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How to Thrive in 2025 with Political Plaid

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It’s time to focus and create a plan to stop the destruction of our beloved country. There is perfect clarity on what we need to do to save our way of life. Democracy is on the line so we must find the way and be diligent in our efforts to turn the tide. How will we do this? I have a clear and doable plan on what our part will be in the success of reclaiming integrity, dignity and effectiveness. My posts will increase dramatically, and become much shorter, as I support you to find your path and move forward. Here is how it begins.

Whether you are an optimist, pessimist or “realist”, we must set all that aside and only look at what actions we can take. If you believe nothing can change – a pessimist or realist – you will become frozen and unable to be part of the solution. If you are a pollyanna optimist, you will hide your head in the sand also impeding our ability to effect change. So –

  1. First we must ground ourselves every day. In the morning, do not, I repeat, do not get into the news media. Spend some time greeting the day, find three things you are grateful for, enjoy your tea, coffee, breakfast, pets and other friendly humans you may come across. Start into the days activities with pleasure. What is on your ‘Get To’ list? Breathe. Breathe. Breath.
  2. Consider who you know that is close to the progressive agenda. There are 100 million people or more who agree with dignity, integrity and social justice and who are certainly against tyranny. There are people around you, even if in a “red” state (no such thing by the way), that voted Democrat or didn’t vote at all but are horrified at the recent turn of events. Make a plan to reach out to them to start a Political Plaid group. Get several copies of the book if you can so that each person can work through the book together. You can meet in person or via the airwaves. Your objective is to just support one another as you create a plan for how to make a difference in your community and country.
  3. As mentioned at the top, do not get into the news feed all day long. Select a time around midday to check in on NPR, PBS, ProPublica, AP News, Reuters or other trusted source. Try to find one that is less sensationalist and not part of the oligarchy. Know what is going on but don’t live there. Let this information direct your responses to what’s happening but not pierce into your soul and live there. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.
  4. With your Political Plaid group members, look into your local politics. When is the next election? What are the issues? When is the next School Board meeting? Town or County meeting? Where is the local Democrat office? What local groups might you join? League of Women Voters, Indivisible, MoveOn, environmental groups, social justice groups, civil rights groups or support groups. Maybe each person in your group picks a different place to join and you talk with each other about your experiences.
  5. Midday also make phone calls to your state and federal Representatives and Senators. With support and sympathy let them know your demands for stopping the coup. They are incredibly brave right now to go against this seemingly unstoppable force. But when we all come together, we are stronger. If your leaders are red, still let them know you do not agree with their actions. This does make a difference in the long run.
  6. In the afternoon, back off of the news and refocus on your here and now. Notice the nature around you even if just a few trees on a city block. Listen for the sounds of birds and laughter. Delve into your work feeling productive and accomplished. Talk to a friend about anything but politics. Remember to eat well, walk about and get to bed early enough for a good night’s sleep. Start a gratitude journal and write three things every morning and evening you are delighted are in your life. Listen to uplifting music. Look at beautiful art. Make art. Pet a friendly animal. Do yoga, QiGong, Salsa dancing and Disco. Do what you love. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

I know this is all very overwhelming right now and these actions may seem a drop in the bucket. BUT, the change we need can only happen if we come together, TALK to one another and take action. Each following post will break the above down into smaller bites and easy to dos. We’ll also flush out each idea and get creative with our answers to the problems we face. I will look forward to your comments and suggestions. Use the Contact page on the website to get in touch with me. Thank you for your participation.

I will support you every step of the way. You can do this. I am here to guide you through. We’ve got each other. Let us rise.

Introducing Political Plaid: Weaving an American Tapestry by MM Tichenor

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The time is right for this book. I love this guide on how to have conversations around politics. So many of us want to talk and find a way forward. Here is the path to accomplishing that goal. 

The vision of Political Plaid is for people of all viewpoints, interested in learning, civil discussion, and consensus to gain the tools to find solutions, based in their values, for the benefit of society and moving America forward thoughtfully.

