Everyone is talking about identity politics. Identity politics can give some a sense of belonging, a place to call home. It also can make someone look beyond themselves to see the needs of others. Identity politics enables you to join with others to get things done. We all start with a semblance of identity politics when we proclaim, we belong to a certain family or align ourselves with a religious institution. Others will identify with ethnic groups or race.

For many years I identify myself as a Freeman. We were Baptists not Methodists as the Hayes my mother’s side of the family. We were called to serve our country and God. We were encouraged to learn and receive an education. Later we were to identify as a Southerner but must never use denigrative terms about other races. We were also Baptist. So we took seriously one’s faith was between them and God. Politics and religion were not to rule over the other. And we were polite and good hosts to anyone we encountered. We were also FDR Democrats because we were always on the side of the poor and the average man. We saw ourselves as role models for our country, city, and neighborhood. This was my identity for many years.

Growing up this was a good identity. But along the way I had to broaden my identity or get stuck. I moved from being a Baptist who thought Catholics were not Christian and Episcopalians were suspect. I became ecumenical in my thinking. Later I included other faiths in my identity, my group. And even later atheists and agnostics became included in my identity. My views on sexuality and gender had to be expanded. I even grew away from viewing myself not only as an American but as a world citizen too. My world citizenship also had to grow to include other animals, plants, and ecosystems. This was my new definition of what it meant to be a world citizen. And now as the world has become smaller and we look to the universe I may have to expand to a cosmic citizenship.

And this is the rub of identity politics it makes you feel responsibility for others in your group. It makes you feel empathy and solidarity for those in your group. The problem becomes if your identity never grows. Your heart does not continue to grow. Your vision is stifled. And instead of identity politics growing you to accept the other, you become harden to those outside your group. I know that oppressed groups stick together to cope and defend themselves against the oppressor. For them identity politics is a matter of survival. And sometimes even if they wish they are not allowed to include the oppressor’s in their identity (ie, forced segregation, red districting, country clubs, private schools etc).
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But the goal of life is to expand, to grow, and where we can broaden our group identity the closer we become to who we were meant to be. At least this is what the mystics have always claimed. We are to expand ourselves to the end of the universe and thus become diffused or at one with God, the cosmos, or the One. Our identity spreads so far that we no longer speak of I but always as we. I will always have little bit of the South, Baptists, and Freeman in me. But more than likely as I grow I will only keep the parts that speak of the individual who is able to be inclusive of all.
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​The far right likes to toss the word snowflake around a lot when referring to the left. I find this humorous. Their great leader is the greatest snowflake in the history of the united states. Is there a negative comment from anyone that does not upset him and he ignored? The answer to that is no. recently one of my Trumpite friends was unfriended because someone did not like an article they posted on line. They in turn acted as though they were deeply hurt or offended. His Trumpite friends all chimed in how much of a snowflake this ex-friend was. The level of hurt amazed me. No offense to my Facebook friends but if you unfriend me you would probably get an eye roll from me and I would continue with my day. And I like to obsess on things.
 
Now this may sound like I do not like people, but the truth is I respect them enough to think they have the right to do that without my approbation and I respect myself enough to move on and not feel like my whole being was attacked.
 
