I burn a lot of energy attempting to understand my fellow Americans. I consider the context of their lives and try to empathize as best I can. Yet, there are days when I think, “What’s the matter with us?” A perfect example is President Biden’s drop in his job approval ratings.
I thought we Americans, after 4+ years of ineptitude and lunacy, would appreciate a new President who makes his decisions on evidence-based facts and seeks advice from experienced experts.
To be clear, Biden is not perfect. He’s human. I understand that. I have several bones to pick with him, such as declaring a Climate Emergency and using the powers that come with it to expedite our responses to our dire situation. Time has run out for business as usual.
However, I am not a single issue voter. I take into account the complexity of Biden’s responsibilities. Considering where we’ve been, I think he’s doing the best he can. Lest we forget, he has the hardest job in the world and he’s been at it for less than 9 months. Regarding all he has accomplished, some credit is due.
At last we have a seasoned leader who is able to make decisions for the good of the country, knowing full well that his personal popularity will suffer. Yet, he is still willing to take the hit. Biden takes responsibility for his actions. No scapegoating at the expense of the most vulnerable Americans. No attempting to gain political power at the expense of our democracy.
Consider what Biden’s got to deal with. Each issue would have, in a time of sanity, taken the air out of a room. But he’s juggling at least 10 that I can think of.
Ending the 20 Year Afghanistan War
Defending Democracy
Education
Climate Change
COVID
Economy
Racial Equity
Health Care
Immigration
Restoring America’s Global Standing
According to the polling analysis site Five Thirty Eight, updated today, Biden’s approval rating is below 50% for the 4th week in a row. I expect low ratings from the usual suspects. Republicans are an old, blind one-trick pony. Once a legitimate political party, the GOP has given up any pretense of being anything but a fascist mob interested only in power. I don’t look to them for anything but self-serving lies and acts of violence.
Polls provide a valuable service when done properly, with a methodology that asks clear, unambiguous questions and accounts for pollster bias. It is important to remember that a single poll is a snapshot of a moment with limited usefulness. Over time, a series of polls can identify a potential trend of thinking and the emotions behind it.
It is important to understand the concerns and motivations of all of our fellow Americans. It is one of the corner stones of our democracy; an informed electorate able to rationally evaluate the issues and arrive at decisions that, while protecting the rights of individuals also safeguards the common good and rights of all members of society.
What do the polls show us? We are a nation divided by reality and illusion, with the power to govern skewed towards the unreal, unfounded, and conspiratorial. In addition, because of this destructive inclination we have become confused about the roles of government and citizen. Some of us have begun to doubt the effectiveness of democracy.
The President’s polls reflect all of this. In 2020 we desperately wanted a genuine leader and in 2021 we have one. Are we able to move beyond complaining? Are we able to work together towards a future with the civil and just society most of us want?
Our future is dismal if we don’t tackle the difficult issues that threaten us; climate change, inequality, insurrection, and an economic model that undermines our common good. To confound our attempts to solve these threats, the corrosive torrent of Republican lies and delusions eat away at our confidence in the noble aspects of our society and government. They waste our precious time with unfounded accusations. They use name calling and violence to spread fear. The GOP and fellow travelers want chaos and fear which they use to distract us from the vital work at hand. They fear a civil society with its shared economy, social justice, and the ability to pursue one’s happiness. A world of inclusion, fairness, and peace is poison to those who wish to retreat from their personal responsibilities and seek leaders whose desires are for personal power and absolute control.
Biden represents our desire for a civil society. To achieve that goal, we need to remember that through our varied experiences and aspirations we carry the seeds of our redemption as a people and species. Our strength comes from standing together and using our diversity to confound those that wish us harm.
In a truly free world, criticism isn’t a reason for division. It is an invitation for joining together in creative problem solving and celebrating of our diversity.
Today, we struggle with those that have given up on the future and are trying to retreat to a mythical past. Their path leads to destruction.
The future is ours if we choose it. Let us continue to embrace reality, face the many crisis that threaten us, and remain true to the best that we Americans and our United States represent. Our path leads to transformation.
