Circle of Life 3: The facts of life

I know you've heard
There's a new snake pimped out on the lawn
Promising the jewels on his back
Primping and preening and threatening
the kids
in the yard next door

The eggs
are trodden into the grass
the chickens butchered
The keys to the hen house
dangle from poisonous lips

Someone has to take the blame
Will it be the snakes?
Or will we listen to their lies?
Because in your heart you know
They blame others
for the things they do themselves
they accuse others of the things they do themselves

It's your farm
Do you dare collect up those snakes
within two years?
Or will you burn down the farm?
 

Dear American friends, I know you are angry and frightened and tired and outraged, but now that you appear to have walked right up to the precipice, please don't fall. There are local grass root organisations you can join that will help pass legislation to prevent voter suppression, gerrymandering and other insults to democracy. Some even call for modern systems like rank choice voting, to encourage people to vote with their principles, rather than for the lesser evil.

I say this because I believe in democracy and I believe the seeds have been sown. Reporters are being threatened with 45 years in jail for filming civil disobedience.  Habeas corpus has been thrown to the wind. And millions of people have lost their right to vote. I protested in Wellington not so long ago with my daughter and we couldn't have felt safer, so it brings me to tears to see the protestors at standing rock being treated so badly. I believe that whether you agree with them or not protestors should be able to protest peacefully.

Liberty Tree is one organisation that appears to be fighting the good fight, but if you don't like it, I'm sure there are others. Some advice on surviving autocracies is on Autocracy: Rules for Survival by Masha Gessen. I found it easier to search Rule # and get the gist of the article before tackling the whole thing. It's all a bit overwhelming, if it gets overwhelming go to Rule 6# And if that doesn't help, ring a friend or phone a help line. You are strong. You are worthwhile, and you can help. Feeling helpless is the worst of it. I know because the medical bureaucracy was happy to watch my son die, but I fought, and fought, and now at last, with the correct medication he's finally stable - but only because I WOULD NOT, COULD NOT, GIVE UP.

Dream it
Demand it
Democracy Now

With all the love in the world
A.J. Ponder

 The Circle of Life 3 is part of a series. The Circle of Life (1) and The Circle of Life 2

(An SEP is someone else's problem, but corporate power is everybody's problem)