Tag: #TheStormIsHere

Its a Do or Die Situation…

There is so much going on in the world out there – its not only hard to keep up, but its also becoming more difficult to swipe the shit out of the way, so that you can see what really is important. Every day, it seems there is another story about Donnie doing one thing or another in his position as President of the United States. And seemingly, each story details an even more outrageous statement or action on his part. And the sewer pipes of the internet overflow, and back up beyond belief. But, let’s remember – this is a con-man, especially skilled at distraction. Pay attention to the left hand, held high and majestic for the world to see – fingers moving, wrist bending to create fantastical gestures. And while your eyes watch the left hand, the right hand is moving in slow patterns, the arm is kept as still as possible, so as not to draw attention to its actions. Its not the “art of the deal” folks, its the “art of the con”. The question that needs to be asked is not what is going to be done about this, that or the other; the appropriate question to ask is “what do you not want us to see?” Welcome to the howling winds, and the cold, stinging rain of #theStorm.

Do you hear the sound on the wind?
The beating wings of crows?
Do you hear that on the wind?
The whisper of Andraste and Segomo
Do you hear the spears and swords beating on shields?
Teutates! Teutates! Teutates!
For the protection of Land!
For the protection of Tribe!
For the protection of kindred Spirit!
Standing Rock is the battle line.
—Robyn Birchleaf, 9/7/16

I wrote this poem last year, at the height of the beginnings of what became the Standing Rock protests. That fight continues, even despite the executive orders that put the Black Snake back into motion. The mark is no longer the pipeline itself, but rather the companies and banks that are providing the monies to keep its growth going. Standing in front of bulldozers worked for a short period of time. Physically confronting the security forces worked for a short period of time. It will be the work of trying to cut of the “air” that the Black Snake needs to survive – the money – that has the hope of working. But the pattern of how we’ve gotten to this point showcases some of the problems we have. We’re not united. We’re working from an analog perspective. Or if you prefer, from a binary pattern of response.

Coordinated patterns of response is what has the best chance of success. That requires all of us to set aside differences and work towards succeeding. Together. No battle plan succeeds when units that will be working together are spending time tearing one another down. For instance, look at the differences between Patton and Montgomery, once the Allies came into Europe. They squabbled between one another for who would be the point of the spear going into Germany. Both wanted the prestige of being the Allied General that broke the backs of the forces of the Third Reich. Now, I’m no heavy duty Historian, but I do believe that the squabbling between Montgomery and Patton costs the Allies the chance for Operation Market Garden to succeed. While the lion’s share of resources went to Montgomery, Patton continued to advance his own units – in defiance of standing orders – and requesting resources to “save” forward elements that he had moved in defiance. The concept is called “rock soup” – and Patton’s diversion of some critical resources, potentially cost the succession of Operation Market Garden.

So, let’s come back from the diversion. There’s a lot wrong with Donnie’s presidency and his administration. And some of that is the symptom of #theStorm, but the more troubling aspects come from the advance of the white supremacy movement, particularly under the more publicly palatable organization of the “alt-Right” movement. If you were to ask me (and no one really did), this is where the primary problem has arisen. People who believe that skin pigmentation makes a difference in who is more intelligent, and who has the “right” to rule. Furthermore, they drive gender issues along their path as well – preaching concepts of dominionism of males over females, and the “perversion” of human beings by the LGBTQ community. Deep down under all of that, is a reliance on Christian concepts of world-wide rule, which provides the vehicle for forward movement. White Christians, typically within the bounds of southern Baptist and Charismatic perspectives, is set up to be the boot that grinds all others beneath it. Even those Christians that do not advocate for such a positioning of their faith. They will find the boot sole bearing down on their necks. This is the primary winds of potential change in the world around us.

And yet we continue to squabble. We fight about terminology. We fight over who is or isn’t this or that. We express our outrage by sharing memes on Facebook and Twitter. And we hide when it comes time for action. Sooner or later, all of us will need to make a stand for who and what we are – free people, with independent minds and thoughts, able to make our own choices when it comes to who we love, how we worship, and Who we worship. Some folks are already out there on the front lines, they choose the “sooner” option. Those who hold back, and wait for the “later” option, might find far fewer people will be standing at that point.

As expressed by Pat Benatar, in her song “Invincible”

This bloody road remains a mystery
This sudden darkness fills the air
What are we waiting for?
Won’t anybody help us?
What are we waiting for?

