{"id":58547,"date":"2012-06-23T04:03:17","date_gmt":"2012-06-23T08:03:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/?p=58547"},"modified":"2012-06-23T04:05:11","modified_gmt":"2012-06-23T08:05:11","slug":"a-million-quiet-heroes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/by-judith-gayle-2\/a-million-quiet-heroes\/","title":{"rendered":"A Million Quiet Heroes"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Judith Gayle | Political Waves<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Nothing much has happened since last we spoke. That’s pretty much it, have a good weekend.<\/p>\n

\"PoliticalYes, I jest (which is one of those lovely words you probably won’t hear in a decade or so, it’s barely hanging on by its single syllable now,) but there’s a smidgeon (another one) of truth there. Writing about politics in this zero-sum political culture — lawmakers staring one another down over an abyss of self-interest and, for a scant handful, self-delusion — is an exercise in hurry-up-and-wait, progress bogged down to a snail’s pace just when we need some desperately.<\/p>\n

In this exhausting turmoil of alternative reality and truthiness glut, can reality to be found? Oh look! In this moment of radical ignorance and hubris, here comes a heavy-hitting aspect with the muscle to explode some mythology, blast some inertia! Those of us in the know are expecting this first exact square of Pluto and Uranus to define some of the change ahead. <\/p>\n

Politically, I think of it like a cheat sheet. Personally, I’d rather it wasn’t a boot-up-the-ass wake-up call, but even that’s worthwhile at this point, and I say that having lived through a few. When it’s time to move foreword, best to initiate it yourself, so let’s do this. Come on, universe! Throw us a bone! Make our forward momentum so obvious not even the sleepers can miss it!<\/p>\n

Those who are flinching at the “bring it on” quality of that statement are surely aware that we can no longer entertain the fiction of a clueless, compliant citizenry moving backwards into an unsustainable past. Those of us who still respect scientific thought are white-knuckled at the apparent inability of American politics to confront the truth about climate, environment, food and water security. What stands in our way? BP, Chevron and Exxon Mobil. Monsanto and frankenfoods. Shale gas and “clean” coal. Citizens United<\/em> money.<\/p>\n

Those who value a global collaboration toward peace, prosperity and civil rights can no longer tolerate our nation’s privatization (read that profitization) of militarism, healthcare, and financial services. We long ago determined these to be critical not only to the nation, but also to the world, and more, to the continuation of our species on a planet less and less able to meet our alarming demands for energy and sustenance. What keeps us from policing these industries, renewing their effectiveness in service to the public? Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, DynCorp. Big pharma and for-profit hospital conglomerates. A too-big-to-fail Wall Street that fails on a regular basis, taking our money with it, and a corporate-cozy Supreme Court that just handed the Chamber of Commerce its seventh straight win, delivering big business a “perfect” term thus far, and with only days remaining.<\/p>\n

We need a big message, in no uncertain terms. An attention grabber. No time for flinching now, the clock is ticking. But even as I say that, I’m painfully aware of the difficulty in getting us all on the same page. It’s hard to imagine that such different realities have been able to coexist side by side for so long, but we have only been at stalemate for a short time, historically speaking. Once, political parties thrashed out legislative progress with compromise for public good, not private gain, using the art of gamesmanship and stewardship. Once, public service was an esteemed goal and statesmanship something to be admired.<\/p>\n

Now that those days are gone, the GOP has done us all a service in giving us four straight years of obstruction; they’ve clarified their position as corporate-party regressives. Fearing modernity and equality as much as the Taliban does, they ignore the wisdom of their own holy book and insist on putting new wine into old skins, dooming them to eventual obscurity. Those eager to strip women of reproductive freedoms, who are sure they’ve been trickled down to (not on), and who still fear a murderous, heathen global community “jealous of American freedoms,” will hold their noses and vote for their non-Christian candidate, eager to rid themselves of the black liberal.<\/p>\n

Those who are looking for 21st century policies have a similar hesitancy, given Obama’s inability to shift the game left and his dependence on Clinton-era financiers and Bush-era military advisers. Of course real progressives are looking for more policy nuance and global equality than Establishment politicians offer, but to be fair, the Prez made attempts to accomplish all of his campaign goals while pushing a boulder of stark opposition up-hill. He’s accomplished a surprising number of them, given the order of difficulty. And because of how far right our political reality has been pushed, Obama is not only able but willing to be encouraged leftward. Let’s be clear: of the two parties, only one is capable of being moved.<\/p>\n

