Call to Action: June 10th

Call to Action:  Attention Radicals!  Attention Peace Activists!  Attention to all who value acceptance, diversity, and religious freedom for ALL, not just Christians!  You are needed to come to the defense of our communities.

The known hate-group ACT for America is holding a nationwide day of action on June 10^th.  Here in Southern California they will be protesting in San Bernardino and Oceanside.  Along with other White Nationalists like the Proud Boys and other racists and NeoNazis, they will be out in force in our communities, preying on vulnerable, marginalized groups, in an attempt to spread fear and hatred, all in the name of defending us from the spectre of “Sharia Law.”  They are choosing, as their rallying point, the Memorial to the Victims of the December 2nd terrorist attack, an attempt to twist the sympathies of the people.  Such exploitation of this tragedy is an insult to the memory of those lost, and to the pain of their loved ones left behind.  

This is also a false threat.  Sharia is irrelevant to America, as the Supreme Court is still the law of the Land, and there is no sign of threat to this.  As such, this gathering represents nothing but a threat to inclusivity and diversity in our communities.  We will not tolerate it.  They will claim “free speech” as a defense for their hate, but their methods show no concern for the free speech of others.  This is an attempt to oppress the free religious expression of Non-Christians, to silence and target minorities, and it defies the values this nation was founded upon.

This land has always been home to a multitude of peoples, dating back before the Mayflower, when native tribes worshipped in a multitude of different ways, and had a panoply of different cultures.  When the Pilgrims arrived they were fleeing Religious persecution.  They came seeking freedom.  The Declaration of Independence was written and dedicated to the proposition that “All men are Created Equal.” The founders of this nation built it to break free of the Tyranny of monarchy, and throughout our history, we have sought to fulfill the premise of our society; freedom, equality, and the pursuit of happiness. 

For all our myths of American Exceptionalism, for all our assertions that this land is the greatest in the world, we have a dark history of stubborn oppression; but equally do we have a history of fighting against that oppression.  Every generation has had its struggle against oppression.  It was an American value to seek Abolition, and to bring an end to slavery.  It was an American value to give the vote to women.  It was an American value to seek an end to child labor, and to the horrific working conditions in factories and mines.  It was an American value to fight for civil rights in the 60s, and for Women’s liberation.  It was an American value to seek an end to discrimination against Gays and Trans people.  It is an American value to seek the freedom of Muslims to worship according to their first amendment rights, unhindered by a militia of ignorant bullies. 

We do not oppose the March against Sharia because of Islam or “want Sharia Law.”  We do not oppose them because we feel it is our “job” to protect Muslims.  We harbor no illusions that we speak for any group.  We ourselves are not a group or organization.  We are simply a gathering of concerned residents, who will not sit by while members of our communities are bullied.  We who gather on June 10^th do so because we feel called by personal moral duty, to stand up to hate.  History has seen what can happen when good people are complacent; and do not take action.  We represent no one but ourselves, but we will not stand by while our communities are threatened.  We are individuals, and we rally together for our own reasons, but we are united by the fellowship of our common purpose.

We hope you will join us.  

The Threat of Capitalism

Socialists and Communists have been predicting the end of Capitalism since Marx wrote the Communist Manifesto in 1848, which put the system into its historical context, and projected an ultimate uprising by its primary victims; the working class known in Marxist parlance as the "proletariat."  Thus far their predictions have had the same accuracy as apocalyptic prophecies announcing the end of the world, which is to say, one big zero.  There have been a handful of socialist uprisings of various degrees of success, but none have succeeding in doing away with capitalism on a global scale.  This has led many to conclude that Socialism simply "doesn't work" and that Capitalism is, in fact, the best possible system. 