Ultimately the truth is the Trumpites have already shown they do not care for people other than themselves. Why else would you vote for a New York billionaire with three marriages and a gold toilet seat to solve your problems. They wanted to do damage to people not like themselves. Now that their ‘great defender’ is in a lot of trouble and may be indicted or impeached for various crimes, they are looking to do as much harm to as many people as possible who are not like them.
Thus, they attack women’s rights with abortion restrictions. of course, they use pseudo-science to argue their case.  (Adam Rogers science 05.14.19 06:00 am 'heartbeat' bills get the science of fetal heartbeats all wrong) After all these are some of the same people who reject evolution and climate change with great sanctimony.  They claim they are about family values while separating children from their families at the border and failing to keep records so they could reunite the families. They are challenging gay rights because of their self-deluded religious beliefs. They are at arms and must hurt people they do not like and strangely its everyone not like them.  I fall in that group of people whose views they would not like. I am not saying we would not agree on some things. But there would be differences and that is okay with me.
But such vitriol must be constantly responded to. You cannot let those who are pushing views that harm your friends and yourself to not be countered. and there really is no compromising with them when they are currently blinded with fear and hate. They would deny they are hateful or fearful but the way they are currently acting decries this. If you feel you must push the right to carry a gun into a church you are fearful. If you insist for your security you must erect a huge wall at your border you are fearful. If you feel you only need a southern border wall and not a northern border wall you are hateful. If you want to make a ban on Muslims from your country, you are fearful and hateful. If you view the world as always a zero sum place it will make you fearful and hateful. The list could go on indefinitely.
When we lose our comfortability to explore other ideas or cultures it is a sign we are snowflakes. When our arguments are defending self and not our idea (i.e, I am not a racist) you are a snowflake. When you attack liberal academia but have things such as the Limbaugh institute, that playfully or not mimic academia you are probably a snowflake. When you have to disguise your bills with false science such as the heartbeat bill you are probably a snowflake. Finally (although i could give many more examples), when you are a bishop of the catholic church and tell families to not take their children to the pride march because harm might come to them, you are not necessarily a snowflake but you are a dangerous and hateful hypocrite. One can only hope your hate will melt away. When that happens hopefully the profound love of Christ will replace the hate. As Christ once said perfect love will cast out all fear.
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Jesus said,” You must win at any cost. Because you are right.” Trump the religious prophet declared in his campaign rallies,”. That we are going to win so much you are going to be sick of it.” So the faithful doing their duty overlooking everything but winning voted for Trump.

And, so long as, he helps them to win in their appointment of judges the faithful will stand with him. Because as Jesus said from the cross winning is everything. It is stupid to sacrifice or do the right thing unless you know in the end you are going to win. There should be no Good Fridays unless you are assured there is an Easter.

The gospel of prosperity where God will deliver good things to you if you are faithful is living. The gospel of sacrifice has died on the cross in America. That is why we are so divided as a nation. If you are about winning everyone is viewed as an opponent. The idea of community is only with those who are on your side or can help you win. The class divide is in part a return on the concept that you only befriend those who can help you.

Winning, actually, is not the most important thing. Standing up for right, community, compromising so that progress can be made, learning, are some of the things that are more important. The biblical verse what does it matter if you ‘win’ the whole world but lose your soul’ and Miguel de Unamuno the Spanish philosopher said,’ winning is such a small thing’ are getting at this.
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We have the wrong way of looking at winning. Maybe it is not who has the most money or things, who is the most popular, or who Is the most powerful but who is the truest to self, who builds up others, who builds community etc. defines winning and winners.
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The Trump White House feels vindicated because they knew that they did not collude. But did they really. I would suggest the novice Trump probably did not know what was the legal proof that would be required to be charged with collusion. He knew that Russia helped him win the election. He knew his staff had numerous meetings with the Russians asking for their help and even sometimes providing polls to the Russians so they would know how to influence American voters, He knew they had met with Russians asking for dirt on Hilary but he did not know if that qualified for collusion.

So the denials of meetings with Russia, the firings of personnel who were investigating him, and the obstructions began. But to win a case against the President for collusion would have required a contract or some kind of written agreement with a quid pro quo or someone who heard a verbal ‘contract’ able to document it and willing to testify about it. Mueller could find none of this.
Without any proof of collusion some believed there could be no obstruction. Now this theory of law is not necessarily true but may have made Mueller wonder if this would make it hard for convicting Trump of obstruction. This fact may have kept Mueller from making the final decision about a trial and leaving it for Congress to decide.

