Ship of Fools

This morning I awakened to thoughts of the happenings in this country and the world, specifically the actions of the political right in this country and the actions of the activist left in the Middle East. I wondered if the revolutions in the Middle East are successful in implementing democratic governance, would Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and friends, be facing in forty years or so internal forces that say "all this expansion and public well-being sucks, we want more of citizenry to suffer!" This is what seems to be happening in our country - at least that's how I perceive it. The people on the political right seem hell-bent to make as many Americans suffer as possible, in the name of corporate gain and a power trip.

As I thought these thoughts, I realized that I was not breathing very deeply, leading my lungs to feel kind of collapsed. So I put all thoughts out of my mind and focused on my breath. Felt good, felt alivening. From which, the name of this blog seemed to alight in my mind like a leaf carried by a breeze to land upon a rocky precipice.

Said good morning to the cats and the dog. Took care of business, went downstairs, brewed some coffee and decided that today would be the day to start my blog. It's been gestating for a couple of years it seems, and this past week I was told by two individuals who do not know each other that I "should" go into politics, or even just start a blog. So here I am.

After breathing and peeing and brewing coffee, the thoughts of the world came back to me, especially the dealings of the governor of Wisconsin and his efforts to crush collective bargaining. [I have read a bit of Upton Sinclair and I really like how collective bargaining allows for improved working conditions. It seems like a real groovy thing to me to go to work and not worry about my hand being chopped off without care or compensation.]

BUT, we can all be pretty damn certain that the governor of Wisconsin is trying to bust unions for a more insidious reason. It's because the Democratic Party is greatly supported by unions. Unions have recognized that the Democratic Party's socially liberal policies HELP workers, and so the marriage of unions and the Dems is a natural marriage. Therefore, conservatives want to kill unions as none other than a means of crippling the democratic party. This is why the Koch brothers gave money to the Wisconsin governor's campaign. They seem willing to put money above anything and everything. But, I don't want to think of them or Rush Limbaugh right now. They are three men that are so selfish and greedy and willing to crush the average Joe and Jane, they make me think of humans as the least intelligent species on Earth. When I think that there are people who listen to Limbaugh and agree with his illogical thoughts and outright lies.... well, it makes me feel like I'm on a ship of fools....(and when sailing on a ship of fools be prepared to hit an iceberg.)

The conservatives seem determined to put average Janes and Joes in positions of poverty and illness. I don't like their beliefs at all. If I were a child, I would say they are "mean," they are "greedy," and they don't play nice. And they don't. And it seems to me that in these very difficult times, the world needs more people in charge who will play nice and who might share their snack at recess when they see their classmate's mom didn't pack them a snack.

But I want to know, what is it that they say that makes outright poor people - people with little money in the bank but great adoration for this country - what is it that Limbaugh and the Tea Party and the neoCons, and all the conservatives who want to literally take away from the poor, ... what is it that they say that the poor and downtrodden of this country latch onto? Because they're not saying the truth - I've listened to them, and I KNOW they are lying to you. They do not adhere to tenants of logic. So much of what they say makes no sense in terms of it's consistency with what they've said the day before, the week before, etc. Their arguments seem driven by the desire to make money for themselves and their corporate friends, at the expense of the poor - what used to be considered the lower middle class (but there's no middle class anymore, is there?) Yet the POOR are voting for these lying greedy hacks more than anyone else it seems.


I have been trying very much to understand the viewpoints of average Janes and Joes on the political right. I want to know what appeals to them about the Limbaughs and Becks and O'Reillys of the world, because it sure as hell isn't common sense. There is an emotional factor that seems to be a huge part of the equation. I am determined to unravel it. There are others out there doing the same. Eventually we'll figure it out. In the meantime, I am determined to breathe like my life depends on it.