Image of President Biden is based on the official White House portrait by Adam Schultz. Attribution 3.0 United States (CC BY 3.0 US) and according to CC BY 3.0, my artwork is also CC BY 3.0.
Over Labor Day I did what I love most, write. For me, every day is a writing day, Labor Day being no different. My routine begins with plowing through my email looking for items of interest. These gems direct me to news articles that in turn me point me towards their sources. I dive into the rabbit hole. My goal is to go beyond the news, to view what is behind the curtain. This produces both pleasure and pain.
The pleasure comes from learning. My world expands and I feel more connected. I am energized when my beliefs are challenged.
The pain comes from what I learn. Our fragile world is perilously close to destruction and with it the incredible future we might have, if we act.
In spite of the pain, this is what gets me up in the morning, discovery!
Being Labor Day, I found myself laboring over two pieces.
One has to do with Climate Change and its impact on what we call work. Is our current definition of meaningful work still relevant and, if not, then what is a better concept?
Workers are more vulnerable than ever because of the destructive powers unleashed by our warming globe. What can we do to protect workers from emotional and financial collapse, which in turn protects our society and nation? And, what is our responsibility for both causing and then undoing, if possible, this deadly climate emergency?
I’ve been hammering away at this for a few days, attempting to create a fine honed blade of Damascus Steel. I’d wanted to post it today, but there is more work at the forge and anvil before it is cooled by comments from readers and its temper tested. Consider this a teaser.
My second piece, the one you are reading, is about one of my favorite wordsmith tool. It’s a finely balanced hammer that I use to pound on my thoughts and words until the dull slag falls away and bright metal appears.
It is Scrivener, an authoring suite that provides all the features a writer needs to, as Scrivener states, “Scrivener is the go-to app for writers of all kinds, used every day by best-selling novelists, screenwriters, non-fiction writers, students, academics, lawyers, journalists, translators and more. Scrivener won’t tell you how to write—it simply provides everything you need to start writing and keep writing.” This is exactly what my experience has been. I can start a project with a single blank sheet, open a template that provides the structure for any genre I want to write, or develop a custom template to meet my specific needs.
I am chaotic writer with a bit of ADD. I have difficulty outlining a piece until I’m well into my first draft. And even then, I often change my emphasis in response to new information and ideas. Often the idea that began the project morphs into something unexpected by the end. Scrivener is very flexible and gives me the room to wander while keeping all the iterations of my work, a map of my journey. This non-destructive workflow provides the ability to retrieve earlier versions that have been saved automatically or manually. If you are more organized, Scrivener provides ways to organize and outline to whatever degree you might want.
Because Scrivener’s flexibility and productive features there is a learning curve. However, how steep it is depends on the experience and personality of the user. What I can say is that it has simplified my work flow, making composition more fluid and data easier to find.
For example, before Scrivener, when digging for information, I would end up with piles of handwritten notes, numerous PDF’s riddled with comments, various Word and LibreOffice ODF files, and links to web pages. I would end up leafing through a number of screens to retrieve the data was looking for. It was confusing, slow, and provided opportunities for distraction. For me, that’s a big deal.
With Scrivener, it is easy to import and store in my project all the resources I need, including audio, graphic, photo, and video files. Likewise, reading and annotating any file is simple. In addition, multiple editors can be open simultaneously providing the ability to jump between documents quickly. And, within each editor I can use the file history list to instantly navigate to files previously displayed in that editor. This puts all of my materials at my fingertips.
Lastly, support is good with an Interactive Tutorial, a comprehensive User Manual, and Video Tutorials. Best of all, it only costs $49.00 for computers and $19.99 for iOS.
I highly recommend it.
If interested in giving Scrivener a look, there is a free trial version. For more information go to Scrivener, a product of Literature and Latte . Another product they offer is Scapple, a mind-mapping tool that integrates with Scrivener allowing the transfer of information between the programs.
BTW This is an unpaid endorsement of Scrivener by an enthusiastic user.
Facebook is a great place to hear competing views. They inform me of other people’s perceptions of the world. I welcome them because it means that someone has read what I’ve posted and then felt compelled to respond. I can’t ask more than that.
