By Judith Gayle | Political Waves
Something quite unique happened this week, although it came with tears and sorrow, with anger and determination. The smoke cleared away to wisps; news agencies attempted a thoughtful response to difficult stories, and we — haltingly, but surely — began to tell the truth to one another about some core issues that have goaded, driven and all but immobilized us for years.
For instance, we followed the dots of the tragic suicide of Robin Williams to an urgent need to not only discuss burgeoning problems of depression, but to raise our voices in a call to adequately fund services for an America struggling with mental health challenges. It wasn’t just his personal loss that touched us, it was our collective loss that motivated us. As if something loosened the strictures that kept us mum, we seemed to find our voice.
TV news buzzed with a level of candor that startled the casual viewer, and web sites provided details to news bites the editors seemed to think we’d already chewed, swallowed and assimilated. Although it took more than a decade to achieve, it feels as if, with Hundredth Monkey agility, the collective mind has turned a page without even knowing it. We are suddenly able to track the mission creep of genocide relief in Iraq to strafing in protection of Kurdish oil reserves without impaling ourselves on the razor-sharp edges of our fractured American mythology.
Without a blink or a stumble, we can openly examine Hillary Clinton’s hawkish inclinations, including her coziness with both Israel and Wall Street. We can name the death of a Two Star General in Afghanistan a hollow and meaningless finale to a ruinous and disastrous war; we can even rethink the possibility that spying does not keep us safer but instead threatens our freedom. And don’t look now, but it appears that we’re also talking candidly among ourselves about the growing problem of police brutality and racism in America.
About two hundred miles north-east of the Pea Patch — in a state that is red in the rural areas, blue in the cities and deeply polarized along racial lines — we have finally tipped the national conversation about innate racism and authoritarianism to include the growing, worrisome militarization of America’s police force. First noticed by many of us in the massive display of military equipment — some 4 billion dollars worth in these last years — moving through neighborhood streets after the Boston Marathon bombing, this is recycled Pentagon equipment that has made its way into small communities around the nation. This seems to have exacerbated the use of excessive force, rather than forestalling the need for it. The war machinery and self-protective nationalism of the Pluto in Cancer generation have finally come to look as tired and overdone as the latest Arnie and Sly presentation in movie theatres, “Expendables 3.”
Perhaps it took a little town of just over 21,000 — not a big one like New York, where the choke-hold death of another out-sized but gentle soul, Eric Gamer, is still being discussed, protested and remains unresolved — to capture the sense of how fragile the lines of trust between community and police authority have become. I suspect that isn’t helped by the feeling, not just nationwide but worldwide, that government can no longer be trusted to serve public good, let alone protect the individual. Especially if that individual is not white or rich or somehow privileged.
I’m thrilled that this situation has come to the public eye. We have lost too many of our citizens to the mindless machinery of authoritarian police departments in the last decade. I have (cyber)files stuffed with years of examples of excessive force and take-no-prisoners mentality, illuminating the ‘dangerous world’ rhetoric that has infected our national consciousness since 9/11, and illustrating a deep need for a return to the Serve And Protect policies that encouraged police personnel in the use of problem solving techniques rather than force. Since we declared a bogus war on drugs, and especially since the privatization of the prison system, we have accustomed ourselves to the routine death and incarceration of young men of color, the unqualified use of stun guns to control children, old people and pregnant mothers, and a growing “shoot first, ask questions later” mentality from those in authority.
Now that failure to confront the steady erosion of civil liberties has come home to roost, showing us just how far we’ve slipped from an earlier period of functional civility and rule of law. Listen to ex-police chief Robert McNamara as quoted by Digby: “The need to give our officers what they require to protect themselves and us has to be balanced against the fact that the fundamental duty of the police is to protect human life and that law officers are only justified in taking a life as a last resort.” How long has it been since you’ve heard something so benign and service-oriented?
Now, compare that to the ham-handed press conference given by Ferguson’s police chief on Thursday, when he stammered, “… considering the chaos, I’m just glad nobody got seriously hurt.” Really? Tell that to the parents of Michael Brown, the unarmed 18-year-old who was to begin college the day after his — some would say — murder. Tell it to the witnesses who were not questioned by police for days, and have only recently been considered credible as news coverage has painted a picture of police overreach, militarized zealousness and cover-yer-ass stonewall that includes throwing journalists (for Washington and Huffington Posts) into a cell, later releasing them uncharged.
I’ll give CNN kudos. They’ve reported the level of confrontation by the police force in Ferguson as “unacceptable to the vast majority of Americans.” Even old establishment lackey Wolf Blitzer asked, “Why can’t they shoot to injure? Why do they shoot to kill?” Jeffrey Toobin, legal eagle and SCOTUS reporter, assured Blitzer that cops are taught never to fire a warning shot, but are instead directed to shoot to kill. That’s if you’re leveling a gun at someone, of course, which should never have happened in Ferguson if you listen to a number of military veterans who think protesters shouldn’t have been confronted by SWAT teams, having judged the local forces untrained and more heavily armed and outfitted than they were themselves, when at war. Since the duty of the police force is to defuse confrontations before they take place, said Toobin, officers in cammies and tactical gear using stun guns, tear gas, and rubber bullets against (reportedly) peaceful protesters have not created solutions, but instead poisoned the water, perhaps permanently, between the police force and the community it serves. Those sentiments were confirmed on Thursday by a visit from Senator Claire McCaskill, who called for immediate change in police policy.
Although we’re talking about a small town in a bucolic state with only three large population centers, Ferguson is suburb of the racially divided St. Louis metro area. While Ferguson is not a hotspot of race-baiting and inner city crime, St. Louis county has been outfitted to handle crime with the machinery of war (for pennies on the dollar.) Local forces possess the equipment, if not the training or the wisdom to use such power at will these days. And if you watch the press conferences given by the Ferguson sheriff, you’d more likely think him bumbling Barnie Fife than easy-going Andy Taylor, but still, cut from that same small town cloth. You’d be wrong.
OK, I just intimated that the Ferguson police force is the knee-jerk, half-assed agency you supposed it was, but I can feel justified from all that transpired after the overwhelmed Sheriff called for help from the county mounties. That was when the mundane shooting of a black kid — the kind of thing overlooked by the press for decades — took on a level of military action, albeit small, that included lines of men in tactical gear, shielded and Kevlared, pointing assault rifles at protesting citizens, chanting with their hands up. Among them have been found the mayor of nearby St. Louis, the former mayor (a lawyer who initially represented family in the possible ‘wrongful death’ of the young man at the heart of this drama,) a state senator and a St. Louis alderman, all of whom fault the police for excessive threat and provocative behavior. Even Elizabeth Warren, looking on, felt the need to chide Ferguson leadership that “This is America, not a war zone.”
As of Thursday, (our Democratic) Missouri Governor, Jay Nixon — with whom I’m at odds on his rigorous death penalty policy and vacuous Blue Dog sensibilities — has put the situation into the hands of the State Highway Patrol, which will be directing security issues. Their representative is a savvy and sensitive black man, who spoke of calm and reconciliation today, but he will find himself fighting an uphill battle against racial stereotyping. Nixon talked about letting the facts come out, resting on results of the autopsy and toxicology reports. Can we agree that until today those reports weren’t needed to justify a cop’s quick trigger finger?
Those who are taking their best shot at intervening in this situation are unwittingly using sound bites that — if they were progressive enough — would be readily identified as racist. The necessity for tox screening rests on the probability that the black kid was high when he was killed, as if that is justification for extreme force. Neither do allegations of petty theft justify the action taken against him. And the credibility of crime scene investigation rests on our trust of the standards brought to bear on physical evidence. Given their track record, if those tests fall to the local police, there can be no definitive answer at the end of the day.
