it's the "A" word, stupid
Accountability. Everything depends on that one concept. Without accountability, laws and regulations are useless. It's really that simple.
Richard Nixon should have gone to jail for treason. Along with Henry Kissinger, who should be labeled a war criminal. Instead, Mr. Kissinger got a Nobel Peace Prize. Funny, so did President Barack Obama right before he expanded BushCo's war in the Middle East.
The economic crash of 2008 saw reward for criminals while ordinary people lost their retirement money, their homes, their jobs. To add a comedic touch, Wall Street tried to convince us poor people where to blame because they got mortgages they couldn't afford.
I don't know if you remember the amount of social security funds Bush and company wanted to privatize: seven hundred billion dollars. Only a few short years later, Wall Street gets bailed out for roughly that amount. Another comedic touch, no?
President Obama, rather than chase Wall Streeters with subpoenas for appearances in front of federal grand juries, invited them into his administration.
There are those in the military and DOD who've made decisions to spend billions of dollars on stuff that doesn't work, have admitted to losing track of billions more and gave no bid contracts to Cheney's cronies to rebuild Iraq. Which.Never.Happened.
I could go on; however, list-making gets depressing. But perhaps you'll understand why ACCOUNTABILITY is so urgent: because the governor of Michigan is still not being grilled by a Federal Grand Jury for destroying the people he is supposed to represent.
Laws are useless if the powerful are not called to account. It is how Obama could sound so left and yet be so right wing and then have the fucking nerve to blame it on Republicans. And we, so fucking stupid, buy every word of it. The truth is: Obama didn't do his job to protect this country from domestic enemies. Hillary Clinton will follow suit. And Trump? Well, it will be a lot more messy but I don't think, on the up side, he'll go after gays or make abortion an issue. However, we would have to stand tall and firm with our black and brown brothers and sisters to protect them.
Accountability. Bernie talks about it. Hillary does not. It's just the fucking simple.
It's kind of like the Democrat's version of affluenza. I don't fucking know. But I will never vote for Hillary Clinton. It's not my mess to clean up. I will be affected by the outcome and I understand that. I'm willing to take the hits to further the effort to make our current rotting and corrupt system obsolete.
Don't participate. Create something better.
Comments
the park today
“There are moments which are not calculable, and cannot be assessed in words; they live on in the solution of memory… ”
― Lawrence Durrell, "Justine"
So few people know the Alexandria Quartet anymore
Nice photo. Great-looking dog.
And a quote from a source that carries me back decades. I wrote a painfully earnest and loooong h.s. paper on the full quartet and can barely remember a word of the books now. Might be time to head to the library and re-read them.
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." --Jiddu Krishnamurti
you are the second person
to comment on the quartet . . . interesting in a small group like ours here. and, i dare say, a very good sign.
the dog is an old lady named Bobby and she comes from Romania. they say she was a street dog but I don't buy it . . . she has NO clue about traffic, but she is terrified of trucks (much like those that would come and round up the strays ... to kill them). she must have been a country dog as she seems to know how to hunt mice (I discourage this) and is quite keen on pheasant (they are quite abundant in the park).
the park is Cronesteyn... I live in The Netherlands but am American (my husband is Dutch). We have a place in Pennsylvania, very similar to here (Leiden), with a town to walk to with plenty of restaurants and biking, walking, progressive politics. We don't have a car there and my husband bikes to the store or we walk together (it's about 2 miles from our townhouse).
If I hadn't lived in NL, it would never occur to me to bike or walk to get groceries. or to buy food every day. and only what we need.
anyway, some of my story.
“There are moments which are not calculable, and cannot be assessed in words; they live on in the solution of memory… ”
― Lawrence Durrell, "Justine"
Without moving to Europe,
I am trying to find a small town to move to for retirement. I want to be able to bike and walk around to get things done. Oh, and it has to be warm too.
Kevin is in Sweden right now presenting at a conference in Stockholm. He and his transcontinental girlfriend also have plans for theater in London and Easter dinner with her parents in Brussels. Maybe he'll provide the doorway to an underground railroad for the rest of us left here in the US. I really resent the Hillary voters. They all belong in Texas with the Trump crowd. Instead of them seceding, wonder if we can get the west coast to do it. Our own country. That's what we need.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
Husband and I have not given up on Europe...
We are not rich and have been looking for an inexpensive place to live in Europe. We are retired and a little older than what would make this an easy option. But, we are getting very tired of this country and the people that put Reagan, Bush, Obama (fell for his rhetoric..twice!), and now possibly Clinton or Trump. We would like to leave this planet with some inner peace...not sure we are going to find it in the U.S.
But...we have not given up on Bernie
We are doing what we can to give the country and its democracy another chance...miracles can happen.