Therefore, the Left and the Right, here in America, both seem to have accepted Capitalism almost as a law of nature.  It is a given.  The only question remaining then, the only tension, is whether to approach it with a laissez faire attitude that, though there will be a few hiccups, if you just trust in the system, the market will work in the best interests of the people as a whole; or the regulatory approach which holds that capitalism needs to be curbed, given limits, to manage inequality, to provide safety nets that ensure that huge numbers aren't killed and exploited too badly in the process of the market working itself out. Even if we look at the animosity between the progressive "Berniecrats" in the Democratic Party, and the establishment ideology embodied by Nancy Pelosi, the Clintons, Cory Booker, and Diane Feinstein, the difference is primarily not one of quality but of degree.  They want corporations to start paying their fair share of taxes by closing loopholes or, if they're really far left, using progressive taxation to recoup some of the value theft stolen from the workers by the capitalist system, and giving it back to the people in the form of tax-funded social programs.  This generally amounts to looking at Marx's critique of capitalism, and trying piecemeal to account for the worst of it, and smooth out the defects in the system.  But it is outside the bounds of political acceptability to discuss REPLACING capitalism. 

I understand; it would be a massive undertaking.  It would require a paradigm shift across the board, and would be a commitment to a period of instability for the transition period.  Capitalism colors our thinking, the way we structure our relationships, our life decisions, our friendships, our purchases, our tastes.  Switching to a new system would require, not only changing how we do business and how we govern, but how we think.  It would entail a new value system and a new cultural mythos.  Just thinking about it is daunting.  The obstacles might even seem insurmountable.  Why should we go to all that trouble when there is no guarantee that whatever we come up with will even be any better than what we have now?  It will almost certainly be worse for some people, no matter what it is, and no one wants to be that person.  So why should we take this colossal risk, and upset our whole way of life?  Because it is necessary.

Predictions of the end of capitalism have always failed, but this does not prove that capitalism is eternal, or the best system out there.  These predictions have largely depended on the idea that such a collapse (and subsequent rise of socialism or communism) was inevitable.  Marx, Luxemburg, and others believe that the transition to socialism was established in the course of history, as an unavoidable direct progression.  This is a mistake of hindsight.  Life is unpredictable.  Without the Black Death wiping out 1/3 of Europe's population, serfdom might have continued indefinitely.  Without the Medici family creating a banking empire, that enabled the growth of private wealth; had Columbus sunk while crossing the Atlantic and never introduced Europe at large to the vast resources and markets of the New World, feudalism might have been replaced by something altogether different than capitalism, and we would never have had this conversation.  It was never inevitable that we end up with this system at all, but now we have it.  It is not inevitable, that we do away with it, but now we have to.  This need is not mandated by some historical progression or convenient narrative, but by the present needs of humanity.

We have ravaged our ecosystem.  The endless pursuit of ever greater profits has led to mass deforestation, to the pollution of our air and water, and to the extinction of a plethora of species.  Our need for bulk quantities of food has led to homogenization of seeds, which are patented and must be bought.  This reduces diversity, and makes us ultimately more susceptible to disasters and major food shortages should there be a blight that effects the kinds of crops we grow.  Diversity in plant and animal life also supports a number of other chains, and the removal of these species throws whole food webs into disarray.  Between our beef industry, keeping miles and miles of cows, and our oil industry, pumping tons of carbon into our atmosphere, our global climate is getting hotter.  97% of climate scientists agree that we are doing this to ourselves.  This is not just about having warmer weather.  Climate change causes wider temperature fluctuation and anomalies.  We will soon be see 30 degree temperature anomalies causing massive deaths of people and crops; and with the widespread crop loss, we will start to see worldwide famine take the result of millions (perhaps a billion or more) lives.  Stephen Hawking says that we need to have populated another planet within 100 years if we are to survive, and gives us (factoring in climate disasters, the threat of nuclear war, AI, and so forth)  1000 years at most on Earth.

