On the other hand…

Whence came the false and fatal notion; the one insisting
You are not me and we are not the past and future, as if the
Atoms I’ve collected are not borrowed from Ghengis Kahn or Gandhi or the
Dinosaurs or the stars!

What recent god was it that granted us dominion over everything, handed
Us the food chain we’re atop like a menu from an infinite kitchen with
All selections comped?

Who exactly said the privilege of the fittest is to dominate rather than
Serve and nurture those myriad others on whom
Our fitness rests?

Children of God, perhaps, but certainly we are children of the Earth,
Matter and energy neither created nor destroyed, swimming in an
Interdependent ecosystem teeming with diversity we cannot see,
Suicidally denying this biological and social reality that
Governs our collective fate.

Last month I wrote to urge Americans to value and protect our democracy as a precious gift from our forebears. Today I suggest honoring voters as a way to do that.

First, I should confess a bias: As a lawyer and lifelong public servant, I am an avid admirer of our Constitutional Democracy, and value good governance down to my marrow. That should not make me partisan, but I acknowledge that to some it might. That’s a problem.

Continue reading “Protecting Democracy: The Role of Voters”

They say nothing focuses the mind on the here and now like the threat of immanent death. So, in my mindfulness mediation recently, as I have at various times in my life, I imagined having only six months to live and watched to see what emerged as a new or top priority. The first thing that came to mind was to thank my sons for being such good husbands and fathers; what a comfort it would be to face death knowing two good men are replacing me. My next impulse surprised me: I would beg my fellow citizens to recognize the extraordinary value of what they are giving up by abandoning their commitment to democracy.

Continue reading “Six Months to Live”

I’ve long thought hope might be the most potent resource humans possess, that it might account, even more than opposable thumbs, for the stunningly successful evolution of our species. Defined as “an optimistic state of mind based on an expectation of positive outcomes,” hope enables us to keep moving forward with trust in a brighter future, even in the face of overwhelming obstacles. But what would happen if a group of humans or a nation lost hope…for democracy, for a virus free lifestyle, or for in a healthy inhabitable planet?

Continue reading “Preparing for despair”

I was approached for conversation last weekend by a politically engaged couple who described themselves as committed to open minded political dialogue. My response has left me wondering.

He sounded well read, informed, angry, and opinionated; she seemed quieter, articulate, sad, and inquiring. Both seemed a bit lonely, like they were living their lives as outsiders in a hostile political society. I thought I sensed strongly held opinions even though neither of them initially expressed them. While they spoke in non-partisan language, I felt braced throughout the conversation for an expected flood of intense conservative critique. I kept my comments and opinions centered on my personal experiences, not wanting to start a debate over facts and sources. This, despite her having begun our conversation by saying she thought the avenue to better political dialogue might be to start with agreement on trustworthy sources.

Continue reading “When dialogue doesn’t work”

The miners knew…
When dark dust clogged their pores,
Clouded their minds, and obscured their vision,
And necessity drove them back each day into the dark,
The sensitive canary would warn them of their danger
By being the first to die.

My heart today is aching. My ideals,
Bludgeoned by cynics, and beliefs, battered by lies,
Are choking on the gas of decomposing politics.
The sweet canary’s song is getting louder: “Get Out Now!”

But there is no way out.
Shafts of light are being plugged, one after another; and
The path we came by only goes one way.
We can shout with the last of our breath,
Claw at the rock with our nails, but
Who is there to dig us out?
We were to be our own protectors.

We go to work each day now, picking for peace and digging for justice,
Entering neath the faded sign: “pledged to be more perfect.”
“One for all” we chant as we march to our labors,
While our beautiful canaries are dying.

If we Americans still believe in democracy, it’s time we re-commit to it. That commitment must include protecting the right to vote.

Continue reading “Renewing faith in Democracy”

As a career mediator, I’m shocked to hear myself say this, but I fear our polarized country is facing an impasse leaving us no choice but to choose sides and fight.

My job for 30 years was to help people locked in high stakes conflicts find opportunities for compromise through which each party could realize enough of their objectives that settlement was preferable to the risks of losing or the costs of litigation. On a very good day, creative resolutions could be found that left all parties in a better position than before the litigation started. Every once in a while, however, a case would come along in which one party’s actual goal was to destroy the other, financially or perhaps emotionally. When that became clear, I would have to advise the parties of the fact and send them home. No compromise or problem solving magic can entice a party to agree to be destroyed; they have no choice but to fight it out and hope for the best.

Those who are leading and following the movement to overturn the November elections are not asking for a solution to a disagreement on policy or principle. Whether from a passionate but misinformed belief the election was stolen or from motives more sinister, the President’s followers are refusing to accept the outcomes of Constitutionally sound elections and court decisions upholding them. Their concerns have been addressed through recounts and litigation; the accusations of fraud have been answered and found to be false. There is nothing left to say or offer to those who only want Donald Trump to remain in office. There is no legal or Constitutional way to do so.

The attack on the Capitol and promised future violent action seek to overthrow democratic institutions. They are direct attacks on the nation’s 250 year old democracy. Whether the president who refuses to cede power is crazy or sly; whether his followers are misled and believe they are saving the country or are anarchists, white supremacists, and hoodlums, the position they are creating for the country is the same: either capitulate to their demand that elections be overturned, or oppose them with all force necessary to protect the country’s democratic government.

It seems like a very foolish position for the election challengers to force on the country. Their motives are relevant but of secondary importance. Their goal of destroying the country’s constitutional order, whether deliberate or simply de facto, must and will be vigorously fought. If they lose, they will be known as traitors and treasonists.

To say this is an historical moment is an understatement. There is no room now for compromise or equivocation. Leaders and citizens alike must decide which side of this historical position they will be on. Either defend with our voices, our laws, and our votes the Constitutional order on which we base our liberty, or yield to an extra-constitutional authoritarian power grab.