Our Mission:  Provide a non-partisan forum to learn and discuss ideas, to uncover and maximize solutions for today’s systemic problems locally and globally. Solutions will be based in values, use trial and error to gain wisdom and be refined as needed. Politicalplaid.com is a source to explore potential solutions to a wide variety of issues.

I’d love to hear what you think. Tell me about your political conversations, where they go right and where they go wrong. We will figure it out together.

Lazy Days of Summer

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The lazy and somewhat politically depressing days of summer have just given way to shock, sadness and enthusiasm when Biden decided to not pursue the presidency and handed the reins over to Kamala Harris. There seems to be a rush of energy in politics, feelings of hope are rising.

And the desire for conversation. Yay!

Watch for my book coming out soon, Political Plaid: Weaving An American Tapestry, a small, non-partisan guide on how to have political conversations. It will take a look at the American Dream, Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. It will help you take a look at yourself and where you stand. Adding values to your political point of view will help clarify where you agree with someone across the aisle. There will be examples of conversations. And I am developing social media sites for video examples of potential and some real conversations.

Stay tuned!

Research

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How do you research a topic? YouTube videos? What friends tell you? Social media posts?

That’s not it.

Take the topic of oil subsidies. Do you know much about it?

Here’s what a google search brought up –

A scan of this article reveals the US gives about 20 billion to oil corporations directly and through tax benefits each year. https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-fossil-fuel-subsidies-a-closer-look-at-tax-breaks-and-societal-costs

This article talks about subsidies to oil as it relates to global warming. You can have it read aloud or read it yourself. https://www.imf.org/en/Blogs/Articles/2023/08/24/fossil-fuel-subsidies-surged-to-record-7-trillion

This talks about the effect of gas prices if we remove subsidies. This group claims there wouldn’t be a price change. https://usa.oceana.org/oil-gas-subsidies-myth-vs-fact/

For all of these articles it would be wise to look at the About page to see who they are and what their bias might be.

But ultimately, it doesn’t take long to do some research of reliable sites and gain some valuable information. And it makes our conversations so much more effective if we know what we are talking about. When having a political conversation you can google together, maybe split up the reading, and come back together with what you have learned.

This way everyone is the wiser.

Media Diet

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It is very important today to find a media diet that works for you. I know many people who have on cable, either Fox or CNN or MSNBC, all day long. The stories are repeated from hour to hour, the hosts are snarky and emotional. They draw out the same topics all day long, which is on the surface is a mystery because there is so much news to share, but that is no longer their main focus. The best way to keep you watching is to hook you emotionally so they stay with the most upsetting stories. Don’t fall for it.

Break away from the cable addiction and get your news in a manner that won’t keep you up at night. The best way to get your news is from reliable websites using journalistic standards that use the least amount of sensationalism. That would be your local newspaper or programs such PBS or NPR. Even though all organizations have a level of bias it is possible to get the news without all the fanfare and fear.

I recommend getting your news at lunch. Don’t start the day with the news. Skim the headlines if you want to make sure WWIII hasn’t started, but don’t sink into the depths of despair. It’s not a great way to start the day.

It’s not a great way to end it either. Maybe watch the local news at 5, the national news at 6 but then switch to entertainment or turn it off all together and play Scrabble. You’ll find your heart rate go down, your breathing slow, you’ll get sleepier earlier and rest better throughout the night.

Four Lessons on How to Survive Politics (using tips for driving in the snow)

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There are four major rules for driving in the snow. Each has an important piece of advice for maneuvering through political strife today.