Europe is a bit better, but it's a bit fantasized
people are brainwashed here as well and The Netherlands is NOT Denmark or Sweden, for sure. It's got a good quality of life, for now. But the EU is a bloodsucking vampire as far as I'm concerned...
find the cadres of communities that fit your values and work out from there. that's the way we have to do it now. check out New Hope. Low taxes and the have nice condos/townhouses that are affordable and the location is killer!!!
“There are moments which are not calculable, and cannot be assessed in words; they live on in the solution of memory… ”
― Lawrence Durrell, "Justine"
New Hope PA!!!
we're friends on FB . . . you can go to my albums and the one called "home again" to see the townhouse and the area. the town is between the Delaware River and the tow path... miles of canals and river to walk and bike. and IT IS FLAT!!!! without the kick ass wind we have here in Leiden (because we are close to the North Sea). Philly is one hour parked and out of your car. NYC is under 2 hrs by bus that lets you off 41st and 8th (right smack in Times Square).
it's a progressive pocket but still needs work politically.
and tell Kevin he's welcome to visit us here in Leiden with his honey . . . but we are leaving here 13 April to go to New Hope.
“There are moments which are not calculable, and cannot be assessed in words; they live on in the solution of memory… ”
― Lawrence Durrell, "Justine"
A worthwhile topic for its own entry here - where to go
We came close to moving to Canada's Sunshine Coast, north of Vancouver, > 12 yrs ago and should have then. Also considered parts of Portugal and Ecuador and Mexico and Croatia and elsewhere. For many reasons, we concluded that it's now too late for us to be expats. We are now in Eugene, OR, a univ town with many charms (and burgeoning Bernie signs). Does have winter but nothing like Mid-Atlantic, NE, and Midwest.
I suspect many people at this blog have thoughts and experiences about where to go and why, within and outside US borders.
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." --Jiddu Krishnamurti
agree 2andfro... maybe something
you could post once a week... it'd be a nice place to get to know each other too...
“There are moments which are not calculable, and cannot be assessed in words; they live on in the solution of memory… ”
― Lawrence Durrell, "Justine"
Would love Vancouver, Canada but need $$$ to retire
in Canada. Last time I looked you needed something like $1 million to invest if you want to retire there. Wish they would change that. And, yes, would love to see weekly discussions of good suggestions where to retire. Eugene, OR housing is expensive because its a college town, and unless you are a Ducks fan you will feel like a "duck out of water." And, was not thrilled with their bio-mass plant...smelly and unhealthy..
We've managed to ignore the Ducks entirely and still meet
cool people; we're not into sports at all. Biomass plants can be smelly and nasty--left a tiny college town in VT that had proudly unveiled one for the campus. Housing is costly here relative to many other places but better than Portland, which we'd considered when looking at climate and political compatibility.
For most of us, these decisions have trade-offs between what we want and what we can afford and practically do. Discussions from people who have experience with this decision-making process--where they landed and why, and how they now view those choices--could be useful to others. Also commentary from people who landed for non-retirement reasons in locations others might consider.
Never posted a diary at The Other Place, just a bajillion comments, but here it might be worth a go. Seems there might be interest.
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." --Jiddu Krishnamurti
Very good points indeed...
We have a couple of stories about the absurdity of "Nikeville" and the Duck fans. They need to spend more $$ on the quality of education at the UofO and not worry so much about their athletics. You seem happy...good for you..that is most important.
Personal stories are the best
Your canine old lady is beautiful.
I've been to the NL twice. Most memorable was on a Rail Pass and hitchhiking summer ages ago when US kids were overrunning the continent. Between us, my best pal and I had good French, acceptable Italian, and passable Spanish (then--mostly gone now without use), and rucksacks. We made an effort to master a few basic phrases in the local language wherever we went; people universally thought we were Canadian because of the rucksacks (not fancy US backpacks) and the attempt at manners.
I have very fond memories of Amsterdam, where we met great kindness, and hope to return to explore elsewhere. Europeans are far more accustomed to walking and cycling as part of everyday life. I'm now in a cycling university town on the West Coast and am impressed by the nos. of people who use the bike lanes year round, and by the fit seniors who pedal about. We chose the house we now occupy specifically for walkability.
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." --Jiddu Krishnamurti
well, let me know if you're in the neighborhood
we aren't far from Amsterdam and would enjoy inviting you for dinner! or meet up and show you around.
the one thing of which i'm most proud, since moving here, is my divorce from the car. as bad as the weather can be, i NEVER think: i'm going to use the car to go shopping. We walk, we bike and on rare occasions we use the car when we can't get to where we're going by train.
In New Hope, we are car sharing with one of our neighbors, who also loves to walk and can walk to work. In fact, she only put 2000 miles on her car last year. so we will share insurance, registration and maintenance costs.
A lot of new thinking about development is reviving the old town-centered living model. it is about time and why countries like NL can survive when times get hard... most people aren't out in the middle of a suburb.