Les, you are so wrong about the GOP…. We are the ones who want to save this country. Biden is killing everything that is American. His allowing thousands of immigrants to come in without Covid testing or vetting is absolutely despicable! And Yes, thousands of Afghanistani people were airlifted out….. but not those that risked their lives over 20 years to help our military. They are stuck and may be tortured and killed thanks to Biden’s absurd manner he “ended this war”! And dealing with the Taliban, letting them call the shots which led to the deaths of 13 brave soldiers, and hundreds of Afghanistan people, us heart wrenching!! They are the enemy, not our friends!! How can you even begin to trust that senile, idiot who is destroying our country? He’s a joke, he can only read and stumbling at that, from a teleprompter, words written by others, and he has made America a laughing stock worldwide. You use lots of “big words”, Les, to express your opinion, but I’m sorry you are so blinded about what has happened to this country. I grieve for my children and grandchildren since they are the ones that will try to deal with this mess! I for one am scared where we are heading …… I only hope this leftist ideology can be reversed soon, before it’s too late for our children. What’s happening now is not what our forefathers wrote in our Constitution. God help us all.
My response was;
So good to hear from you.
I understand your point of view but respectfully point out that by the time we started the final pull out, our leverage on the ground was about 0. We had a straightforward choice, get out of Dodge or Gunfight at the OK Corral. After 20 years at the corral a change was long overdue. Also, with the Afghan’s governing infrastructure and army fading away overnight, there was no way to ensure getting all of our Afghan allies out safely. Besides, a military withdrawal from a battlefield is always a shit show. I agree that the Afghan people, particularly women and girls are in great danger. Hopefully, 20 years of American political and cultural influences have modified Taliban thinking. They appear to be aware that they need global recognition and support if they want to have a stable Islamic Emirate. Besides, they have the example of Iran’s modern society which, while under a mistaken interpretation of Islamic teachings and Sharia Law, still allows women a greater degree of freedom and respect than, say our Saudi Arabian allies.
Thankfully we no longer have our fellow Americans trapped in an endless war that cost us 2,448 dead service personnel, 3,846 dead contractors, and about $300,000,000 a day. As for Biden’s apparent mental feebleness, have you seen the movie, The King’s Speech? Biden has a bad stutter that would have sidelined most people. Yet, he learned to overcome both the stutter and speaking before audiences. That is an example of a person with discipline. Equating how he talks to his mental capabilities is so 20th Century. And now, “Big Words.” I must admit that, because I’m a writer, I tend to use the English language as it was intended. Not everything can be summed it in a few words, no matter how catchy they might be. How can we discuss serious issues without words that have specific meanings, context, and emotional power? We can’t. Too much is left to speculation and inference. What I say, you hear differently and vice versa. One thing we do share is a profound concern for our children and grandchildren. You’re right that they are inheriting a mess. We are headed down very dark roads. As a Liberal, my concern is for all our children regardless of race, creed, nationality. I see our survival as a global effort. I suspect bloodline defines whose children your concerned about. If I understand your position, you’re scared of changes that threaten your freedom. Your concerns, I believe are social. The loss of power and control with its privileges and traditions. These are genuine. Our society is changing rapidly due to a variety of forces; economic, environmental, political, and social. The Old America is disappearing.
The Pandemic has been a global stress test on every facet of our lives. The results are eye opening. We live in a tightly interconnected world that relies on a fragile supply chain of goods, food, and raw materials. The definition of work has changed. We now gather to work, learn, and celebrate remotely. Every time we let our guard down, a new surge of illness and death sweeps the country. Millions and millions of hard-working Americans are being left destitute and the shadow of homelessness grows darker every day.
A New America is emerging, not because of some conspiracy by the Illuminati or George Soros, but because it must if we are to survive. It is a forward-looking America, one that embraces evidence-based reality. Our challenges are, in part social, but more importantly, physical. If we don’t take dramatic, creative action to deal with human caused global warming the world we know will cease to exist. And quite likely so will we.
