Being someone who loves to get into political discussions–especially with those that I consider to be on the extremes of issues, I’ve encountered my share of “it all has to come crashing down” attitudes.

On the left, they seem to see unregulated free-market capitalism as this seven headed hydra that has to come crashing down and usher in a new depression so that a new FDR can rise from the ashes to renew the social contract. Some seem to see the flooding of New York ala “Inconvenient Truth” as the wake up call we need, and that things will all simply work themselves out on global warming.

On the right, I have friends who have truly begun to believe that we are seeing the End Times, who may not believe but do receive emails about Obama being the Anti-Christ, global warming is a hoax perpetrated by Al Gore and super-secret scientists to form a One World Government under the oppressive rule of a ruthless Carbon Tax. They see the degradation of morals on TV and in the news and blame all of society, it’s all bad and only God can sweep it away. To them, if New York floods it isn’t because of global warming, but global whoring.

I’m someone who loves to play devil’s advocate, usually from the center, but sometimes part of being an effective contrarian is to adopt the views of your opponent and help them to fully imagine them. So to the lefty whose fetish is a stock market crash, maybe you ought to ponder more how that would come about and what the true ramifications could be. All my other “friends of Jesus” who think that God is about to give us another spanking, maybe you’d better start playing nice with the greens and helping them remain skeptical of “global warming” becoming as impervious to criticism as religion was in the Dark Ages. The point is that if either of you are remotely correct, the best solution to preserving our way of life is to nurture and foster communities.

Extreme Lefties: An economic collapse and ecological disaster may well bring reforms, but only if we don’t have a sizable portion of the religious community who believe that Obama might be a demon and Al Gore a dictator. You have to talk to them and reassure them that you will always be willing to be critical of your own leaders. You must tell them that you have learned from their mistakes with Bush. Be gentle about how you say that, ask them questions about how they feel about Bush. Most decent people will be elated to have the opportunity to admit to their mistake. Tell them that you don’t ever want to make that mistake, but that you can understand how people can become convinced of anything if enough of their piers feel the same way.

Extreme Righties: A little less fear, a little more love, please. Regardless of what the cause of a natural disaster may be or your likelihood of being wafted up to heaven like an angel fart, isn’t the Christlike path one of comfort for all us poor sinners who will have to rebuild the Earth? If there is an Anti-Christ on the rise, shouldn’t we all open our doors and our hearts and prepare to sacrifice more to offer one another comfort during a dark age? And no matter if Al Gore and the scientists are all dirty liars, the poor saps that they’ve deluded into “going green” are still gonna be interested in planting a garden on their front lawns. Why not bring them some lemonade and talk about flowers?

This is a very optimistic and bright letter for me. When I get on my eschatology kick, it’s not about global conspiracies or biblical prophecies, it’s all about the details. Mechanisms that exist such as the PATRIOT ACT, warrantless wiretapping and data mining, and the unitary executive are the things that make my hair stand up on end. Because while I can’t say for sure that the men in charge have nefarious ends in mind, as long as those mechanisms exist, it seems dangerous to never imagine that they can be abused. Because if we go too long without imagining so, someone will come to power who will imagine it for us.

Barring sprouting horns and a tail on live TV, I’m going to vote for Obama this fall. I’m not saying that I don’t wish I could vote for Nader, but there just aren’t enough other people for that to happen. I can imagine a lot of things, but I don’t see a way of Ralph becoming president in our current system. Since I will be putting my good name behind the O man, I want all my friends and enemies on the right to know that by voting for him I will be holding his feet to the fire and urging every decent American to do the same. We need to write letters, talk to our friends, and rebuild our local communities, no matter who wins.

For some, it is a Fantastic and Terrible movie.

Tomorrow night is the Solstice and the Moon Illusion will be occurring. This will signify a major shift in the lunar cycle and if enough people are out looking at the sky admiring the same magnificent natural event, I have no doubt that an amazing shift will occur in our collective consciousness. That may sound pretty hippie-dippie, but if this cold-hearted pragmatist can see the mystic value of sharing a little romantic moonlight with friends then I have little doubt that you do too.

