Republican Failure

                                                                                                          written 19 June 2022

                                                                                                                for 26 June 2022

                                                                                                                                                                                                

            The Republican party is selecting increasingly radical candidates, each vying to be more extreme.  From a party of real values, how did we get here?  The following assessment is excerpted from Thom Hartmann, Daily Kos 26May22.

            "The seeds of today’s crisis began with a blueprint for the morbidly rich and big corporations to take over the weakened remnants of Nixon’s Republican Party.  Implemented with the 1980 election of Ronald Reagan, we’ve now had 42 years of the so-called Reagan Revolution.  It hasn’t worked."

            "Republicans said if we cut the top tax rate on the morbidly rich from the 74 percent to 27 percent, it would “trickle down” to everybody else.  Instead, we ended up with the greatest wealth and income inequality in the world, with over $50 trillion transferred from the bottom 90 percent to the top 1 percent." 

            "Republicans said if we deregulated guns it would clean up our crime problem.  “An armed society is a polite society” was the bumper sticker during Reagan’s time.  Instead, we ended up with school shootings and a daily rate of gun carnage unmatched anywhere in the world."

            "Republicans said if we ended sex education in our schools and outlawed abortion, we’d return to “the good old days” when every child was wanted and every marriage was happy.  Instead, we ended up with epidemics of sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies, and now a return to deadly back-alley abortions."

            "Republicans said if we killed off Civics and History classes in our schools, we’d “liberate” our young people to focus instead on science and math.  Instead, we’ve raised two generations of Americans that can’t even name the three branches of government, and still lag in science and math."

            "Republicans said if we cut state and federal aid to higher education students would have “skin in the game,” taking their studies more seriously.  Instead, our nation is groaning under a $2 trillion dollar student debt burden, preventing young people from buying homes, starting businesses, or beginning families. While banksters who donate to Republican politicians are making billions."

            "Republicans said if we stopped enforcing the anti-monopoly and anti-trust laws, there would be an explosion of innovation and opportunity.  Instead, every industry in America became consolidated, competition died, price gouging and profiteering reign, and it’s impossible to start or find small family-owned businesses anymore."

            "Republicans said if we changed the laws to let corporations pay their senior executives with stock they’d be “more invested” in the company.  Instead, corporate stock buyback programs put billions of dollars into the pockets of the main shareholders and executives, while workers and society suffer the loss."

            "Republicans said if we let a handful of individual companies and billionaires buy most of our media, we’d have the most diverse media landscape in the world.  Now a small group owns our major media/internet companies, radio and TV stations, as well as local newspapers across the country." 

            "Republicans said we should hand our healthcare decisions to bureaucratic insurance industry middlemen to “lower costs and increase choice.”  Instead, all the medical bankruptcies on the planet are American."

            "Republicans said if we got rid of our unions, the companies would give us better pay, more benefits, and real job security.  They lied."

            "Republicans said if we went with NAFTA, the trade agreement of GHW Bush, and then the WTO, that we’d see an explosion of jobs.  Instead, 60,000 American factories were torn down and their products moved overseas, along with 10 million good-paying jobs."

            "Republicans still say global warming is a hoax, a lie that the fossil fuel industry spent hundreds of millions to pull off, delaying action by at least three decades while producing trillions in profits.  The climate crisis is killing millions and threatens all life on Earth."

            "And then, of course, there’s the biggest GOP lie of them all: “Money is the same thing as Free Speech.”  Five Republicans on the Supreme Court threw out 1000 anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws so politicians could take unaccountable billions.  American political discourse hasn’t been this filled with conflict and violence since the Civil War; the influence of dark money."  

            "The bottom line is the nation has now had the full Republican experience.  We know what it is.  We’re no longer listening.  A new America is being birthed from the ashes of the Reagan Revolution and you can’t stop it much longer."

Biblical Orthodoxy

                                                                                                          written 12 June 2022

                                                                                                      published 19 June 2022

                                                                                                 

            In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus reportedly said, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself.  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

            "Love God, and Love the Other".  Very basic rules for living in a unity reality.  Yet today some preach that you must be "God-fearing" to be a good Christian, and armed men chant "death to Democrats" in church parking lots.  How did we get here?  This is the difference between the spirit of Christianity and the religions that grew up around that spirit.

            In our Bible, Christ's words are printed in red, making up only 17 percent of the New Testament.  After crucifixion, the story of Christ was passed along orally for decades, as few people were literate, and Christians were persecuted by the state religious orders.  What became known as the Gospels were mostly hearsay, written between 10 and 80 years after the crucifixion.  They were written in Aramaic, the common language in the area, and eventually translated into Greek, subject to interpretation.   

            In 313AD, freedom of religion was granted within the Roman Empire, and Christianity became the state religion.  By this time there were hundreds of documents associated with the story of Christ, and the Council of Nicaea (325AD) and First Council of Constantinople (381AD) decided what should be included in the Bible, editing out what was considered "unfit".

            We have some idea of what was excluded as a result of the 1945 discovery of the Gnostic Gospels in Egypt.  Written in 2nd century AD, they provide alternate versions of some of the known books, and include many others, one by Mary.  They were hidden to preserve them from destruction, and are still discredited and considered heretical by orthodox Christianity. 