As a __________ fill in the blank, (Liberal, Socialist, Bleeding Heart, etc.) I see a world of even greater threats which we are leaving to all our children. I embrace change because that is all that is left. The old ways have failed us and it’s time to move forward. Scary as that may be, there is a brighter side. We can build a better America and World that is more peaceful and where everyone has the resources and opportunities to thrive as both individuals and members of an inclusive society.
As I write this my anger is intense. I must watch what I say so that I can keep some very good friends. Yet, I’m beginning to wonder if that is possible.
Tonight, has been my tipping point and I am reconsidering whether non-violence is still an option for saving our nation. The next few hours and days will determine if peace is possible.
There are several events that challenge my beliefs.
Texas is a clear indicator of what what is wrong in our nation. The actions of the Texas Governor and Legislature. When Governor Abbot signed Texas’s Draconian Anti-Abortion Ban, there was an element that got some attention but the kind it deserved. A provision in the bill is allows private citizens to sue anyone who advises, assists, or provides abortion services. Tomorrow, unless the Supreme Court stays implementation of the law, will dawn with Roe v Wade effectively dead in Texas and soon in all Republican controlled states.
This law is evil. It has flipped our legal system on its head. Rather than relying on the state to instigate lawsuits, this law deputizes everyday citizens to do it. Indeed, the law bans Texas from acting on these lawsuits. This effectively shields the Texas from the Federal Courts getting involved to protect the civil rights of all citizens. Anyone in or out of Texas can sue any Texan, literally on hearsay. In essence, the mob has been given carte blanche to harass and destroy the lives of anyone who provides information about abortion, advises a woman to have an abortion, no matter if they are a professional family planning councilor, a religious authority, friends, family or even her husband. Offering support as a friend, such as driving a woman to a clinic, is also verboten. Obviously, clinic administration, security, and medical staff are targets as well.
What are the penalties if you are sued and loose in court? It’s simple and expensive, $10,000 plus the accuser’s court costs. There are plenty of unethical lawyers in Texas that would gleefully feed at this trough.
Texas has given a powerful tool to evil people who are eager to use it. People who have demonstrated a willingness to use intimidation and violence, including murder, to deny a woman’s right to control her own body and her future.
But that isn’t the only thing going on this evening.
Afghanistan, after 20 brutal and expensive years, is no longer our war. We are out. The three previous Presidents had campaigned on ending our involvement in that pointless war, yet none made it happen. True, the last president set things in motion but, as with everything else he did, it was self-serving and riddled with poor judgement. Clearly, he left Afghanistan as an IED to explode when President Biden took office.
And it worked. Biden has been criticized roundly by the Right, Left, and Center. People who knew better, got swept up in this hysterical feeding frenzy. The reaction on the Right was not surprising. What else would I expect from people who are self-serving and morally bankrupt.
Shamefully, many Democrats, the Left and informed pundits did the same thing. They displayed a fundamental flaw in my beloved Liberal-Progressive brethren. They can be self-righteous to a suicidal degree. I am disgusted with them. I suggest that everyone carefully listen to President Biden’s speech. He analyzed the situation and provided solid reasons for why we had to exit the bottomless pit of misery that is Afghanistan. It was the moral and responsible thing to do. Yes, it was chaotic and upsetting. So was the preceding 20 years. Why would any alert person think withdrawal would be otherwise?
Let us not forget the pandemic. As I write, 658,000 Americans have died from COVID. Most of these people are someone’s family, friends, and acquaintances, who need not have died. Once again, the previous president and Republican Party worked diligently to turn this American tragedy to their advantage politically and financially. After years of incessant denying and lying by the previous president, his administration, a cadre of corrupt elected GOP officials, Fox News, and various ideologues such as Rush Limbaugh, 1/3 of Americans are suffering from massive psychiatric meltdown. Their illness is tearing our nation to pieces.
I began this piece with a question. Can we save our nation through peaceful action or is violence necessary? Looking back over the last 2 decades and the ever-growing threat from the Right, the answer seems bleak.