So why does that necessitate an end of Capitalism?  Can't we just, you know, regulate the industries that are causing the problem?  Maybe.  But that's a fraught road.  It sets us up to fail at any of a hundred places.  Remember, everyone uses cars, trucks and so forth, that run on fossil fuels.  All the corporations are going to keep using that as long as it's cheaper than overhauling the entire system all at once.  It's hard to switch quickly under those circumstances, and we're running out of time.  Meanwhile, we while there is money to be made selling beef, its going to be difficult to convince cattle farmers to stop herding cows.  And these are only a few industries to think about.  We also have to stop coal, AND establish new industries to pick up the slack.  We have to convince every car company to switch entirely to 0 emissions vehicles.  And keep in mind that we still have all these gasoline cars lying around.  What do we do with THEM?  How to we make sure they don't go on polluting?  And factories all over the world making all kinds of products pump out carbon emissions day in and day out.  And just look how tenuous our regulations have proven, now that Trump is pulling the US out of the Paris Accord, and rolling back regulations left and right.  That's the problem with regulations; they are always subject to deregulation.  To go about it this is the path of Sisyphus.  At any point that boulder might roll right back down the hill.

That's the problem with working within the current system.  Any changes we might make will be too small to be effective and too vulnerable to count on.  Desperate times call for desperate measures.  If we are to make the necessary changes, we will need to go big.  We need to shoot for the moon.  We MUST attempt more than we think we are capable of.  We MUST try to build a new world; not just tinker with this one.  Private profits will always get in the way.  Private profits are destroying this planet; and private profits are ensuring that we don't do anything real about it.  Private profits are making sure we don't have adequate healthcare, and private profits are bribing our politicians to defend the status quo.  Private profits are poisoning our rivers and streams, and private profits are taking water that is ours so they can sell it back to us.  Private profits are turning our world into a wasteland for us, while the rich who ruined it get to retreat to their private islands and country clubs.  Private profits are what allows them go on burning down the world, as long as it lasts just long enough for them to live out their lives in luxury.

Capitalism must go.  Not because IT needs to, but because WE need it to. 

Solar Power and Energy Independence

I have had many conversations with those close to me about sustainable energy, and why Big Oil, Edison, and other major energy producers are so stubbornly opposed to the transition to more sustainable energy sources like Solar power.  The argument I often hear is "wouldn't they make MORE money?"  Or else "The oil will run out.  Investment in Solar is an investment in THEIR OWN future." We can also point to arguments made on both sides of the climate change debate.  However, it is my assessment that the reality of climate change and even money come secondary to the true purpose behind the continued reliance on coal and fossil fuels.  The ultimate reason for the resistance to solar energy is not to make objectively higher profits, it is to control the market for energy.

Examine what has already happened with solar energy: those who have invested the funds into making their homes fully integrate solar energy, with modern panels, tend to have their energy bills drastically slashed, or even nonexistent.  At the far end of the spectrum, some users even gain some monthly INCOME from surplus energy produced by their solar systems.  This has made it increasingly plausible for people to live "off the grid" and thereby to weaken the stranglehold that Edison has over the electrical needs of the people.  In some states, like Florida legal hurdles are being put up to prevent people from living off the grid.  This is primarily a matter of energy independence, not of the nation, but of individuals.  The more people who can supply their own power, the less energy companies like Edison remain necessary.  Ultimately, the energy companies will be rendered redundant, and collapse.  Therefore they fight to protect their monopoly on power, by lobbying the government to restrict access.

Big Oil is similarly invested in preventing Solar Energy from taking hold.  The burgeoning solar industry threatens Big Oil's longevity.  Since there is such potential for people to acquire surplus energy, this creates an incentive towards the predominance of electric cars over those run on gasoline.  If solar panels continue to be made more efficient, each home could be able to supply enough power to consistently charge a car, effectively for free, making Big Oil similarly redundant.