            What we now know as the Bible was formalized by committee, translated yet again into Latin, and became widespread by 400AD.  But whatever the spiritual value, this document, edited exclusively by men, was designed to serve the Roman Empire, an economic and political system of domination, misogyny, and exclusive gain.  This affected the structure of the Church as well.  Long after the Roman Empire collapsed, the Church controlled increasing economic and political power.

            Literacy was relatively rare, and even fewer people could read Latin.  Thus, the Church dominated the interpretation of Christ's message for the mass of believers, acting as a middle man between the individual and the Divine.  To maintain control, translation of the Bible into local languages was prohibited.  Translators were prosecuted and killed, and translations were collected and burned.  As late as 1897, all translations had to be approved by the Holy See.

            As the age of European exploration began, the Church asserted control for its political and economic benefit.  In 1494, the Pope divided the world between Spain and Portugal, blessing their right to colonize, convert, enslave, or kill all native people, in exchange for financial tribute.

            The growing corruption of this religious Christianity produced a reaction from members of spiritual Christianity.  In 1517 Martin Luther protested Church excesses such as selling indulgences, or remissions from sin, for personal profit.  Additionally, Luther was dissatisfied with the hierarchy of the church and the monastic routines of exterior worship and ceremony, which he considered to be excessive and unnecessary for salvation.  This Protestant challenge to Church authority initiated a civil war, with Christians killing Christians for almost 500 years. 

            The prioritization of the religious corporation over the spirit of the founder continues to this day.  The Catholic Church still hides their persistent pedophile priest problem to protect the brand, but are about to see another wave of expensive lawsuits.  This is not just a Catholic problem.  Last month Southern Baptists faced revelations they hid over 700 sexual predators to protect the corporation.  The Methodists recently spit over whether to allow women to preach.  

            We must distinguish between individuals living the spirit of Christ's message and the leaders of the religious structures that have been distracted by increasing economic and political power.  It is time for all Christians in spirit to demand their respective religious organizations "Love God and Love the Other".  No more fear mongering!  No more targeted hatred!  In unity reality we all share the same fate.

 

 

 

 

This I Believe

                                                                                                            written 5 June 2022

                                                                                                      published 12 June 2022

                                                                                                                                                                                       

            Last year, a poll found that for the first time, less than half of Americans identified with an organized religion, yet almost 70 percent identified themselves as spiritual.  The more dogmatic the religion, the larger the recent decline in affiliation.  I consider this a hopeful trend.  As Deepak Chopra says "Religion is belief in someone else's experience. Spirituality is having your own experience." 

            I define spirituality as the direct experience of an individual's inherent relationship with a meaningful transcendent reality.  Religion is a business formed to promote a particular spiritual tradition, usually organized to enhance social, economic, and political power.  Spirituality is an experience, beyond the limited concept of words.  Religion codifies everything into words. As concepts, not direct experience, they easily become dogma, frozen in time.  This creates divisions, often leading to violence.  All religious communities have mystical subsets, who prioritize the value of experience over words.  Religious fundamentalists, as keepers of dogma, tend to view mystics as heretics, and occasionally kill them.  

            The quantum physics revolution, beginning a little over a century ago, has been rigorously tested, with everything from nuclear weapons, lasers, and computers as validating proof.  But quantum mechanics injected consciousness into Newtonian physics, which had assumed matter was dead in order to escape lethal Catholic dogma. Matter is now understood to be non-local, bound by relationships that transcend space and time.  Newtonian physics defined consciousness, when considered at all, as a consequence of material complexity.  But quantum physics shows consciousness, which has also been demonstrated to be non-local, affects matter.  

            The Newtonian assumption that matter is a stable finite "thing" has been replaced by the quantum wave/particle duality.  When looking for discrete particles, one experiences particles.  When looking for resonant waves, one experience waves.  Experience is modified by conscious choice of perspective.  There is growing awareness within western physics that consciousness, not matter, is the ground of reality, an idea that has been known in eastern philosophy for millennium.

            At first glance, my experience seems to be finite, occupying a particular perspective.  But as I delve deeper, I find relationships which can be guides to living more fully.  My spiritual path arises out of quantum mechanics and Buddhism, inspired by addition from mystics of all traditions.  This has allowed me to avoid much of the baggage that comes with dogmatic religions.

            This I believe.

            Unity Consciousness, which can be called the Divine (although any specific name is inadequate and limits understanding), is the transcendent ground of all reality.  Material reality manifests as space/time, a 4 dimensional membrane completely expressed within, and shaped by, Unity Consciousness.  Material reality can be viewed as the skin of the Divine.  

            My personal awareness is a subset within the Divine.  Therefore, every part of myself, the material world, and all other beings, are expressions of the Divine.  Within the perspective of linear time, increasing material complexity supports greater self-awareness within matter.  Life is an opportunity to evolve from my limited, fear defined personality, into a deeper awareness of being an inherent part of the Divine.  Embracing this perspective leads to the following operational conclusions.