Consider how the Right has dealt with every problem we are facing. In all cases, Republicans have refused to face issues squarely. They have preferred to create false crisis’ that allowed these underling problems to fester and get worse. Rather, they’ve taken every opportunity to spread divisive lies in a campaign of divide and conquer. The pandemic is a good example. I have come to believe that the previous president and his GOP cadre intentionally sabotaged, and continue to, because it is a cash cow and a vehicle to gather more power.
Another aspect of the GOP’s plan is the legitimization of the use of intimidation and violence. It is at the core of their push for domination. Texas’ new law promotes economic and psychological violence which, with little effort, can be open aggression against peaceful people trying to exercise their rights.
The GOP wants complete control so that they can impose their own cowboy sharia law. They are succeeding.
There is so much more that I could go into. The wars on Free Speech and Democracy, rational thinking and logic, services for children, elderly, poor and people of color, and ethics. The corruption of the GOP and its wealthy donors is in the open.
Sadly, it seems that it is impossible to reason with the Right. The grassroots base has been habituated to delusional thinking. They exist in a carefully constructed and managed alternate reality that has nothing to do with the world that most Americans and humanity lives in.
We have several existential crises racing towards us. Without concerted action and the application of science and strong Public Health measures, there is the potential that a continuous pandemic will evolve as the virus morphs into ever more deadly surges. Our democracy is collapsing as GOP states enact laws attacking our civil rights, in effect, seceding from the United States.
Most importantly is the threat the GOP and their supporters pose to our attempts to save ourselves from Global Warming. If we fail, we perish. Period. And the GOP wants nothing more than to sabotage our efforts. This can not be allowed to happen.
Violence? I still believe that we must continue to attempt to reason with individual Americans, allowing them to change their own minds and commit to our survival. At the same time, we are out of time for half-measures and obstruction. If it takes force to save the lives of our children, future generations, and life on Earth, then so be it. This is a cause worthy of shedding blood. We’ve been backed into a corner and woe to those who have taken advantage our goodwill.
About the Image The image is a composite, the sky and flag are individual images covered by Creative Commons usage. I manipulated both images and color corrected so that they would work together.
The Flag is by Mike Mozart, JeepersMedia, CC-BY. The sky is by Fractal Artists, CC-BY. The image above, Stormy Skies, is mine, CC-BY.
Greta Thunberg Photo by Mikel Agirregabiria Agirre
On September 23, 2019, sixteen year-old, student Greta Thunberg spoke directly to the world’s assembled leaders at the United Nation’s climate summit. She held them accountable for their failure to act forcefully to combat Global Warming, excoriating them for their inaction and their few half-hearted measures.
Did they listen? No. They chose instead to characterize her as emotional (after all, she is a teenager and female), a socialist, or some other feeble trope, in an effort to discount her message and obscure their guilt. Once again, they failed their people and all life on Earth.
Now, almost two years after she chastised world leaders for their failure to take global warming seriously, they may be waking up. Just two days since Hurricane Ida devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, ironically, on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s pulverizing the same area, attitudes in the US are changing. Finally, long delayed action is being proposed in the $3.5 trillion Infrastructure Bill stalled in Congress. It is now up to our elected leaders to demonstrate that they understand the dire situation we are in.
This is not assured. The US is suffering from two plagues, one biological which we can fight with science and vaccinations, and one that is a wide-spread mental illness that we are struggling to find methods to treat.
That is why I’ve decided to post Greta’s words again, as a reminder. We have neglected the threat of global warming to the point that the UN’s latest climate report leaves no room for doubt. We act or we perish.
Here is what Greta said.
My message is that we’ll be watching you.
This is all wrong. I shouldn’t be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet, you all come to us young people for hope. How dare you!
You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words and yet I’m one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction and all you can talk about is money and fairy-tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!
For more than 30 years, the science has been crystal clear. How dare you continue to look away and come here saying that you’re doing enough when the politics and solutions needed are still nowhere in sight.
You say you hear us and that you understand the urgency, but no matter how sad and angry I am, I do not want to believe that. Because if you really understood the situation and still kept on failing to act then you would be evil and that I refuse to believe.