So before the sunsets tomorrow, call or email your friends and loved ones and let them know that something wonderful and natural and good is happening in the world for once. Invite them to join you, even if you’re just gonna peek your head outside to take a glance. The important thing to remember is that as you stare up at that majestic celestially sexual body is that you won’t be alone.

Best of all, it’s FREE and EASY! The price of admission is merely eyes and a view of the skies.

OooowwwoooooooooOOO!!!!!!

bd

p.s. Anyone in NYC who’d like to join me and my friends, I’ve decided that my best vantage will be Corlears Hook Park. I’ve never been there, but judging by the map, it should be a fantastic view, plus I dig the vibe of its history. According to the U.S. Navy’s site, the moonrise is set to occur at 8:07, so I’m thinking of getting down there at about 7:45 to stake out a spot. Drop me a line if you wanna join the caravan.

Article on the Moon Illusion

Location of Corlears Hook Park

History of the Park

What do they have in common?

if you take away a either of these men’s followers they’d just be two crazy maniacs screaming on the street. That is how they are no different from each other and not different from all of us. There are no Christs or AntiChrists, only followers. We all must choose which message we follow.

One had a message of hate.

One had a message of love.

It’s up to each of us to find every opportunity to choose love, and not just at the voting booth.

Do you honestly believe you’d have an easier time convincing Bush or his enablers to see the error of their ways than than those who were misled into voting for them? Do you doubt that every single Amercian who voted for and vigorously supported this man and his agenda was misled on some fundamental level by a figure of trusted authority: a priest, a parent, a friend, an ideology?

If you do, me thinkest you drinkest too much Koolaid.

The easiest way to take away a leader’s power is to empower their followers to be critical and think for themselves.

Be the change you want to see.

No further explanation for the evils of the world is necessary, but apparently the machine thinks differently. That said, allow me to explain. Obama and Bush are two sides of the same coin. This does not mean there isn’t a difference, it means that we must as a species recognize the power that we all possess. We live in a world of choice, whether we realize it or not. Every action will be taken deliberately, whether we are conscious of it or not. All of us arrived at their destinations by your own actions. The job of any concerned citizen is to raise awareness, to enlighten, not to scold or punish. This requires self-determination, and a profound ability to see that ALL of us are capable of both good and evil. Obama is as worthy of praise as Bush is worthy of forgiveness. Poverty for one is poverty for all. If we accept can Bush is merely a misguided, flawed and manipulated being that is no different from the rest of us, then we can truly begin to treat the wounds that are threatening our very existence as a species. Good night and good morning

This diary is an endorsement of no candidate.

It is an endorsement of our innate ability to question authority and demand control over our own lives.

No matter which institution you consider to be an intolerable nuisance upon your lives: religion, the press, your parents, corporations, your boss, popular culture, your best friend. What we all share is a strong desire to guide our own destinies. Some of us have been oppressed by government, some of us by the free market. None of us is wrong for being suspect of either.

We are all individuals. We all laugh at different things. We all cry at different things. No one has an exclusive authority on anything. We all have a say as to what’s funny, what’s sad, what’s outrageous, and what’s impeachable.

We all have to learn that when others disagree with us, especially when they do so openly, that it is merely an invitation to question our own assumptions and either defend or reject them. If you defend a failed assumption for too long, you will soon find yourself quite isolated.

Always demand that the world bend to your own will. If all of us demand freedom in our own lives, none of us shall be spared it in the world.

The dominant position of our times insists that excessive self-interest is inherent in our nature and it must be restrained. I agree completely with this position. My primary complaint with society is that as a whole this restraint is applied with gross inequality when one compares the punitive measures taken against those in power with those who are not.

We should all be free to criticize any authority. Your voice is as important as your bosses’.

That is our shared cause and we can achieve it.

You bet your ass WE CAN.