A Blog of politically "incorrect" opinion and commentary on culture, politics and spirituality by a woman who challenges the traditional feminist ideals with bold curiosity and refreshing insight.
In its truest sense liberation means the setting free of someone or something. We can understand that animals raised in captivity are often unprepared for their liberation when they are released back into the wild. Treating an animal in this way would be cruel. Captivity has given the animal food without it fighting for food and a home without searching for its appropriate hiding/nesting place. The animal’s instincts for survival have been deteriorated.
In a political context liberation can be referred to activities connected with removing the disadvantages experienced by particular groups in a society or removing a tyrannical government. I don’t think the current generation truly understands what a disadvantage is these days.
Those who seek liberation related to a political context are often called activists. They are acting on behalf of a particular cause so as to make the “world” a better place. Think of climate change or voting rights. But is making the world a better place a form of liberation? Who determines what is “better”? This is why we have democratic process. If we don’t have democratic process then activists would be imposing tyranny by mob rule or worse.
It’s okay in the United States to organize a group to bring awareness to a problem or cause. It’s against the law to bring that awareness by implementing force or destruction. But perhaps thwarting the law is an act of “liberation”? It is NOT!
States or cities declaring sanctuary, penalty systems removing bail bonds, employers hiring low wage “workers” and foreigners remaining in the country after a visa has expired are all methods of thwarting the law. What I find interesting is that all of these methods have few ways for the ordinary citizen to combat them because it is often the elected officials who have implemented them. The only way to hold them accountable is to elect new officials who demand that these actions stop and that existing laws are followed. Few states or cities that thwart existing laws seem to care about the unintended consequences of their actions. Though their actions “liberate” some people, these actions can create victims of other people. This is the real disadvantage.
Our society must get back to the work of recognizing the actual victims of violence and crime by giving them sincere justice. Liberation cannot mean that perpetrators have more opportunity to commit violence and crime by being given lax punishments which effectively turn them into wild animals trying to survive in civil society. Perpetrators need a form of captivity to be rehabilitated, and sometimes they should remain in captivity.
Which way will you go?
As I process the horrible assassination of Charlie Kirk, I can’t help but think that all of what I just wrote in the above paragraphs is connected to this incident. The killer was literally living in their own cage of mental anguish and fear of the “other”. Liberating themselves from their cage meant ridding the world of differing beliefs and the open expression of them. Charlie did not fear other beliefs and opinions. He was open to them and debated them head on…Charlie did not hate or use violence. Instead he used the liberal ideals of individual civil rights and liberties expressed and guaranteed in our Founding Principles.
The demons of Socialist/Marxist ideology have been uncaged. This type of “liberation” must end. As the prominent Christian minister and civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King once said, “Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” This quote reflects biblical principles found in verses like Matthew 5:44 and Romans 12:21. These verses encourage loving your enemies and overcoming evil with good, which aligns with the core message that only love can counter hate. How sad that he was assassinated too.
Speaking your mind with compassion is true liberation. We must act wisely to preserve this fundamental right.
We must get back to basics. The Shrew understands that this country has lost its way as the bastion of liberty. Notice that I did not say bastion of democracy. There is a very important difference.
Justice is being manipulated to push the United States from a focus on individual liberty toward the mob rule of democracy. The efforts to control the actions and thoughts of all citizens need to be identified and revealed. This revelation is happening now!
Pure democracies are controlled by the majority. This is a very simple concept because “majorities” only reflect the loud and aggrieved elite in a country. However, to ensure maximum liberty a balance of actions and thoughts relative to each individual in a country is necessary. This is why our federal government and any organization in partnership with the government must obey the first amendment in our Constitution.
The First Amendment provides that Congress make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting its free exercise. It protects freedom of speech, the press, assembly, and the right to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Notice the limits given to government. Can a government with such limits ever wind up controlling its citizens?
This government control is playing out now. For example, what happens when the government decides to underwrite the loans that students get for the tuition to attend a private university? Please understand how the politics work in this situation! University administrators can become beholden to government because the university is dependent on the cycle of loan to student then check to university. But then universities raise tuition annually which burdens the student and obviously not the banks. The university still gets their money and the bank gets the benefit of the interest payments from the graduate. But wait! Now the government can come along and pay off the student loan which in turn burdens the taxpayer because of the inflation caused by the government borrowing money to pay these loans. In this example the government has no limits, is influencing the policies of universities and banks, and effectively controls the resources of its citizens.