So to be clear Trump celebrated he did not ‘contract’ to collude but sought a foreign enemy’s help to win the election. This is like a teenage son spending his college money on partying at college instead of tuition, books, room and board. He did not technically misuse his college money it was his to spent on college. Now everyone knows his actions were wrong but he could not be accused in a court of law of misusing the money.

Trump took his Mission Accomplished victory lap. Because for Trump it is not about ethics but about winning.  But the fact is he colluded with Russia in every way except in a way that he could be convicted. This is the state of the American presidency today.

​The Trump White House feels vindicated because they knew that they did not collude. But did they really. I would suggest the novice Trump probably did not know what was the legal proof that would be required to be charged with collusion. He knew that Russia helped him win the election. He knew his staff had numerous meetings with the Russians asking for their help and even sometimes providing polls to the Russians so they would know how to influence American voters, He knew they had met with Russians asking for dirt on Hilary but he did not know if that qualified for collusion.

So the denials of meetings with Russia, the firings of personnel who were investigating him, and the obstructions began. But to win a case against the President for collusion would have required a contract or some kind of written agreement with a quid pro quo or someone who heard a verbal ‘contract’ able to document it and willing to testify about it. Mueller could find none of this.
Without any proof of collusion some believed there could be no obstruction. Now this theory of law is not necessarily true but may have made Mueller wonder if this would make it hard for convicting Trump of obstruction. This fact may have kept Mueller from making the final decision about a trial and leaving it for Congress to decide.

So to be clear Trump celebrated he did not ‘contract’ to collude but sought a foreign enemy’s help to win the election. This is like a teenage son spending his college money on partying at college instead of tuition, books, room and board. He did not technically misuse his college money it was his to spent on college. Now everyone knows his actions were wrong but he could not be accused in a court of law of misusing the money.
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Trump took his Mission Accomplished victory lap. Because for Trump it is not about ethics but about winning.  But the fact is he colluded with Russia in every way except in a way that he could be convicted. This is the state of the American presidency today.

America has always touted itself as a classless society. Yet we have never been without a class system. Although we rebelled against England, its mark was imprinted in the mind of the American people. They have a House for the Lords and another for the Commons. And to this day they support kings and queens. Yes, the king and queen no longer have direct political power but they are representative of the government. They are given a salary based on to who they were born.

The US constitution allowed only men with land to vote. We allowed only men to own property. So we have never been a society without class. At times we have tried to limit the advantages of class but we have never succeeded in destroying our class system. And some say (which I tend to believe) you can never rid society of a class system completely. That is why in a democracy we should always even the playing field.

In America today, the class system has never been so strong. The median net worth of a senator was $3.2 million, versus $900,000 for members of Congress. Supreme Court Justices come from two ivy league colleges Harvard and Yale. The only exception started at Harvard and later transfer to Columbia Ruth Bader Ginsberg. These are not facts of a society that Is leveling the field.

Furthermore, we have created laws not to tax the rich. During one of our economies biggest boom years under the presidency of Eisenhower we tax the wealthy, from 1953 to 1961, in the top income bracket a marginal tax rate of 91 percent. Taxes on corporate profits were two times as great as they are in 2017.

Despite all evidence to the contrary we have been convinced that to tax the wealthy will lead to an economic downturn. We have forsook an inheritance tax because you could only pass eleven million dollars to a couple before their inheritance would be taxed. Although this effected only 0.2 percent of the population a great many in our society opposed an inheritance tax.

I find it hard to believe that billionaires are acceptable in a country with so much poverty. Yes maybe if everyone’s basic needs were met maybe I could wrap my mind around a single person having so much more than others. But we have one of the weakest social support networks in the first world.

A recent study showed “The probability of ending where you start has gone up, and the probability of moving up from where you start has gone down,” For instance, the chance that someone starting in the bottom 10 percent would move above the 40th percentile decreased by 16 percent. The chance that someone starting in the middle of the earnings distribution would reach one of the top two earnings deciles decreased by 20 percent. Yet people who started in the seventh decile are 12 percent more likely to end up in the fifth or sixth decile—a drop in earnings—than they used to be.