We can’t afford to be innocent
Stand up and face the enemy
It’s a do or die situation
We will be invincible

 

A Tune Called War

So, Donnie has decided to go ahead with the Keystone XL Pipeline, the Dakota Access Pipeline, and shut down all talk about Climate Change. In short, he has decided to wage war against the environment. And, in my opinion, declare war against the First Nations people. That’s nice (not really). There’s lots that can be done though. And there’s lots more than just what I have noted above. This is merely the straw in the wind for me.

Protests, writing campaigns, petitions, contact your representative in Congress. All good things to start with. Then there’s magick. Don’t look at me cross-eyed like that. I just said that working magick is an option. Seriously, don’t look at me like that!

I know.  I have said in the past that I do not work magick. And I don’t. Unless I have a really good fucking reason to do so. Well, that option has arisen. Donnie wants to be the bully in the room; then it is past time to break his nose and knock him on his ass.

Now, I know some of you are not magick workers. Totally get that. Some of you are, and it is a primary tool in your toolbox. In fact, you have probably already started using it to some degree shortly after tiny-hands took office. Those of us that work magick sparingly – for whatever reason – it is time to dust off the ol’ toolbox and set things in motion.

So, yes, do the petitions, get out to the protests, be the fly-in-the-ointment at the work camps (if you can), contact your congressional and state representatives. Be the loud person in the room. Being quiet, rational and calm is a good strategy, but at some point – you have to step it up a major notch. It is time to rain the magick down on Donnie’s head. That’s my call to everyone else…particularly those of you that were holding back (as I was). Donnie’s called the tune.  And its war.

–T /|\

Too Little, Too Late? I Can Only Hope Not….

Well, hello. It is a cloudy, cold day here in Texas. Wait five minutes…that might change. However, it is a new calendar year. And eventually, the long cold of Winter will take hold. I hope. When I was in Ireland at the end of this past year, and the beginning of this one – it was warm there (in the 40f to 50f range) compared to the 20f range back here in Texas. Arriving back in Texas, it got into the 70f range here. ::sigh:: Winters have always been weird here in Texas.

So, with my return back to Texas, it is time to get the blog rolling again. And there is a lot to talk about. With a new President-elect stumbling into office like a drunken thug…times look to get contentious and “interesting” here in the States. But as I have posted before, we will make it through – together. Then there are the recurring dreams….well, let’s start there – shall we?

 

Dreaming is one of the strongest connections I have with my two Gods and my singular Goddess. I have many, many entries in my Dream Journal about moments with Them. I also have many other entries about odd dreams, and recurring ones. The latest recurring dream deals with something I have already posted about during my time in Ireland. The wall. Not Donnie’s idiotic dream of separating the United States from our Mexican neighbors. No, this wall separates parts of cities and towns. Where “good” citizens are protected from those not like them.

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What I am referring to is something similar to the so-called “Peace Wall” in Belfast, Northern Ireland. When I first saw the wall, I heard a very distinctive voice in my mind – Fliodhas – telling me that this a glimpse at a future that could be. Once the bus stopped along a stretch of the wall, I was able to stand across the street from it and realize the starkness in its existence. Painted up with graffiti like a prototypical streetwalker, it seemed to be a semi-sweet reminder of days gone by. After all, attacks between Catholics and Protestants have been on the decline for quite some time. Both sides seemed to be making friendly. Belfast is quiet.

But that makeup is a farce. If there were peace between the two sides, the electronic gates that close up streets that run through this saccharine emblem would no longer close at night. People would be free to travel both sides of this division at any time of the day or night. Peace? Calm? No. You can feel the Storm’s rise in the city. The issues that divide these two sides still fester. The energy from that fouls the entire atmosphere of this city. Politically, there’s a left/right divide that mirrors that of the United States. The difference between the States and Northern Ireland, is that Northern Ireland is more well schooled in the physically violent aspect.

During Donnie’s run towards the Presidency, the political rallies that he held were tinged with protesters trying to make a point of how dangerous his regime may be. And those rallies were also tainted with the often violent responses to these protesters by his followers that were in nearby seats. And all that was done with Donnie’s encouragement from the podium. Now, with Donnie getting ready to set his bum on the highest seat in the American political landscape – images of divided communities staring at walled off areas where non-conformists are kept is not difficult to discern. Those images are easily found in my dreams.

There is no cute and colorful graffiti found on those walls. No statements written by visitors who are presented this stark reminder of what divided society can look like. There is nothing but the cold, stark, gun-metal grey of walls made of steel and metal. The top is graced with razor wire, and watchtowers on the “good” side blot the linear skyline that the wall provides. This wall does not separate two populaces from one another to avoid fighting. This wall is designed to separate “wanted” populations from those that would pollute the “good” society.

