren’t even considered totally human, so it was no surprise he’d have that attitude. He said as a 40-some year old man, his attitudes weren’t as enlightened and accepting as his children’s were, and that’s how change happens. I was pleased with that very adult response. It extinguished some of the flames licking around the topic.
Bundy is the same, as I see it, Mia. I understand why he doesn’t think he’s racist when he tells us that negroes might be happier having (enforced) “employment” picking cotton. What he doesn’t get, I suspect, is that such commentary suggests that an entire race is only capable of menial work … at a time when the President of the United States would, under this theory, join them. I won’t go into the “aborting their children, sitting around taking welfare” aspects of his conversation, you can hear that at any gathering of Red State old timers. Unfortunately, those resentments get passed along as well, which keeps the “old” in Grand Old Party.
As for the nuclear buzz, thanks for the heads up but there’s little you and I can do about that except hope (and pray) that such a plan has the same success as the shoe bomber or any other of the bunglers before they’re caught. I refuse to live in fear of any of it.
When I’m supposed to go, I’ll go — ’til then, I’m smelling the flowers. Hope there are flowers where you are too, kiddo — be well, be blessed.
Good morning, Judith.
Hope all is well in the Pea Patch.
I have not paid much attention to the Sterling incident but I did watch the entire clip of Cliven Bundy talking about African Americans. Having had the experience of my own words being edited to convey a meaning other than what I intended, I understood that he is an unsophisticated man who awkwardly tried to convey his thoughts and ideas. Interesting to see that one of his supporters, a man of color, said on camera that he would take a bullet for Mr. Bundy, that he considered him to be a grandfather figure. Sterling, and Bundy, are distractions from issues like the Supreme Court’s upholding of the NDAA in Chris Hedges lawsuit.
Yesterday, Senior Editor of Veterans Today Gordon Duff put out that over a ton of nuclear material had been stolen from Pakistan and was on its way here. There was extensive chatter through intelligence networks prior to 9/11 and this may be another example of a terrorist attack in the making.
Happy May, Happy Flowers,
Mia