I do not believe that everyone should be paid the same or close to the same. Some people are willing to go to more schooling, others are willing to take greater risk, others fill needed niches, some work harder, and some have more talent and all of these deserve more pay than others. But to have an unlimited amount of difference in financial return between the average working man and the CEO is hard to accept. That we allow this inequality is saying we believe in a class system.

Neither do I believe in a class system reinforced by inherited money. There is no way that a Paris Hilton deserves so much more than any other child. Every child should be born with if not an inheritance a promise of an education, healthcare, food, housing, and access to technology to keep up with others. This is the least we could do. Thorstein Veblen in his famous book ‘The Theory of Leisure Class’ Proposes that we need the wealthy’s ‘conspicuous leisure’ to keep the economy running. Many never understood that he was writing satire. We know today it is the poor and middle classes who will spend the money attained by tax relief or government funding. They have so many financial needs they will not be able to save as happens when the very wealthy are given extra cash.

‘The Republicans in the new tax cut for the wealthy used the flaw rationale that the wealthy given more money will re-invest in the economy. What we have found so far is this is not so. Tracking by Americans for Tax Fairness shows that only about 400 out of America’s 5.9 million employers have announced any wage increases or one-time bonuses related to the tax cuts. ​That’s about 0.007 percent. In fact, real wages have actually declined since last year after accounting for higher gas prices, prescription drug prices, and other rising costs.’ (Research & Commentary August 22, 2018 by Kayla Kitson at Inequality.org)
​The satire of Veblen of the need of conspicuous spending and leisure of the wealthy has become with a twist the economic theory of the day. Hopefully, one day we will have an economy more biblically based where the poor are taken care of, Jubilee Years are practiced, and loans with interest are forbidden.

I hate suffering. In C S Lewis’s book The Problem of Pain he lays out the traditional view of suffering. We feel pain to teach us lessons from god. And this can be a partial reason for some suffering. If we did not feel emotional pain when we treated someone badly we would be more likely to repeat the action. The same with physical pain. If we feel pain when we touch a hot stove we will be less likely to repeat the action. So, pain does afford us the most rudimentary learnings in life.

 Of course, Lewis’s other book on suffering which was written not from and academic mindset but from his personal lost of his great love to cancer was a bit different. It is called A Grief Observed and can be heart wrenching as he tries to reconcile some sense in his grief and her suffering from cancer with a God who boasts how much She loves us.

In the end there is pain or things that happen to us that are not brought on by Karma. To challenge another religion’s premise. When working with people who were impacted with AIDS in the early days of the epidemic the karmic scales of a former lives had to be tilted. Nothing they did deserved the misery of dying young, with unfathomable suffering, ostracized, and alone.

Others will argue that suffering is an illusion. All I have to say to them ‘Suffer Much” and ‘be careful of your Karma’. Some will say most suffering is brought upon humans against humans. But that is only redirecting the blame from God to humans (of course that gives us humans more power over it). Most people suffering of starvation are not asking was this brought on by god’s indifference or human unwillingness to distribute the world food supply equitable. They only want food for themselves and their children.

The final explanation of evil is it is a part of this life. We cannot avoid it. So instead of acting as Job’s accusers standing opposite of Job to please our philosophies of evil let us hold a hand. Let us relieve as much pain as we can and then let us be present for the sufferer. 
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So, to get back to what matters. My suffering. My suffering is so great it will be written in the annals of history. I will become known as the Great Sufferer replacing Jesus on the pantheon of sufferers (the former is a brilliant attempt to psychologically manipulate God to make me suffer less). I can hear my fellow cancer survivors say, “Now wait a minute has he only finished week one of treatment. Why he is a child in suffering. I am afraid he is in for an unpleasant surprise before it is all over.” And I say to that enough about your suffering let us get back to mine. Which in case you have not heard is great.
 
