Plowing Time Again

[H2O Man]

A while back, I wrote an OP in which I mentioned that in a speech to industry executives, Onondaga Chief Oren Lyons pointed out that 52 of the largest one hundred economic units were corporations. The other 48 were nations. I believe Oren's speech was from 2013 or 2014. Thus, I'd assume that in 2017, corporations hold a larger majority than do republicans in the US Senate.

It would seem rational to say that both of these, corporate boards and national governments, occupy the same space when it comes to global affairs. It follows that other shadowy businesses from various locations have a level of power and influence equal to what Americans have on state, county, and local levels. In fact, at these various levels, we tend to find some politicians and business leaders stepping back and forth between those roles.

In theory, the case can be made that this is neutral, that it has both good and bad potentials. One of those bad potentials would be the potential for social Darwinism – the twin sibling of economic Darwinism – to creep in. For an extreme example, could you imagine if a spoiled, rich brat, someone who would be like the “evil twin” of the old comic book character Richie Rich were to become the American president?

On the surface, of course, that sounds impossible. The machine in the US would not support such a thing. But, it could happen, if the business and intelligence units from an outside-the-US entity were to underhandedly support an evil, spoiled brat of a candidate. Even if that candidate lost the popular vote by four million votes, it might be possible for him to “win” the electoral vote.

By this time, if anyone is still reading this, they are almost certainly saying, “No shit!” Because, as we know, this is exactly what happened in 2016. And that brings us to Mr. Mueller's investigation. His team has, at this point, enough evidence to charge several people involved in the Trump campaign and/or administration. This includes Trump himself, for obstruction and abuse of power. The information being brought to light in the last 48 hours suggests that it is possible, even likely, that they could prosecute Trump for being a knowing participant in the pre-election conspiring with Russian units (all of which have complete overlap with the Russian government).

So why haven't charges been filed and announced publicly yet?

In his role, Mr. Mueller faces issues that few previous prosecutors in similar roles have confronted. With Watergate or the Plame scandal, the majority (if not all) the players were domestic. Only Iran-Contra involved multiple nations and non-state players, and thus led to an incomplete conclusion. In this case, Mr. Mueller's team is investigating domestic (Trump team), international, and non-state players. The Mueller team's agenda is not political; thus, as urgent as it is to remove Trump, their goal is to remove as much of the malignant growth as possible, rather than merely cutting off the growth that is above the surface.

This may seem unsatisfactory to us right now. For Trump is clearly posing a clear and present danger to the United States and indeed the world. Yet, we should not allow our frustrations and impatience to cloud our eyes, for we actually have a historical opportunity – and obligation – at this very time. There are some 2017 elections, as well as the upcoming 2018 elections that we should be focusing on. And each one of these provides us with a unique opportunity to prepare for the surgical removal of the malignant growth that threatens our nation.

In the field of psychiatry – including “health psychiatry” – it is recognized that everyone has a “locus of control.” It ranges from “internal” to “external” – with an internal locus of control meaning one believes they have control much of the circumstances in their lives, and those with an external locus of control believing that they are helpless victims of circumstance. Our national health is in danger today, and we need to recognize that, while we can't control everything, we can control how we respond. Thus, we should do everything we can to insure victories on as many levels as possible in the upcoming elections.

Don't accept the lie that you are powerless to make change happen. Don't expect others to do it for you. Be a part of the bigger movement to make meaningful change happen. By doing so, we will plow the ground and plant the seeds that will remove the criminal influence of the Trump disease from our society.

Peace,
H2O Man

[cilla4progress]

1. Great post.

Thanks.

As I seesaw from despair to fury, I do keep coming upon this one truth: I can't let it go down without a fight. For my children, for your children, for all children and sentient beings.

Though a fairly big part of me is aware much is forever gone, I feel an obligation and duty to protect and "use my privilege, " in the current parlance, to try to balance the hideous vibes and karma emitting into the universe from our country and world. If nothing more.... even if it is a futile effort.

[H2O Man]

6. Thank you.

You described how I was feeling this morning. Then, I saw a note from one of my very favorite Clan Mothers. We ended up having a pleasant discussion, and she was telling me about groups of "Water Protectors" busy at work in several states. Many of them are young adults, including college students. They are arising now, and they benefit from having old folks from my generation to tell them about our experiences, and to support their efforts now.