We see now that universities believe they are in a prime position to influence the government about social concerns. After all, the students who “pay tuition” are aggrieved and must “educate” the educators. Who can say NO to this oppressed generation? This is why the leadership at the universities and the federal government won’t take control of the student uprising…It’s all meant to dismantle the country and systems intended to secure liberty for all.
The moment has come. The universities who collude with the elite progressives have taught the anarchists well. And those of us who have ignored the warnings have been complicit in the plot. The politics are the same whether it involves the climate, health care, the justice system, etc. Progressive leaders use activist tactics to impose fascism so that the government can control everything.
The table has been set. We must not accept the invitation.
These are some very dark days. How does your ideology help you to cope?
Sadly I see that many turn to activism. However, there are two types of activism we must be aware of.
The first type is personal … It’s plan of action is rooted in direct experience and uses principles that have been proven to work among close relationships with family, friends, and local community members. The system is designed for success to help the most people possible without disenfranchising others.
The second type of activism is what I call “tangential”… It’s plan of action is rooted in empathy and uses emotions as swords for justice. It’s appeal is not based in principle at all. The hook is projected outward from a guttural and primitive perspective. The system is designed for chaos and mass psychosis.
Do they really know what they want?
While personal activism is grounded in Truth, tangential activism has no grounding. If there is no grounding then the activism is nihilistic. Nihilism rejects all moral and religious principles in the belief that life is meaningless. Today’s group activism in the streets and meeting places is replete with catchphrases and chants yet has no solution. How is this activity useful for coping? Think about it.
To bring light into these dark times we must reject the fatalism of the tangential activism that we are witnessing around us. The goal of this activism is to eliminate the useful systems that have brought human prosperity. Yet, no matter how difficult the situation may become there are always people who work together willingly and freely to protect the lives of individuals. This light is the Creator’s promise of life everlasting in our world.
Being human takes a lot of thought. We humans don’t know this until life embarks on its discontented journey…We each have our own road, and if we are thoughtful enough, we use our free will to make some good choices. These thought skills take time and practice to perfect.
Freedom enables the best use of our free will. Even if we take for granted this freedom, our free will aught to be used with ample discretion. But humans rarely understand the many boundaries that exist within life’s framework to use discretion properly which is why communities of humans have rules.
When a human breaks the smallest of community rules there is need for justice. How many of us will honestly apply this standard on a daily basis, be thoughtful about it, and understand the burden of repairing each rule we break with humility? Probably quite a few of us practice it regularly. Yet we cannot assume that everyone will. As Alexander Pope once said, “To err is human…”
Rules usually apply in family, workplace, and organized group situations. We get good practice in these settings. Penalties for rule breaking are meant to cause brief shame. Our chance for redemption is pretty high if a sincere apology is accepted and we correct ourselves through active example. Shame becomes respect in this way.
Laws, however, are much more strict. This is necessary in the broader context of human interaction because we gave up tribalism long ago…Systems of governance are used between and among towns, counties, states and nations so that all people can move about and interact peacefully. The development of laws takes time and practice, and thoughtful governments try to improve upon their implementation continually which is the basis of justice.
Currently I see many people turning to tribalism to obtain “justice”. Law and order has been eroding which undermines any form of peaceful process toward desired justice. Dignity must be bestowed upon all humans no matter their race, religion, gender, sexual preference and even job choice. Harm directed at one of us is harm to all of us. Over the past centuries humans have already done too much harm to each other in the name of justice when in actuality the ulterior motives were more or less “spiteful revenge”. Where does this spiteful revenge come from? I believe that political forces cause us to lose sight of our human capacity to be our best selves.
In our goal to seek proper justice we must use empathy and humility. Peaceful protest in the public common is a fine start, but leadership must be identified and goals must be adopted. Positive change is a result of carefully measured action steps through our democratic process, otherwise we can fall prey to tribes using vengeful tactics.
Realize this though, political leadership quite often enjoys the use of oppression and injustice through political constructivism. If your intuition suspects that your government is not working for you or your community’s best interest, you have the power to change things! It is not your government’s responsibility to make change because if it was then we would always be waiting for change…Sound familiar?
What have politicians or other people in positions of power (this can include church figures too) constructed for you? Emotional and tribal barriers are burdensome to the soul. When a politician says that they can “change the soul” of your community, watch out! That is a political construct using their will to manipulate your free will…It crushes souls and demeans the spirit. Laws are then changed to suit their purpose of power over you. They will push examples of social, gender, and racial constructs to justify their use of power to take away freedoms.
What burden does your soul and spirit carry within you? Does it reflect the barriers that exist outside of you? You are responsible for discovering the truth that sets you free…Do not delegate it to a tribe or a politician. Forgive yourself for not understanding this before, and move forward in your life in humble purpose that includes all your acquaintances. Your light will reflect onto them and harmony with each other will be achieved.