Shame on us all for allowing these glaring failures to be true for too long. While there are thousands of decent, hard-working police personnel in this nation, the job itself is subject to such internal and external pressures, especially in this day and age, that we should have proactively put systems in place to deal with problems of excess and overreach, burnout and PTSD. Because we shirked that responsibility, cops have enjoyed blanket credibility for decades based on our unwillingness to challenge them. That has only dug the hole deeper. As they run amok now, we can’t be all that surprised, and — seriously — if you’re white, reading this, please do understand the level of privilege you enjoy due to the color of your skin; the same cannot be said for your darker brothers and sisters.
There’s no way to whitewash this, no pun intended. In a nation preoccupied with carrying weapons into restaurants and churches, law abiding black men do not hurry to get their open carry permit since that would only put them in the crosshairs more quickly. On August fifth, a black man was reported to be waving a gun at an Ohio Wal-Mart. After he was picked off, it was discovered that the gun he was holding was a BB rifle he’d picked up in the toy department. On the 11th, a young man of color with mental disabilities in Los Angeles was reported to have tackled an officer, going after his weapon, whereupon he was shot dead. That does not align with the story given by witnesses who say he was complying with orders to lie on the sidewalk when he was shot in the back. In Victorville the next day, a black citizen on a bike was stopped as a potential suspect in a robbery, repeatedly tased, and died later that day in the hospital. All of these men were unarmed, with allegations against them unproven.
Where is Rand Paul on this issue, waving his Liberterianism, demanding the freedom of people of color to walk freely in the United States of America carrying weapons, as guaranteed in the Second Amendment? Where are those who would insist on the civil liberties of the thousands of black men who are harassed and challenged for the color of their skin daily in this nation? They won’t be found on the right, which seems counterintuitive to their Gadsden flag waving rhetoric but aligns with their contention that the left is fighting a “war on the white man.” If there had been five occasions in the last month where white kids died under these circumstances, there would be hell to pay — but the presumption of guilt does not sit heavy on their shoulders, never has.
Yet there are defenders out there, demanding a new level of scrutiny and they’re us. A recent poll indicates that 45 percent of us do not believe that law enforcement personnel will be held accountable for killing citizens. Breaking through the old, dependable silences, the public seems to have stepped up, taking up the cause of these young men and their communities, no longer willing to see this as normal policing.
Ultimately, the story of Ferguson will be told by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and I trust they will do so in an even-handed manner. The black President and the black Attorney General have had no trouble identifying some of the lower-hanging fruit of this situation, where 50 of the 53 police officers in Ferguson are white, so let’s hope the FBI gets that memo. And while I’m sure you’re tired of me reminding you that so much of American politics is about racial inequality — just a portion of the class schism that defines our culture today — the fact that the Ferguson Chief of Police flies a confederate flag at his residence might just be one of those things that make you go hmmmmmmm!
I usually write on Fridays but I’ll be working the Democrats’ booth at the State Fair on that day, so I’m writing this a day early. I wouldn’t be surprised if, by the time you read this, the situation in Ferguson has changed for the better. The call for community healing and peaceful, respectful interaction has spoken louder in the nation today than the fear-tapes running 24/7 over at FOX News, and that’s a pretty amazing thing. I’m keeping my wings crossed that tempers will have begun to cool, now that Obama has spoken to the issues (and to the governor.) Both can be faulted for foot-dragging, while only one can be questioned for skewing to the “white makes right” meme. (This governor is a man of his place and time, once a heavy-handed criminal prosecutor and not very flexible on these issues. His mention of “both sides shooting, get real” is not born out by witnesses, and I’m more likely to trust the crackerjack reporting over at Hullabaloo on the actions of Ferguson police than the governor who took five days to get around to a visit. And in that regard, here’s a blog post on how to establish a liberal narrative; given the dramatic break in the energy, it is a worthwhile read.)
Still, if God/dess is good, calmer heads will prevail in the next days. Anger burns brightly but sorrow takes longer to leech away. The few incidents of looting, while regrettable, were less than we can historically expect from the shooting of an unarmed kid in broad daylight, and the churches and social organizations showed great courage in gathering immediately to plead for calm. A young man is gone, perhaps from injustice done, and his community needs time to grieve without grappling with tear gas, police aggression and the combat mentality of a fading paradigm.
This week, we’ve seen a lot change. Google the names Williams, Bacall, Maliki, David Gregory to see how temporary things are on planet Terra, although I suspect that by the time the story of Michael Brown is finalized, most of us will remember the name of Ferguson, Missouri. But let’s face it. This could have happened anywhere, given how polarized we are, how anxious, stressed and in many instances, overmedicated. And although racism may have put its thumb on the scale in Ferguson, this is not exclusively a black issue: this is a human issue, affecting each of us and calling us to complete the work of an earlier Uranus/Pluto transit that demanded we live the principles of “all men created equal.”
And now, finally, our silence seems behind us. We’ve found our heart, confronting a mother’s grief, a beloved entertainer’s despondency, a world’s weariness with war and death. There appear to be more people willing to talk about these challenges now, demanding common sense solutions to problems long ignored. More of us are seeing how things connect, finally prepared to accept that America is fallible but fixable. More of us have tipped the balance of lethargy to come alive again. It feels as though we’ve finally broken through that wall of fear and exhaustion and hopelessness that has kept us dumb and desperate for too long.
Also helpful to know regarding the Ferguson astrology is that it’s natal Nessus (as well as natal Hades) at 0+ Pisces was having it’s “return”; transiting Nessus had been at 0+ Pisces, but is now retrograding back to a (re)conjunction with the U.S. Sibly Moon at 27+ Aquarius and that will impact Ferguson’s Sun at 27+ Scorpio harshly.
Also just realized that Ferguson’s natal Pallas is conjunct it’s Mercury at 11+ Scorpio, compounding the effect of the previously mentioned yod. As to the airport that Sally mentioned, Ferguson’s natal asteroid Industria at 16+ Scorpio, conjuncts Ferguson’s natal Uranus, which (as I failed to mention earlier) is also where transiting Saturn was at the time of the shooting. Trans. Saturn has been in a long “near perfect” quincunx with transiting Uranus in Aries and is now separating from it. This might reflect some difficulties between the “old ways” of doing business and the “new ways”, when it is combined with the aspect of transiting Ceres (and before that Mars and Vesta) conjunct the Ferguson Saturn at 1+ Scorpio.
be
For those curious re: the astrology, the birth chart (11/19/1894) for Ferguson has a quincunx between it’s natal Mercury and Pluto, which calls for adjustment between thinking and unconscious fear. Transiting Pluto at the time Michael Brown was shot exactly sextiled Ferguson’s Mercury and also exactly quincunxed Ferguson’s natal Pluto, creating a (transiting) yod with Ferguson’s natal Gemini Pluto at the apex. Ferguson’s Mercury is in Scorpio, a sign ruled by Pluto.
This shooting looks to have initiated an excavation of buried pain and fear in this community and the whole country, and was triggered by the transiting south node in Aries conjunct Ferguson’s natal Mars. That, plus Ferguson’s natal Pholus (small cause, big effect) in Aries was being squared by transiting Venus in Cancer who also trined Ferguson’s natal Sun in Scorpio.