 
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Walls usually are not built for good reasons. They are built because you fear the people on the other side as in the Great Wall, they are built because you do not like the people on the other side as in the Berlin Wall, and they are built to keep people from sharing the wealth of a country with each other as in Wall Street. Trump’s famous border wall includes all three of these reasons.

The Republican’s say they are in fear of the people on the other side of the border. They are murderers and rapists. They will take our jobs. Terrorists will cross the border. The list goes on; spend a week listening to the right wing talk about why we need a wall and you will be convinced they are at least in verbiage terrified of the people below the border.

They also do not like the people below the border. They express a fear that they will move into our country and influence the way we live and whom we elect. And why is this bad. Because they do not share our same values. They will bring their socialist ideals with them. They will speak their language. They are a dirty people. They are lazy and take siestas and so forth. Now Republicans will proudly announce we do accept some things Latino. Food is okay for them to share with us (Although right wing pundit Tucker Carlson will steal their tacos as his own white man’s food) and we will borrow their Cinco de Mayo holidays. We are not racists.  But all that other stuff they bring to the table is just wrong and not right for America.

I feel sorry for anyone who fears as much as the Republicans. They know this fear makes them a little less manly. Some suspect this is why they hold onto their guns. Not because they want to protect themselves but they need to prop their manliness up (there is only so much Viagra can do). Of course fear goes against their Christianity. I believe it was some one named Jesus that said, “Perfect love casts out fear.” But I guess if you do not like a group of people it is hard to have perfect love and that would of course explain the fear.

But the foundational reason for the border wall is Wall Street. We want cheap labor to help keep our food prices down. We want cheap labor to hire to clean after us in our hotels. Trump has consistently staffed his hotels with people with green cards. This is the American way. We made fortunes through the use of slavery, the exploitation of Chinese, children, and so forth. Now we have amended our ways but the control of the labor force has been key to the accumulation of wealth in this country. So the more we can prevent people who we know will work in this country from establishing their citizenship the more we can control their labor. So in the end it is Wall Street or big business that wants the wall. It is about controlling the labor force that exist here in the Dreamers and the migrant workers who cross the border.

Trump’s wall is for big business to make more money not control of the border. But he has made the Wall about the poor and not the wealthy. This sleight of hand seemingly rest undiscover as of yet. Maybe one day beyond fear and prejudice we will discover this.
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Satan of all people is making a comeback. His name has been in the news for upping the murder rate in Opp a city of over 600 from 2 to 5. To quote the police department THIS IS HAPPENING BECAUSE WE HAVE TURNED AWAY FROM GOD AND EMBRACED SATAN. WE MAY HAVE NOT MEANT TO DO SO BUT, WE HAVE. IT IS TIME TO ASK FOR GOD’S HELP TO STOP THIS. In Midway, Arkansas a flame burst forth out of the ground. The immediate suspicion was Satan. In Salt Lake City a man was taken into custody after he rammed a school bus with his pickup truck and forced another driver to take him to the Latter Day Saints’ temple in American Fork — because “Satan” was “chasing him.” Even the military is not immune to Satan. Captain Sonny Hernandez, the Air Force Reserve chaplain whose September 12 article on barbwire.com publicly proclaimed that Christians in the military who support the constitutional rights of service members to practice other religions “serve Satan.” Then of course news from the Vatican cites Pope Francis is blaming the devil for undermining the Roman Catholic Church. He asked people Sunday at St. Peter’s Square to pray daily to Michael the archangel to “counter the attacks from the devil who wants to divide the Church.”

All of this makes sense as the strong men of the world make an effort to reclaim their rightful power. Putin, Trump, Kim Jung-Un, and others. These are leaders who are destroying world peace and some are killing their own people. They are responsible for crossing borders and closing borders. They care not for international or moral law in their quest for power. So when we see so much evil presented by these men it is no wonder that the personification of evil is making a comeback.

