[Closed] The Great Unraveling and the Great Turning - Rebuilding a Progressive America in the Future

@mas1581

I agree with you.  It would be better for the country and the world at large if Trump quietly passes away before November 2020.  As you said, any other scenario will only result in Trump's followers taking up arms against their perceived enemies.

But then again, Trump supporters are not known for their logic.  If Trump stepped outside and got struck by lightning, they will probably spin some tory about how Obama and Hillary paid people in the White House to put extra iron in Trump's food to make him more prone to lightning or something.  :P

Speaking of Trump, it looks like his taxes case will still be heard Tuesday.  I am going to listen in and see where the judges are leaning.  However, three of them sat in on the Clinton v. Jones case, which basically said that a President was subject to the same rules that other citizens were (in that case, Clinton was trying to get temporary immunity by saying that, as President, the court could not decide on the civil lawsuit of Paula Jones until after his term was completed).  Two were appointed by a Democratic administration (Ruth Ginsburg and Stephen Beyer), and one was appointed by the Republican administration (Clarence Thomas).  Nevertheless, I can't imagine any of them voting in favor of Trump on this issue, as it would go against their judgment in the Clinton v. Jones case. 

It is harder to predict how the other six will go, as four were Republican appointees and two were Democratic appointees.  I don't trust the two judges that were appointed by Trump, and I imagine they are trying to keep from making a decision on this case and punt it back to the lower courts (which would not do Trump much good, as that means that the lower court's decision against Trump would hold).  Nevertheless, if the Supreme Court rules for Trump, they overturn hundreds of years of case law and change the fundamental balance of power between the branches of government forever. 

As an attorney, I know that judges take great comfort in established law.  It is far easier to rely on history than to overturn it, so I imagine most of them will be conservative in the matter and either rule against Trump and/or send the case back to the Supreme Court.

But what is in those tax records that Trump would go to such lengths to hide?  Does he accept bribes from Russia?  Has he paid for some of his lovers to have abortions?  His true debts to China?  The fact that he is actually much poorer than we thought?  Or something far, far more sinister?

I will be watching this case with great interest.  My hope is that if Trump feels that his tax records will be released, he may resign in a crazy attempt to render the case moot or to escape the fallout.  But I doubt it.  As you said, nothing short of death will stop Trump at this point.

@coyote You are the good Emperor. I think we all see that. And we thank you for your wisdom. 

@coyote  Thinking back on @Bluebelle's beautiful description of how we looked at the Emperor Card in class, and then her amazing visions, I realize that  both the Dalai Lama and Donald Trump have the same numerology based on their dates of birth --their birth dates add up to 22 which gives them the Emperor and the Fool. 

In class, we gazed at the Emperor card and, throwing light on the card, saw two very different versions of an Emperor .  If you are reading this post, perhaps you also can see the shift when you see the Emperor as the Dalai Lama and the Emperor as Donald Trump. You see a contrast in the two men's leadership as you gaze at the card first as one man and then as the other. 

Dalai Lama: I see his strength and his tenderness, the animals around him feel safe and he holds a symbol of power, gently but firmly, in his hands. He uses that power for good.  The natural world of mountains, trees, and animals look to be thriving around him, as he leads his followers towards respect for all beings.  

As Trump, the image changes dramatically and we see the archetype in its most degraded form. Bluebelle described it well" "the hard features and power of the president, an unyieldingness, a coldness, a lack of compassion."  Some of the students in the class saw fear in the animals, as if they had been traumatized, and the object of power in his hands looked like a bomb he was threatening to detonate. 

You can do the same with the Fool cards.  The Dalai Lama is an enlightened fool, funny, light hearted, able to easily laugh at himself, flexible, always willing to learn and try new things.  Trump, well, he is the worst kind of fool. 

@deetoo this is a beautiful comforting song.   Thank you ?? 

  So - the translation is a little off - @deetoo I hope you don't mind if I re-translate

The Prayer

(performed by Chris Mann and Katharine McPhee)

La luce che tu hai  -- the light that you have

Nel cuore resterà -- will rest in your heart

A ricordarci che  -- to remind us that

L'eterna stella sei -- you are the eternal star

 

Nella mia preghiera -- In my prayers

Quanta fede c'è -- there is so much faith

 

Sogniamo un mondo senza più violenza -- Let's dream of a world without violence

Un mondo di giustizia e di speranza -- a world of justice and hope

Ognuno dia la mano al suo vicino -- Each person holding their neighbor's hand

Simbolo di pace, e di fraternità -- symbol of peace and brotherhood

 

La forza che ci dà  -- The strength it gives us

È il desiderio che -- is the wish that

Ognuno trovi amor -- every one finds love

Intorno e dentro a sé -- surrounding and within oneself

 

È la fede che -- It is the faith that

Hai acceso in noi -- You have lit within us

Sento che ci salvera -- I feel it will save us

 I know lyricists re-write foreign language lyrics to fit the music, but these sentiments were expressed differently in the English translation, and the original is just as beautiful.