As to Ferguson’s relevance to the bigger picture, this town’s natal Sun in Scorpio squares the U.S. (Sibly) natal Moon in Aquarius, and sextiles the U.S. natal Pluto in Capricorn. Also, Ferguson’s natal Jupiter in Cancer is exactly conjunct the U.S. natal Jupiter, which may be even more important in understanding the whys and wherefores of this event, since Ferguson’s Chiron in Libra squares both Jupiters. When we see Michael Brown’s birth chart it will no doubt reveal something, perhaps Neptunian or Piscean, that will provide further understanding.
be
Whoa, Judith just catching up here…that last update…those dolls. Thanks for reporting from other parts of the state.
Be – thanks for your astro thoughts. I’m convinced the square is working in that leaking the toxic ooze trapped in the tiny municipal structures type of way. St. Louis, specifically, has a whacky municipal breakout. I’m sure many other places are the same…but ever since the city and county made an official split, municipalities kept popping up dividing St. louis county into smaller and smaller pieces with “unincorporated st. louis county” woven throughout the whole thing. All of those places have separate police forces.
A local stl reporter covering the county council meeting on twitter made the point that Ferguson’s elected officials are only part-timers, so they have other jobs, too. Does anyone know how common this is in towns across america?
cowboyiam – interesting we both jumped on property and land ownership – I think it’s a crucial background part of this story.
I’ll leave you with the current on-the-scene video kicking me in the gut tonight:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5pQRqBKecM
we have a constitutional right to rest when we get tired,
2020, eh be? That’s only 6 years away. I reckon we’ll all see changes before then. The reason I am optimistic is technology and time. It will be pretty impossible to say something obtuse without posting it online. You can’t spread a lie in the 21st century without the cyber sleuths windexing your statement with glee. Again you see the white “Murica” boomers breaking into fits that the little dears don’t kiss and bow to the cop firing tear gas in their direction. These “naïve” kids now are more motivated than ever to vote those out who condone this type of militariziation. Make that every generation is motivated to kick them out. We just have to gather the will and stamina to make it through. Which begs the question, what HAPPENED to the boomers that made them kneel like this in the first place? You were the original hippies that inspired peace and tolerance. The 60’s was defined be you. We milliennials aspire to match that level of happiness and bravery. You had Pluto in LEO, if there was any sign that symbolized courage and love, this would be it. Why did this generation, given so many blessings and much opportunities decide to cower so much? This is just me ranting, but this whole issue with race should have been settled already or at least mending a lot faster.
Miss Judith, thank you for the reply. I’m curious about the debate that’s raging where you live. Gathering from you saying some are hanging effergies from car mirrors, obviously of anglo descent, but what are the demographics of those siding with the police? And those siding with the protesters? You were drawn to the middle of the country for a reason. Maybe you are being guided to help bring Missouri up from the mud and bring it on the path to a higher destiny. It was founded in the sign of the lion, it will show the rest of the world what a lion should be. Shining with unabashed love.
Thanks for fleshing out the picture in Ferguson Judith. Hadn’t heard about Officer Wilson’s facial injuries, and I’m also so sorry you have to be at ground level with the Klan.
Beyond the obvious differences between this incident and the Boston Marathon bombing incident, their astrology does have certain similarities, ie. in both cases (bombing, shooting) each had fire sign suns and air sign moons, a Pluto at 11+ Capricorn retrograde, a Uranus in Aries quincunx Saturn in Scorpio, Mars in a sign he ruled (easily expressed aggression), Nessus 28 or 29 Aquarius and both events had a Moon-Vesta aspect. In Boston they were conjunct in Gemini, in Ferguson (at the time of the shooting) they were square, Moon in Aquarius, Vesta in Scorpio.
Perhaps we should think of it as the same play, two different acts and two different perspectives of the same problem, which is, in your words Jude, the use of “extreme measures” in civilian law enforcement.
No easy answers, you’re damn straight there, and centuries of abuse can’t be eradicated in a couple of months. I won’t rule out seeing a difference in a couple of years, not yet, but likely it will be the end of 2020 before real progress can be made, when the new Jupiter-Saturn cycle begins, Neptune T-squares the transiting nodes and Uranus T-squares the U.S. Sibly nodes. Even then it will require patience.
be
It would be good to differentiate between the door-to-door search and city shut-down that occurred in Boston, conducted within a mostly compliant and cooperative community, and what’s happening in Ferguson. This is a much more complex situation involving civil liberties and the right of public protest. I know you know that, Holly, but this is the flip-side of the coin with paramilitary tactics being used in both.
Even stripping out the deep distrust within the community toward an almost entirely white police force, this situation in Ferguson quickly became a military occupation curtailing the freedom of the entire city. Think about how well that’s played out in the Mid-east, exacerbating resentment and violence. More military presence is NOT helpful here. And I’d bet the farm that if you asked the citizens of Ferguson if this is NEW business, they would tell us that they live with a less dramatic but very real level of ‘occupation consciousness’ on a daily basis, and always have.
The concerns from those on the ground are, rightfully, that the explosive issues of looting and rioting — the totality of which represents a pimple on the butt of what those words have meant in the past, imho — occult the actual issues of justice, however that shakes out, and the right of the community to express their First Amendment rights with lawful protest.
The difference between daytime, when determined citizens protest peacefully, and nighttime, when defiance toward police creates mayhem, clearly seems broken down by age. The young are taking this opportunity to protest their treatment with violence; mob dynamics. And apparently they’re being encouraged by outliers (1 in 4 of the 70-some arrested last night were from elsewhere) drawn to this “opportunity” to express rage, pick a fight with cops and deliver chaos. This has exposed yet another wrinkle, which is the schism between the civil rights elders and a new generation of leaderless, disenfranchised youngsters who never heard a Dr. King, and are not invested in non-violent civil disobedience.
While shortsighted and unworkable behavior, I don’t agree with those who want to demonize them without knowing who they are. Let’s find out. If we didn’t know that Hedy Epstein was a 90-year-old Holocaust survivor, she’d have been portrayed as a crazy old troublemaker. Same can be said for Darren Wilson, who is not guiltless in this situation, even should he not be indicted for Brown’s murder but neither did he establish the parameters of the engrained racism and police policy he enforces.
Because of the cavalier way this police department keeps records, we don’t know Darren’s record, but reports from friends that he never mentions race or uses derogatory terms seems a little saintly to me, working in a district that might be thought of as racially profiled, et al. Some who have dealt with him say that does not describe their interactions with him. Still, within the rules of engagement, his behavior may have been justified. And that brings us to the crux of this issue of extreme measures: what are the rules of engagement, have they become unworkable, and do they need to be modified?
Obviously, continued looting and violence remains criminal behavior requiring long-term authoritarian presence that is devastating this little town, worsening by the day. And those in authority who are extending themselves to community and attempting to be even-handed in this difficult exercise deserve our support. I’m not sure if any of them are a PR presence, some kind of community outreach, Holly, but they certainly represent another way of policing than Ferguson has come to expect, one they desperately need. If any of this was easy, it would have been dealt with centuries ago.
Peaceful protest works to draw attention to this cause, while violent clash with authority only works to escalate the determination of governance to stamp out ALL activity in the area. In terms of influence toward justice and civil liberty, the first works, the second doesn’t ALTHOUGH it does work to galvanize those to whom racism is not just their personal cause, but cause célèbre. Over at FOX News, there’s blanket approval of Ferguson police activity, period, end of topic. A group is raising money for Darren Wilson, much as they raised funds for George Zimmerman. And the Republicans will use ‘lawlessness” and “black uprising” as a fund-raiser, be assured.
Here in the Patch, there’s a LOT of hot talk, encouraged by local Klan members. You can tell who these folks are if you live here long enough, although they do their thing in secret most of the time. One give-away is if you see a small black doll made of thread hanging from a thread noose on somebody’s car mirror. No shit, dearhearts, there’s a REASON there are no black residents in this county.