  1.  Go slowly. Travel at just the right speed to maintain traction but allow for surprising conditions. If you go too fast, panic, hit the brakes or make a sharp turn, you will be off the road and in a ditch pronto. Same with observing politics today. Don’t read too much, just enough to know what is going on, but not so much you panic. Keep a balance of friendship, family, fun along with civics, citizenship and charity. The steady American gets home safely.
  2. Keep a safe distance from the car in front of you. This means hang way back. If the car in front of you suddenly decides to brake, you will not be caught up in the ensuing slip and slide. Some folks today are completely caught up in the pundits, the 24 hour “news” cycle (spoiler alert: there is no such thing as 24 hour news) and the little chicken sky-is-falling mentality. When you hang back from this nonsense, you give your self space to see the bigger picture of a world functioning much better than the “news” would have you think. The thoughtful American keeps their sanity.
  3. Don’t travel in a pack. If you only huddle in among the likeminded, you risk missing important information you can only access when you break away. Give yourself enough space to see other viewpoints. When the pack of cars is heading for a cliff, each sliding off without time to stop, you want to be the smart one, looking at all the options, to decide if you, like a lemming, want to go off that cliff too – or find another way. The informed American sees the possibilities.
  4. Be prepared. Have a warm blanket, extra food, good boots for walking in case you get stuck on the side of the road. There are times when the news hits you right in the gut. When it feels like you have slid off the road and into a dark ditch. Make sure you are surrounded with warmth, music and the things that bring you peace. When the politics have you scared and alone, light a candle, breathe, call a friend and remember, this too will change. The self-caring American will have peace.

With all of us, together as one, we will find our way out of this mess of division and fear. There is another way. One where we find our commonality, our passions and make this country great because we have each others back. Slow down, look around. Travel at a steady pace. Good things come to those who live in love and act from that place. America needs that now, we need that now. Let’s make it happen.

Politics as a Spiritual Practice: Three Simple Steps

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Enlightenment. Peace and happiness. These are yours for the taking and the time is ripe. If you ask people when they learned the most from life, they don’t say it was while they were watching TV or sipping the right wine with dinner. People identify the trials, the problems, diligently slogged through one day at a time as their greatest teachers. Adversity is an opportunity, and today, we are up to our ears in opportunities.

No matter what side of the political spectrum you fall on, or even if your not on it at all, there is plenty of irritating, galling or horrifying information flying around. Much of it propaganda or supposition, it still manages to create fear in our worried hearts. What you do with the fear makes all the difference. If you jump in with both feet, grab onto the horror, you will be one with the horror. If you ignore the fear, send it to it’s room until it can behave better, it seeps out like acid, burning through your best defenses. If you say – well, that’s just reality, what’s always been will always be, the past is the best predictor of the future – you doom yourself to a never changing world.

If you step back, put objective eyes on the subject, or better yet the person, and widen your view, chances are you’ll see something you haven’t noticed before. If you breathe deeply, let the fear drain through, clear your mind to focus on the here and now, you may realize there is something for you to digest, assimilate and master.

A spiritual practice is any time we are confronted with that which makes us uncomfortable, and, we don’t look away. We look in, deep within. What is true? If I drop my automatic reactions, what arises? Instead of fighting against, what would improve this situation? What would empathy do? What would hope do? What would love do?

Evolution is moving us away from tribes, expanding our idea of family, making a case for understanding your fellow human being beyond borders whether town, city, state or country. Beyond color, religion, nation of origin or political party. We can no longer tolerate judging others by their outer trappings or the propaganda we hear about “them”.

The reality is the world has morphed and changed for the positive in huge ways these past few eons, especially in the last few centuries. As once suggested by a wise teacher – the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. The arc of justice needs us. Let’s shorten that moral arc by standing up to that which no longer serves and change it as our stand-in-the-face-of-fear, take action, leaders modeled for us more than 50 years ago.

This is your opportunity to spend some time with chaos, fear and stuck beliefs in a friendly, open atmosphere filled with love and compassion for you and your fears. It’s a time to move through despair, to learn from these allies in healing, and as a result, pull the rest of the world with you.

Three simple steps.

  1. Slow your mind and body. Allow what arises to be. Fill yourself with kindness and compassion. Breathe in peace. Let go of tension.
  2. Put some distance between you and what arises. Act as an observer. Still with, but not in. Create a focus not of the mind but of the space around you. Feel the air, notice the trees, the clouds, make friends with the silence. Breathe. When you bring in the idea of politics today, What thoughts, fears, feelings arise? Where do you feel it in your body? What beliefs feel stuck? Write down what comes to you.
  3. Question, question, question those beliefs from the space around you. This is not an activity of the brain, these answers come from whatever pops into your head the same as when you are taking a shower or driving mindlessly and something just occurs to you. What are some alternatives?