The rise of Satan is not good though. It means the strongmen are feeling comfortable doing their horrific misdeeds in public. The social norm guardrails are down. Trump can separate children from parents at the border. Putin can openly plan the invasion of Ukraine. Kim Jung-Un can continue his nuclear stockpiling in plain sight.

Satan for other leaders becomes the scapegoat for all the abuse they perform. It is not a paternalistic institution that abuses the children in the Catholic Church or women in the halls of power. It is, could it be ‘Satan’ says the church lady from Saturday Night Live. It is not racism that leaves Puerto Rico in ruins after a hurricane, it is islands are hard to get to. Or maybe we should say as Flip Wilson said on Laugh In ‘The Devil made me Do It.’

The normalization of all the isms are upon us and we are not racists, sexists, homophobes. And do not play those cards when you try to challenge us. Then what is causing our horrible deeds and attitudes? Why of course it is not us but the Lucifer.

So Lucifer welcome back my old friend but for the world’s sake I hope you are not planning to stay too long but will be traveling somewhere else soon.
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Can one pursue happiness without good healthcare, housing, access to food, education and adequate income? The Declaration of Independence said that at least three things were our inalienable rights as humans life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The pursuit of happiness is not guaranteed but it is implied the government should not keep you from them and assist them as necessary. We live in the wealthiest country in the world and yet have some of the fewest services for these things. We are the wealthiest country but we rate number 18 in the world in happiness.

We know from studies the necessary things we need for happiness. The first is a secure income that provides for what our needs for the what are consider needs in the modern society. The second is the ability to have a few things that are wants and not needs. With these two things in hand what else we may obtain it will not make us any happier. There is a limit to what happiness money and things can bring.

So Americans that insist they need to cling to more and more money and this is what the social contract of our country demands are wrong. More and more does not help in the pursuit of happiness. Some of course will say it impinges on my Liberty to be taxed to help others. Again studies disagree with this. One of the things that help with feeling good is giving to the community and helping others. Now there may be some aberrant to this but not only scientific studies but all the major religions say this is the way to live a fulfilled life.  

For some reason instead of being proud and happy with what we can give to help the welfare of our country through taxes we are angry. Some say the government is too big and I do not want to give it more money to grow. Of course this is a one-sided coin argument. How big should the government be. The right answer would have to be something like this: the right government size is the size that allows the government to protect its citizens and provide for the common welfare. Even if you disagree with this definition this is more correct than bluntly saying, “government is too big” Ultimately government should be the people’s creation and they decide how big and what services the government provides.

But if one thought what programs should the government provide to help people in their pursuit of happiness. Would the programs be education, parks, arts, aid to insure a secure old age, help during extreme sickness, food security, and unemployment to name a few? It is peculiar that all these programs are the ones targeted by the government is too big crowd. Yet all these programs help in securing happiness among our citizens.

And contrary to some on the far-right others having these benefits does not affect your liberty. Unless you wish to have the liberty to be cold-hearted. Liberty here is primarily about not being put in prison, free speech, class mobility, travel mobility and the right to representation of your views in the decision-making bodies of your government. If liberty about taxes was meant it was not from taxes but that famous phrase no taxation without representation.

So it is time we change our views about taxation from what a horrible thing taxes are but instead are we obtaining the services from our government that help us in the pursuit of happiness, liberty, and life. And as our government provides this we should be happy and acknowledge our satisfaction with words of appreciation. I am proud of our park services that preserve the lands and allows us to have a place to experience and explore nature. I am glad to contribute so that our elders can live their lives without poverty and appropriate healthcare. The list could go on to appreciate libraries, bridges, roads and our military and police. 

So let us form a government that makes happiness more accessible to all and not a few who have had  good fortune, connections, and health. This would be how we continue the dream of creating a more perfect union.
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