Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Disagree with him, yes; demonize him, no.


Disagree with him, yes; demonize him, no
By Daphne Muse
While I find myself in real disagreement with President Obama on some points, I refuse to participate in demonizing him.  I think we’re playing right into the hands of the Repubs, Teapubs and out and out Ted Nugent wing nuts by so doing.  Sure, I’m livid about the droning of America and the rest of the world; still “warring” in Afghanistan; foreclosure debacle that has yet to be brought to a screeching halt; inability to tell the banks “up yours.”  But many are treating him like that third grade black boy who is so brilliant, but has to be reigned in so that at every juncture he will be thwarted from growing into the depth and breadth of his brilliance and leadership.  The better that third grade boy performs, the more the seeds of doubt and discouragement are imbedded in him.  The sledge hammer psychology used to defeat that third grade boy and President Obama is working so well.  No matter how hard they work and render tangible results, they will never be given credit for their “missions accomplished.”  Had the Repubs taken out Osama Bin Laden, there would have been parades in every city in America and “got him” memorabilia sold in almost every airport shop, strip mall and road side stand in the country.
 I think Obama really thought, and naively so, that his efforts at bipartisanship would work, as the Repubs continue to flip the switch on that as well making it appear as though he is the ultimate obstructionist.  The president, on the other hand must step up to the plate boldly and allow the word poverty to roll of his tongue; state support for black and other people of color in ways that reflect what’s good about diversity in America and what it brings to the table; and continue to demonstrate how integral women are to the future of the country. He is fighting mightily to overturn the efforts to double the interest rates on federal student loans and There also are growing efforts to double down on First Lady Michelle Obama as fashion critics denounce her frugal sartorial choices as un-American, deflect the work she and Jill Biden are doing related to military families and flog her for strategically addressing the obesity epidemic.   Disagree with him yes; demonize him, no. He has proposed a series of plans that could alleviate some of the distress, but Congress continues to block almost every effort at every turn for his goals to be realized.  Even a growing number of the Democrats refuse to have his back, choosing not to attend the convention.  That’s a lateral pass to the Repubs.  I’m clear that the bottom line is that Capitalism has worn out its grooves, war is a business and that the country has become the United Kleptocracy of America, as attempts to resuscitate any vestiges of Democracy wane on life support.
By the way, Romney is driving the Repubs crazy and they are in real distress in terms of trying to get this debacle in check, as they continue to throw gazillions of money bombs at defeating Obama.  Don’t be surprised if the “Roms” refuses to debate Obama on some weirdly contrived grounds.  This guy has perfected the art of moving in two directions simultaneously, evading direct questions and refusing to take a position on anything other than being the “presumptive” nominee for president.  We may well be in for an “August Angst” and possibly the “September Surprise” with wild cards being dealt from decks we didn’t even know were being shuffled.
©Daphne Muse
Oakland, CA 94601

Thursday, June 21, 2012


Bred to Bully
By Daphne Muse

Children bred on Maury Povich, Jersey Shore, Moho’s videos, Gangsta, Bangsta behavior and endless public scandals are bound to behave just as these feral children did.  While on a school bus, several middle school children goaded and mocked sixty-eight year old bus monitor Karen Klein.  To her face, they talked about her weight, age and at one point, the verbal abuse escalated to one of the boys saying she didn't have any family: “They all killed themselves because they didn’t want to be near you." Klein's son took his own life 10 years ago.  The country’s national psyche is deeply scarred and the armies of the “walking wounded” grow exponentially on a daily basis. 
The over the top level of egregious disrespect being shown President Obama, women and the poor, on an hourly basis, continues to grow.  Bullying has become a kind of drug people snort, inhale and off of which they make money and become celebrities. On a daily basis, you can witness ministers, reality stars and “baby mommas” on steroid drama bully from their various pulpits. You really can have vigorous and civil disagreements without stooping to the kind of bullying conducted by people from all levels of society.  It’s as though these people get up every morning and drink a gallon of HaterAid to fuel their lives. But Klein reacted by not taking the bait. 
 It’s time to take it Old School and provide stronger foundations for our young people with a viable moral compass.  You better believe me, I would insist upon a meeting with the parents, teachers and the students themselves to address this matter in serious terms and request a series of interventions, including a screening of the film “Bullying” for the school administrators, teachers, bus driver, parents and students.  Then I would request community service related to some kind of project focusing on bullying:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/09/gerry-orz-day-of-silence-anti-bullying_n_1412501.html  and the Lee Hirsch film “Bully.”  If those involved do not agree, then lawyer up and blow them out of the water:  legally. 
So many of our children are being bred and coded into this unseemly and violent behavior.  Parents better believe that this behavior will be visited upon them as well.  It will inform and impact how their children navigate their professional, social and their own lives as parents.  I firmly believe parenting classes should be offered up in public schools, along with sex education; it is common sense, a solid step towards better family planning and good public policy.
Daphne Muse is a writer, social commentator and poet.  You can read her blogs at www.daphnemuse.blogspot.com and reach her at msmusewriter@gmail.com.