politics

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.

January 20, 2025

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Today clearly defines the crossroads Americans face as we decide what avenue to travel, one that will either take apart our democracy, or save our democracy or devolve back to a monarchy. Millions of Americans believe we are about to be saved. Millions more believe we are about to be destroyed. Millions of others can’t or won’t pay attention but are still worried our democratic foundations have already or are about to be thwarted, many feel powerless and hopeless. Today we get a new administration in conflict with the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr celebrated today and former President Jimmy Carter who should have been honored with flags flown at half mast. It could not be a clearer distinction of values and democratic traditions between these two groups.

If we want to keep the legacies of great leaders such as MLK and Carter, we need to change our lens from the focus on labels such as Republican, Democrat, Liberal or Conservative to defining issues, seeking solutions that match our values guided by the historic way-finders that have gone before us. Martin Luther King, Jr was a beacon in the dark serving to bring to our awareness the cruelty and corruption in American society. King led peaceful protests against violent oppression that shocked the country. Because the main networks broadcast the cruelty and abuse against people of color, Americans became outraged and demanded change. And we got it. We need to do this again since we have now discovered our gains were superficial in some ways even if significant in others.

Today the American flag should have continued flying at half staff to honor former President Jimmy Carter but vanity negated this long held tradition. The continued degradation of honor, ethics, values and dignity are vanishing before our eyes and will be accelerated at a fast pace beginning today. Already at whitehouse. gov, the page describing Jimmy Carter’s presidency is no longer found, neither is any other president including George Washington, just the current president. They had this keyed up immediately. There will be mountains of such actions, but we must not let this dismay us. We must keep our focus on what we can do, not what they do. Awareness yes, panic no.

Consider Carter who was a man before his time. He led a historic peace agreement between Egypt and Israel with long lasting results in a tumultuous area of the world. In 1977, Carter created the Department of Energy to address energy issues, conservation, promote research into alternative energy and expanded National Parks and wildlife refuges. Always following ethical ideals and values led to the Panama Canal Treaties, normalizing relations with China and focusing on human rights in US foreign policy. Most important were civil and political rights at home and around the world. Understanding the importance of education for a functioning democracy and quality of life, Carter created the Department of Education to improve education no matter where in the country you attended school.

After his presidency, The Carter Center was created to support democracy and human rights goals around the world. One of its most impressive achievements was the eradication of the Guinea worm disease solely through education passed from neighbor to neighbor. The realization of these goals led to the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Carter, clearly ahead of his time regarding the climate crisis, peaceful diplomacy, support of worldwide democracy and human rights, met with resistance and criticism. That is the way of democracy, debate, trial, error, try again and incremental success.

This way of running a democracy seems to have died over the last forty plus years as powerful money interests have had their “alternate facts” become truths in the minds of many. It is up to us who revere MLK and Carter for their courage and foresight to maintain our democracy as best we can. As we move forward, look to Political Plaid to offer ideas on how we might pass from neighbor to neighbor the paths to healing and preserving our democratic tenets.

Hold on to hope. Send supportive emails to your Congresspeople as they will need encouragement as they wade through the actions of the new administration. Talk regularly with your local Representatives about what you want to see in your schools and communities. Converse with trusted friends and family about our American way of life you want to see preserved. We can do this. One day at a time.

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.

What to vote for in 2020?

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Vote to –

~ end voter suppression

~ end lobbyists

~ end dark money and citizens united

~ enact campaign reform

~ end electoral college with a law in every state that the state must support the winner with the most votes

~ end gerrymandering

~ enact campaign reform

This will make every vote count in the future whether a Democrat, Republican, Independent, Green, Libertarian or the Santa Claus party, which is what we all want.

That is how we end Corporatocracy. Until then, we are all just whistling in the dark, maybe right into the dark ages.

A Political Home for You

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There are many of us who do not feel at home in the political places of America today. We are not into the yelling or the strife. We don’t like the cruelty, the arrogance or the rage. Not so much for the polarization and divisiveness. We love this country, but worry we are about to be left behind in the insanity gripping many of our citizens. We want a better way.

Where is your political home? Let me assure you, it is there for you to settle into anytime you wish and you have many likeminded neighbors. Your American political home is in the quiet places where discussion is of value, looking clearly at how to understand society. It is in the comfortable, cozy living room where there is exploration of ideas, left, right, center, whatever, no matter, each is considered thoughtfully. It is the warm, aromatic kitchen where experiments are tried, cupboards are searched for just the right ingredients.

It’s in the dining room where new and old dishes sit side by side, ready to be tested. Some will not have worked, some will be a great success. Most will just need some tweaks for improvement. It’s in the quiet bedroom where contemplation reveals new ideas for the kitchen. This is where we clarify our values and morals that will infuse our actions when we rise.

There are many people who live life this way. Exploring, learning, using trial and error to see what is needed in this world. We are people who are aware we do not know everything. Who are open and yet cautious using the best of what education and wisdom of the ages have to offer to guide us. We avoid labels and look for common ground. We do not shy from a debate when we know our companions treat us with respect.

We must come together to fill the void in American politics today. Some of us are behind the scenes, some of us more outgoing, more outspoken but we all value civility as a must. We raise our voices together to bring wisdom, ideas, with groundedness and peace to a country struggling to find it’s place.

If this fits you, welcome home. We are glad to have you join us at Political Plaid where this is our goal every minute of every day. To find our path in America out of the quagmire so prominent today. We work to find consensus through a willingness to listen and learn. And then, to make decisions, choices and actions to improve our families, our friends, our communities, countries and the health of the planet based in our morals and values. Follow this blog to join the journey. May peace follow you all of your days.

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.