Blind Trust

The careful plotting has been going on for decades but I was trusting there were more good people in our government than bad. Now I can see how powerful, greedy people have been whittling away at the power of the people with gerrymandering and voter suppression, turning compromise into a dirty word while vilifying the ‘other guy’ to create a division among Americans, encouraging and maintaining corporate control of campaigns guaranteeing the flow of money and also eliminating checks and balances by demonizing journalism and taking over the courts.

Most of all, they have chipped away at good men and women, making them toe the line for their power grab. This is a still a mystery to me. I see John McCain, Bob Corker, Jeff Flake and a few others try to stand up, but then just fall back in step. The reasons for this may not be known until this era is over, but this we will want to know so we can prevent the co-opting of good people from happening in the future.

Do Not Despair

It’s overwhelming, isn’t it? The savage drive for wealth and power has always been with us, but Americans thought we had it under control. How very surprising it is to see how fragile our democracy has become. The potential to be crippled by this power grab is real but do not lose hope. There is a chance to turn this around and we must take it.

Here is your Saving Democracy list –

1. Start talking to people on the fence about voting. Join a campaign, talk to your friends, especially ones that do not generally vote. And give money. The people must outweigh the corporations and the corrupt.
2. Get a subscription to local, national and international journalism based publications. If you are only hearing things you agree with, you need to branch out to reputable journalism from both sides such as the LA Times, PBS, NPR, The Economist and the Wall Street Journal. Read the small newspapers to get details on issues where they are happening such as the internment prisons on our southern border. Beware local TV news is being taken over by Sinclair Broadcasting, an arm of the Fox propaganda machine.
3. Avoid the talking heads on Fox, MSNBC and CNN or the required state written “op-eds” on Sinclair run local news. If people are yelling at each other, talking opinion over and over, or preaching propaganda, turn it off. There is a difference between analysis – what has happened, what it might mean, getting context on an issue – and sensationalism – outrageous comments, repeated phrases, loud voices, talking over each other, the ‘sound bite’ that will make viewers tune in. Don’t be that viewer. This type of television or radio is very divisive and works against us finding common ground. You may have to do some research on how people are manipulated by language, what is propaganda and how to not be swayed by it. Even though I group together Fox, Sinclair, MSNBC and CNN in the same line, they are very different problems. Fox and Sinclair are biased as all news outlets but also promote propaganda to skew the facts and confuse their viewers. MSNBC and CNN are desperately trying to keep viewers with sensational programs but they continue to report facts and news although with a heavy bias.  
4. We must all come together and welcome each other. Independents, Libertarians, Green Party, Democrats, Republicans, Progressives, Conservatives, everyone needs to band together to save democracy. Then we can get back to the important work of resolving our differences fairly and equitably.

Most of All

Remember to breathe. This is scary but not a forgone conclusion. Unlike Nazi Germany, we have many resources, the internet can be used for good – yes, post on Facebook, use the power of protest, the ability to campaign for someone or something you believe in and talk to people about your belief in a strong America led by the people. There will be some who, no matter what, will not get out of the Fox haze, they are a small minority. We focus on people who will listen, look at all sides of an issue, take in new information and with some encouragement, will see the necessity of standing up for Democracy.

We can get this done. One step at a time. One breath at a time. All together.

In this country, all news sources use fear and sensationalism to get an audience. I listen and watch a wide variety of mediums so I can get a picture of what is being said and how it is being said. They’re all pretty much the same. One horror story after another. Some are worse than others. NPR tends to be one of the best at reporting the facts while remaining calm and thoughtful, but this week, there was unusual fear mongering from normally soft spoken NPR. The doomsday tale was a story about the bird flu in China. There was nothing useful about this story. It held no information that helped me to understand my world better, to improve my life, or enrich my soul. In fact it was a soul sucking story. The main point was this – a devastating epidemic may happen soon, but we just don’t know.

This is why you can’t sleep. Media induced insomnia. NPR interviewed scientists, talked about the past, conjured up potential disasters. All imaginary scenarios based on maybes but scary enough to get your fight or flight system engaged, cortisol and adrenaline coursing through your system.

What is the point of this story? To scare you. To make you feel like you need the news to keep you informed and protected. Click. Scroll. Click. The disturbing part is that there are so many important stories you need to know to protect yourself that are not being aired while they find stuff like the non-existent bird flu maybe-in-our-future epidemic. This is shaping up like Ebola coverage. Remember all that?

Meanwhile, you are desperately trying to talk yourself down – ‘it’ll be okay’, ‘it’s not here now’, ‘I’ll do a google search on how to protect myself from bird flu when I get home’ but in your heart of hearts you feel doomed. This and the dozens of other cautionary tales you heard today will replay in your mind when you are trying to sleep, along with your own worries of the future, regrets of the past and wonderings about the security of our country.

The security of our country is questionable when the actions are so far out of the box, no one knows the consequences. People are overwhelmed just trying to comprehend the actions of this new administration. What we need are journalists detailing those dilemmas and offering information on potential actions and solutions might be found. Story on internet privacy? Give me clues on how I get my privacy back. Story on the dismantling of the EPA or Dept of Education? Tell me where I can go to make a difference. How were changes fought for in the past? What worked? So much news, so few journalists.

Great journalists are out there. Comprehensive news does exist. Look at the ‘marketplace’ of news from many sources. Complain when the media is below standards, demand facts and only facts and give feedback to what you find helpful and what you do not.

Ultimately, we need to breathe, slow down. Change is a golden opportunity to find new paths, better ideas, see problems clearly and discover amazing solutions. It is time to have faith in each other. To buoy people with energy and innovation. Then you can go to sleep knowing the foundations for a better country are underway.

We can change the world.