“To err is human, to forgive is Devine.” – Alexander Pope
Wicked, adjective – evil or morally wrong; intended to or capable of harming someone or something (Google dictionary)
Do you really want to know why certain people seem to be melting down over perceived differences as a nation?
I watch all news channels, listen to podcasts and radio programs from various sources, and read news clips and books from all authors on both sides of an issue. I like doing this because my questioning takes on a much deeper meaning…not everyone is right and not everyone is wrong, and, in point of fact, much material can seem to be simply glossed over or blatantly left out.
I’ve been following the chaos that has been developing since before the 2017 general election. I try to make sure that my research and sources have a very broad scope because I like to keep in mind my friends, family and acquaintances who are all very different people with diverse thoughts, ethnicities and group affiliations. I feel blessed to have come from a type of background which placed me in diverse situations when I was growing up because not everyone gets to see and experience what our large, complex, multi-ethnic, culturally diverse country has to offer, and, quite frankly, it is not until you are past the age of 50 can you appreciate the exposure.
“Wickedness was like food: once you got started it was hard to stop; the gut expanded to take in more and more.” – John Updike, The Witches of Eastwick
I believe the “wicked food” Updike is referring to is connected our egos as individuals. Lately we have been digesting this food at an alarming rate. We must make an effort to look outside ourselves and take smaller bites, chew the information a few more times and rinse it down with a heavy dose of calm reason. It is our ability to reason that will connect our mind to our heart and drive a wedge between wickedness and our ego.
Consider the wickedness of the Socialist/Marxist movement that’s been brewing. It does not believe in the individual’s capacity to succeed in a free market system, yet this movement does believe that a small group of elites have the capacity to tell each person what they can do, think, and be…
The harmful wickedness fed to people of all races by an elite few in America today is unquestionable. I present to you a few examples:
1) The rewriting of history (As in the 1916 Project) instead of adding more information that is fact based to improve upon its richness.
2) The removal of historic statues and plaques by force without considering their context and significance for a teachable moment.
3) Banning certain types of free speech no matter who might be either offended or positively inspired.
4) Condoning mob rule when such behavior infringes on the rights of others.
5) Reworking social interactions in order to remove the possibility of proper civil discourse.
6) Changing the meaning of words to abuse cultural norms instead of creating new words that might reflect better our human progression.
7) Segregating differences as a way to cause chaos instead of promoting our human capacity to allow for differences as a means to grow spiritually and intellectually.
You might be able to think of a few more examples.
Consider these solemn words from Jane Austin:
“When I look out on such a night as this, I feel as if there could be neither wickedness nor sorrow in the world; and there certainly would be less of both if the sublimity of Nature were more attended to, and people were carried more out of themselves by contemplating such a scene.”
All of us have the capacity to be individual ambassadors of good will in our pursuit of happiness in this land of liberty which is grounded in Judeo-Christian principles. Put the politics aside! Let wickedness reign no more…
I left my faith two years ago. Before that time I was very committed to the faith of my birth, Unitarian Universalism. Ever since my children were born I served my church in various roles: teacher, membership chair, governing board member and past president, personnel committee chair, leadership facilitator, and docent of its historic site.
Unitarian Universalism is described as a liberal religion characterized by a “free and responsible search for truth and meaning”, open to all persons, and without a creed. Long before gay marriage became legal, we affirmed this right of passage and performed many of these unions. Born out of the Judeo-Christian traditions, the faith now preaches that Love is their doctrine.
I have come to see that my church has lost its way during this time of racial upheaval and that it is trapped in today’s climate of identity politics. It started after the 2017 presidential election when the Unitarian Universalist Association began to promote the “Resistance”. During that time the Faith in Action Committee became heavily focused on social justice issues like the Black Lives Matter movement and White Privilege re-education. Now they march for the Poor People’s Campaign, everyone’s right for employment, and sustainable living wages.
The members of Unitarian Universalism have a long tradition of being inclusive and justice seeking which aligns well with the faith’s democratic governance structure. This method of “doing church” helped me to ground myself in governance models that are inclusive and sensitive to just action. These models I easily applied to my role as a city councilor, and I was able to create needed change in my community of diverse hearts and minds. However, “doing church” and “creating communities of justice” is not the same as “worship”.
Worship is the feeling and expression of reverence for a deity. One should not worship money, a privilege, or a social cause in place of God…this will cause emotional suffering when one comes to understand that the object replacing the worship of God is fallible. I see this happening in our larger cities…Government is expected to solve all of humanity’s problems. The more troubling thing is that most if not all churches now are misguided in their worship practice.