@laura-f,

I happened to see the original lyrics, which I agree are also beautiful.  I did find the two sets confusing but figured the lyrics were rewritten to fit the music.  What I posted is what I found online.  I'm not even sure who wrote the original lyrics -- Carole Bayer Sager?  Anyway, I found the music beautiful and the message very comforting for these times.

I was 12 or 13 when I wrote this. I can't remember all of it and there was 5 stanzas to it. I am not particularly religious in anyway other than believing there is a Higher Power or Powers.

But for 3 days this ran through my head, especially this first part. (Probably why I remember it best - 12 or 13 was a very lonnnnngggg time ago) ;)  

O’ Lord, I Pray

O’ Lord I Pray

You’ll hear my plea!

Please make the men

Of power see,

What their ambitions

Are doing to

Your Tree of Life.

And placing us

All into major strife.

O’ Lord I Pray

You’ll understand

Our lives are

In your hand.

I would like all of you to see this and if you want, add to it. As I can't remember the rest hopefully it allows other people to think of something nice and add to it. I hope also that it says something to others as it did to me. I believe those Higher Powers are hearing us and in some ways are working towards helping us. 

I know things will eventually be improved, though I don't know if it will be in my lifetime.

I have to say I feel the fix is in. So Orange Man got another reprieve on the unredacted Mueller report - and these are the people that are supposed to say it's okay to get his taxes? And who is going to give Congress those taxes? Steve Mnuchin? - maybe if you threaten him with prison. And what's happening with whether or not people have to obey government subpoenas? I haven't heard much about that lately. Again, how do they get them enforced?  Congress could have jailed noncompliers or held up salaries last time and didn't do it.

This business with Michael Flynn - everyone says oh, you can't do this, it's unconstitutional, you can't do that, it's against the rule of law, and yet the constitution isn't upheld and the rule of law isn't upheld every day. Now Trump is threatening to pull MSNBC's license. Oh, he can't do that. Again I ask, who is going to stop him? We need to face the fact that we're in a third world country now. One person is wielding power and feathering the nest of himself, his friends, and his relatives. And no one is stopping him.

Posted by: @suspira44

We need to face the fact that we're in a third world country now. One person is wielding power and feathering the nest of himself, his friends, and his relatives. And no one is stopping him.

Well stated, and yet I feel this conflict of telling it like it is that is so tricky for me and likely for many, especially the journalists who have dedicated themselves to exposing it.  We must not stop calling it like it is, as @suspira44 has done.  We must see what Donald Trump and the Republican Party, has done and what they are.  But we must never give in to it.  This is not a third world country.  It is a third world government.  

And that party, that rogue party that calls itself Republican, that controls this government, is going to die out.

I've heard of the possibility of Biden choosing a Republican to run with him. And while I can understand the desperation that would call for such a move, I cannot imagine voting for a ticket with a Republican on it. 

When I was at the 2014 Climate March in NYC, I saw a woman holding a sign that read, "Never, never, never, never vote Republican!"

As much as Republicans like to think it, they are not the party of Abraham Lincoln.  As much as they try to claim it with their symbols, they are not the party of the American flag.  They are a totalitarian party that the Koch Brothers have carefully shaped and funded for the last forty years.  The Koch's father made the family fortune working for Stalin and Hitler during WWII and hired a Nazi nanny to raise Charles and David.  Over the last three decades, Charles and David Koch shaped and funded the Tea Party into the rogue force it is today, all in the phony name of patriotism.

The GOP turned the truth upside-down.  Their use of the word Patriotism (as in, the Patriot Act) is really about betrayal, authored by traitors.  The word Freedom to them, a word they also use, is really about freedom for despots, freedom for Stalin, Hitler, Putin, Kim Jung Un, Xi, and the Saudi Prince. So when they use the word freedom, it means slavery.  Freedom for despots, slavery for everyone else. Republicanism has come to mean totalitarianism. It created a gaslighting double speak.  