And Holly, I agree that the lack of professionalism is horrific … but I would suppose that a city the size of Boston would require its police force to have thorough training in these matters. This little berg had NONE of that, and — when you think about it — that’s WHY this happened in the first place. This state is in the grip of the Tea Party, and was thick with Bush-supporters prior to that. (You may remember Attorney General John Ashcroft, draper of nude statues, from Dubby’s first term: local boy, made good. Rush Limbaugh, ditto.) They don’t appropriate adequate money to feed or educate kids, here, let alone train police. And I’ve been flabbergasted on several occasions by those who were hired at the local cop-shop. Anywhere else, they wouldn’t even have been able to complete an application.
I agree with Be’s theory that Ferguson is the middle of this nation, and represents the whole of what still needs remediation. Brown will end up the poster child for police brutality, despite the result of the investigation. And Ferguson will wind up the template for inappropriate militarization of law enforcement. Chuck Hagel has asked for an internal discussion in the Pentagon for what excess equipment is being given to small communities and Obama has asked for attention on this growing problem. Once more, military grade equipment provided to assist groups the government approves end up turned against, in this case, the very citizens whose taxes paid for them.
I think the Aquarian Age will be the one that finally mops up the errors, misperceptions and lack of love expressed in the Piscean Age, Holly, dismissing the old patriarchal authoritarian model that threatens and punishes to keep control. Much as we don’t find the fabulous love-of-our-life until we, ourselves, determine to become (and realize that we are) fabulous … and much as the dark dregs at the bottom of the glass must float up and out in order for clear water to fill it … this new Age we’re birthing requires us to take care of all the darkness we haven’t dealt with, and — literally — become the change we want.
When asked if the events in Ferguson had re-opened the wound of racism in the 60s, a black commentator responded that it hadn’t re-opened the wound, the wound had never closed. I think that’s what any true progressive anywhere would have said … but something we very seldom hear.
AG Holder will be in town tomorrow to check on the justice process. There’s unconfirmed news that Officer Wilson has been hospitalized, not referencing his trip to the hospital with facial injuries on the day he faced off against Brown. Leaks from the tox screen indicate that Mike Brown may have been smoking pot. And the beat goes on with another officer-involved shooting a few miles away from Ferguson, in a different jurisdiction, that almost seems a copy cat event, settled with suicide-by-cop. This has the potential to turn a bonfire into a wildfire, spreading to other unhappy little cities, as these things do.
A favorite ACIM affirmation: “I can have peace instead of this.” May God/dess inspire each heart to want peace … instead of this.
Unbelievable!
Well, the fine folks at the ferguson police tried to shoo away a CNN reporter on LIVE tv. Do they realize that maybe two thirds of the country watching that particular scene unfold? God bless the PR personnel on the force. Maybe this is my east coast bias showing but I can’t help but compare the tactics here with how Boston law enforcement reacted to the marathon bombing. I know that the Boston incident wasn’t caused by police but just the professional matter in which they conducted themselves is down right saintly compared to here. When you shut down a city the size of Boston, you would expect troublemakers to pop up somewhere. I think Boston can teach the Ferguson force on how to properly control their actions.
I think I’m witnessing a reincarnation of the 60’s in front of my very eyes. In fact it never died. We just upgraded the recording equipment. Age of Aquarius indeed.
Hedy Epstein, a 90-year-old Holocaust survivor was arrested on Monday during unrest over the death of Michael Brown, KMOV reports.
Epstein, who aided Allied forces in the Nuremberg trials, was placed under arrest in downtown St. Louis “for failing to disperse.” 8 others were also arrested.
“I’ve been doing this since I was a teenager. I didn’t think I would have to do it when I was ninety,” Epstein told The Nation during her arrest. “We need to stand up today so that people won’t have to do this when they’re ninety.”
Epstein is currently an activist and a vocal supporter of the Free Gaza Movement.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/18/hedy-epstein-arrested-ferguson-holocaust-_n_5689822.html
Here’s a thought. The degree where transiting Pluto is now, 11+ Capricorn, not only opposes where Jupiter was on September 11, 2001, but is also the degree where the present Saturn-Neptune cycle was initiated in 1989. At that time in 1989, revolutionary Uranus (4+ Capricorn) was sextile Venus (values) and the north node (opportunity) at 4+ Pisces. Transiting Neptune will reach 4+ Pisces in October.
Transiting Pluto will be at 11+ Capricorn for 4 months, keeping the Saturn-Neptune cycle’s energy active. Also in the (birth) chart for that cycle, Pholus was at 8+ Gemini, conjunct the U.S. Sibly birth chart’s Uranus (unexpected, breakthrough), while his fellow centaur Nessus was at 22+ Virgo retrograde which conjuncts the U.S. Sibly Neptune (erases boundaries).
Nessus was also in opposition to Industria (Big Business) at 22+ Pisces at that time. We can think of Ferguson as a blip on the radar or as an opportunity to end centuries old customs and habits that stultify growth.
be
What seems to be the present issue is awareness (who knew about Ferguson, Missouri this time last year?) As we grow in awareness and consciousness increases, we (as a whole) gain knowledge and insights that lead to answers to problems that today seem insolvable.
We must have faith in ourselves, we human beings. There are those among us that don’t want all of humanity to reach higher levels of consciousness; to be aware. They are the ones who will lose their control over others when that happens, and they encourage ignorance and hatred among us. First comes awareness of that, then comes unity of strength to overcome that.
Many, if not all of those among us who don’t want humanity to advance, hold high levels of office in governments and in other forms of rulership. Where we can vote, we can still encourage people who would be willing to run for office, and then we can vote for them and encourage and help others to vote for them also. But first we must become aware of what’s being done to keep us under control.
As we turn away from the “what difference will it make” attitudes that come with disillusionment and defeat, we gain support from higher powers that increased consciousness makes available. But first comes awareness and faith in the possibilities of humanity. Sometimes it is that first step; that willingness to believe that better ways of life are possible which opens doors and strengthens the will to be part of the change.
be
When I first met my “in-laws” they were the most overtly racist people i had ever met. I was taken aback by many things they would say without a thought. It wasn’t until i learned the whole story and saw the results first – hand that I began to understand their perspective. There is always two sides to a situation and neither one is simple to understand. Sally’s link to the New Republic article is very helpful to understanding the underlying tension in North St Louis. North St Louis is a very dangerous place and life seems cheap there. People get shot in their houses from stray bullets often. Ferguson is on the edge of North St. Louis.
How to stop creating such dysfunctional communities is the issue. Its a class issue and it is the same no matter what the skin colors are. We could even switch the players around and this situation will evolve. People want protection from an underclass that appears lawless. Police are on the front line and frightened for their own lives – sometimes they panic. It is and should be a very big deal when someone gets shot by a police officer and we should get really upset if the victim is unarmed – but that doesn’t imply that we should loot and burn the whole town down. Riots destroy but political action changes things. Why does some black communities refuse to flex their power if takes planning and persistance? Why does the energy dissipate when the political solution is started?
I don’t have the answers but empathy for all sides seems the best beginning.
If government programs could stop poverty why hasn’t it? People need a helping hand – not handouts. Maybe we are responsible. If punishment will stop crime then why hasn’t it? Punishing kids with prison for simple kid stuff produces unemployed felons. I don’t see how that helps. Running from the problem doesn’t help but staying won’t help either. Maybe there is no answer until we evolve some more but meanwhile I think empathy for both sides is all we can do.
