Federal politics in America has always been about class warfare. The Founding Fathers were, for the most part, rich land owners. In most states only white male land owners over 21 could vote. This persisted through the early 1800s, but by the 1820s was no longer common. North Carolina was the last state to remove the property requirement in 1856.

Senators were elected by the legislatures of their respective states until 1913 when the Seventeenth Amendment was ratified. This was another way that the wealthy retained power. After the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment Senators were elected by the constituents of the states. This was a good step towards equity, but there were other ways to twist the system in favor of the monied class.

It was set up as a good old boy's club and pretty much remains that way to the present with the addition of some good old girls as well. Sure, some less than wealthy candidates occasionally get elected, but by and large, they don't remain that way for long. We've all seen how some elected officials come into office with a modicum of wealth and within a few years have accumulated a rather large nest egg, much more than what their annual salary justifies. The longer they serve the larger the larder.

As economic inequality has continued to dominate our society, I am constantly reminded of the original Star Trek series, and more specifically a particular episode. This essay has really nothing to do with the future of space travel or exploration (a word the precedes exploitation). Instead I use that series to address what is going on Earth in the present as the original series did.

Preservation, Restoration, and Reclamation

Once the garden starts production, you've got to begin processing and storing your produce. I put together a food preservation resource last year. This year as I was freezing and storing the blueberries (which I do on a flat metal pan in the freezer before bagging) I started thinking we need to preserve more than just food. How about trying to preserve our health and wealth in these times when it is in jeopardy? What about our soils and resources? Or the ecosystem at large? So that train led me to thinking we need to do more than preserve, we need to restore...soils, the environment, our health and wealth. Which led me to the last theme, reclamation. We need to reclaim our rights...our right to health care, quality education, productive employment, decent energy efficient housing, clean water, peaceful coexistence... in other words a world designed across many levels and dimensions to foster people and a stable planet. There are examples. Let's look at some this week.

Since the Weinstein story broke, the GOP has been trying to spin it as a story about the Democratic elite.
There is a smidgen of truth to that spin, but only a smidgen.

The mainstream media has spun the Weinstein story as a story about male supremacy, and there is certainly valid points behind that spin.

I'm writing this after surgery yesterday so I may still be fogged a bit. If so, I like the fog for it helps see things more clearly.