20170211 (persistence)

New order flummoxing old order

Of laws and sausages, 

Bismarck advised, it is best

Not to view their making. But 

From a mix of idleness and 

Curiosity I watched the senate

Wranglings regarding whether

Jefferson Beauregard Sessions

Should be confirmed Attorney

General of the United States.

Elizabeth Warren, Democrat,

Senior senator of Massachusetts,

Inveighed against his approval

To what appeared to be a virtually

Empty chamber. According to her

There were a long list of reasons

He should not be given the supreme

Authority for strenuously defending

The laws of our nation. His history

Of repeatedly failing to ensure the

Voting rights of numerous Black 

Americans and his often acting to

Support policies discouraging

Or limiting their franchise was

For her, the major disqualifying 

Note among many others. As she 

was reading a letter from Coretta

Scott King (which had already

Been entered into the record 

During the body’s 1986

Consideration of his suitability

For a federal judgeship), the 

Turtle-faced majority leader

From Kentucky rose to invoke

Senate rule 19 forbiding one 

Member from attributing behavior

Or intentions unbecoming a member

Of that august assemblage to 

Another member under penalty

Of denying them the floor.  

Someone (?) had once said

Knowingly, “The senate is where

Scoundrels refer to each other

As gentlemen.” Another lonely

Soul had called her on it earlier

When she quoted Ted Kennedy’s

Comments that Mr. Sessions had 

Proven himself unworthy of

The federal robes: “Mr Sessions is 

A throwback to a shameful era in

Our history . . . He is a disgrace to 

The Justice Department . . . .”

Now I guess whether one calls a 

Spade a spade directly or quotes 

Another who does the same, the

Spade, having been identified, might

Well take umbrage over his naming

Despite it’s having been made thirty

Years ago if it still applies for the

Current position. So, lest anyone

Beyond these mere few be scandalized

By such shameful, but accurate, speech

The leader, called the presiding officer

To rule on Ms. Warren’s accusations.

Which he did as expected (knowing

His cojones were tightly in the

Grasp of der leader). But Ms. Warren,

Bless her Yankee (via Oklahoma)

Heart, was having none of it,

Appealed, thereby bringing on 

Nothing less than ninety minutes

Of mind numbing procedure to 

Make the whole senate reassemble

To consider and adjudicate her 

Defiance.  This required at my

Count no less than six tedious

Callings of the one-hundred person

Roll. By the sixth not only had 

I memorized their surnames 

But could predict how they’d vote.

From my observations I concluded

The US Senate is not, as I learned

Long ago in civics class, a

Deliberative congregation where

Informed and reasonable arguments

Were widely discussed in open

Debate ultimately yielding the

Wisest policies possible. No, it

Is Kabuki theater, wherein the

Unchallengingly powerful can

Make one stupid move and ensure

His opponent the widest publicity,

Recognition, and admiration.

c. J.S.Manista, 2017

20170127 (greater love)

Native of Olympia WA, Rachel Corrie,* 1979--2003 )was inspired to put herself between 
an Israeli bulldozer (American-made) and the home of a Palestinian pharmacist and his
family as a non-violent action to stop further Israeli seizure of land in Gaza.

The Veterans for Peace in Olympia

Call themselves the Rachel Corrie

Chapter after a native twenty-three

Year old woman who was crushed

To death by an Israeli driving an

American-made bulldozer in the

Gazan city of Rafah destroying

Palestinian homes, in a seizure

Of the land for settlements. I

Was reminded of the incident

Many times as I drove up 4th

(One of two major streets through 

Olympia proper, Fourth going up

From the Sound to the east, and 

State, one block north, from the

East to the water—a circuit 

I made at least once daily) and

Passed the marquee of the theater

Where Harlequin Productions 

Was staging My Name Is Rachel 

Corrie. Drawing from Ms. Corrie’s

Considerable writings, emails home, 

Her diary, notes as an activist 

With the International Solidarity

Movement, Alan Rickman, the 

Late English actor, and Katharine

Viner, a journalist with The Guardian,

Edited her words into the play

Which opened first in London

In 2005 and since has been 

Performed all over the world,

Translated into Arabic, French,

Greek, Hebrew, Italian, and Spanish. 

I saw it Thursday night in the 

Local production directed by

Jeffrey Painter and performed by

Kira Batcheller, an actor well

Known in northwest theater,

Who, as I stated in the post play

Audience commentary, did a 

Yeoman’s job bringing ninety

Minutes of Ms. Corrie’s prose

To life as a student, an activist,

Ultimately a martyr. I’m not 

Reviewing the play. I’ve no

Credentials for that. Although 

The highest praise I could 

Conceive is buying tickets 

For everyone to see it, my 

Resources might cover only

My son and his wife. The rest

Of you will have to make do 

With my good intentions. As

We rose at its end to applaud

The lady to my left said she

Could not stay for the “seminar”

With the actor and director.

“I’m too moved right now” she

Told me, her voice quavering.

I didn’t see her as I was daubing

My eyes with my handkerchief.

c. J.S.Manista, 2017
*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2WxfcWUVEs

20170126 (method)

David Brooks, tactless and smug, was essentially right in observing that however well attended and cathartic, marches are politically ineffective for accomplishing real change

Among all the calls to resist

There are already being heard

Whispers of cooperation, as 

In Warren’s vote to approve

Ben Carson as Secretary of 

Housing and Urban Development.

Why such a giveaway?

Democrats are thinking it

Will be of no value to appear

Dead set against any and every

Proposal of Dump’s administration.

Better to give in here and be able

To lure some sympathetic

Republicans to break ranks on

Important issue like repeal of

The Affordable Care Act which

Would wreak immediate damage.

Carson will be only titular head

Of the agency and will have to

Depend on his lessers for guidance

In even the smallest matters. Right

Now who cares if he’s a complete

Mismatch for the job? Why isn’t he

Back in medicine—teaching if his

Gifted hands have grown shaky

With age? There in his field he will

Still be a beacon of accomplishment

And a role model to minority youth.

As impotent head of HUD he will 

Notably be the token in the Dump

Cabinet, a toady to a racist, an

Uncle Tom to the youngsters who

Might have once held him in high

Esteem. So what should be the 

Response of the opposition?

Complete and comprehensive

Resistance to any and all of Dump’s

Agenda? Or caving in to even the 

Worst wishes in the hope of a few

Crumbs brushed from the tables

Of the corporate controlled state?

Speaking as a former Warren donor

And supporter I have come to 

Question her judgment on this 

Tactic. I’ve seen it before when

In the negotiations for health

Care reform Obama very publicly

Trusted on Republican promises

Of reasonable cooperation only 

To encounter total defiance.

Even Romney turned on his own

Heritage Foundation model and

Called it wrong for the nation as

A whole. Whimper as you will

Liberal Democrats. Progressives

Now is not the time to close your

Eyes hoping divine intervention

Will spare you from the onslaught.

The collision will come and be worse

Than in your imagination. People will

Tire of resistance marches as they do 

Of charitable crises and appeals with

Compassion fatigue. There is only

One true way to derail the juggernaut:

Absolute and utter resistance to

Even their good wishes. Cry “These

Wishes are not good enough. Make 

Them better,” and hold out for 

What the people really want. In 

Other words follow their example 

From the last eight years. Win on

Redistricting and let your primaries

Bring on true progressives pledged

To the electorate not to the donors.

Learn from your mistakes.

c. 2016, J.S.Manista