Not far enough, you say? Not quick enough? Let’s see what the Pluto\/Uranus energy has to say about that. Things change when we aren’t looking. Remember, in subtle ways we’re still getting over the shock of Bush v. Gore, the terrible error of Colin Powell’s vial of white powder. In our heart of hearts we still can’t believe that nobody in command went to prison for Abu Ghraib or to the Hague for war crimes. This week the right is after AG Eric Holder with a vengeance<\/a>, orchestrated by slick-haired Pub attack dog, Darryl Issa, upset about an arms sting that went bad. Pubs have convenient amnesia when it comes to these things. What about John Ashcroft announcing limits to American freedom with the Patriot Act in front of carefully-draped nude statues? What about Alberto Gonzales hedging over torture and wiretap?<\/p>\n

But the Republican party does not care about comparisons, let alone hypocrisy. They’ve pushed even their own envelope, exposing the radical edge of their party, having a temper tantrum on the public dime. A politically untenable situation: we find ourselves in a congressional stalemate and continuing emergency to government services even as election looms. The concerns of progressives — including civil liberties and an end to imperialism and militarism — have not been furthered by a weakened and capitulating Democratic party, so we’re left to support the status quo or throw our vote away. But …<\/p>\n

BUT this is not just another political year — this is THE political year. And we’re well into it, to boot. What IS the defining message of this campaign? Obama named it: consciousness. Who and what this nation considers itself to be will be defined by the voters this year, a matter of growing consciousness. The two visions of America couldn’t be more stark, so now it’s time to choose: a party invested in the public welfare or one dedicated to protecting the private sector and enriching the highest earners. A nation based on tough-love and self-protectionism, or one based on a vision of equality and shared blessing.<\/p>\n

Yesterday, I watched Mitt Romney address the Latino crowd, smooth and practiced, careful with his words. He started his speech with an attack on Obama and then laid out his (non)plan for the economy. Those of us with antenna to pick up Pub code heard a good deal of it in that speech, but Mitt made no apparent gaffes this time around. If he was vague about immigration, that was expected. While he sweetened the pot — guaranteeing a green-card stapled to every highly-skilled college diploma — he at least offered something besides a veto of the Dream Act, as he’d promised his base. He didn’t do himself much good with a demographic that cuts by big numbers to the left, but he didn’t do much harm. After all, he’s had eight years to refine his delivery. As I watched, I wondered how Obama — who has been unable to pass immigration law — might distance himself from his record.<\/p>\n

Today, as I watched Obama’s address, I was happy to see him relaxed and easy in his skin. He was confident, direct; some say passionate. He talked for the second time in the last few days about doing what was right, about the difficulties we face and how it was time to decide what kind of America we would build together. He never mentioned Romney by name and moved me to tears twice, once when he spoke to the advocacy of the average citizen to right wrongs as ” … a million quiet heroes who love their country and believe they can change it.”<\/p>\n

On some days, politics is simple. I was glad to see him. So — you know — nothing much actually happened since last week. The news is full of stories that make you shake your head: Julian Assange is holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy, looking for an escape hatch away from American interest. Law and karma have caught up with Jerry Sandusky, who is facing an ugly future behind bars. Rielle Hunter, John Edwards’ paramour, insists she is not a home-wrecker. Last, and just barely believable, a recent poll<\/a> found that 64% of Republicans still believe that Iraq had WMD.<\/p>\n

Much of that is amazing and improbable, typical of our surrealistic times, but none of it is a bang-out message from the cosmos. If the universe insists on whispering today, then, it appears to be weaving a clear picture of the difference between an old paradigm way of looking at the world and a new one, asking us to choose respect and inclusion, ethics and ideals. When this president talks about “a million heroes” seeking to right wrongs, I think maybe he’s talking about us. That’s the message that makes my heart happy. Until the universe decides to talk a little bit louder, that’s the one I’m lifting up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Judith Gayle | Political Waves Nothing much has happened since last we spoke. That’s pretty much it, have a good weekend. Yes, I jest (which is one of those lovely words you probably won’t hear in a decade or so, it’s barely hanging on by its single syllable now,) but there’s a smidgeon (another … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":""},"categories":[1744],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58547"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58547"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58547\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58547"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58547"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58547"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}