Summer and the Greenhouse Moon II
Thursday gratefuls: Greenhouse almost done. Nathan. Shadow. Rain. Monsoons. My son and Seoah. Murdoch likes his new balcony. Vince and his brother, Preston. Vermont Flannel. LL Bean. Halle. Progress in p.t. One hour moves. M.O.P. His greasiness, Red Tie Guy. Our waning nation. The Founding Mothers. Fathers. Let’s stop them spinning in their graves. Let them rest. Lox. Cream cheese. Capers. Red Onion. Bagels.
Sparks of Joy and Awe: The Greenhouse
Week Kavannah: Roeh et hanalod. Foresight. Knowing what will be needed in the future.
One brief shining: When Monsoon Rains pound Shadow Mountain, throwing down bits of large pea sized Hail, Lodgepoles and Aspens, Lilacs and Iris, Bunch Grass and Wildflowers all take a big drink knowing Water for what it is here in the Mountain West, more precious than gold.
Just a moment: I know. This is not usually a lead off section, but I need to comment on the Washington Post Editorial Board’s screed about Zohran Mamdani’s primary victory in the New York City primary.
Here’s a sample from the Op Ed:
“Now, a man who believes that capitalism is “theft” is in line to lead the country’s biggest city and the world’s financial capital. His signature ideas are “city-owned grocery stories,” no bus fares, freezing rent on 1 million regulated apartments and increasing the minimum wage to $30. No doubt these might strike some voters as tempting ideas.”
Can you see the cold dead finger of Jeff Bezos in these words? Yes. The man who stood with his fellow oligarchs like Tim Cook, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg behind the President’s family on January 20th owns this newspaper. Which also refused to endorse a candidate in the Presidential campaign.
I disagree with the Bishop of Hippo on many things, like original sin for example, but I’m down with him on this Gemini summary of his position on wealth:
“Augustine of Hippo, in his writings, argued that excess wealth is essentially theft from the poor, as it represents resources that are needed by others. He believed that true wealth lies not in material possessions but in generosity and love for God, and that hoarding wealth is a form of spiritual corruption.”
This Washington Post editorial board opinion is nothing more than red-baiting, an echo of another past political era we would do well to remember as a cautionary tale, not a guide post.
I neither want a return to robber baron politics nor McCarthyism. Hell, I’d settle for the Eisenhower tax structure. Perhaps you can mount an argument, unseemly as it would be, that innovation leads to concentrations of wealth. Or, that money rewards hard work. Both propositions put forward of course by those who benefit from belief in them.
Whatever the rationale capitalism is theft. Ask the Third World. Ask the immigrant coming here for the crumbs off the master’s table. Ask me.
I count myself among the democratic socialists and have for a very long time. How we treat the least of these. Yeah?