A Choice Between Lesser Evils?

As a lifelong Democrat the assumption would be that I am going to vote for Obama in the upcoming election.  The idea of voting for him again makes me absolutely nauseous.  His presidency has been such a disappointment.  His civil rights record is an abomination.  Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act and further eroded our civil liberties.  I feel he has sold out not only the people who voted for him and at one time believed in him, but that he has sold out our country, our future as a free country.

Voting for someone who has such a terrible civil rights record is repulsive.  When I look at the Republican candidates they look and sound like a bunch of clowns and corporate lackeys.  Voting for them is voting for the 1% to take even further control of our country, and is a vote for even further erosions of civil liberties.

This leads to the thought that perhaps I will not vote at all, because the candidates are all unworthy to be our president, all are willing to erode our civil liberties, all are willing to move us in the direction of a police state.  And yet I have the feeling that falling into despair and giving up is what corporate interests who control so much of our country want me, want us as citizens, to do:

Give up.  Don't resist.  Don't vote.  It will just make it easier for us.

That is much, much too expensive.  Thinking about how to respond to my growing despair about our political, social and economic situation- I realize that I care.  It matters what each of us do.  The question now is what is the most effective way to respond to the situation, as a country, that we now find ourselves in.

"National Defense Authorization Act- Now What?"  in Forbes Online 1/2/2012:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/01/02/president-obama-signed-the-national-defense-authorization-act-now-what/

Welcome Back, Bill Moyers!

I have been watching Bill Moyers for at least a couple of decades provide political and social commentary His 1988 six part conversation with Joseph Campbell, exploring myth and spirituality, was an incredible gift to the viewership.  Now he has a new show: Moyers & Company.  It will be interesting to see what he does.

NPR online writes about Bill Moyers having a new PBS show:

http://www.npr.org/2012/01/12/145100987/bill-moyers-is-back-on-tv-and-better-than-ever

Beyond Despair

I am sure I am one of millions in the United States who is watching our political theater as we move toward a presidential election with a sense of despair.  I was hopeful when I voted for President Obama.  He has been a tremendous disappointment.  His civil rights record is an abomination.  I find that more than just being disappointed with him as a president, which is bad enough, I find I have no confidence that the "American dream" - in any good and positive sense that it ever existed- still exists, and my confidence in our democracy,our government, is rapidly approaching zero.

This truly frightens me.

If I, and others, give up, if we are overcome by despair, if we no longer vote- because it seems pointless- what becomes of our country?

I expect that most, if not all, the posts on this page will be an attempt to address how to get past such despair and move toward positive engagement and social, political change.  Welcome to my fight against despair and toward working to make our country a true democracy once again.