I get tired more often these days, and when I am tired, tend to question if my input is required or beneficial any more. But my friend was correct, of course: serving as an Elder is a unique gift that not all of our friends got to experience. And this current generation of young people will make many of the advances that we dreamed of.

[MarvinGardens]

2. K & R !

Great post. Folks are entitled to their opinions, but I grow tired of the posts that tell us we will never win elections again due to electoral shenanigans, gerrymandering, etc. I believe such sentiments are harmful overall to our cause.

Loved this:

"Don't accept the lie that you are powerless to make change happen. Don't expect others to do it for you. Be a part of the bigger movement to make meaningful change happen. By doing so, we will plow the ground and plant the seeds that will remove the criminal influence of the Trump disease from our society. "

[H2O Man]

7. Thanks, MarvinGardens!

I've been working on four local "town" elections here. It may sound like small stuff, but as my good friend Rubin often told me, "Small doors often lead to large rooms." It's by organizing today at our local levels, while others organize theirs', that we build the foundation for next year's elections.

When I help train my younger son to compete in the boxing ring, I'm constantly reminding him that the fighter who trains the hardest generally wins. For they can set a pace their opponent cannot keep up with. If we become better organized today, then we can take out our republican opposition in 2018. We need to compete on any -- and all -- fronts. Make them spend their money early. Make the RNC invest in regions they previously believed were safe. Run them over.

It is one of the absolutely real potentials for 2018. Landslides in many regions; quicksand for republicans in other areas. It can happen, and depends entirely on how we invest our time and energy today.

[panader0]

3. Your post reminds me of Eric Hoffer. Good stuff.

[H2O Man]

10. Thank you very much!

I really appreciate the compliment.

If we consider Hoffer's "The True Believer" along with Erich Fromm's "The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness," we get a 3-D view of the dangers associated with the current pathology from the White House (and some in Congress, and the grass roots). It creates a dynamic where a general, such as one now advising Trump, is rigid enough that he could be swayed into publicly lying about a Congresswoman. That is a serious warning.

[Lochloosa]

4. I'm willing to give Mueller time to get the rot at the bottom of this.

Like an iceberg, you can only see the most visible 10%.

[H2O Man]

11. Right.

And, in my opinion, the Mueller team is not leaking, in terms of their efforts with the grand juries. There are other leaks, including from the White House and administration, that are encouraging. And I think that a number of journalists have really been outstanding. It's worth being patient.

[SergeStorms]

5. Well stated!

Thank you for posting this. We all want this malignancy on our government to be removed ASAP, but as you say, we want to make certain we get ALL of this diseased matter, rather than having to return later when it raises it's ugly head again. I know I lose sight of this from time to time, and your reminder is one taken to heart.

and thanks again.

[H2O Man]

12. Thank you!

I think that, had scandals like Watergate and Iran-Contra been fully addressed, that we wouldn't have the Trump tumor on our democracy. Certainly, we all want to see it taken care of as soon as possible, because as the tensions rise, Trump becomes more out-of-control and dangerous. But we can use our energies on doing our part for the eventual recovery.

[Wounded Bear]

8. It's essentially modern feudalism...

where the "Barons" of industry owe no allegiance to national governments and basically set up their own private fiefdoms.

[H2O Man]

13. Exactly.

We have modern technology, but it is definitely modern feudalism. I agree 100%. Thank you.

[lagomorph777]

9. An oncologist calls it "excising adequate margins around the tumor."

In this case, the margins include Dustbin Nunes, Mitch McTurdle, numerous other Congressional RePutins, and the entire Turd cabinet.

[H2O Man]

14. Right.

Absolutely.

[raven mad]

15. Your insight is astounding me.

One of the reasons I'm here on DU is folks who "get it". Most times, I can't express it, so I depend on DU'ers who can. This is so exact, and priceless.

[H2O Man]

16. Thank you so much!

You can't fully know how much I appreciate that. I think it's my duty to write about these topics and post my essays on DU:GD. Not because I have convinced myself that I'm a gifted writer, although I have had some successes on this forum, and numerous other places. I'm definitely better at writing than public speaking, though I've done a lot of that over the decades.

More, as I have noted from time to time, I'm not particularly smart. But I've had two outstanding and unique mentors -- Onondaga Chief Paul Waterman and Rubin "Hurricane" Carter. I learned a lot from them, including looking at issues from various directions, and trying to identify the positive.

Some of the things I post here get nice responses, though a number of people have expressed some resentments to my views. No problem: it should be that way. But we should always be able to have civil discussions here.