Like Jesus turning the tables of the greedy and manipulative money changers at the Temple, we must shake ourselves awake to our true purpose as caring individuals spreading the Good News that God wants us all to know; our Creator loves us and our prayerful good deeds lead directly to Him. This would be my church and my proudest affiliation. Does this worship experience exist for me here on earth without racial creeds or social justice dogma? Like Jesus, each of us must find our direct link to The ever loving God.
By all accounts George Floyd of Minneapolis was not afforded the dignity that a human being deserves during a policing situation. His killing by a police officer was unjust and reprehensible.
To make matters worse, the young people who demonstrated through acts of destruction brought the wrong attention to their cause of ending police brutality to people of color. If the pillaging of neighborhoods and city centers is justified, then be prepared for what comes next…
– communities that lack food and housing security,
– mom and pop businesses that will struggle to rebuild,
– City resources limited by insufficient funds,
– further break down in trust.
If the problem is about police brutality to people of color, then why is destruction of community the answer? It is not! Without an identified leader to communicate a cohesive and principled message of action on the issue by using peaceful means and clarity of purpose then this destruction does not end, and unfortunately anger through fear remains the only message.
There are two sides…The police department is one side, and they are represented by the local city government and their union. But who is it that comprises the other side? This other side should not be known as a “leftist fringe” group because that is not who they really are. This other side must be comprised of concerned citizens who have respect from the community members to act on behalf of their best interests.
Let me suggest a six point plan to de-escalate the present condition and create a move toward progress:
1) Select 65 Minneapolis citizens comprised of five members from each of the thirteen wards…These citizens would not be from the active leadership of government. These citizens along with a respected and trained facilitator would convene a community meeting with the Mayor and City Councilors to address police brutality concerns.
2) The agenda for this meeting would be to identify 3 measurable goals toward solving police brutality concerns and to select a committee of no more than 13 volunteers from the original 65 citizens (one person from each ward).
3) This citizen committee should identify their mission and put forward a vision.
4) A trained facilitator would work with the committee and the City Council to identify the measures of the three goals which the city would then be charged to implement.
5) Progress is assessed quarterly, and new goals are identified annually.
6) The model is repeated in every U.S. community that wants to see changes made to policing (or any other city activity) in good faith.
I guarantee that trust would be strengthened in all aspects of community life. This is a similar model that I have used within my community. It has the added benefits of teaching improved communication skills and training new community members for future leadership roles.
I am not a big fan of what is currently called “identity politics” which seems to be infiltrating many discussions (political or not) these days. I think the focus on marginalized people only adds to the struggle our country has to free itself from the scourge of “ism’s” that should not define people. I’ve heard it argued that it is because of our whiteness in the United States that people of color have little success in our culture. In this case the “whiteness” means that white people who hold all the privileges unconsciously exclude people of color (POC) in hiring practices and/or promotion choices and if they consciously exclude POC then this practice is biased and racist, and that without exception white people are all racist as well as the U.S. culture itself including its science and curricula.
I have also heard it said that it takes three generations to get past a traumatic experience…This makes some sense. As Erich Fromm puts it, “…something life defining and deeply intimate is over.” The child recognizes how the former generation as shaped their own experiences and how they have been charged through the stories and experiences to carry the trauma into the future. One helps to heal future generations by rising above the remnants of these past injuries. This is the very definition of the word progress. AND I believe this progress works within cultural traumas as well.
Our most recent example of a cultural trauma is 9/11. My generation bore witness to a tragic man made event which killed thousands of people on American soil on September 11, 2001. My children are growing up with the stories about the event which include stories that affected my family who were traveling by plane from Boston on that morning. Now, every time my children travel they must listen to my admonition to be safe and stay aware of their surroundings, look for exits and never let down their guard. They were in elementary school at the time of 9/11 so these stories have been transferred to them in ways that I might not totally comprehend, yet they live their lives with less attachment to this event as will their children who will hopefully not even need to experience the left-over wars against terrorism that still exist today. My grandchildren will live with the televised memorial ceremonies, but they will be far removed from the actual trauma. This progress toward healing is culturally significant and forever part of U.S. history because we must never forget in order to not repeat these actions. Experience is felt on an individual basis…My experience isn’t the same as your experience.
With identity politics the marginalized groups will never experience the progress of healing if their stories are not allowed to have generational closure. When no closure occurs, then Progressivism is allowed to rear its ugly head. Progressivism advocates social reform with goals that are politically motivated. It demands radical change in current cultural systems in order to “improve” society. The people who push for progressive methods care little for historical context. Instead, the leap forward must be made based on current thought, expert advise and/or empathetic emotion.
