Red Cat Restaurant, New York City......DRB photo......

A Deeper Appreciation For This Flag

Events over the past few weeks have caused me to pay better attention to the meaning of this flag. And to the pride and sacrifice and patriotism it represents for all immigrants and native borns who honor the symbol. And our military who protect it. It needs to mean so much more than a robotic salute or last ritual before kickoff. These turbulent times are forcing us to revisit our values. The symbolic, the practical and the real. I imagine a great number of us are revisiting our understanding of the roles and responsibilities of citizenship and participatory government. That should give us a greater appreciation of the history and future represented by this flag.

The Unexpected Blessings From The Election

Trump's election may prove to be a huge boost to constructive civic activism and the future of this Great Country. Awakening the Sleeping Giant of We The People. Shaming us for our lack of awareness of social and economic trends that were leaving increasing numbers of our fellow citizens hopeless, angry and desperate for change. Resulting in the election of Trump as the symbol of change. We burned ourselves and got exactly what we deserved.

Go with me here. A small minority voted for the man Trump. Most folks did not/do not like the man. Thus, he was inaugurated as the most unpopular incoming President in history. A larger group, however, voted for him as a change agent. And that combo won the electoral votes.

Had Hillary won, we'd have had a phenomenally better qualified public official, but we'd never have had the burst of citizen energy we've seen over the past 2 weeks. These marches represent an unprecedented recognition of real and perceived threats to our democracy. And gave voice to those who want to be the checks and balances for political extremism of any kind.

You know that I believe our biggest culprit in this Country's deterioration has been-- no, not "W", no, not Obama. It's been a bipartisan dysfunctional Congress over several administrations. Had Hillary won, we'd still have too many cowardly obstructionist R's and too many dazed and confused D's to give us any hope for real change. We would have had a small burst of feminist energy, but there would be little hope of Congressional sea change. And the Democrats would not have had enough of a mandate to prompt any significant reversal of their standing in National politics. With Trump, they do.

Let's Think For Ourselves and Be Better Informed

The Mosey Principles include "Slow Down, Pay Attention, Be Informed and Act Accordingly." We're all still reeling from the campaign misinformation and the trends continue in these first weeks following the inauguration. Trump lied more than ANY of the political candidates and continues to date. He and his surrogates were able to get away with that until now, because they could. We were faked out by fake news and "alternative facts," the media were distracted and starstruck, and here we are. 

But the Sleeping Giant is awakening, is mad as hell and will not be so easily duped in the future. We've got their number, are much more alert and are paying attention. And that certainly includes the media. "The Big Lebowski's" Walter Sobchak would say, "Donald, KellyAnne and Sean, you're out of your element." But, they've got the bully pulpit and we've got to learn to deal with it. By being better informed. By thinking for ourselves. And acting.

I love this image that I took on a meditation retreat. It represents a place for reflective thought and stress reduction. We're going to need much more of both as we determine how we best serve ourselves and our Country in these uncertain times. Let's carefully consider our information sources as we plot a course of effective civic engagement. We're all going to have to raise our games, but there are many ways to do that. Lots of progressive organizations are actively doing the same and awaiting our commitment to join them.

An Example: Informing Ourselves on Executive Orders

Bigly in the news. Here's some perspective as you listen, read and observe. We've seen dramatically different approaches from Obama and Trump. Obama felt compelled to use Executive Orders since the R's were acting out their pledge to be uncooperative in any way. Don't forget that when you recall the R's being so critical of Obama's "Executive overreach." They hated to see any progress from Obama, but forced his hand toward Executive powers with their cowardly avoidance of responsibility. Obama accomplished quite a bit by working around the pontificating adversarial politicos.

Trump, on the other hand, is showboating with his Executive Orders. Using them to dupe us into thinking he's honoring his campaign pledges by showing forward progress "On Day One." Watch the language carefully in this arena. During the campaign we heard Trump say he'd "repeal all of Obama's 'illegal' Executive Orders." Few, if any, were illegal.  We're also seeing the EO's to "Repeal Obamacare" and "Build That Wall" without any new programs and policies ready to implement. And the "Muslim ban" debacle is another example of "ready, shoot, aim," where the soundbite Executive Order preceded thoughtful consideration. And backfired considerably. Listen carefully for "starting the process" caveat language when there are no programs ready to roll out. Campaigns are easy. Governing's hard.

Strong Signs of an American Renewal

I truly believe this. The entire Country got a big face slap.  We got burned and deserved it. And we're already seeing many signs of this healthy revitalization. It is not going to be smooth sailing, but more people of goodwill, of all political ideologies, of all cultural backgrounds realize that we can't possibly survive with hate, discrimination, racial prejudice and bigotry of any sort. 

The magnitude and power of the worldwide marches were our first tipoff. No one imagined the energy that would be unleashed through those events. Not just liberal or Democratic, but truly democratic. "Women's Rights are Human Rights." A reminder that we all have so much more in common than that which divides us. We've got to set aside labels, venture outside our tribes and collaborate with our fellow Americans to strengthen this Great Country. It's nonsense and destructive to do otherwise. Let's not waste our "chi." Let's channel it into constructive community building, characterized by commitment, civility and compassion. We have that ability. We've done it before.

Future commentaries will highlight specific action steps and successful programs where we can channel our energies. I look forward to joining you in this regard. LET'S MOSEY!