Unfortunately there will be no post this week. However, please enjoy these photos of our camping trip we recently had. Also please enjoy this humorous video of a popcorn malfunction at the campfire which resulted in first degree burns on my wrist!

I registered to vote when I turned 18. I remember being so excited to practice what I felt was my civic duty. Being able to finally participate in American democracy, in “the great experiment”, was an honor. So few people before me (historically speaking) or globally had the option to experience that honor. And so I went to the MVA (Maryland’s Motor Vehicle Administration) updated my license and selected “Democrat” as my party.

For many years afterwards, I was a casual supporter of the Democratic Party. At the time, it was easy to do so. I was surrounded by other like-minded members (in central suburban Maryland it’s hard not to be) and the national political environment placed Democrats in a strong position. Sure, Clinton had been impeached, but the federal budget showed a surplus, businesses were flourishing thanks to the growing world wide web, and social progress was significant. Eventually, it became clear that those things would not last or that progress would be harder to come by than expected. Moreover, I was studying Mathematics with a minor in Philosophy and my interest in politics had waned. The next opportunity I had to update my political affiliation, I changed to “Unaffiliated”.

Years later, after the Great Recession had decimated the housing, stock, and financial markets, the country found itself fighting in two wars, and the Patriot Act and Great Recession challenged our democracy, I found myself becoming more curious. I listened to C-SPAN on the radio every time I was in the car, read more about the history of politics in the US, and engaged in conversations with friends and co-workers. (As a brief aside and as I think about this now, it was really the perfect storm of minor life changes that made this period in my life possible. WHFS had just gone off the air so I found myself looking for other things to listen to in the car. Wikipedia had matured enough where that kind of information was easily accessible. And I found myself working at Borders, a melting of people and ideas from all different backgrounds if there ever was one.)

I learned many lessons during that period. Perhaps the most important was that most politicians are genuinely good people. Listening to many of them speak on the House or Senate floor, it’s clear that most want what is best for their districts or states and that they make every effort to listen to their constituents. Seriously, I challenge anyone to turn on C-SPAN and listen to a handful of speakers from the opposing side. You’ll find yourself nodding your head in agreement through most of their speech.

The second lesson was that most of the politicians that appear on the popular cable news shows are only there to rally their base or coerce the media into giving them a larger voice. They’re not there to present carefully reasoned and nuanced arguments; they’re there either as a puppet of their party or to serve their own ambition. With rare exception, I view these people as the dunces of political discord or as the class clowns of Congress. The third lesson I learned is that, unfortunately, these are the only people most Americans see on a regular basis. And to be clear, I don’t blame my fellow Americans, any of them, for that behavior. There’s only so much time a person can be expected to sustain interest in the issues, most of which will never directly affect them. To be honest, I don’t really blame the politicians, at least the more junior of them, on those popular news shows either. Listen to the differences in how they speak to Congress and how they speak to the media, and I think you’ll agree that some have just become victims of the party, themselves coerced into arguing for or defending a position neither they nor their constituent believe in.

It’s for those reasons, that I now proudly say that I am, still, “Unaffiliated”. While my original reasons for becoming “Unaffiliated” might not have been very strong, I see now the real harm that party affiliation does to this country and to us as Americans. Truly, the response to the question “Are you Republican or Democrat?” should always be “I’m an American”. Identity politics is a powerful motivator and it starts with dividing everyone into “Republican” or “Democrat”, enforcing the “us” vs “them” mentality. Second, becoming “Unaffiliated” provides more freedom for us to explore ideas and negotiate, rather than debate, to find the best ones. We’re a nation of 333 million people with at least as many problems. It can’t be expected that anyone’s “side” will have the exact solution. And lastly, becoming “Unaffiliated” encourages politicians to make the best decisions and to collaborate with their constituents. Otherwise, they can simply look at the voter registrations and know with some confidence that they’re job is safe.