Sorry, I was talking on the phone (to a Gemini. . not a quick call!) when I posted the last entry and didn’t proof it, so I mistakenly wrote that Mercury was square Pholus in the Full Moon chart, and should have said instead that Mercury was trine Pholus./be
Might part of the message of this particular scenario be about Centering? The distillation of centuries of polarization enacted in the center of the county? Not in the south or north or west or east part of the country, the center. And yes, Sally, those charts would teach us a lot about how astrology manifests, and (not-so-distant) future teachers of this art will no doubt use them a lot.
As for the 9/11 chart, I’ve already noted that transiting Pluto is now in the exact opposite degree where Jupiter was on September 11, 2001. Recalling that Missouri is the “Show Me” state, and most human beings learn best through example, doesn’t it seem likely that the Universe picked Ferguson – the center of the country – as the the backdrop of this play, this demonstration of unconsciousness becoming conscious? The job of Jupiter is to see cowoyiam’s Big Picture and leaves the details to his partner Mercury.
In the Aquarius Full Moon chart (August 10) Mercury squared Pholus, his point man based on the story that is told in the chart of the recent Jupiter-Mercury conjunction (August 2). I think maybe that’s because Pholus was sextile the north node in Libra and trine the south node in Aries.
In that Jupiter-Mercury chart, Eris (goddess of discord) was conjunct the south node (what has been the way but is no longer purposeful), while the north node (path to what is the way forward) was positioned at the head of a string of conjunctions (new starts) with Moon (the People), Ceres (ability to nurture. . tweets from Palestine?), Vesta (working toward unification) and Mars (activation). These are the players in the drama we are witnessing in the center of the country, in the Show Me state of Missouri.
Under the umbrella of the Uranus-Pluto squares, a cycle begun in the 60’s, we have many smaller cycles going on that support that larger cycle, as well as the cycles of Uranus-Neptune and Neptune-Pluto, which, when combined, are moving humanity along the evolutionary path. The Uranus-Pluto squares are a strategic point, more than just a fork in the road (although they are present thanks to other cycles) it marks a point of acceleration that will lift us off the present path and hasten our arrival if we will just read the signs that explain how to do it. You are right Jude, we are smarter than we act, but as you already know, we have to wait until more of us understand (Jupiter) that for it to happen. This could help with that.
be
Heard a civil rights leader call what’s going on in Ferguson, in our media, in our conversations here, a “perfecting of our union.” I hope he’s right, that would make it worth the pain and bruising.
CNN is blowing up with coverage from Ferguson, it’s not midnight yet (as I write) but the cops are already calling curfew and have shot off canisters of tear gas at mostly peaceful protesters — I say mostly because the escallation is being blamed on “bad actors” but nobody can say who. Jesse Jackson and others have shown dismay over the 180 degree turn in mood from the rally this afternoon to the aggression this evening. No one is sure if the latest announcement — autopsy report that Brown was shot four times in the arm, twice in the head, all from the front — has amped up the action.
Thanks, cowboy. I’ve had the conversation about St. Louis a number of times with people that live there, and I understand their anger about the neighborhoods you speak of, and the attitude of the people who live in them. I truly do understand. I’m also familiar with issues of police brutality. Read this bit:
Denzil Dowell lay dead in the street. The police said that Dowell, a 22-year-old construction worker, had been killed by a single shotgun blast to the back and head; they claimed that he had been caught burglarizing a liquor store and, when ordered to halt, had failed to do so. The coroner’s report told a different story. His body bore six bullet holes, and there was reason to believe Dowell had been shot while surrendering with his hands raised high. His mother said, “I believe the police murdered my son.”
Déjà vu, huh? That was Richmond, California, 1967. I’m from the San Francisco Bay Area, which has its own difficult history with racial divides, property values and ghetto mentality. My father taught at neighboring El Cerrito High, an integrated high school I attended in the early 60s. It bused in black students from Richmond, so I had black friends and schoolmates growing up with none of the race riots that galvanized the South. NOT that racial tension didn’t exist — in 67, the Black Panthers organized in Richmond as a matter of self-protection, you can read the story here — but it had a completely different tone than what we saw in either the Midwest or the South at that time, or for that matter, now. Racism, like so many of our ills, wears many faces … and I find this one, here in Missouri, very difficult to live with.
That said, I heard someone from Georgia speak today and she was puzzled at the amount of vitriol going on, suggesting that the South itself was doing better by its citizens than was Missouri. It’s as if all the fear and loathing and things-that-go-bump-in-the-night had been distilled into the situation in this little town, creating a combat zone where one simply isn’t necessary.
And Sally, thanks for that excellent link. Really informative about what’s at work in the heart of this matter. Racial issues are always extra sensitive, but we can do DO SO MUCH BETTER than what we’re seeing on television tonight … and it’s outrageous that we don’t, because we know how. By the way, I think I know someone who would also be interested in the Sibley, 9/11 and location charts — you out there, Miss be???
We have decades of information about how to establish a decent economy, stable neighborhoods, productive schools, and communities that provide for all the needs of their residents. WE KNOW HOW TO DO THAT, but we don’t. We also know that when a group feels oppressed and hopeless they will become defiant and hostile, and after a certain amount of conditioning, will bite whatever hand holds itself out, either to punish or to assist. Blaming that group for their institutional dysfunctionality is nonproductive when we, ourselves, allowed and even championed the policies that created their Catch-22 environment with little or no exit. I was not surprised to hear that Palestinian’s are tweeting Ferguson residents with sympathy and advice.
Gangs, drugs, and violence can’t get a toehold in stable neighborhoods where there are well-paying jobs, educational opportunities and a sense of community pride. Rather than beef up police presence, perhaps we could solve our longstanding and MUTUAL social problems by opening lines of communication, remedying longstanding inequities and funding what WORKS.
Meanwhile, it appears that the citizens of this town have finally had enough of NOT having their basic needs met by the governance that has long ignored them, and likely taken advantage of them. I don’t want cops ‘defanged,’ cowboy — unable to do their jobs, or afraid to do them — but it’s time for a complete re-think of police authority. What is NOT working well for the population of Ferguson, Missouri today will not work well for ANY of us later on, if we don’t.
We’re really a smarter species than we’re behaving and it galls me when we act so stupidly. Honore said today, assessing the job police are doing in Ferguson, that he’s seen huge crowds easily controlled WITHOUT the use of guns. That’s not the way we do things, here in the States, but maybe it should be. After all these days of racial chaos and national anguish, I’d really like to see someone DO WHAT WORKS.
I don’t have the charts in front of me, but man am I curious to compare the St. Louis County and Ferguson charts with Sibley and 9/11 charts. I grew up in North Stl county…just on the other side of the airport. The airport, a big factor in the regional landscape. eminent domain in the 80s and 90s gutted some of the surrounding communities to make way for airport expansion. New Republic summarizes Ferguson effects nicely: http://www.newrepublic.com/article/119106/ferguson-missouris-complicated-history-poverty-and-racial-tension
The expansion was a failure due to TWA’s bankruptcy and 9/11. The result: many displaced in multi-decade waves of decay…for no reason.
It’s a background piece that syncs the location to the aviation theme and abuse of power (9/11) on a long-term level.
Also of note – the reporting of the past week from the on the ground journalists and citizens was incredible. Imagine what 9/11 would have been like with Twitter. The medium allows for only so much “official narrative” in these situations. One of its co-founders also happens to be from St. Louis.
Sadly, tonight is not going well. The community, the nation in my thoughts.
Ketchup2 – well spoken.
Judith is basically right about the problem but this is one of those lightening rod moments when “hang’em first mentality really is divisive and unproductive. Maybe there is a bigger picture adding to all this.