The GOP will never live their betrayal down. That party will die out in this decade. Americans are a freedom loving people. We will not be cowed and gaslighted.  

Posted by: @jeanne-mayell

Well stated, and yet I feel this conflict of telling it like it is that is so tricky for me and likely for many, especially the journalists who have dedicated themselves to exposing it.  We must not stop calling it like it is, as @suspira44 has done.  We must see what Donald Trump and the Republican Party, has done and what they are.  But we must never give in to it.  This is not a third world country.  It is a third world government.  

Perhaps, from where I'm seeing within the tides of possibilities, the US is now at the point of no return as I cannot see the nation bounce back into the same old self. The best thing we can do at this point is to contribute to grassroot levels to the community and let it grow from there. While the possibility that it's too late to save a country, it is not too late to save the souls of the whole community. Perhaps the community itself will rebuild and grow something better for the future, even that means the US will be very unregcognisable by that point, so maybe it's for the best if we let the change happen.

But it's also important to guide the souls of the many to the right path of the future, so they won't get lost in the dark and became an anti-thesis to themselves.

@enkasongwriter

I've never seen the president getting Covid, although he's certainly been exposed recently.  That doesn't mean he won't get it, it just means I haven't picked up on it.  Months ago, I saw him being incapacitated at some point.  So did @vestralux and @Lawrence, I believe.  The thing for me is that I don't like looking at the orange one or hearing his voice.  There's so much darkness around him and he's like a wounded, dangerous, snarling animal now.  The most I can manage is listening to brief sound bites.  

Instead of looking at him, I am looking to a better future, to life beyond this presidency, to life beyond the pandemic.  To get through it, I'm taking a day at a time and focusing on gratitude.  Peace to you, friend.  Namaste.

@jeanne-mayell

That is so well said about the Republican Party, Jeanne.  Brilliant.  We are not a third world country, but a country with a third world government.  I like that.  

@suspira44

Yes, you are correct. I also doubt it will change in my lifetime. A decade from now I may or may not be here, so if it takes that long, unlikely I will see it. The majority of the media kowtow to their corporate masters in lieu of providing facts. I barely follow the news, what's the point? All of Cheetolini's dark energy rides on every news piece and is like a punch in the stomach on my end. So I avoid.

@jeanne-mayell

Excellent summary points. I didn't know about the Koch's nanny, but that makes sense. But before anyone gets excited, on of my BFFs (very wealthy, came from nothing, but now firmly part of the financial sector oligarchy), her son pals around with the Koch grandsons. I hear stories, so I have very little hope that the Koch family will either just fade away or become a family that spreads light in any way, shape or form, as opposed to the Murdoch family - some of the kids/grandkids there give me small hope that once Rupert is gone they'll pivot to a kinder gentler approach.  I saw an article the other day (sorry, forget where) that talked about how the world is still being dominated by dynasties. Despite a few hundred years of more widespread education and information dissemination, the world is still controlled by maybe 10 or 20 families. Sociopaths tend to claw their way to the top and then stay there, unless and until the plebes at the bottom rise up -violently- to overthrow them, and then the cycle starts over. I hold only a tiny hope that humanity will ever overcome this pattern completely, as we seem to be hard wired for it, and for sure not in my lifetime.

I'm going to respectfully disagree on some minor points. I know, it's just semantics. We don't have a third world government. We have third world leaders and department heads. Not all Republicans are awful, like those in power. For example- Robert Mueller to my knowledge has been a life long Republican. To me he's a hero-and his party crucified him for it. Our government is made up of career long employees of both parties. There are many FBI, CIA, IRS, DOD, et al, employees who are Dems and others who are Republicans. They are life long civil servants, committed to serving the government, not their political party. I do agree with Jeanne that the Republican party is going to fade away in the not too distant future. 

I also like to perplex those who tout they are the party of Lincoln. I typically ask why they hate libs and then profess to be the party of one of the most famous liberals in history. Most don't get the dichotomy. 

I tend to agree that the Mango Moron may be divinely placed in his current position. Not that I believe that he's there because he's effective, moral, or even a leader of any sort. He's there to expose the underbelly of our political system that has been eroding our elections and our path. Our elections have long since been the will of the people, and are the result of special interests, corporations, and the ultra rich. It's time for that to change. Not everyone will be able to see or embrace the changes coming. But coming they are. There's a biblical tale of the wheat and the tares (weeds). Someone evil threw the seeds of weeds into a farmer's freshly sown crops. What do you do, plow the whole thing under-lose all? What they chose to do was let everything grow together so the crop would not be lost. Then at harvest, the weeds would be sorted out. It meant extra work, but good still triumphed. This is what we're doing now. Growing side by side with the weeds. The good will survive the harvest and be bountiful, the and the weeds will perish. 