We, humankind, have built walls like this before. Remnants of this can be found throughout Europe, where the Nazis walled off parts of the cities to create the Jewish ghettos. As Roger Daltrey belts out in a Who song called “Eminence Front”….

The news slows
People forget
Their shares crash, hopes are dashed
People forget

Yes, we forget. We forget what we have done to one another – in the name of ideology, in the name of religion, in the name of Big Oil, in the name of skin color….in the name of so many things. And one day, we will wake up, look around us and see what’s been done in the name of….whatever. And we will remember that was done before. And we will vow to never do it again. Until the next time.

When I heard the Gods telling me that the Storm was coming, I could not see a reason to grab my staff and utilize it for more than assisting my old ass in walking. The Storm arrived, and I was ready to fight, but still did not understand what I was fighting. I arrived in Ireland in late December, still unaware of what there was to fight. Then in Belfast, Northern Ireland…standing at the Peace Wall and seeing what a divided society looks like, I understood. I can only hope that my effort to help is not a measure of too little, too late.

Continuing to Live

Came into my office this morning, started my coffee machine, and then flipped on to my current playlist on my iPhone. That playlist is every single mp3 I own by Rush. As I boot up my work computer, the sounds of an audience starts to fill my small Bose bluetooth speaker (the only tie to sanity I have here at work), and I start a cup of coffee. The song “Force Ten” starts, and I get hit right in the face with a lyric I needed to hear:

Look in
To the eye of the storm
Look out
For the force without form
Look around
At the sight and the sound
Look in, look out, look around

Tough times demand tough talk
Demand tough hearts demand tough songs
Demand

I keep hearing the whispers in my dreams, in my meditations, and even when I am just staring out into the farm fields near the college and my house. And the sound is something I cannot get out of my head, a refrain that reminds me of where I am.

We will ask more of you than ever before. Stay focused.

Not really what I have been expecting. I am working through my Bardic studies, and spending even more time meditating. My focus has been on my studies, and moving forward with where I should be. Not much of my time has been spent with the news since Thursday of last week. I catch the occasional news story, but for the most part – my focus is on being the Pagan I am.

I guess sometime last night or this morning on the drive into work, I realized it. My focus SHOULD be on my studies. My focus SHOULD be on meeting my goals and needs. I have made the assumption that the Flidais has been whispering in my ear about being a protector and a watcher of what is happening around me. But I already know how to do that. Its literally in my DNA. She’s not whispering about that. Her words are geared towards following my studies. Her ragged whisper is about continuing to go where I should be. To continue to be the Pagan that I should be. To move forward. To continually progress in becoming the Priest (there’s that word again) I should be.

Certainly, I could spend plenty of time worrying over what Donnie and Mike may or may not do in their elected roles. But its not worrying I should be doing. Having me cowering in the corner, full of anxiety over what might be done is exactly what those two would want from me. After all, if I were afraid of them, I’m easier to control. Rather, I will continue with my daily life – and I will be watching. I will keep an eye on what they try to do, and intervene where I can or need to. But spending my time constantly worrying over that, takes me away from what I should be doing. It takes me away from the work that I am supposed to do. And that does no good for anyone, and lends power to who Donnie and Mike are.

Yes, I talk about it constantly…the storm is here. Yes, we need to band together as community so that we can make our way through these times. We also need to do the things that we need to. For me, that means communicating more often with the Gods and Goddess that have laid Their claim. It means spending more time with my Dream Crows, listening to their messages and their lessons. It means getting outside, and listening to the Wind, feeling the Earth beneath my feet, the cold Morning Dew on my feet, and the hearing the crackle of the Fire. It means carrying on with the things that need to be done. And always keeping an ear to the ground and an eye to my surroundings for when I am asked to intervene.

In the Air Force, we kept bomber crews in a certain location – away from the rest of the base. Typically, they were kept in a facility that was akin to a dormitory, called the “Alert Facility”. They were available for their aircraft at a moment’s notice. In essence, they could get to their bombers and get these planes off the ground before a nuclear strike occurred. That is fine for a military unit, but we are not a military unit. We need to have our weapons nearby. We need to be ready to use those when necessary. But we need to also do other things that are necessary for us, the Gods, and our communities. We need to continue to live.

 

Countdown to Now

Forty-two days. Ninety-four days. Two-hundred and sixty-two days.