It is my hope that more people will choose to register as “Unaffiliated”. To those that say, “But I won’t be able to vote in a primary”, I say, “Let’s advocate for open primaries”. Let’s pick the best candidates rather than just the best Republican or best Democrat. At the very least, you’ll get less mail and fewer phone calls :-)

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As I have mentioned in previous posts and interviews, it has been a long time since I’ve been able to see out of my left eye.   The lens with the cataract was removed 4 weeks ago, but the cataract had spread to the capsule around the lens.  However, as the inflammation has lessened, now I’m beginning to see images, and lines on the road are becoming visible.  I can see the fingers on my hand with my arm extended.

However, my retina doctor told me months ago to be careful, because when I begin to see again I will be getting “false information” from the eye.  He has spoken the truth.  The lines on the road from the left eye do not line up with the lines on the road I see with my right eye.  They vary by as much as 30 degrees.  They aren’t crisp.  They are wavy.  I have to be wary and remember to trust my right eye.  I often close my left eye while driving, and use the blind spot mirrors religiously.

My left eye is lazy.  It hasn’t been able to focus on anything for months.  It will take a while for my brain to use these 2 perspectives and interpret them as one reality.  Until then, I must be patient with myself, laugh at my lack of depth perception and keep a positive attitude that things will eventually be okay.

I feel there is a metaphor here that can be applied to the American People in terms of skewing of information in dueling political echo chambers.

It is going to be a while before we can focus properly again.  And during this time, neither side trusts the other’s perspective.  I do think the right are beginning to go through some buyer’s remorse and that remorse will be greatly increased as mass layoffs occur from the federal government. 

My hunch, is that this term is going to be so heated and divisive that the public will want to come together when it is all over.  But I also know that bad blood just solidifies hatred, so this country may be coming to an important crossroads.

Will we acknowledge our shared experience?  Or, will we vilify those who think differently and contribute to society in ways that we literally refuse to comprehend?

During Trump’s first term, I thought there was a missed opportunity between white libertarians and Black Lives Matter.   BLM at its core was about giving accountability to those awarded with qualified immunity.  The name of Black Lives Matter was because they felt that black lives did not matter to the people and governments of the United States, and it was a reminder that they do.  The libertarian think tank, CATO Institute, sided with them because when someone has qualified immunity, they can get away with anything, including murder so long as it is when they are on the clock.  Officers of the peace need always be held accountable, which was not happening with due process.

However in 2016 and 2017,  those who thought libertarianism was really about hating liberals and waving a Gadsden Flag found themselves swearing never to watch another NFL game because people kneeling as an act of asking their country to do better was deemed offensive and not patriotic.

This demonstrated that not listening to the concerns of – and in favor of the demonization of – others is easier than achieving an understanding even when there are common perspectives found across the political aisle or socioeconomic groups.  Just as my brain does not understand what my left eye sees, the people of the United States as a whole do not understand their own perspectives.  The average citizen does not care to understand the plight of other citizens outside of their friends or social groups.  The people of the United States, are very selfish in this regard.  It prevents us from understanding the simple truth that people are people.

We need an empathy first politics.  And empathy first is different than calling your constituency victims of scapegoats.  It is about understanding people’s needs and meeting them.  It fights against the concentration of wealth and power.  I believe a culture of empathy and decency is the only way we will tone down the rhetoric and move on from the Trump era.   Somewhere along the line there will also need to be accountability and forgiveness.  These things must occur before we get to a point where we are a fair people living in a fair country.  Should we achieve that, our vision will be 20/20.

References:

End Qualified Immunity by the Cato Institute.  https://www.cato.org/qualified-immunity

https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/qualified-immunity-legal-practical-moral-failure#isnt-qualified-immunity-entitled-respect

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It’s difficult, verging on impossible, to articulate all the feelings of the past several weeks. President Donald Trump was inaugurated on January 20 and has been hard at work stretching the limits of executive authority and power. Among the more alarming executive orders are:

On their face, these executive orders would seem to be anything but ordinary, some may even appear to be exceptionally positive. Who could be against government efficiency or accountability, the protection of sovereign wealth, or dealing with emergencies? (And to be clear, no one left, right, or center is against these ideas… on their face.) But the implementation of these orders has been anything but ordinary. As a DOD contractor, business owner, elder millennial, and Maryland resident, I’m seeing and feeling the effects of their implementation nearly every day.