I know it seems very dark right now, and I haven't had much time for politics in the last several months. Someone up thread mentioned the shadows. Yes, we are in dark times right now. Just remember, that the longest shadows are produced at sunrise or sunset. The sun is getting ready to shine for those who love the light, and it's closing in on sunset for those who don't. 

Ok, putting my Pollyanna hat away for a moment of humor:

@alythari, your poetry is lovely.  How wonderful that it came to you at such a young age, and that so  much of the poem remained with you!  It's comforting during these trying times.  Thank you for sharing it with us.

Everyone thank you for your remarks, all of which I know are true. It's just so discouraging, and the pandemic (and our lousy weather) hasn't helped the situation! I haven't been watching the news but I have sort of been following the pandemic. I pick up a lot of disturbing news by osmosis, I guess. I got riled up because a high school friend of mine is an FB friend and one of her friends got on her page and actually had the nerve to call Democrats hypocrites because they're not investigating Biden. From the crowd who brought you grab 'em by the you know what. I blocked him because I can't see that stuff on my page. I wrote my high school friend a note and I said, I don't know how you can tolerate anyone like that. I am sick and tired of people telling me we have to see the other person's point of view and sing kumbaya around a campfire. It's one thing to be a Republican and a conservative and antiabortion or whatever. Okay - it's another thing to support Trump. Why should I agree to disagree with a person who hates immigrants and blacks and every other color, doesn't consider caged children as people, who insist there's no pandemic, who think it's okay to imitate a person with a disability - I have nothing in common with these people. And these people truly believe that it is socialism that leads you into slavery - I've seen what they say. They're terrified they're going to lose "all their rights." I'm supposed to say okay, honey, that's your view. I still love you. I'm not going to do it. And I have nothing in common with someone who says, well, my 401K is doing well (which I'm sure no one is saying at present). I admire people who can just smile and put a heart after a post and say I still love you. Not going to happen.

@jeanne-mayell

Oh dear Oh my !!! I am also a  birth date that adds up to 22 in Numerology which breaks down to a 4 Life Path. I do not know why but it horrifies me to have ANYTHING in common with the Orange Foolius. The Dalai Lama? I resonate with especially when it comes to animals as that has been my chosen profession to earn a living caring for them. More and more today it is being revealed in the media that those around Trump and Pence are testing positive.. and.. as many know.. the West Wing is an old,small and poorly ventilated portion of the White House. Valets,Press Secretary,Secret Service members... it seems inevitable given the airborne spread that it is only a matter of time until they ARE positive for the Covid-19 virus. The difference being? Their access to cutting edge medical care regarding it. I do feel a Karmic resonance in these circumstances. Whether any of them succumb or not ..they will gain a healthy new respect that the virus is no respecter of persons ..perhaps this is where the vision of Ivanka and other family members fleeing kicks in. We do indeed "live in interesting times".

@goldstone. I too have seen visions that this country will walk away from the feds and regroup in state and local government and then return to rebuild the federal government.  But only in my lower weaker condition have I said it is all over and I would like right now to take back those comments.   I pray to stay strong and help win this.  The fact is that the majority of Americans dislike Donald Trump, and the majority of Americans are democrats.  

People are waking up.  Covid is waking them up. The worst unemployment since the Great Depression is waking them up. A mortality count zooming past the Vietnam War which saw 50,000 deaths is waking people up.  The fact that his party continues to support a sick loser,  the worst president in all of U.S. history, will bring him down along with that rogue party.

When we give up we are slapping a pie in the face of many true and courageous patriots like Ruth Bader Ginsberg who has kept herself vital and alive to protect this Constitution. We are giving up on journalists who bust themselves for low pay and at risk to their lives and security; on thousands of volunteers who are canvassing, writing postcards to get people back on the registration rolls that the GOP has thrown out. We are giving up on low paid lawyers who devote themselves to suing on behalf of the disenfranchised. And we are giving up on thousands who already died for the Constitution.

Please don't give up. Life has been tough for you, I know, and for many of us, but I pray you are can push the hope.  Donald Trump is on the downward slide.  People have had enough. He's flailing.  We can win this.

@cindy You can disagree with me any time. Your points are good and I embrace them. It takes a village, to get it right. Still not going to vote Republican.