My wife’s family lived in East St. Louis when she was born and for just a few more years they had an ideal neighborhood (I have seen the pictures) but that was over soon after, as neighbor after neighbor left the area and the property became, more and more, rental, black and crime ridden. I’m not racist for saying this. It’s just the truth.
Her old neighborhood ended up just another gangster haven and her Dad lost three houses because he wasn’t willing to leave early enough; he held on till it was too late and renting the property was his only option. Well he rented to good people but eventually they left. The neighborhood became a place where people moved in and out and crime became obvious. He then sold his houses for little or nothing and the property was destroyed within five years – the houses were condemned within 20. The neighborhood went from a well-kept lower working class one – with well-manicured lawns and tidy back yards – to one where only the rare mowed lawn was seen and junk strung around most, with junk cars parked anywhere.
Once, 10 years after she had left, we went back to her neighborhood to see what it looked like. Upon entering the subdivision children playing basketball in the middle of the street refused to move as we entered and when they finally did it was with great effort to intimidate. We drove to her old house and saw what made her cry. It was trashed out and grown up. The house her father had built for her grandparents was also rundown but may have been inhabited. The house her Aunt and Uncle had lived in was in somewhat better condition and it appeared someone still cared. That was 1985. By 2010 it was literally a bombed out wasteland with three well-kept houses surrounded by vacant lots everywhere and a smattering of junked up hobbles. East St. Louis was once a vibrant city resembling small town America and now it’s just empty lots alongside condemned buildings; it is what Detroit is, hopeless.
I don’t know what all the forces were that created such a disaster but it seems that what occurred was loss of an entire way of life and occurring at such a pace the people couldn’t adjust. We as human beings put a lot of security into our property and when that is stripped from us in ways we can’t control – maybe we just can’t help but try. And if we are brought up to believe we can never have anything – maybe we just have nothing to loose.
I don’t know whether Ferguson is experiencing exactly the same situation as East St. Louis did but if the population went from 30% Black in 2000 and now it is 70% Black – maybe the property class is feeling Extremely threatened and demanding law and order from a force which they control. Maybe the dynamics indicate much deeper problems than just excessive police force or racism. It’s a class issue and it has value disparity problems that I don’t know how to solve – but I don’t think it helps to blame one side and generalize the problem – or jump to conclusions within a couple days based on hearsay.
I am a crusader for muzzling the police state and putting liberty back into our lives. I hate the surveillance state and we better do something while we still can – but when we put police officers into tough city streets and tell them to keep order – we must allow that they will have to be tough about it. Either that or the cops will end up selling their protection to the crack pushers. And also if we don’t like police enforcement and defang them to where they can’t do anything, we will be faced with, out of control gangs running the urban landscape. It’s a tough situation but labeling people for wanting to retain their way of life seems to be like pouring fuel on a fire that is already hot. It’s just the heat that feels off. Step backs a minute. Maybe there is more we don’t yet know.
The curfew in Ferguson didn’t hold last night, resulting in seven arrests, deployed tear gas and one man shot, still in critical condition. Curfew’s been extended through tonight, extending the level of threat because … ‘looting’ … which is the action of the young and uneducated, giving “ground to those that try to justify illegal police abuse,” to quote the Rev. Al Sharpton. And so long as a line of 70 shielded officers can materialize in an instant, rifles aimed, there will be an ‘equal and opposite’ energetic response. Meanwhile, AG Holder has ordered a federal autopsy — a second — at the request of Brown’s family.
And so it continues, but I’m encouraged by the discussions on Sunday pundit TV this morning, Stephanopoulos especially, since (highly credible) Martha Radditz anchored from Ferguson and did an excellent job of exposing and exploring the issues with people on the ground. Most of the political roundtables were sprinkled with intelligent observations and calls for long-term solutions to what is obviously NOT a “post racial” American problem. I especially appreciated Donna Brazil’s call for in-depth conversation around the nation, not just now in response to Ferguson’s flash-point, but NOW as in “we’ve got a problem here and we know that the solutions can be found in coherent community action.” Once again, that will take political will. Do we want to heal this ancient rift? Each little city on the map will eventually have to make that decision.
Gov. Jeremiah was asked if he holds himself responsible for waiting too long before getting involved, and his answer was so political that I’m reminded that (until now) he’s been vying for position as a VP candidate in 2016. He knows how NOT to apologize for his inaction, how to deflect a question with a litany of verbiage that doesn’t answer it, and how to stay on script when asked about something for which he hasn’t prepared a politically correct answer. That means he’s a consummate politician, but one that has embarrassed himself off the short list. America should be grateful, IMO. Considering the extremism of those with whom he seeks middle-ground, Nixon represents the kind of lukewarm moderation that needs to be spit out. I heard someone say this is Nixon’s Katrina — once more into the hot pot of inadequate and lethargic response.
I’ve thought of the steadying influence of General Russell Honore [remember Katrina, over?] several times this week, and he’s on the TV now calling for government to clarify policy. He’s right. Not enough has been done at the federal level and we’re all tapping our toe today.
Sweet be, bless you for your commiseration and concern, your hopes that I ‘deflate’ after such commentary as my last are well-founded. I could not have delved into the heart of political mayhem for over ten years if I didn’t have a system to handle my angst, angers and frustration, i.e., the mini-snit. As I’ve said before, Sagittarians are not very good at stuffing things, emotional-junk just won’t stay down long which saves my sanity on all fronts. After writing that bit last night, I fell into bed and slept soundly. If I hadn’t written it, I would have been writing it all night in my sleep, inappropriately focused on all that’s ‘wrong,’ to awaken this morning exhausted.
As an aside — on the spiritual/spooky front — I think it’s worth mentioning, especially as concerns those of us in the public eye (and so MANY of you readers, as bloggers in interactive cyber-communities) that genuine emotions should never be glossed over in an attempt to ‘look good.’ My mini-snits can last one minute or ten, but they serve as the ‘jiggler’ on my internal pressure cooker. To pretend I don’t erupt in order to look more spiritual or centered would be dishonest and ego-driven. It’s surrender to our humanity that allows us our authentic feelings, if only as a barometer to suss out what needs attention and change.
I think expressing those energies in some benign way is a spiritual “no harm, no foul.” While making absolutely NO comparison, I’ll add that it’s probably no anomaly that Jesus overturned tables and whipped away the moneychangers; our human experience is about polarity, about discovering what is … and isn’t … true about us and our world. And, as you say, Ketchup2, we’re all there somewhere, learning about ourselves and the world we inhabit, day by day; hopefully aspiring toward less painful outcomes, and especially when an opportunity like Ferguson presents itself, holding up a mirror for all of us.
So be, as regards concerns for my emotional wellbeing, anger is a fine, hopefully motivational, place to visit so long as we don’t live there. I have mostly tamed my internal drama queen, don’t swing wide on the white-knuckled scale any more, and allow Spirit charge of my safety valve. Releasing the pressure of the old allows each day to be new for me, and with luck, this one won’t require the same level of purged steam yesterday did. Seems I remember popping off once before, bringing readers to my aid. Sorry if I startled anyone — I appreciate your kind thoughts and willingness to be there!
To properly understand the Show Me state — thank you Chief N for your response to Holly — we have to understand that while designated a slave state (only 10% of the population, pre-war) more broadly MO was a border state, fracturing itself into Yankee or Confederate supporters county by county. That DOES explain a lot, if we take the long view. Boarder states (eight at the start of the war, four at the finish) did not secede from the Union, their populations the ones most philosophically torn and physically split, family by family.