Countdowns. There are all kinds of events that occur. Each one has meaning. Each one brings something into our lives. The three above? My trip to Ireland, the start of Pantheacon, and the start of Many Gods West. There are plenty of others to add to the mix as well. There’s the upcoming Gulf Coast Gathering (one-hundred and twenty-one days), and so many more things. And those are just the events that are known. There is always something right around the corner. In short, things happen.

Its been a short while since the surprise election of Donnie as President. Its done. There’s nothing left to do, except to brace one’s self for the coming four years. That, and prepare to fight on various aspects of legislation that his administration will attempt to pass. Essentially become the “loyal opposition.”But there are a lot of other things to handle as well.

Honoring and working with our respective Gods, Goddesses, Spirits of Place, Spirits of Ancestor, and one another continues on. For me, its time to get back to that focus. For that is what builds my inner and outer core, and gives me the anchor to be the strong support where others may have need of me. That means getting back to daily practice. That means continuing my studies. That means remembering those who have passed beyond the veil. That means continuing to find ways to support the Water Protectors at Standing Rock – and elsewhere. That means finding sympathetic magick to work. Yes, you are reading that correctly. I said working magick. That means spells, that means prayers, that means offerings, that means listening to the Gods to see what They may ask of you. The storm is here, we need to be ready to do what is asked of us.

Part of this aspect of sympathetic magick for me comes in the form of writing these blog posts. Writing off the top of my head is a fairly easy thing. I sit, I think, I type. I don’t write to be a BNP (Big Name Pagan), nor am I an especially gifted writer. I have always been aware of that. No, I write to share ideas and thoughts. I write to put my thoughts out in the open for others to read. My hope is that it starts people thinking about topics. My hope is that those thoughts turn into tangible action of some sort. My hope is that it starts the ball rolling for others.

I don’t write to tell people what they should or should not do. I don’t write to try and create definitions or labels that can be pinned on others. I do my very best not to create boundaries of “this is what this is”. Sometimes I am not successful at keeping that out of what I write. I’m human, after all. But I try my best. No, my desire has never been to have my name in lights or to be idolized by a group of folks. I’m just not built that way.

But one of the bigger things to have come out of this election cycle for me has been the issue of self-care. Its really difficult for me to be helpful, when my blood sugars are low and I have not eaten. Except that I am not always aware that I have not eaten in a while. I am getting better at noticing the mood swing, and the overt dizziness (hush!) that is associated with a crash in my glucose levels. And I am a terrible diabetic, in that I don’t always handle my medications the best way I should. Which means that I am needing to develop better habits where all of this is concerned. And that’s merely one area of self-care.

Before we can be the support that others may need, we have to make sure we are taken care of as well. Hydrate. Eat regularly. If you take medications, stay on the appropriate schedule. Take breaks. Meditate regularly. Pay your bills (as dumb as that sounds – its sometimes over-looked). When others come to you, you will need to have things taken care of for you, so that you can be the strong support that they will need.

Set small, attainable goals for yourself. For instance, with the holiday season coming up, make meal plans for the holidays. Include others. Don’t be disappointed if they turn you down. You still offered. Plan the meal. Make healthy choices. Make appropriate meal portions. Try something different for part of the meal. Make a goal to get outside and walk two miles every day. Or if you are a runner, get out and run. Turn it into a daily goal. Celebrate when you reach the milestones. If you know someone reaching those kind of personal milestones, celebrate with them.

Reach out to your local communities…even if there is some distance between you and them (physically or what-not). This is the time where we need each other more and more. This is where our connections with others will need to be strong and grow even stronger. I know there is always some kind of bickering that goes on within a local Pagan community…just sayin’. Put that to the side for a while. Focus on getting stronger, more intentioned (is that even a word?) communication and connection. We will need one another. You might not need others, but some of them may need you.

I am one of those folks that stands back and watches. I look for trouble to arrive, and when I spot it, I move to intervene. That’s the role I am most comfortable with. I also realize that I need to become more comfortable with other roles. Priest, leader, and the occasional role-model. None of those three things I am comfortable doing. But comfort no longer matters. Need surpasses any aspect of personal comfort. All I can hope is that I will do a decent job of fulfilling those roles.

Consider this:  every single one of us will eventually have a role to fulfill during the storm. Some of those roles will not be comfortable or familiar. Where do you feel yourself being pushed? Are you resisting because of a lack of comfort or knowledge? Spend some time querying your Gods. Perhaps They may share with you some of the reasons why. Perhaps They might push you to someone more comfortable with those roles to help mentor you along. All of that matters now. More than it ever has before. And remember, the Gods don’t work on countdowns.