            The foundation of evil is denial of Unity, the first ignorance, an inaccurate perspective which engenders fear. Resonance with Unity is experienced as love.  Life challenges, and supports, each individual to increase awareness of their resonance with Unity Consciousness.  Therefore, at every opportunity, choose love over fear, embracing the truth of Unity over the illusion of material separation.  Be happy and laugh often.  Life is good, beneficial, nurturing, and joyous. 

            Be present, aware that each moment is unique.  The point of action is in the NOW.  In resonance with the Divine, we create our own reality, by belief, imagination, practice, and intention.  The opportunity for learning is ever present.  Take responsibility for your part.  There are no "accidents".  Life is a metaphor.  The balance between Be-ing and Do-ing is inspired intention. 

            Be honest (internally and externally) in every thought and action into reality.  It is the best policy in the long run, even if uncomfortable in the moment.  Be grateful (internally and externally) for every gift from reality.

            Life is massively interconnected, so the Golden Rule is not a moral commandment, but a relational fact of nature, like gravity.  Love, respect, and honor yourself as the Divine manifesting.  Love, respect, and honor everyone else as the same Divine manifesting.  Namaste.

 

Guns

                                                                                                            written 29 May 2022

                                                                                                          published 5 June 2022

                                                                                                 

                                                                                             

            The US Constitution second amendment reads; "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." 

            "Regulate" means; to control or adjust by requirement or specification, for accuracy and proper functioning.  "Militia" means; organized, managed, and commanded by state governments, not a grassroots collection of citizens.  "Arms" in 1791 meant; single shot, black powder, muzzle loaded pistols, muskets, and rifles.  "Infringe" means; to transgress, violate, or encroach.  

            Since 1791, America is 4 times larger, with 85 times more people, and this "right to bear arms" has blossomed into a uniquely America tragedy.  Whatever the original intentions, what we have is unregulated, outside of any structured militia, with modern weapons beyond historic comprehension, inflicting insane violence throughout the society.  Any deranged individual, with cash in hand and hate in their heart, can buy military grade weapons and begin slaughtering people.  In 2022 there have been over 200 mass shootings (4 or more injured or dead), one every 17 hours.  Other countries have mental health issues, disaffected youth, domestic violence, racial and political animosity, but only America has this daily carnage.

            The US, 4 percent of the global population, owns over 400 million guns, 40 percent of the global total.  Of the 340 million Americans, 70 percent don't own a gun, and another 10 percent own only one.  Just 3 percent, mostly men, own 200 million guns, half the national total.  

            I mentioned last week that extreme wealth could be considered a form of hoarding; an expression of mental illness.  Extreme gun ownership is another form of hoarding, hazardous to the owners and their neighbors.

            The leading cause of death for children recently shifted from automobiles to gun violence, the consequence of two contrary forces.  Decades of regulations have improved auto safety and reduced drunk driving.  Aggressive marketing by gun manufacturers and increased polarization from radical right extremists have expanded gun sales and accessibility, increasing childhood gun deaths by 25 percent in the last five years.

            When other nations experienced a mass shooting, they seriously regulated firearms, preventing repeats.  But in America, pro-gun politicians, mostly Republican "leaders", offer "thoughts and prayers", while working to make guns even more available.  The lobbying arm of the National Rifle Association, heavily funded by the weapons manufacturers, supports mostly Republicans.  With more regard for their donor class than the carnage to their citizens, Republican "leaders" ensure that no effective solutions pass into law.  Just the opposite in fact.  Fox News listed 49 "solutions" to the latest school shooting in Uvalde; 8 were faith based, 13 turned schools into fortresses, and 13 were variations of more guns.  

            Four in five Americans, including many Republicans and gun owners, want the gun violence to stop or be significantly reduced.  The public trauma extends far beyond just the dead and their families.  Wounded survivors suffer long term health care costs and mental trauma, and even those physically unharmed have lasting mental distress.  

            So, what are we to do?   

            One solution would allow unrestricted civilian ownership of historic weapons; single shot, muzzle loaded, black powder pistols and muskets.  If nothing else, this would slow down the rate of carnage.  All other guns should be regulated with background checks, selective prohibitions, registration, regular training sessions, safe storage requirements, limited points of sale, wait times, and perhaps quantity limits.  Weapons of war should be banned from general circulation, reserved for law enforcement and the military.  Heavy fines and generous buy-back programs would facilitate the process.

            The current slaughter is driven by profit for the weapon manufacturers and dealers.  Inspired by the Texas bounty hunting abortion laws, a bill proposed by California Senator Bob Hertzberg would allow citizens to sue those "who manufacture, distribute, transport, import, or sell assault weapons, ghost guns or ghost gun kits", recovering up to $10,000 and attorney fees.  

            Above all, it is imperative to elect more Democrats this fall.  The intransigence of the Republican "leadership", which is getting more extreme and acting crazier every month, has stalled or reversed effective action on not just gun violence, but women's rights, civil rights, voting rights, wealth inequity, affordable health care, and the climate crisis.  They serve only the very wealthy, not the needs of the country.  Enough is enough!  Vote out the crazies.  Let's begin real discussions about functional solutions.