According to Wikipedia, about 170,000 border state men fought for the Union army, 86,000 in the Confederate army. Skirmishes were regional in nature, like internal mini-wars, if you will. This was the Petrie dish that grew the infamous outlaws, the James Brothers, who rode as Confederate guerillas with Quantrill’s Raiders — one of Jesse’s half-sisters married into the Quantrill family — and continued to ride after the Reconstruction stripped them of slaves and political power. The brothers became who they were as a political response to their times, with Jessie vowing, at wars end, to shoot any black in Missouri not fulfilling the role of a slave. The James gang are still considered hero’s around here, although the Robin Hood mythology of giving to the poor seems to have been wishful thinking.
I would agree with your mention of the inadequacy of the zero-sum principal, Ketchup2, if there was even pretense of racial civility in rural sections of this state (and several others like it.) Cities too, I hear, although I don’t know. I saw a black lawyer, a woman, interviewed who said she applied for a job with the state attorney general’s office and was asked if she could handle hearing the N-word a LOT … cuz, you know, just good old boyz around the water cooler. It’s important to realize that the attitude these white police bring to their jobs not only reflects a level of training that has become more like boot camp than a college course in law enforcement technique, but a lifetime of cultural conditioning around the topic of race. I think it can be summed up in the video catching a cop on the first night, standing in riot-gear facing protesters and calling them “animals.” With that determination, what came next was inevitable.
And while I understand your point of view about both sides being culpable — and I think we can all acknowledge that a “shoot first” policy is based on fear and intimidation on BOTH sides of the fence — this is not about a good side or a bad side; this is about a failure to communicate, with the seeds of that dysfunction spread throughout the nation, and well armed indeed.
Ultimately this is not a generalized conversation about win/lose — progressives are asking for more intelligence, more understanding, more respect and cooperation from both sides. And it is vital to remember that we’re only examining a small example of police brutality, a problem that has become very noticeable everywhere around the nation. We have a small town in our sites, today — tomorrow, it could be the Fed’s going after larger protests (and they already have everything in place for that, count on it.) Lord knows, we have plenty to protest about. In my opinion, we begin to solve this problem of a militarized police force here and now, or we take it to the next level … not pretty.
As regards Mike Brown’s chart, be, the public rally in Ferguson (that was televised) has definitely identified him as the poster child for change, and the black cititzens sound very hopeful that this is a first step to a different day. That conversation is so VERY overdue.
Oh, and Holly I think it’s too soon to put up a monument to Perry’s career — folks on the right are flocking to his defense, and the presidential committee’s are taking another look. Pragmatic Donna Brazil mentioned that — indicted or not — he still had a miserable record to run on, but that never seems to stop these folks. Remember, it’s the silly season. Ain’t we got fun?
Last but not least, I think we’ve already changed for the better in this public conversation, Laura — just opening this can of worms allows for old energy to dissolve and a new way to come into possibility. Let’s not forget that our Supreme Court has made it even more difficult for our diverse population, and isn’t finished. The example Ferguson sets makes a very clear statement that racism is NOT behind us, but NEEDS TO BE. I echo your affirmation of loving kindness and discernment.
Thanks, everyone who weighed on in this. Racism is a difficult topic, it’s dark, it’s ANCIENT. It’s a form of tribalism, this separation business. And in tandem with our continuing racial fault lines, the militarization issue is a VERY disturbing uptick which cannot be ignored any longer.
Be well, be blessed, all — and know you’re loved.
Ketchup2, I think most would agree with you. In order to become CONSCIOUS of “wrongs” that need to be righted, some (perhaps fated) instance or situation has to come forward. I’ve not looked at the specific astrology for the death of Mike Brown, but from your words I do see the signature of Pholus (” . . the impact spirals out and out and out until it dwarfs the original. . “).
We’ve learned that the symbols of the centaurs show up in event charts and birth charts to make us conscious of old wrongs whose time has come to be righted. The Aquarius Full Moon chart’s Mercury in Leo was trine transiting Pholus in Sagittarius and probably connects to the astrology of this event (city’s chart, state’s chart, Brown’s chart). Trans. Pholus certainly connects with the U.S. PROGRESSED Mercury in Gemini, which trans. Pholus opposed. Mercury makes us aware of data (electronically and verbally) surrounding events and symbolizes the mind’s ability to make use of it.
This past full moon in Aquarius also highlighted the U.S. Sibly chart by having the full moon’s nodes connecting with the U.S. natal Chiron opposite Juno aspect. This has provided a pronounced awareness of the obviously Disenfranchised (Juno) lack of equality or fairness (Libra, Juno) having now reached a recognizable (Aries) healing (Chiron) opportunity.
Transiting Pholus (along with 2nd chance Ixion) in Sagittarius has been opposing the U.S. Sibly Mars in Gemini and squaring the U.S. Sibly Neptune in Virgo, stimulating this potential confrontation. In these mutable signs there is a flexible quality, allowing for a transition from fixed (sign) positions to new initiatives (cardinal signs). With the U.S. natal Chiron (healer) in cardinal Aries (new), we have the chance to get past that denial you speak of. Yes, it is painful, most healing processes are. Try to keep the faith in that process, which I believe is what you would call a miraculous advantage that has appeared.
be
I think it’s a mistake to look at this in black and white (figuratively speaking), zero-sum terms. Just because the police were wrong, doesn’t automatically mean the townspeople were right and vice versa. No one in this situation is above reproach, and if we can’t get honest about this (I’m talking about the national “we”), then this will be just one more bitter lesson that goes unlearned.
No more “yes, buts.”
Some people are suspicious of other colors of people and do their best not to let it influence their actions. Some people hate other colors of people and don’t care who knows it. Some people enjoy abusing their power. Some people fail to grab advantages when they do, miraculously, appear. Some people drop the ball. Some people, when the chips are down, cave in to their baser instincts. Some people seem inexorably broken. Sometimes people panic and just plain fuck up, and the impact spirals out and out and out until it dwarfs the original fuck-up, and no one even remembers what it was.
All these things are true, based on my direct first-hand observation. Admitting these truths opens the door to compassion. Yet I see so much energy put into denying these realities. Why?? So much energy put into not admitting that one side or the other also was at fault. It is infuriating and painful.
Thank you for your behind-the-scene report Jude. I know the gods/goddesses have put you there in Missouri for good reason, but not at the expense of your sanity. We need your California Girl perspective, and, hopefully, your frustration dissipated after this report back. I mean, I felt the tension as if I were there in person. . . firelight playing off dark muscular bodies? These are Neptune-filtered epic big-screen visuals; we get the picture. However, if it gets to be over-the-top “too much” and you really need rescuing, you know how to reach us.
be
Well, this is turning out like a very bad episode of In the Heat of the Night, but … given the level of inadequacy from leadership and the horrific track record of these small town cops [you DO need to open this link] — then factor in the collective level of rage from those who watched one of their own lie in the street in his own blood for four hours like so much garbage, then had to listen to the sheriff praise the fine officer who put him there on national TV — I’m surprised it’s not worse.
Governor Dearest, Jeremiah Nixon, has declared a state of emergency and curfew based on the handful of events in the wee smalls yesterday, young black men looting several stores. I know, I know — civil society doesn’t tolerate looting, they historically shoot looters, and — you know — especially if they aren’t white. But here, that’s a buzzword to make yer blood run cold, it seems — while strumming our old banjo, when we hear the world “looter” we conjure ghettos run amok and firelight playing off of dark, muscular bodies, which makes us reach for our guns, run home from the Dewdrop Inn and hide our teenage daughter behind the shed.