“There are moments which are not calculable, and cannot be assessed in words; they live on in the solution of memory… ”
― Lawrence Durrell, "Justine"
A generous invitation, much appreciated
We're in the rainy PNW now and adjusting to being out in chilly drips and hope to do more walking in winter next year (not back on bikes yet, though we hauled them x-country). A classmate who'd lived in Belgium for years chose Portland when she came back to the States because she'd grown accustomed to this type of climate.
Hoping for a return visit to the Continent in a year or two. This year's Big Trip is to Scotland, where daughter will be graduating in June. Should you find yourself in Oregon's Willamette Valley, please let me know.
I've been to New Hope--lovely, craftsy, with a touch of charm not totally trendy. But that was > 20 years ago. Don't know about now? And what a good idea car-sharing is! Make so much sense, as do models of "tool libraries" and other ways for communities to share things many need but only rarely.
After decades in the DC area, we moved west from in very rural VT. We lived in a town of great beauty and a convivial, look-out-for-your-neighbor residential pocket. When we had to leave, we looked for and found a small city with good public transit and basics within walking distance; even the library's only 2 miles away. That was intentional, looking ahead to survivability on many levels.
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." --Jiddu Krishnamurti
Consequences are for the little people...
L'etate C'est Moi
Our politicians also have another A word which gets brought up by me quite a bit.
Arrogance.
I do not pretend I know what I do not know.
consequences are borne by mature people
real adults would never say "failure is not an option" because they know failure is necessary and, unlike Hillary Clinton's ascent to the White House, inevitable.
for some, though, being caught at failure is not an option . . . and it quickly devolves from there. I think your "A" word is a big component of this kind of mortal and moral failure . . . arrogance.
“There are moments which are not calculable, and cannot be assessed in words; they live on in the solution of memory… ”
― Lawrence Durrell, "Justine"
I look forward
to the Democratic Party's election post-mortum analysis. Accountability? Look, punch that hippie!
Progressive to the bone.
"Don't participate"
Are you suggesting not voting in the Presidential election or in this unrepresentative system of government as a whole, or something else?
One thing I've observed is how we hope those that need to be held accountable will hold accountable the others that need to be held accountable. Like expecting Obama, who has turned out to be every bit the war criminal as Kissinger and Bush, to actually hold Bush accountable. That's just not going to work, I believe the evidence is in.
i mean don't vote for the system... but certainly vote for
Bernie or write in for Jill Stein.
Yes. Obama is as much a war criminal. Agreed. Disaster. And I know people who simply refuse to vote even for Bernie because they believe he'll be another Obama. And it's possible, but I don't think likely.
If we want accountability, then we must also hold ourselves to account . . . our lack of participation and letting a few people run our lives. what did we think would happen? well, to be honest, i didn't think they'd be STUPID enough to destroy the planet. that kinda got my attention.
“There are moments which are not calculable, and cannot be assessed in words; they live on in the solution of memory… ”
― Lawrence Durrell, "Justine"
There's another option
which I won't discuss now but later IF Sanders is not the nominee and it turns into Clinton vs. Trump. That's a boycott. An vocal, organized, publicized boycott of the Presidential election if not both ruling class political parties. There are pros and cons to most everything and I believe that's something that should be debated. This may not be the appropriate site for that discussion, I've brought it up before with strong opposition, but when the reality of a Trump/Clinton matchup sets in, maybe some would be more receptive. As I said, as in exploring options. Of course Stein is an option of which I took in 2012.
And I refuse to vote for Sanders because he's running as a Democrat. It's a conscious choice I made when he started.
You aren't the only one
I know others opting all the way out (except they will vote for Jill Stein or, if she isn't on the ballot, write her in) so I get it.
For me, Bernie is not the lesser of evils. I don't agree with him on everything, but that's fine. And I believe he is evolving ... he's not the candidate he started out to be.
I like the idea of boycott but I'd love it better if Sanders ran as an Indie.
If we are going to get pressure here about not voting, that would be a bummer. We need to get farther and farther OUTSIDE and our knee-jerk reaction of horror at not voting needs some re assessment.
i think we agree that it doesn't matter if it's Trump or Clinton in the WH . . . neither will be good for the planet nor the earthlings upon it. at some point we have to face the fact that we must fight to protect the systems that maintain this planet (like water, wind, soil, air, fragile but immensely important ecosystems et al).
health care isn't even in my top 10 as a priority. really. but reclaiming soil and water, YES. so I hear you Al.
“There are moments which are not calculable, and cannot be assessed in words; they live on in the solution of memory… ”
― Lawrence Durrell, "Justine"
Lefties get ignored
The problem is the DNC and Hillary think we will just vote for her if she is the nominee. Like every time before, where else will we go? The Progressive side of the party will never get more than lip service if we keep voting for the centrist/3rd way candidates. If we still are hesitant, they start with the scare tactics (oh no, the Supreme Court, Evil Republicans, etc etc).
