Be patient. I’m going to get to what Cindy has taught us. And I’d like to hear from all of you on this question. It’s a good one.

Perfect time to ask it also, because this Mom is changing the face of the anti-war movement.  Giving it depth and scope.

We’ve got to learn from her. We are learning from her.
The dog days of August have never been easy here in New Orleans. So Hot it dries your tears before they happen. I look out to Crawford for inspiration these days, and like Cindy said, “We’re mad as hell and we’re not taking it anymore”,  only, I’m not even sure where to start.

I could start with the Rolling Stone article detailing the functioning of a dysfunctional Congress, operating largely below eye level and getting away with fucking murder when it comes to ripping off the American people in the form of corporate-backed legislation.

We might start with the Bankruptcy Bill. This is a bill that allows corporations to file for protection, under any circumstance, including mismanagement, but you the “consumer”, even under the burden of a medical catastrophe, gotta pay.

 You wanna start with the Real ID Act? Everyone will now need these federally mandated ID cards, to do everything. How ’bout the Patriot Act? Do you really want the FBI to have unlimited access to your personal belongings, and having to answer to no one in choosing to search them? Tuck that in your pillow and sleep well on it.

Maybe we might wade into the putrid waters of energy, and see how they gave billions away in the energy bill. That bill gave the federal gov’t the ability to override local opposition when it comes to planning liquified natural gas facilities. This type of facility may do harm to local fisheries, and we’ve got enough problems here what with coastal erosion. And the energy bill repealed PUCHA, New Deal legislation designed to protect the nation’s energy system from monopoly. Goodby PUCHA? Hello Enron…again.

Folks, the passage of the god-awful legislation is not about republicans being in control of both houses. I wish it were. Because it would mean we actually have an aware and awake opposition party. But the democrats, many of them, are going along with legislation that is blatantly pro-corporate. I think they believe we aren’t paying attention.

I wonder if we are.

This issue then is not about electing democrats. We have seen the system swallow too many, well-meaning individuals with its promises of largely unchecked power.

The issue is: what is the progressive agenda? What kind of world do we visualize and are we willing to put our time, our energy, indeed, our muscle, into creating such a world? And after the formulation of this agenda, how do we effectively communicate it to our elected representatives? How do we as citizens work to bring it about?

The rise of the corporate/neocon agenda is directly proportional to the lack of an active and vital progressive agenda.

This leads me to this question: what has Cindy taught us? What is she continuing to teach us?  

Here’s my two cents:  That we are stronger when we come together…and….the quality of the issue we come together over will determine the growth of its strength.

It’s an equation, of sorts. People can come together over all kinds of issues, but the strength  of their unity will be measured by the soundness of their principles.

I’m proposing that we develop our agenda and fine tune it, and let it include holding democrats’ and reublicans’ collective feet to the fire over bad legislation. Part of that agenda might include these negatives:

We will not consider supporting a representative or senator who has voted for the bankruptcy bill. We demand that this legislation be repealed.

We will not consider supporting a representative or senator who voted for the Real ID Act. We want this legislation repealed.

We will not consider supporting a representative or senator who voted for the Patriot Act. We want this legislation repealed.

These bills, named above, are anti-democratic, and in some way, threaten the strength of our democracy. If you supported them, as a voting member of Congress, then you must answer to the people.

You get my drift. And I know you are thinking: well, that would preclude just about everyone in Congress.

Exactly my point. They are doing, what they are doing, because there is no accountability. We must create the accountability.

And, as Cindy has shown, we must come together to do this.

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