National ideals, local realities will be discordant partners on Monday as we celebrate MLK on the same day we inaugurate Donald Trump. Don't expect that discordance to last.
In a way, I admire Mr. Davis's Pollyanna optimism.
This idea, that no matter what wrong is performed, what right is trampled, or death created - it's no big deal.
Just one of those things. It'll be okay.
For a man who claims to be an atheist, he sure does seem to have a lot of faith.
Yet, in a more realistic way, I find it nauseating.
With him, and many like him - I can't help but wonder what it is that would make
them think differently?
Because it appears no matter what line is crossed, his solution is that if we just all bow down and look the other way - keep our blinders on and just focus on what Republicans do across the street, and pay no nevermind to what they do in Richmond, Washington, Gaza, or Greenland - it's alllllllll okay.
"Look, they showed up on my podcast and said we were friends, it's all good?"
All part of God's plan, right?
Again, weird hearing such faith and pablum coming from someone of his background. But these are indeed strange times.
And anyone who says otherwise is an extremist for worrying? Such is the state of our union.
What guarantee is there that we will have another election? As Trump fills his Cabinet and the bureaucracy with those who are loyal to him personally rather than the Constitution - who exactly is going to stop him from doing what he almost did 4 years ago? The Court? The Senate? The House? Oligarchs? Who?
Certainly not you. Right?
I swear, I never, not once, thought it would be radical to say that I am against children being tortured in our country to keep their parents from doing something, that as Mr Davis acknowledges - happens to our benefit and with our tacit consent. We hire them. Trump hires them. Republicans hire them. Democrats hire them. The majority wouldn't be here if we didn't.
Never thought it liberal to be concerned with $1000 of free money being given to every man, woman, and child at election time, with nothing to show for it except them seeing Trumps signature on the check - but the deficit got blown up anyway.
Yet here we are.
A known and prolific liar, cheat, convicted felon, assaulter of women, yada, yada, yada - and we're all supposed to pretend otherwise, or that it doesn't matter.
Keep our heads down. And somehow pretend that we still represent, in anyway, the values we say we do. To do otherwise is to be an "extremist".
If having principles other than appeasement is extreme, I'll wear that badge with honor.
Something that also seems in short supply around here now days.
I have no interest in schadenfreude, either for Trump, our nation, the world, or Mr Davis. But I cannot help but wonder should his son be harmed or die in a misadventure such as the invasion of Greenland - all in the name of Trump's glory, if that would change his tune.
As so many Republicans do or did, once they were voted out of office.
Would that be the thing to make him less indifferent? If it is him suffering rather than someone else? I hope we never find out. Truly. But I'll be the first to say that I hope we do more than hope.
Right is right, wrong is wrong. Truth is truth, a lie is a lie. They just are, no matter how much we choose to believe otherwise because it is easier.
And some of us were raised to believe that ALL men (and women) were created equal.....and in many more things based on those basic premises and promises. Not just Americans, not just those who live in the "540", but all.
A child dead in Gaza is just as dead, because Netanyahu did not want to pursue a peace plan until it benefited the Republican party - as he said.
Hard for someone like Denmark or Canada to trust us when we talk about stealing from them by force.
And even if it isn't you own kid who dies as a result of these exercises in greed, lust for power, or ego, it could be somebody's. I say they matter. As much to someone as your child does to you. They should matter to all of us.
That's the tension. Between those who only serve themselves, and those who see us a whole.
And right now, we are out of balance. Not from being too kind, but too cruel. Not too visionary, but looking down too hard. Scared to see reality. It may be safer, it may be easier, it is not wiser.
Pretending otherwise is not a solution. So I don't believe I will just keep my head down and hope for the best. I cannot. I will not. Even if I'm the only one who doesn't. Though I suspect I am not.
So while I cannot hope for the eloquence of Zola when he saw a wrong to say "J' Accuse...", I can, with equal determination say,
"... Americans, frustrated with what they felt were too aggressively liberal policies, returned Trump to the White House."
Are we sure this was the motivation for the majority of voters, rather than inflation and concerns about Biden's age, anger about not getting to have a primary to pick Harris, etc.?