Just some food for thought…. #sayin’

 

Manning the Watchtower

Whew. That was one heck of a ride this week, eh? And for some folks, its still continuing. There are people who feel scared, and vulnerable after this election. And they have reason to feel that way. With Donnie making campaign rhetoric and promises that he would literally go after Muslims and the LGBTQ communities, he set very little doubt on what his proposed path would be once he takes office. Of course, the day after the elections, he has toned that down a bit, even backtracking on some of his statements. Which makes me wonder who the REAL Donnie is. At this point, only time will truly tell, which means we have to keep a strong eye on what he does for his entire four year term or however long it will last. My prediction is that he’s going to pull a Sarah Palin, and ditch out of the office at just a little over a year, turning the reins over to Mike Pense. Which is an even scarier prospective.

safetypinI’m wearing a safety pin to show that I am a safe place to turn to for anyone that feels that they might be in danger or need a shoulder to discretely cry into. It also signifies that I will not stand for any of the attacks or abuses that I see. It means that I won’t be a bystander. I served in the Air Force to protect the freedoms of everyone. Not just a select few. I will also protect the Constitution of these United States – against aggressors foreign and domestic, which means I will have my eye on Donnie’s administration. My oath of enlistment did not stop when I was processed out of the Air Force. It continues to this day. I may not be military, but my oath still stands, as far as I am concerned.

Not that long ago, I made the statement “The world is watching” in reference to the lack of President Obama’s involvement in stopping the DAPL near Standing Rock reservation. For Donnie and his cohort that will enter the White House on January 20th of next year, I add the following:  “Yes, the world is watching you. So am I. So are many, many veterans and current military members. Be sure to follow the Constitution in all that you do.” Its not a threat. Its a promise. A promise not to Donnie and his administration. Its a promise to the citizens of this country. We are watching.

Making an oath as a protector is a difficult choice. Many people join the military for the student loan perk. Others because they have no other choice in life. They are looking to learn marketable skills in the civilian world. But the oath is a sacred union between themselves and this country. I joined because I had nowhere else to really go. I had no marketable skills. I needed to learn a trade, particularly in the world of computers. I learned that trade. I also grew up to become an adult. And when I did that, I also learned the value of my oath. And as I have grown as a Pagan, I have learned the value of my statement, as well as the terms that were set out. The protection of the Constitution of these United States is for life.

I can walk away from this oath at any time. I can break that vow anytime that I want. But then I watch celebrations of how other countries have fought for their own sovereign rights. Particularly that of Ireland. I have a strong affinity for the Irish people, and how seriously they take the protection of their country. Not just the members of the military, but her citizens as well. They won their freedom, and they are willing to protect it at all costs. They are willing to lay down their lives, if they have to, so that future generations of Irish will be free.

For me, that’s a very similar sentiment, as I watch a regime of individuals that I trust not one bit, ascend to the highest levels of governmental control. I think of the Irish rebellion of Easter 1916, where people had to make a choice to stand and fight. And I see something similar potentially brewing in the streets of this country. It will take time for that brew to bubble over, but the wood beneath that cauldron is being stoked and added to. I have no idea what the rest of the country may or may not do. People have to make decisions of their own. For right now, I stand underneath the roof of my patio, watching the torrents from the start of the Storm. My Gods and Goddess have reminded me time again that my Staff is for more than just supporting me while I walk.

So I watch. I wait. I keep track of what is said. I keep track of what is done. I heard the whispers on the wind, “the storm is coming.” I hear the new voices on the wind, “the storm is here.” And I hear a new voice rising small and far quieter than those announcing the storm. It can barely be heard, but it is there. “Remember, for them, there will come a reckoning.” I will remember. But for now, I watch.

#TheStormIsHere

So, its November 9th. Depending on how you voted, either your revolution came true, or you heard the iron gates of the concentration camp slam shut. Overly dramatic? Reading through posts on nearly every social media platform, I would say it certainly is not.

Quite a while back, I asked what would happen if your candidate does not win? Would you ask for proof of how an individual voted before you helped to pull their vehicle out of the ditch on a snowy night? Apparently, there are some folks hitting that knee jerk reaction. I have seen several statements of “if you voted for [x] delete yourself from my friend’s list now.” Look, I understand that kind of angry response, especially if you were pinning all your hopes for changes in our government to a single individual running for the Presidency of the United States. But the President is only one small piece of that puzzle. The position is the forward-looking face from this country to the rest of the world. Legislative, money-related decisions, treaty-work and even the function of declaring war belongs to the Congress, which gets far fewer looks from the public in any election year. Its because the position is a whole lot less sexier. Nobody in the rest of the world cares about Representative Cattlegrazer whose constituency is the several dozen of folks living in eastern Montana. No international glitz, no sexiness to the position. This is why the Presidency gets such a strong look, or I should say one of the many.