If we take a look at the historical context of the Emancipation Proclamation, we can learn a lot about progress vs Progressivism:
The Civil War started in 1861 because the Confederate southern slave states did not want to be part of the United States if they could not keep slavery in tact. It wasn’t until the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 that the slaves were finally freed…Many of these freed slaves fought in the Civil War against the Confederacy, and the addition of these men to the Union effort helped to win the Civil War against the Confederacy. There were many proud acts of heroism by Negro soldiers during that time.
When the Civil War ended in 1865, Congress enacted the Freedman’s Bureau and passed the Civil Rights Bill in 1866 after Lincoln’s death because the southern states which were majority Democrat began to pass their own “black codes” to hinder the progress of Negroes in their states. Congress at that time was majority Republican. Andrew Johnson (Lincoln’s Vice President and now President after Lincoln’s assassination) did not want to force reconstruction of the south because he was determined to respect states’ rights, however the Congress over-rode his veto of The Reconstruction Act of 1867 and both the 14th and 15th Amendments. For ten years Negroes enjoyed the freedoms of all free male citizens and held many state and Congressional leadership roles. During this time the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) targeted many Republicans, whites and blacks who were sympathetic to the reconstruction.
Even though great strides were being made toward civil freedoms at this time, uncontrollable events happened to cause an economic depression during 1874. The financial panic of 1873 was a result of over-expansion in industry and railroads, a drop in European demand for American farm products, and a drop off of European investment. To compound matters, the U.S. Congress (which had long held its Republican majority) was pushed to pass the Compromise of 1876 which resulted in the U.S. federal government pulling the last troops out of the South ending the Reconstruction era. After this happened the southern states reverted many Negro owned lands back to whites, enacted segregation laws and worked to disenfranchise the negro. These regressive conditions would remain in place for a century until the 1965 Civil Rights Movement.
What can we learn from these historical events? Here are my thoughts:
1) The country was divided philosophically. There were slave states where slavery was legal and “free” states where slavery was illegal. Abolition of slavery was being thought about since about 1830, one generation before the Civil War.
2) “Rights” were understood as property rights and state’s rights, therefore the Confederacy of southern states saw Lincoln’s actions as tyrannical. We should keep in mind that at this time “civil rights” were not a concept, for instance during this time women could only own inherited property and their rights were limited to state enacted laws.
3) Slaves were “property”. The Civil War happened because the southern slave states wanted their autonomy as slave states, but Lincoln and the Republican controlled Congress did not want a “divided” country.
4) The Emancipation Proclamation was finally given almost two years after the war started because the Confederacy’s strength needed to be crippled.Freed slaves signed up for the fight against the Confederacy even though they had no guarantee of a sure outcome. Their heroism needs to be recognized in our history books and with more statues since these stories and their context in history help future generations heal from the trauma of slavery.
5) The Civil Rights Bill of 1866 was the first federal law to define citizenship and affirm that all citizens are equally protected by the law without regard to race, color, or previous condition. We must remember that a law does not necessarily change hearts and minds…The southern states still had the autonomy to pass laws to curb the conduct of Negroes therefore Congress passed the 14th amendment (no state shall enact laws that abridge the privileges or immunities of U.S. citizens) and 15th amendment (the right of citizens to vote can not be abridged by the U.S. or any state on account of race, color or previous condition of servitude). Also, Congress passed the Reconstruction Act to enforce compliance by the southern states after the Civil War.
6) The Republican Congress at that time was in a struggle with President Andrew Johnson over Presidential powers…Johnson wanted to be more lenient with Reconstruction. What does his impeachment teach us about the balance of power during that time?
7) Reconstruction enforcement remained for only ten years…Economic uncertainty and politics unfortunately did not allow for the new conditions under military enforcement to remain for longer because if they had remained for at least ten more years, I believe the next generation would have been closer to healing the trauma of slavery. Instead, southern Democrat leaders began to implement “progressive” laws to deal with “improving” society in their states, and the KKK was allowed to run rampant.
8) The actions from 1830 to 1876 were progress for the anti-slavery movement and the future “civil rights” that we think of today…REMEMBER that only white men with property could vote during much of this time AND reason prevailed. “Whiteness” could not necessarily be equated to being “Racist”.
The Preamble ratified June 21, 1788:
WE THE PEOPLE of the United States of America, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America...This Preamble sets the tone for progress!
My next blog will focus on the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement and the progress that was made during that time toward civil justice.
The Shrew 