Politics

Politically, I’m very liberal — about as far left as one can go without sliding into Libertarianism.

Post-Election Day Blues

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Having a hard time this morning.

My usual optimism and hope is extremely shaky.

I keep reminding myself that several important states are still in play and that there’s still a decent (maybe even good) chance that Biden will win.

But even if he does, it’s far too close.

I keep reminding myself that many of the races are being heavily affected by gerrymandered districts, limited opportunities to vote, restrictions on when and how votes can be accepted, and other voter suppression tactics primarily concentrated in minority and Democract-leaning areas.

But even so, it’s far too close.

There are so many people in this country who are willingly voting for hate. For fear. For oppression. For racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, transphobia, and every other -ism and -phobia out there. Against science. Against compassion. Against care for others. Against their own best interests.

McConnell, who has made a career of doing nothing, has been elected for another six-year term. We don’t know if we’ll even be able to hold the Senate to an even split, let alone take control; if the Republicans keep control, then even if Biden wins, McConnell will continue to make sure that nothing of import makes it through. The confirmation of Barrett made it clear how fast things can move when allowed to proceed, even while hundreds of bills aimed at actually helping the American people sit ignored, because they were passed by a Democrat-controlled House, and so they aren’t worthy of consideration in McConnell’s eyes.

I just, on a very fundamental, moral, and ethical level, do not understand why so many are so willing to actively support harming themselves and others.

And it’s really hard to hold on to my usual hopeful nature right now.

My local indigenous history

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Reposting for this year’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day — I’ve moved since I first posted this in 2018, but not far enough for any of this to change.

According to this map, I (along with many of my Seattle-area friends) live on Duwamish tribal land, part of the Puget Sound Coast Salish tribal group (is that the right term to use?). The closest village was “sawh-WAHWH-weh-wad (‘place of whistling’). Duwamish. On Cedar River about 2 miles above present-day town of Renton. This village was occupied by the riverine Duwamish or doo-AHBSH, after doo (‘inside’) referring to (present-day) Duwamish River, Black River and Cedar River, along all of which this group resided.”

Lushootseed (which has several dialects) was the language spoken in the area.

The land was part of Cession 347, taken by the United States in the Point Elliott Treaty in 1855, ratified and proclaimed in 1859 (19KB .pdf). The signatory for the Duwamish was Chief Si’ahl, namesake of the city of Seattle. For all the land taken by this treaty, the tribes were “paid” $150k (roughly $4.3 million in today’s dollars — or roughly 1.3% of the cost of Avengers: Infinity War), distributed over nineteen years not as direct funds, but “to be applied to the use and benefit” of the tribes as directed by the government.

Despite being the first signatory tribe of the Point Elliott Treaty and having cultural history and stories dating back to the last ice age, the Duwamish Tribe is still not recognized as an indigenous nation by the United States Government.

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I feel like Republicans get together in dark, secret back rooms, stare nervously at a mirror on the wall, and giggle as they dare each other to say “Hillary Clinton” three times.

Harris v. Pence

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Watched the first hour of the VP debate (which means I turned it off before the fly landed, which I’m a little disappointed about).

On the whole, I thought Harris did well. She had actual answers for the questions, presented them solidly (even when they were answers I didn’t like, such as the repeated emphasis that Biden won’t ban fracking, at least she had them and didn’t prevaricate, dissemble, or flat-out lie), and came across as extremely competent and knowledgeable. All, of course, while constantly having to negotiate the minefield of being a woman of color, who is at all times a fraction of a hair’s width from being perceived as hysterical, or a bitch, or a “shrieking harpy”, or an “angry Black woman”, or any of the many other standards women are subjected to if they deign to exhibit behavior that is lauded in men.

Pence, on the other hand, rather surprised me in how badly he came across. I’m not sure if he ever actually answered a single question: frequently he didn’t even try to obfuscate it or do a quick pivot, but simply ignored what he’d been asked and talked about whatever he wanted to. What content there was in what he said will be celebrated by those who are in the bag for Trump/Pence, but if there were people watching who are still undecided (a concept which I honestly find rather mind boggling), they just might have noticed (hopefully, though I’m probably being overly optimistic) how empty and often outright laughably false his statements were. And then there was his constant tactic of steamrolling over both Harris and the moderator, entirely ignoring time limits. It was more controlled than Trump’s interrupting and outbursts, but no less rude, and quite likely (again, hopefully) even more of a turn-off to any women who have had years of men ignoring them and speaking over them. Given how poorly Trump’s bluster played in the first debate, I’m a little surprised that Pence took this approach tonight. They’re both playing to their base, but it doesn’t seem like a good strategy for picking up (or reclaiming) anyone outside of their base.

The moderator, unfortunately, was almost entirely ineffectual. Any future debates should be moderated not by journalists, but by a fourth grade teacher with a good decade of experience in the classroom, armed with a kill switch for the microphones (and/or a Super Soaker).

A wish for a Best-Case Scenario

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I’m so tired of this year.

Crossing my fingers for the best-case scenario: Trump is actually ill. He ends up having a case that’s serious enough to keep him isolated and unable to debate or campaign for at least the next few weeks, but not so bad that Pence assumes the Presidency (and possibly brings anti-Trump Republicans back to vote for a ticket with Pence at its head). His sycophantic followers, used to gleefully following a bellicose, bellowing bully of a god-king, have to reconcile that with reality and decide if they still support a frail, sickly man, laid low by the very thing that he told them shouldn’t be worried about and that they decried as a hoax. From his sickbed in isolation, he watches in impotent fury as his campaign crumbles, his family and advisors turn on each other as they scramble to hold on to whatever power they can, his base stays home, either unwilling to brave a virus that suddenly seems real or simply uninterested in supporting a mere mortal, anti-Trump Republicans and Republicans unwilling to vote for someone in undeniable ill health either don’t vote or vote against him, and Biden/Harris solidly and unequivocally win the election.

We’ve had a year of worst-case scenarios, of course, so the odds are against this. But I can hope.

A New American Manifesto

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A New American Manifesto:

From the People of the United States of America: From time to time in human societies, things get so bad with the governments that we set up that we have to take a step back, stop being citizens of that government and just be basic humans again, loyal only to the primary needs of humanity. This is one of those times and it’s only fair if we are going to take such a drastic step, that we first explain why. We owe everybody that.

This is good. And just in case it sounds a little familiar….

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Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Dies At 87 :

Just days before her death, as her strength waned, Ginsburg dictated this statement to her granddaughter Clara Spera: “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.”

I’m generally an optimistic sort. But my god, is 2020 making it hard to hold on to that when it keeps proving the pessimists right.

Right now, we need Democrats to act like Republicans — by which I mean they need to do absolutely everything in their power, use every trick in the book, to invoke the Merrick Garland precedent and honor Ginsburg’s dying wish