So, Donnie has become the President of the United States. Great. No seriously, great. We survived eight years of Reagan, we will survive four years of Trump. Last night, before I went to bed, I wrote the following on my Facebook status:

….many of us have heard the words from the Gods and Goddesses we work with. We have heard the whispers on the wind. We have seen the signs. We are past the time of preparing. The leading edges of the coming storm arrived a while back. Now the teeth of that storm are here. Now its time to shelter. Now is the time to look out for those less fortunate than you. And for you warriors out there, you know quite well what is going to be expected of you… Be prepared, be aware, be wary, fight when necessary, flee when necessary to survive, help those that cannot defend for themselves. Its time. #thestormishere

Its definitely true. I have written about the coming Storm before. Now, I am not saying its going to look like 1980s communist Russia, but there is a chance that freedoms for many of us are going to be tightly curtailed under this coming administration. Some have prepared for all of this, others have waited until recently to get ready. However, with this coming administration, we – Pagans, LGBTQ, “fringe” religions, and many others – must live our lives being very aware of our environment. We are going to have to be ready to stand up for those who cannot do so for themselves. We are going to have to check on our Elders more frequently. We are going to need to band together in communities of solidarity. We were wanting change, we got some of that. Now, we cannot rely on our government or our political allies to do this. We want change? We are going to have to make that change ourselves. That means taking a stand where we have been in silent reserve to issues. If we want change, we are going to have to this TOGETHER.

Running to Canada might be option for a few. I joked with Mojo and Sparrow of the Wigglian Way that they would meet me at the Washington/Canada border with a duffel bag. They could stuff me in the duffel, and then smuggle me across the border. But that’s wishful thinking. I have a home here, in north Texas. I have three cats that rely on me for their safety and meals. I am not about to leave my furry girls behind. I have friends and extended family here within the United States as well. I will be here to help and harbor them as best I can. I am no warrior, but I will not leave those that I love to be defenseless.

No, running is not the answer. Being completely cutoff from the larger community is not an answer either. I live a long way from either the DFW or OKC Pagan communities. But now is the time to reach out and connect with them. If we are going to make it through the next four years, we are going to have to do it together. Through Solidarity, not being apart. It is far easier to beat an opponent when you can take on a small piece here or there at your leisure. We must stand together, if we are to manage through the storm.

Pointing fingers of blame as to why Donald Trump pulled out a victory for the Presidency does no one any good. Looking at a Clinton candidacy against Trump versus a Sanders candidacy versus Trump does no one any good. Being prepared for the potential curtailment of freedoms for various peoples that do not fit “comfortably” into a Trump vision of America is a better way of looking at things.

I asked before….what would you do if Trump were elected? We are past the point of answering that. His presidency will be here in January as the duly elected individual. The questions that we need to face now are far different. What would you do if the rights of Muslims are curtailed in the name of the war on terrorism? What would you do if the freedoms of LGBTQ individuals are curtailed – simply because of their status? What if the marriages of that same community are considered to be null and void? We have always look to our government o stand for the rights of these individuals. What if the government is the one that is coming to remove the rights of those individuals? If we want change….real, honest, permanent change. We are the ones that are going to have to do it.

In Babylon 5, when the Centauri conquet the Narn for a second time, G’kar issues the following statement before he is forced off the Babylon 5 Council by Londo:

No dictator, no invader can hold an imprisoned population by force of arms forever. There is no greater power in the universe than the need for freedom. Against that power tyrants and dictators cannot stand. The Centauri learned that lesson once. We will teach it to them again. Though it take a thousand years, we will be free.  –G’kar

…and then there’s my version of that….

….when you push a populace further down, you foment rebellion. Even the most logical individual will lash out at the curtailment of their freedoms. Republicans and Democrats understood this before…after this election cycle is done, its up to us, the citizens of this country to teach it to them again.

We need to take care of each other. We need to look out for those that cannot defend themselves. We need to make sure that those who are less fortunate among us have what we can give to them. You want change? You want permanent change? We have four years to plan to the next election cycle for President. Lick your wounds today. Tomorrow, we need to find a new way.