In a way, I admire Mr. Davis's Pollyanna optimism.
This idea, that no matter what wrong is performed, what right is trampled, or death created - it's no big deal.
Just one of those things. It'll be okay.
For a man who claims to be an atheist, he sure does seem to have a lot of faith.
Yet, in a more realistic way, I find it nauseating.
With him, and many like him - I can't help but wonder what it is that would make
them think differently?
Because it appears no matter what line is crossed, his solution is that if we just all bow down and look the other way - keep our blinders on and just focus on what Republicans do across the street, and pay no nevermind to what they do in Richmond, Washington, Gaza, or Greenland - it's alllllllll okay.
"Look, they showed up on my podcast and said we were friends, it's all good?"
All part of God's plan, right?
Again, weird hearing such faith and pablum coming from someone of his background. But these are indeed strange times.
And anyone who says otherwise is an extremist for worrying? Such is the state of our union.
What guarantee is there that we will have another election? As Trump fills his Cabinet and the bureaucracy with those who are loyal to him personally rather than the Constitution - who exactly is going to stop him from doing what he almost did 4 years ago? The Court? The Senate? The House? Oligarchs? Who?
Certainly not you. Right?
I swear, I never, not once, thought it would be radical to say that I am against children being tortured in our country to keep their parents from doing something, that as Mr Davis acknowledges - happens to our benefit and with our tacit consent. We hire them. Trump hires them. Republicans hire them. Democrats hire them. The majority wouldn't be here if we didn't.
Never thought it liberal to be concerned with $1000 of free money being given to every man, woman, and child at election time, with nothing to show for it except them seeing Trumps signature on the check - but the deficit got blown up anyway.
Yet here we are.
A known and prolific liar, cheat, convicted felon, assaulter of women, yada, yada, yada - and we're all supposed to pretend otherwise, or that it doesn't matter.
Keep our heads down. And somehow pretend that we still represent, in anyway, the values we say we do. To do otherwise is to be an "extremist".
If having principles other than appeasement is extreme, I'll wear that badge with honor.
Something that also seems in short supply around here now days.
I have no interest in schadenfreude, either for Trump, our nation, the world, or Mr Davis. But I cannot help but wonder should his son be harmed or die in a misadventure such as the invasion of Greenland - all in the name of Trump's glory, if that would change his tune.
As so many Republicans do or did, once they were voted out of office.
Would that be the thing to make him less indifferent? If it is him suffering rather than someone else? I hope we never find out. Truly. But I'll be the first to say that I hope we do more than hope.
Right is right, wrong is wrong. Truth is truth, a lie is a lie. They just are, no matter how much we choose to believe otherwise because it is easier.
And some of us were raised to believe that ALL men (and women) were created equal.....and in many more things based on those basic premises and promises. Not just Americans, not just those who live in the "540", but all.
A child dead in Gaza is just as dead, because Netanyahu did not want to pursue a peace plan until it benefited the Republican party - as he said.
Hard for someone like Denmark or Canada to trust us when we talk about stealing from them by force.
And even if it isn't you own kid who dies as a result of these exercises in greed, lust for power, or ego, it could be somebody's. I say they matter. As much to someone as your child does to you. They should matter to all of us.
That's the tension. Between those who only serve themselves, and those who see us a whole.
And right now, we are out of balance. Not from being too kind, but too cruel. Not too visionary, but looking down too hard. Scared to see reality. It may be safer, it may be easier, it is not wiser.
Pretending otherwise is not a solution. So I don't believe I will just keep my head down and hope for the best. I cannot. I will not. Even if I'm the only one who doesn't. Though I suspect I am not.
So while I cannot hope for the eloquence of Zola when he saw a wrong to say "J' Accuse...", I can, with equal determination say,
"I refuse."
"... Americans, frustrated with what they felt were too aggressively liberal policies, returned Trump to the White House."
Are we sure this was the motivation for the majority of voters, rather than inflation and concerns about Biden's age, anger about not getting to have a primary to pick Harris, etc.?