You Can Stop Waiting

Samain                                                                 Thanksgiving Moon

resistSome people say wait. Give him a chance to lead. I say, he’s had a multitude of chances already. He’s responded with mocking the disabled, promoting sexual assault, referring to immigrants as rapists and murderers, challenging a sitting Federal judge who happens to be both Latino and an American citizen. His followers chant lock her up, stop the cunt, White Power and fly the Confederate battle flag. The KKK held a celebration in honor of his election, North Carolina, and David Duke says he has ratified their beliefs.

This was all prior to the win, of course. So, would the awesome responsibility of being President of all the people change him? It did not take long to find out. Myron Ebell, appointed to head the EPA is, the NYT times writes, “…someone to follow through on his campaign vow to dismantle one of the Obama administration’s signature climate change policies, President-elect Donald J. Trump probably could not have found a better candidate for the job than Mr. Ebell.”

ammolands-america-hell-yeahThis week he appointed Mike Flynn as his National Security Adviser. Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Admiral James Stavridis told CNBC on Friday, “I think he will play to the darker angels of this administration in terms of adopting very, very aggressive stance, very hard power, very anti-Islam,” he said in an interview with CNBC’s “Power Lunch.”

Not stopping there, he appointed former senator Jeff Sessions as attorney general. The ACLU says, “Senator Sessions once called the ACLU “un-American and communist” for “trying to force civil rights down the throats of people.””

And, of course, I’ve not mentioned either Reince Priebus or Steve Bannon. Priebus, former head of the RNC, is a party insider, a Republican’s Republican. Easy to understand this appointment.

Steve Bannon. Sigh.

do-not-be-astounded“In an interview with Mother Jones in August, Bannon acknowledged that white nationalists and anti-Semites are drawn to the so-called “alt-Right” movement.

“Look, are there some people that are white nationalists that are attracted to some of the philosophies of the alt-right? Maybe,” he said. “Are there some people that are anti-Semitic that are attracted? Maybe. Right? Maybe some people are attracted to the alt-right that are homophobes, right? But that’s just like, there are certain elements of the progressive left and the hard left that attract certain elements.” (Mother Jones, August 2016)

— In a 2011 radio interview, Bannon had a hypothesis about why progressive women vilify prominent conservative women like Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin.

ethics“That’s why there are some unintended consequences of the women’s liberation movement,” he said, according to BuzzFeed. “That, in fact, the women that would lead this country would be pro-family, they would have husbands, they would love their children. They wouldn’t be a bunch of dykes that came from the Seven Sisters schools up in New England. That drives the left insane and that’s why they hate these women.” (Political Vindication Radio, 2011)”  Both of these quotes found here.

OK. So I waited. This all came while I was waiting. I have seen his leadership, his choices for important government positions. They are consistent with crony capitalism, crony Trumpism and the selection of mediocrities rather than the best minds possible for the jobs. Wait no more. The political apocalypse is already here.

Fellow traveler news

Samain                                                                                    Thanksgiving Moon

safety-pin-trump-brexit

My journey on the fringe of Congregation Beth Evergreen continues to fascinate me. In our mussar class yesterday the conversation turned to postelection feelings.  Jews are an interesting subgroup in these matters, mostly part of the educated elite, often part of the moneyed elite, yet vulnerable to shifts in public attitudes, very vulnerable, as all post-holocaust, post-pogrom Jews know. I know this intellectually, as I imagine you do, too.

It’s different up close and in person. One woman yesterday talked about her postelection reality. She couldn’t sleep. She had, very uncharacteristically, purchased a gun and headed off to a shooting range. She’s maybe 65-70. She’s getting her homes ready for sale and has looked into landed immigrancy in Canada and requirements for becoming an Israeli citizen.

She sees, she says, the signs of a pre-holocaust Germany. The holocaust devastated her family and left a deep imprint on her soul. Heads nodded around the table, no one dismissed her as hysterical. Her position was extreme for this group, but not at all off the spectrum of reactions.

Other reactions to the postelection time were offered in a round table discussion last Saturday morning. This was the service for that shabbat. The most common words, echoed yesterday in mussar, were afraid, sad, depressed, fearful, angry. I emphasize this because this is not a group lacking power, financial and political. And yet they still find this election disturbing at a primal level. The woman I mentioned senses her survival at stake.

My Beth Evergreen experience has put me in touch with the dread that must be filling African-Americans, Latinos, anyone here without documentation, LGBT folks, Native Americans, the disabled, the destitute, the homeless. This cannot be, must not be our nation. Whole subgroups should not live in fear of their lives or in fear of their lives being reduced from miserable to untenable.

The safety pin is not much, but it’s a start. Let’s at least do that while we get our heads and hearts around what must come next.

Another, Wouldn’t Find in This Minnesota Post: Living with Lions

Samain                                                                              Thanksgiving Moon

Caution: Living with Lions

Deputy Janie Gonda from Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office · 54m ago
Photo from Deputy Janie Gonda

Recently, neighbors in your area have reported mountain lion sightings or encounters. This can be a dangerous and frightening situation. With the increased cold weather many animals are preparing to survive through the winter. Help us and Colorado Parks and Wildlife by being diligent to protect yourselves, your children and your pets/ livestock.

To reduce the risk of problems with mountain lions on or near your property, we urge you to follow these precautions:

1. Place livestock in enclosed sheds or barns at night. Close doors to all outbuildings since inquisitive lions may go inside for a look.

2. Make lots of noise if you come and go during the times mountain lions are most active: dusk to dawn.

3. Install outside lighting. Light areas where you walk so you could see a lion if one were present.

4. Closely supervise children whenever they play outdoors. Make sure children are inside before dusk and not outside before dawn. Talk with children about lions and teach them what to do if they meet one.

5. Planting non-native shrubs and plants that deer often prefer to eat encourages wildlife to come onto your property. Predators follow prey. Don’t feed any wildlife!

6. Encourage your neighbors to follow these simple precautions. Prevention is far better than a possible lion confrontation.

To read more on living in mountain lion country, or what to do in the case of an attack, please visit the link below:

http://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/Livin…