The popular idea of cutting our emissions in half in 10 years only gives us a 50 percent chance of staying below 1.5 degrees and the risk of setting off irreversible chain reactions beyond human control.
Fifty percent may be acceptable to you, but those numbers do not include tipping points, most feedback loops, additional warming hidden by toxic air pollution or the aspects of equity and climate justice.
They also rely on my generation sucking hundreds of billions of tons of your CO2 out of the air with technologies that barely exist.
So a 50 percent risk is simply not acceptable to us, we who have to live with the consequences.
How dare you pretend that this can be solved with just business as usual and some technical solutions? With today’s emissions levels, that remaining CO2 budget will be entirely gone within less than eight and a half years.
There will not be any solutions or plans presented in line with these figures here today, because these numbers are too uncomfortable and you are still not mature enough to tell it like it is.
You are failing us, but the young people are starting to understand your betrayal. The eyes of all future generations are upon you and if you choose to fail us, I say: We will never forgive you.
We will not let you get away with this. Right here, right now is where we draw the line. The world is waking up and change is coming, whether you like it or not.
Thank you.
Greta Thunberg 09/23/2019 United Nations
Photo by Mikel Agirregabiria Agirre “Greta Thunberg in TIME” by Mikel Agirregabiria Agirre is licensed with CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/
Recently, I got an email from a close friend. We’ve known each other for decades and, while we are on opposite ends of the political spectrum, we both treasure our friendship. His email contains a warning about impending changes that will be heralded through messages transmitted on the Emergency Broadcasting System.
Rather than try to explain, I’ll quote what he sent me. He starts;
To one and all;
… all I’m doing is to send you information on what we can possibly expect in the next ten days or so.
It’s up to you to decide if you want to read this, or erase or block me. That is your choice, my feelings won’t be hurt and I won’t hate you one way or the other.
I just think that it’s always better to see all the information out there, since we don’t get it from the “Fake Media” and the “Masters of the Universe” won’t allow me to post it on their platforms, and more importantly, for you to make your own decision based on the information available.
I have no intention of cancelling my friend. And, I want to be clear, that I’m not ridiculing or shaming him. Nor do I invite anyone else to do so. Rather, I’m doing what he suggests, sharing what some folks are taking very seriously.
This might be the most important message you’ll ever get to read.
Confirmed: Military in training for Implementation of the Emergency Broadcast System.
The trigger for the E B S will be vaccination mandates worldwide with lockdowns. When this in fact occurs, you will know we are right around the corner from a new world folks, do not get angry, and do not panic whatsoever. This is needed. Yes, it truly must happen like this so we can transition to a bright future. It is part of the script and last phase of, indeed gut wrenching, awakening movie that was necessary to awaken the masses. This will ensure everyone is safely placed in their home and able to witness the historical moment that reveals all of the truths, cover ups etc. through the E B S which is imminent.
All is scheduled to happen in the month of August. The practice test is going to happen on Wednesday August 11, 2021 so get prepared. Circle the date on your calendar and please pay attention. There must be a test and then a review of all occurrences and activities. The possible implications on a National and Global level can be quite complicated so things must be in alignment to the protocols. Yes, there are many consequences if things aren’t done with precision and perfection. This is the practice run before the real one folks to see responses and accuracy to what is forthcoming which changes humanity. We hear the schedule is now finally firm, but again I’m just the messenger. Be ready to adjust if needed in regards to possible time changes. Only a select few know the moment of exact and precise timing of events. For security and other obvious reasons, it must be properly kept private. Again, the E B S is going to air playing an 8-hour video. It will be replaying 3 times a days for 10 days Communication Darkness.
During those 10 Days of Communication Darkness the following things will happen. We will receive 7 “Trumpets ” aka E B S text messages on our phones alerting us to tune into our TV at this time. Our phones will only work for 911 and we are informed the Signal App, which is military encrypted will be available. Our TV’s will only show 3 explanatory movies on a continuous loop for the 10 days. It will cover topics of Arrests, tribunals, fraud corruption, pedophilia etc.
