Bird Droppings December 11, 2024
Venting a bit on a Wednesday Morning
I was slack with my daily photography and journaling the past week. I have missed a few days with doctor appointments and rain. Yesterday, I read several alarming posts on friends’ pages on Facebook and internet news sites. I followed links, and they led to paramilitary groups discussing declaring civil war. Another connection was an old one supposedly about President Obama having tried to declare Marshall Law while he was in the office with no information, just a title and graphic. This same link led to another about how the white race would be gone in twenty-five years. I read all the comments about our former President being a communist and socialist, and my response is that neither socio-economic system is approaching this country.
We are in overdrive capitalism here in the US, especially this time of year and our current President-elect continues to fan the flames with signature authorized perfumes and other junk he is selling to his supporters—greed rules above all else. We have the highest stock market and the most significant difference between the wealthy and the rest of us ever in the history of our country. Granted, the great income difference is what Marx saw and wrote about as he pondered communism. However, our government, both parties, continues the process that maintains that elite few. Oil companies, defense contractors, pharmaceuticals, insurance, and banking are booming in profits. That’s not communism or socialism.
The recent election is a good example. Much of the budget suggested by the party in power impacts the very people who voted for them, which is insignificant in contrast to cutting social security, tax credits, childcare deductions, etc. are all suggested budgets of the Republican platform. Better yet, another favorite is privatizing Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare and letting insurance companies run them. Kind of like health insurance, where the top five health insurance carriers’ CEOs are paid more than 20 million a year, none of which benefits my health care. This is not a point of support for recent events; it is simply a fact.
Taking away from any group of people is not socialism or communism. I was told recently we are losing our freedoms, and I asked which ones. Our freedom to not buy health insurance, for example, was the reply. Another freedom, of course, involves vaccination and our bodies; all the while, in contrast, the Supreme Court has a case denying freedom of women’s bodies. I offered that when you are sick, cure yourself or pay your bills. They asked, “You mean you would let me die, and I said, no, you let yourself die. The worst post of the day was almost 160 million people voted in the recent election, and even with a boycott of Black Friday by some, nearly 200 million went shopping. That speaks to me more than the idiotic posts and blogs about communism, socialism, and civil war. If we get what we want, we don’t care about anybody else. So, I will borrow from scripture, which I seldom do.
Matthew 19:16 Just then, a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” 19:17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” 19:18 “Which ones?” he inquired. Jesus replied, “ ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 19:19 honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” 19:20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” 19:21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 19:22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad because he had great wealth. 19:23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you; it is hard for someone rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 19:24 Again, I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone rich to enter the kingdom of God.” NIV
I am not one to use scripture often, but those who spout all the innuendo mentioned above often use scripture. We could debate what this passage means since it is framed by an ancient Hebrew commonly used expression for something challenging, a camel through the eye of a needle, but I look more at the excess in our world and specifically in our country. No one cares about the environment, starving children, or a few other things other than making a buck. The past controversy between the XL pipeline and the Dakota pipeline is a great example. Currently, it is almost a mote point since oil has gotten so cheap; it costs more money to refine tar sands than they can get for it. There is a considerable group of Koch Industries employees, 35,000, promoting it through phone calls and conversation. Koch Industries owns 1.5 million acres of tar sand in Alberta. The pipeline does not carry oil that would benefit us here in the US; it plans to go to Asia, predominantly China. That has been in the news off and on. Gas prices in the US will not be impacted, and why should they? In a world of supply and demand, price is based on who will pay the most. We are bidding when we pay 2.80 a gallon, with the Chinese willing to pay more. The US is exporting more oil and refined oil products than at any time in our oil history. The revolution that needs to occur is not one of military/militia/vigilante/gangs but people who care about others.
“Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of humanity. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man.” Mahatma Gandhi
My friends, I do not say this lightly,
Mitakuye Oyasin
(We are all related)
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The daily meanderings of a teacher 