OK, I’m tired and snappish. It’s easier to pop off some energy than to take the higher road, and I prob’ly shouldn’t be so hard on the natives, but DAMN! Here’s the announcement from NBC News:
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon ordered a curfew in the town of Ferguson and declared a state of emergency after violence and looting broke out again overnight in the aftermath of unarmed teenager Michael Brown’s death at the hands of a cop. The curfew will run from midnight to 5 a.m. “This is a test,” Nixon said at a news conference, saying “the eyes of the world” are on Ferguson. At least three businesses were broken into on Friday night and early Saturday morning, despite community activists and protesters who tried to stop them.
Now — I ask you — doesn’t Nixon sound like a rube? Like he’s only got one world view, and that’s keeping the negroes in line (but carefully, so as not to offend fellow ‘liberals’ or an obviously displeased president?)
What does he mean, the whole world is watching … what? The black kids mindlessly plundering, young men that should be carefully rounded up and taken to jail IN ANOTHER CIY? Or the guys with the guns? I think maybe the whole world is watching Gov. Dufus foul himself, and the test is one he’s already failed (especially among his own constituents, who, at minimum, did not expect him to crack jokes in his initial press conference.)
Gaaaaaaah! Right now I’m really really a California girl lost in the deep mid-south. Maybe I’M the one that needs the rescue, before my head explodes! Well, my point remains the same — those who are watching see this more clearly than ever before. IF we have the collective political will to change things, we surely know where to begin.
I’m just in from a long day, I’ll comment with fewer barbs tomorrow — meanwhile, here’s a bit or two of interest:
Rep. Hank Johnson is introducing a bill to put a halt to military equipment ending up in your town and mine — you can find an activist/op here. An earlier bill, put in place by populist firebrand Alan Grayson, was voted down recently but we’ve got some traction now. Sign the petition, if you wish.
Here’s a good read on the growth of SWAT teams, and their mis-use. Meanwhile, a teenage girl in San Jose was picked off by SWAT this week for holding her family hostage with a … wait for it … cordless drill. Shoot first, gather power tools later.
Did I mention she was black???
Not to mention that Rick Perry has been indicted. I hereby declare his national ambitions finished. On another topic though, NFL season is about to kick off soon. Dibs on a winning team anyone? Mine is either the Patriots or the Broncos.
p.s. thanks for the David Gregory tip!
You are so observant Miss Jude. Perhaps it’s the transit of Pluto through Capricorn that is causing those deeply embedded natal Pluto’s in Cancer, or at least, our country’s mores and folkways set in place by them, to surface now. That, and the fact that on (the original) 9/11, transiting Jupiter was at 11+ Cancer, opposite the degree where transiting Pluto is now; Pluto’s 2nd of 3 passes over this degree (the 1st being where it stationed retrograde in 2013 and sat barely moving for over 3 months) must “reflect” (opposition) that mushrooming (Jupiter) protectiveness (Cancer) that has become second nature in U.S. institutions such as many of its police departments.
You have captured and conveyed the emotions we have all felt this week; a week following the Aquarius Full Moon on August 10th. Six days later and emotionally depleted, we can now execute Len Wallick’s wisdom in the words of his Thursday offering; to honor the “big picture while discerning the most important detail at any given time”, thanks to Mercury’s move into the sign of Virgo. It was this same Mercury, then at 20+ Leo who, at the Aquarius Full Moon, trined centaur Pholus at 20+ Sagittarius retrograde; “Small Cause, Big Effect” Pholus, about whom Eric (and a few other astrologers) recently noted transiting Pholus’ long-time conjunction with transiting Ixion (2nd chances).
In her wonderful article in The Mt. Astrologer magazine (Aug-Sept 2014) Stephanie Austin says:
“Aquarius represents the power of community and collaboration – the synergy, innovation, and metamorphosis that occur when we join forces.”
Because it is the MOON in Aquarius being focused on in this past lunation, we can’t just rely on the usual air sign mental communication, but must include the emotional communication too. As the (normally) aloof Aquarian Moon opposes the (almost always) dramatic Leo Sun, the subject matter(s) of which this two-week Full Moon period symbolizes (so far), will – MUST be put into theatrical terms to be understood. The U.S. losses this week have been played out on the big world-wide stage, and they ain’t so much about politics this time! That will come.
A big part of the World still sees the U.S. as Hollywood doesn’t it? At least until we became the Policeman of the World. It is the job of Neptune, the U.S. (Sibly) Neptune in particular, to throw stage light (unlike sun light) onto events meant to promote the expansion of consciousness among us human beings. The U.S. Neptune is in Virgo, the sign of service (including armies and police departments). For some time now the U.S. has been affected by a rarely used aspect called the Quindecile, an aspect that puts 165 degrees between two planets and transiting Neptune is presently quindecile the U.S. Neptune. Noel Tyl calls the quindecile “a powerful avenue of insight for dynamic analysis.” (Pres. Obama’s Mars conjuncts the U.S. Neptune.)
Robin Williams had a natal quindecile between his birth chart’s Jupiter and Saturn, the planets that symbolize change in societies and cultures through the aspects they make during their 20 year cycles. Quite possible that Michael Brown’s chart would reveal a similar aspect.
Virgo is all about analysis and that’s where Mercury will be all month. He will be holding the many strings of the Virgo New Moon puppet show on August 25th; a powerful group of 6 planets all aspecting one other with squares, trines, oppositions, a yod (or 2 depending on how you judge the conjunction of Mars and Saturn) that will require from all of us what Len referred to as “Holistic Discernment”; that ability to focus on the most important specific detail at any given time, while still keeping the big picture together. Quite a challenge when under the influence of a dual Neptune aspect!
It is no coincidence, I’m sure, that you live in Missouri Judith, and have more detail regarding the Ferguson event than the rest of us will ever see. By divine directive, you are to witness how this drama plays out and report back to your fans and unbiased readers (!) just how this all goes down. If we all can commit to doing our part in this holistic discernment of details and take advantage of our (Ixion) 2nd chance, we can contribute to the ” (Pholus) small cause, big effect”, and as well, the Aquarian “metamorphosis that (can) occur when we join forces.”
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http://www.noeltyl.com/techniques/990801.html
Holly- Missouri was a slave state during the Civil War, and the inherent racism or that consciousness is still pervasive in the rural parts of the State. The ghosts we are seeing are old ones, and part of a war that some people are still fighting.
War On Drugs + “Patriot Act” = Militarized Police Brutality
Pluto in Cap squaring Uranus in Aries is slowly grinding it’s way through America, with the hoped-for result: honesty.
On the Ferguson front, there appeared to be a bit more rioting but not as much as was a couple days ago. I believe social media played a huge role in bringing the cops to heel. If there was no facebook, no twitter, I think it would not have gotten the huge amount of attention that it deserves. I think, zodiac wise, Missouri is a Leo state. Hence the nickname “Show me state”. Show me that you changed seems to be the sentiment of the universe. Saturn is ratcheting up the karma juice right now.
It’s a blessing that the younger generations are banding together to bring peace into the spotlight. It took the sacrifice of a Pluto in Sagittarian to light up the fires of justice. My only hope is that we keep this discussion going, with the intent to heal the wounds permently. Which will be sooner than many people think. My generation and the Pluto in Sagittarius is by all intents and purpose, the most tolerant when it comes to race. Heck, a good chunk of us are of mixed race, including me. So again, don’t worry. It will be all right. The light will shine again.
I sure hope you’re right, Judith, that this is the turning point toward a brighter future. I’m in. May we all be filled with loving kindness and discerning presence as we address what needs to change.
In terms of Rand Paul:
http://www.mediaite.com/online/rand-paul-reacts-to-ferguson-demilitarize-the-police-now/
I don’t trust this man or his statements, but just sayin’.