Insights will come to you. Explore these ideas. Journal the answers, talk with others you trust, do interpretive dance. It doesn’t really matter just as long as you are allowing, observing and questioning what you consider to be the immovable. These simple steps may not feel easy when conflicts and anxieties seize your attention but persevere.

Enlightenment is ours, not only for ourselves but ultimately for all, as a people and a nation. Americans have grit and ingenuity, tenacity and passion. We have a window, a chance to move the arc along in a major way. Big problems can bring leaps and bounds into new and wonderful territory.

Be the shooting star toward a better world.

#MeToo, Meet Your History

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Take the story of Nancy who began a job at a top law firm, fresh out of school, excited and ready to test out her abilities in the real world. A story we have heard all to often becomes a reality for her when it becomes clear her boss will require her to “socialize” with him, read: sleep with him, if she wants to keep her job. Nancy certainly doesn’t want to comply, but doesn’t want to jeopardize this opportunity. She worries this boss will blackball her from any top organization.

Thinking there must be a way out, she turns to an older woman at the firm and is shocked to discover this woman met the demands of the same man at the beginning of her career. She had no advice, felt there was nothing to be done. If Nancy wants the job, she has to play the game.

Upset and angry, Nancy decides to confront her boss and demand he leave her alone. Chuckling, her boss insists these are her only choices, agree or be fired. Nancy escapes home to think, spending the afternoon frantically trying to figure a way out. This is not as easy as just quitting, besides jeopardizing her career path, she is desperate for money, her toddler is dependent on her with no help from the father.

Under threat of being evicted, her heart sinks as she concedes defeat, needing a paycheck until a new job releases her from this hell.  She holds out hope she will be able to keep her boss at bay for as long as possible. Nauseous with disgust, she starts to leave for the office grabbing the mail as she goes out.

Nancy stops dead in her tracks when she sees a letter from her ex-husband and assumes it is a child support check. Her heart soars, relieved, she rips open the letter but it has no money and he explains it won’t for the foreseeable future.  At this point, Nancy realizes she would have gone to the law office and said no if there had been money in the envelope, top job be damned. She then decides to turn down the job even though this will make her life impossible on so many levels. She’ll find something temporary, even if not a job as an attorney, to pay the bills.

Nancy returns to the office and defiantly informs her boss she will not be his mistress. As she turns to walk out, the boss chuckles again and calls her back. He smiles and says, well you can’t blame a guy for trying. He tells her she still has her job and get back to work. Nancy smiles, says yes sir, and gratefully goes out the door.

Wait, what??

Is that a shocking ending to this story? Does the whole story seem off? That is because this story is from an episode of Family titled ‘Expectations’ that aired on Dec 7, 1978. As I publish this post on the 39th anniversary, two fascinating realizations –

  1. We’ve been talking about this for a very long time
  2. Women grinning through gritted teeth, while working in a hostile environment, is finally beginning to enter mainstream America as an outrageous circumstance. One that now, potentially, publicly, has major consequences.

It’s almost a half century since that episode played into the homes all over America showing what slow learners we can be. The 1970’s took on the tough issues of the day. Brave producers created shows such as All in the Family, M*A*S*H, Wonder Woman, Mary Tyler Moore, Good Times, The Jeffersons and Welcome Back Kotter, tackling racism, sexism and promoting inclusive values. Yes, there was plenty of drivel, but these shows were talking about cancer, homelessness, war, sexual identity, alcoholism and family problems. These episodes look out of sync with the progress we have made and yet, painfully, we see these issues still rage on.

Brava TV

A year later, in January of 1979, Family aired an episode where Nancy finds out her fiancé, who runs her sons day care center, is a recovering pedophile. What an amazing time the 70’s were to tackle issues most Americans find repugnant and impossible to think about. In 1979 there was no public registration for offenders, this man could work anywhere, and the episode never mentions the inappropriateness of his being in charge of a building full of children. But when Nancy can’t trust him around her little sister, they break up and he moves away. It’s hard to imagine there were no controls then to keep children safe. We have made some good strides in this arena. We have a long way to go.