Our internet will not work during that time. Our ATM’s will not work. After the 10 days of Communication Darkness, we will connect to a new quantum internet.
People are urged to stock up on at least three weeks of food and water. We are promised the new Star-link Internet System by the end of the month.
Again, I repeat be prepared with food, water, toilet paper, generators etc. for this great awakening reveal.
As we speak the teams coordinating this important historic event are revamping the E.B.S to ensure the utmost security for all involved so remain patient as things get finalized. They want to make certain there are not any interferences of any sort at all. Those making the plan want no one to panic whatsoever because it’s simply the release of the truth.
After the E B S and we’ve gone through the 10 days mainstream media blackout and sat through all the 24/7, (eight hours long movies), do we go back to normal like business as usual?
Answer is: After E B S and the 8 hours long 24 7, movies all will change. The life support attached to the old and evil systems will be pulled. Humanity, and planet Earth simultaneously move to quantum reality consciousness system (Peace and Prosperity). End of Financial and Human consciousness enslavement. Old systems of Government, Education, Finance, Health, Trade and Commerce etc., will all be dismantled and replaced.
We will have new currency called the USN US NOTE and gold backed.
The time is now to alert as many who will listen. Do not have too much pride. Go warn those you love even though they think you’re crazy. Your goal for others is truly to help absorb the shock of what is coming. — SOURCE UNKNOWN
Included was this graphic showing what these USN will look like.
Artist’s Concept Design for Vertical US Dollars
These currency designs have nothing to do with the message. (1) They are the result of a Belarus designer’s concept project in 2018. Other currency in the series included, Martin Luther King and other Civil Rights activists.
I assured my friend that I wasn’t going to cancel him. And I thanked him for sharing the info with me because I know he did it out of concern. Over the years, I’ve learned that when someone shows concern for my well-being, I am grateful.
I am worried for my friend. He has invested himself in a false statement, attributed to Source Unknown (SF), that has been refuted. This can have real world consequences on his emotional well-being. My friend and many other Americans have been mislead and been drawn into a web of propaganda and falsehood. Their concerns and anxieties have been weaponized and turned on them by the people they have turned to for guidance. Betrayal by a trusted authority is elemental.
Another blow to the Big Lie has been the public humiliation of Mike Lindell, The Pillow Guy. On Wednesday, 11th, cyber expert Josh Merritt, hired by Lindell to verify his claims that 37 TB of data showed that China had interfered in our elections, reported the findings. There was no conclusive proof and, in Merritt’s words, “We were handed a turd,” he said. “And I had to take that turd and turn it into a diamond. And that’s what I think we did.” One important fact did emerge. The source for Lindell’s data was Dennis L. Montgomery, a notorious political and foreign policy hoaxer. (2)
We face many historic challenges right now; climate change, pandemic, recovering economy, wealth inequality, defending democracy, protecting our nation from foreign aggressors, and on and on. All these problems share one thing in particular, a fracture in our shared reality.
A meaningful number of our fellow Americans reject evidence-based facts and the considered opinions of knowledgeable people. They renounce facts and substitute in more conspiracy. In essence, reinforcing a failed belief with another and setting themselves up for future disappointment. This puts believers ever deeper into an emotional deficit. Their anger, frustration and desperate desire for control and balance, only grows more intense.
Over time, we have seen that many of these folks who adhere to these destructive ideas are not likely to look deeply into their emotional health. Introspection and self-analysis are not part of their self-help tool kit. Unfortunately, that is exactly where they need to look. And now, with significant blows to their reality what will they do?
Will these events prompt our fellow Americans to find help and re-evaluate their behavior and the ideas that they champion? Some will. How many, I don’t know. If history is an indicator, many will reinforce their dysfunctional worldview with more fantasy and move us closer to calamity.
Here is the challenge. Our democracy is being pulled apart by delusion. In the past this situation has led to violence, even civil war. But that is the last place we want to go. Conflict will only make all our problems worse and ensure that autocracy, the lease capable form of government, will replace the voice of the people. The idea that an autocratic leader can fix things, like the other conspiracies, is a false hope. Indeed, dictatorship promises the greatest betrayal of all.