For me, this is it. I am not voting Democratic out of fear. No more holding my nose to vote. No more voting against my best interests. No more just giving them my vote. For the first time in my life, I finally have a candidate I agree with (mostly). A candidate that empowers me to work my ass off for him. A candidate I actually trust. As long as Bernie is in it, he gets my undivided support. If Hillary gets the nomination, I am leaving the Democratic Party and voting for a third party candidate.
War, War Never Changes - Fallout Series
polling has been pretty consistent these last decades:
America has always had a liberal bias. I wrote about that once over at dKos. Daily Kos in not a site for liberals or progressives. I've come to think it is filled with recovering Republicans who, btw, haven't recovered at all.
We have to side step the system. It's clear to me, in my way of looking at reality. We need more controls locally and state wide, and I don't mean STATES' RIGHTS. because we see we are no longer ONE COUNTRY. how can we be if abortion is legal in one state and in others they want to charge you with first degree murder? never mind you can be thrown in jail for a miscarriage. it's not one country when some schools insert the bible into science classes. and it's certainly not one country when people go around not believing in climate change and disaster, even though those people are the ones in the middle of the worst of it so far.
What I mean more control at local levels is using LGBT, #BLM, First Nations, Anti Fracking, Pro Choice and whatever other progressive movements and organizations in states and counties and communities to keep people engaged and alert and showing up at their town council meetings and zoning boards.
There's been talk of low information voters? Well, everyone at dKos supporting Clinton is, imo, a low info voter. Willfully or simply dismissive of data that should clearly concern anyone with the ability to think critically.
“There are moments which are not calculable, and cannot be assessed in words; they live on in the solution of memory… ”
― Lawrence Durrell, "Justine"
^^^This comment!^^^
Is an outstanding comment in your most excellent essay!
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
thanks gulfgal
it's nice to get back to writing again. a bit stiff. but the commenting here is a breath of fresh air. real engagement and a sense of shared values.
it is good!
“There are moments which are not calculable, and cannot be assessed in words; they live on in the solution of memory… ”
― Lawrence Durrell, "Justine"
and Al, when I said our lack of participation
i wasn't referring to voting. but showing up at town halls, zoning hearings, taking school boards seriously.
participating by car pooling, turning off lights, not using poisons on our lawns and, in fact, this great movement to let weeds grow to nourish bees and butterflies.
that's what i mean by participating. if that makes any sense.
“There are moments which are not calculable, and cannot be assessed in words; they live on in the solution of memory… ”
― Lawrence Durrell, "Justine"
Absolutely. I want direct democracy, not this
fake representative government democracy. We have 535 people, mostly among the top 1%, that supposedly represent 330 million people, and that's what we call democracy. I've never been comfortable with the idea but over the last ten years I've concluded what it really is, an oligarchy, a small group of people making decisions for everyone else. And to top that off, it's an oligarchy controlled by a plutocracy. It's what is called a plutarchy.
We can vote to legalize marijuana and gay marriage, raise or lower our taxes, and about anything else at the state level (in only about 28 states though), and yet we have to let these 535 people decide it for us nationally. We do need to let go of our assumptions and think in bigger terms for humanity and the planet.
So ya, we need participation all right if people really want democracy. Which is the question I've been asking for a few years now, Do we really want democracy? Because if we do, we better understand what it takes.
How many Americans are boycotting now?
Does anybody count them? Does anybody care?
If one person votes for Hillary, and two vote for Trump, and 300 million boycott the election...who will be elected?
"I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” —Malcolm X
Well, I didn't really want to discuss this here and now.
We've gone thru this on this blog and I think it's best to wait to see if Sanders drops out and what he does.
But to answer your questions, does anybody care? It wouldn't work unless it was a major, covered and organized operation. It would have to expose the illusion of this system of electing politicians to represent us. And who would be elected, We the People.
That's just me, I'm not really interested in incremental gains now, I think we need to act big.
One thing I ask people is how long do you think this representative government system of 535 people should last in this country, 50 more years, 100 more years, 200 more years, forever? To get people to think about this system and whether we should explore other options.
I think we should consider other options and we can't do that without rejecting the current one.
Well, this definitely sounds like something I would like
to talk about more...a bit later. You've obviously thought it through farther than most.
"I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” —Malcolm X
first, have I told you i'm crazy about your avatar?
and second, i am laughing: LOOK punch that hippie.
ahhhhhh. a moment of levity. actually, earlier watched Tropic Thunder for like the 5th time and it only gets funnier. Definitely in my top 100 films. It is so much easier to make dramas and comedies, really funny movies, are damned difficult.
“There are moments which are not calculable, and cannot be assessed in words; they live on in the solution of memory… ”
― Lawrence Durrell, "Justine"