#MeToo

#MeToo has brought this conversation to light in a new way. More people seem to be getting it, realizing the lack of respect and outright denigration women face daily. Tough consequences are airing publicly as powerful men are falling in large numbers. Men are suddenly racking their brains for when they might have been out of line ‘all in fun’.

The conversation is now about how to determine the lines, or if there should even be any, maybe it’s pass/fail, zero tolerance, but I think more helpful than cutting people off is to continue the conversation and create meaningful actions. Criminal activity needs zero tolerance. Beyond that, what would help men understand the blind spots?  What is better than Sensitivity Training often scoffed at by those who are required to participate? What would help communities to grow in realization of destructive behaviors and attitudes?

Sexual harassment is a major issue, millennial women seem to have a better ability to call it out, but many are still caught in the power differential. How to complain without losing my job, not getting the promotion or a raise? How to figure out if I’m just being a prude or can’t take a joke? How to get men as an active part of the process?

These are conversations we need to continue, keep in the forefront of American dialogue, creating frameworks and solutions to solve these dilemmas. Women for decades, for centuries, have been scrapping for their rights and it seems we might be getting somewhere. It’s about time.

 

 

What Is That State Patrolman Doing?

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I watched as a State Patrol officer carefully navigated through the homeless camp. His cruiser parked on the side of the highway with lights flashing, the decrepit, makeshift tents tucked under scrubby trees and the litter everywhere gave an immediate impression of danger and courage. My eyes took this all in at high speed, his crisp, clean uniform, the way he was likely watching for sharp needles hidden in the dirt and weeds. I wondered, why was he there? Did someone call 911? There were no people I could see to meet him. He gingerly walked toward the tents. He was alone. This did not seem right on so many levels.

How did we get here? Here, where huge numbers of men, women, veterans and children are discarded on the side of the road. Here, where brave people are left to manage the “untouchables” in our society. Here, where the rest of us drive on around the corner feeling lost and hopeless to solve this problem.

I once suggested calling 911 over and over again, every time I saw a homeless person in distress, as a way to raise the call-in numbers and force more funding for the disenfranchised in our society. Is that the entry point to fixing this problem? Do we force the government to pay for more EMT’s to take these folks to the hospitals? Do we force a larger line in the budget to support social service agencies to hire more social workers to provide these folks with services that will turn their lives around? Do we agree to pay taxes toward care for these people that actually make a difference? How do we get the village to work this problem together because it can’t be done by individuals, it can’t be done by charities and churches and it can’t be done by a lone cop walking into who knows what kind of peril. If these solutions could work, we’d be all set by now.

If the average American were able to assist their son or daughter or sister or uncle to get help, it would have happened by now. We can no longer delude ourselves there are enough volunteers to manage this avalanche of need in our society. I am deeply grateful to our military and our police, our EMT’s and other First Responders and we can talk all day about how we honor these gritty and hardy frontline people, but until we back that up with broad support for all the jobs we ask them to do, our best intentions turn into platitudes.

We need to demand of our representatives a budget in congress that reflects our values and needs as a nation. It’s considered unpatriotic to question the military budget but this righteously imposed gag rule keeps the average American from really looking at the issue. It seems there are greedy folks working hard to keep us in the dark because knowledgeable Americans will upset the money making military machine. If the budget can’t take close scrutiny, especially the military budget, there must not be good answers to hard questions.

You may want to do some research on how the budget is spent, on who benefits from it’s current configuration, and notice the proposed budget gives more money to the military than even the pentagon requested. Why is that? Look at what is going on and send an email to your representative regarding your values. Ask for an audit of the military budget. The last time we did that, we discovered we were paying hundreds of dollars for one toilet or screwdriver. We can no longer be blind sheep.

If we had money in the budget for the struggling, the unlucky and the disadvantaged, that State Patrol Officer would be two officers with EMT’s and Social Workers at the ready to make an actual difference for the people who don’t know how or can’t seem to get their lives on track. We need The Helpers who create programs that work, places filled with care that we can still donate to, still volunteer for, but don’t have to worry about the backbone of the organization.

Wake up, look around. We are defining the Soul of America. Where do you come in? We solve these issues together. As One. See that police officer doing more than he should have to do. See the homeless on the street as people. And decide what you will do.

Then do it.