What can we do?
The most powerful form of persuasion is when a person persuades himself. The best thing to do is calmly provide solid information and then let it go. He must be the one to willingly examine the facts and decide for himself. When he does, he becomes emotionally invested, making him an active participant in correcting the crisis’ we are facing. This is done best by deeds, not words. For many issues, such as economic stability, policies can create greater economic stability for all Americans which then promotes public safety. On the other hand, racism and insurrection are unacceptable and must be dealt with firmly, setting clear limits on behavior and imposing meaningful penalties.
I believe that our nation and the rest of world are involved in an ancient deadly cycle of mental illness. Like the Delta Variant, the fever dream of the Right, is extremely contagious and dangerous. Everyone involved, Right-Left-Independent has been infected by fear and anger to some degree. How do we lower our national fever and get on track to effectively deal with our many existential threats?
This is a Public Health issue. Like gun violence, the delusional thinking infecting our society will not go away on its own. I think we should look at the mental health and community organization models we have and see if they can be scaled up for 330,000,000 Americans. Sort of family counseling on a grand scale. We also have examples from other countries that are trying to heal their societies.
We need to accept that people do not change unless they want to and, at least initially, many will choose not to. Ridicule, shaming, and personal attacks are counterproductive. Ignoring or minimizing the destructive behavior of others only leads to more serious actions that put all of us at greater risk. If you have read some of my earlier blogs I tried to use shaming and discovered that it reinforced the negative beliefs.
Respectful limits are the way to go. We need to avoid developing a co-dependent relationship both personally and as a society. The goal is to heal not prolong. We must be compassionate and firm. We must be consistent in holding people accountable for their intimidation and violence. At the same time, we need to be open and welcoming to those who are struggling with their collapsing reality.
The skills that we develop while peacefully resolving this conflict, are going to be important as our nation goes through the coming years of climate change. How do we deal with millions of Americans forced to become Climate Refugees and the disruption that will occur when they move into other communities? They will require housing, work, and integration into their newly adopted communities, and social services to successfully adapt. The nature of work itself is changing and there will be substantial adjustments to be made.
All of this is doable. What is required is compassion, firmness, resolution, and the application of evidenced-based data, to plan and implement the historic changes that are coming.
Notes
(1) Vertical US Dollars Fact Checked these US Currency designs and found that, “A video has been shared repeatedly in multiple Facebook posts and on Line messaging app alongside a claim that it shows a new currency called “USN” launched by the US Department of the Treasury in September 2020. The claim is false; the US Treasury told AFP the video does not show a new US currency and that no new currency was launched in September 2020; the video was originally published in 2018 by a Belarus-based graphic artist who created the designs as a conceptual project.” AFP Fact Check. (2) Dennis L. Montgomery Montgomery has a long history of promoting conspiracy theories that he then used to make money. Washington Post. The spectacular implosion of Mike Lindell, reported on 08/12, “Montgomery got then-Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio to pay him $100,000 in money from the sheriff’s office to pursue a theory involving a federal government conspiracy against Arpaio. Arpaio later acknowledged the theory was baseless.”
The New York Times, Hiding Details of Dubious Deal, U.S. Invokes National Security, 02/09/2011, reported, “Interviews with more than two dozen current and former officials and business associates and a review of documents show that Mr. Montgomery and his associates received more than $20 million in government contracts by claiming that software he had developed could help stop Al Qaeda’s next attack on the United States. But the technology appears to have been a hoax, and a series of government agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency and the Air Force, repeatedly missed the warning signs, the records and interviews show.” Also, “Mr. Montgomery’s former lawyer, Michael Flynn who now describes Mr. Montgomery as a “con man” says he believes that the administration has been shutting off scrutiny of Mr. Montgomery’s business for fear of revealing that the government has been duped.” Flynn continued, “The Justice Department is trying to cover this up,” Mr. Flynn said. “If this unravels, all of the evidence, all of the phony terror alerts and all the embarrassment comes up publicly, too. The government knew this technology was bogus, but these guys got paid millions for it.”