The transition of such companies from the oil industry, or even from the traditional forms of electricity into solar companies would only be a stopgap measure.   For a good long while, there will be a market for solar energy as people become energy independent one by one.  The technology will inevitably become cheaper and more efficient to produce and install, making it more commercially available even for lower income families.  Ultimately, it will reach the point where Solar is simply cheaper and better than paying the energy company, and the return on investment will come sooner and to a greater degree.  The rate of homeowners switching to solar will increase exponentially.  There will come a point at which there is too much independent energy, let's call it "Energy Critical Mass."  When we reach this Energy Critical Mass, there is no longer any social need for an energy company.  It serves no purpose.  Neighborhoods will at this point produce so much energy that charging money for it becomes an utter absurdity.  With this advent comes the complete energy independence, not only of the nation from foreign oil reserves, but indeed of most individuals from energy companies altogether. 

This form of economic and energy independence of the average citizen will be a tremendous democratizing force.  It will eventually level the playing field in a significant way.  When those living in poverty, or on the edge of it, are freed from their bondage to monthly utilities bills and gas expenditures, they will achieve unprecedented freedoms, in terms of freedom of movement and self-reliance.  They will be able to freely relocate to where their skills are most valued, shifting the balance of bargaining power in the employer/employee dynamic in favor of the worker, weakening the hold bosses can have over those working under them.  Employers who offer lower wages or fail to offer benefits will risk losing their workers, whose poverty once forced them to accept what work they could get where they were, not only to locally competitive rivals, but to rivals at great distance as well.  They will ultimately have no recourse but to adequately and humanely see to the wellbeing of their workers.  Capitalism will be required to adopt a conscience or die. 

It is my belief that this in inevitable.  Government action on behalf of electric or Big Oil lobbies, the restriction and holding back of research and development regarding solar energy can only forestall this eventuality.  They can hold it off for a time, perhaps even a very long time, but sooner or later it MUST come to pass that the people at large will be freed from the yoke of their masters.  As they gain one freedom they will demand another, until all chains have been broken.  It is only a question of when?

Vote Love

I came across this wonderful video today, and simply had to share.  I got to the end, and just felt a deep need to watch it again.  I cried both times.  I have had a very hard week, and this message was exactly what I needed.  We all need to stand up for love, every day, every moment.

Back From Hiatus

I disappeared for a while, around the time I was moving into a new apartment.  Now I am back, and I may be spotty for a while, as things are still getting sorted out, but I am back from my hiatus, and will be back writing posts on the state of our evolution here in America very soon.

Terrorism is a lie.

Do I have your attention?  Good.  Now let me explain.

I do not mean to say that terrorism does not exist.  What I DO mean to say is that we fed a series of major distortions, lies, and misinformation on the nature, degree, and scope of the so-called "Terrorist Threat."

The numbers are staggering.  Though some of the details may be disputed, picked at, or wheedled over, we kill each other at a rate that makes the feeble efforts of extremists statistically insignificant, and gives the lie to the histrionics of the right wing war hawks seeking to embroil us further in petty endless conflicts in the middle east.

Take a look at the statistics from 2013 (since they proved relatively easy to find).  More than twice as many people were killed by toddlers in the United States than by terrorists.  It's official: babies are a bigger threat to national security than ISIL.  Why then, are our politicians and news media making such a big deal about it then?

Power.

It is all about power and control.  Ben Franklin (yes THAT Ben Franklin) is quoted saying "They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety,"  with the oft-given addendum to this being "...and will lose both."  And haven't we?  How much have we given up for this War on Terror?  How many Trillions has our government funneled into the Middle East?  How many multitudes of people are under almost constant surveillance?  How many heaps and mountains worth of data do the FBI and NSA have on all of us?

But the Republican party has doubled down so far on scapegoating Islamic Terrorism for all of our problems, or at the very least exaggerating their threat to such an extent that other issues are pegged as insignificant.  The Democrats, though not as heavily invested in the issue of Terrorism, have been complicit in allowing it to dominate.  The left has been dragged ever further to the right, to the point that the establishment will not challenge the GOP on their definition of Terrorism and its place in the political discussion. 

Now the FBI is cracking down on High School students, to take away more civil liberties, and gain even more control.   If this trend continues, and speech critical of the government will be labeled as dangerous as suspect.  Anyone who dares to speak out will be investigated or even imprisoned.  We can't allow it to happen. 

American Evolution: an Exegesis

For those who are curious; you may be many, or you may be nonexistent, in which case I am speaking into a void, I thought I'd explain in detail what I intended when I chose to title this blog "American Evolution." As is done with scripture, I chose to look at each word individually, in addition to their connection to each other.

American: This is easy.  I will be focusing on American issues.  The news I look into, respond to, and talk about is American, or at the very least affects America or Americans.

Evolution: Yes, I adhere to the theory of evolution.  If a better supported and incompatible theory supersedes this as a viable alternative, I may reconsider, but I don't consider religious texts to be hard evidence against this theory.  However, this is not solely concerned with the past and the origins of our species, but also with where we are going; how I see American culture developing, for better or worse.

Now for the two words together.

American Evolution: It is my hope to highlight, and perform my small part to advance, the evolution of America beyond the current state of today.  It is to point out the areas in need of improvement, and highlight a direction to head in, or a path to follow, as I see it.  I desire to see an evolution of consciousness in the American people.  I want to see a people who is educated, and capable of critical thinking.

We've reached a point in American society where we no longer trust our elected representatives to, well, represent us.  The prominence of political "outsiders" like Bernie Sanders (and yes, Donald Trump) are a testament to this growing zeitgeist.  Unfortunately, even amid the backdrop of this awakening to the corruption and disdain of the establishment for the desires and passions of its constituency (which I sincerely hope is a true awakening, with lasting repercussions, rather than a venting of steam into which will be spent the revolutionary fervor, allowing us to settle anew into the familiar complacency of lassitude and despondency) we as a people fall short, for even in the glimpsing of it, we lack the acumen to put that realization to good use.  This is by design.  It is also the hurdle I wish to see us surmount, and play out my little role in boosting us over.

Right now what unites American is a sense of pervasive dissatisfaction, but with what or whom, we are divided.  We have noticed that the narrative we are being fed does not make sense; we've dimly grasped that we are dreaming, but in that foggy way that does us little good.  We are trying to wake up, or at least learn to dream lucidly, but we lack the skills, and they are pumping us full of tranquilizers and anesthetics to keep us under.  It's time to pull out the morphine drip, and face reality.


It is no accident that this is but one letter away from American Revolution.  I see the process of evolution as an inherently revolutionary act.  We must change the way we see the world and interact with it.  If we do that, the status quo cannot remain intact.  Many of us, myself included, are strongly attached to the idea of America.  This attachment to the idea often causes us to don the rose-colored glasses with regards to the truth of America, and the truth is that we are not what we claim to be.  In a sense, we never have been.  Some of you may have the urge to shout epithets at the screen upon reading that, and if it were the end of the thought, I might even say you were justified; but it's not the end of the thought.  Because our history is a tangled mess of people who have been trying to be what we claim to be; and those who beat the drum louder than anyone else, while marching against the tide of history and the values that they would claim to represent.

Part of growing up is accepting the delusions an romantic misconceptions of your childhood.  Despite all of our self-righteous chest-slapping over our moral superiority, our history is filled with some of the worst atrocities in history.  Slavery, the Trail of Tears, the internment of Japanese Americans, mass incarceration, these are only a prominent few.  They need not define us, but we cannot pretend they are not a part of who we are as a nation.  They continue to shape us even now.  Racism did not end with Martin Luther King Jr.  Upton Sinclair didn't forever stop industry from mistreating its workers.  Women's suffrage did not win them equality.

The process of cultural evolution must be accompanied by a wide-spread personal evolution.  It is the responsibility of each of us to become better than we are.  It is our responsibility to pay attention and observe the world around us; our city, our state, our nation, and hold it accountable for being what we deserve it to be.