For several decades at least, the mentality at the DOD in general was to keep our war fighters and fellow Americans safe. Our forward deployed troops engaged in two wars were under constant threat. The situation domestically, while not as actively hostile, was still one of constant concern and vigilance. It was my great honor to be part of that organization. Working hand in hand with some of this country’s bravest men and women. People who witnessed the attacks on 9/11, felt the calling to serve, and left their old lives behind to keep us all safe. I was not one of those people, but I still felt the pride that came with knowing that something I was doing would help them eventually get home safe.

It was that recent history that lead some to believe that the DOD was “untouchable”, immune from budget cuts and government shutdowns. Truly staggering amounts of money and manpower spent to support the mission. “Whatever it takes, and then some.” Could some of that be considered “waste”? It’s arguable, sure, but also a matter of perspective and government priorities at the time. Regardless, the contrast to today is stark. New and young government employees who were looking forward to a career of civil service now sit in meetings crying, wondering weather they will soon be unemployed.

The experience as a Maryland resident, where so many current and former federal employees live, is also notable. People who had spent years faithfully and earnestly serving the American public, must now stand by and watch their legacy and all that generations before them had built be cursed at or torn down.

To be clear, American life is and has always been one of constant change. To say that our history has been tumultuous might be a gross understatement. And we’ve had prior presidents assert their power in much the same way that President Trump is now. Indeed, it’s likely a court, regardless of political appointment, would find that many, if not all, of the Executive Orders that have been enacted are within the President’s Constitutional Authority. But that’s not really the point.

The Constitution is imperfect. That fact was known even to the great politicians, leaders, and thinkers present when the Constitution was enacted. The question of whether an act of the President is “Constitutional” is much different than the question of whether that same act is moral, ethical, or even in the best interests of the country. That’s why so many of the Constitution’s current 27 amendments were passed, to address, extend, or further protect the rights, liberties, and freedoms we all share. But it took brave people, of every political persuasion, to stand up and come together to make things better.

On average, we have amended the constitution every 10 years, but new amendments have come much less frequently. The last amendment was 34 years ago in 1992 and the one before that was in 1971. Surely, the Constitution is not complete. Moreover and in my opinion, the current flurry of Executive Orders (along with some of the more recent Supreme Court decisions) does present a Constitutional crisis. It’s clear that to many or even the majority of Americans, that the Constitution has not been interpreted or implemented as expected. A new generation of brave Americans is needed to address the needs of our country and to preserve our Democratic Republic for future generations.

To decide for oneself whether the current situation presents a constitutional crisis, I pose the following questions:

Regardless of the responses to those questions, I’ll present the following casual suggestions:

Whatever the case, it is clear, at least to me, that brave Americans are still needed to maintain constant vigilance and to work together for the betterment of all. The Constitution of our country only lives while we continue to breath life into it.

References:

“Presidential Actions”
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/

The post The Constitutional Crisis appeared first on The Ascendant Project.

Here it is 5 years later, and I have decided to start this project anew. Trump has been elected for the second time and has already issued a flurry of executive orders and brought in Elon Musk to shake up government and apparently strip it down to it’s core.

While this is a stressful experience for this liberal, it should be known that my personal experience over the last few years has taught me that when stressful things happen, you can make a decision over how it is going to affect you. Will you let your circumstances dictate your outcomes? Will you be a victim of forces beyond your control?

There are many reasons why this can happen. The dissolution of USAID has a family member of mine stressed out, because they work in a non-profit mental health agency. Their employer depends on grant money, and they fear for her job and the welfare of their patients. Multiple family members and friends I have, did, or do work in government either directly or as a contractor. The upcoming government shutdown looks to be a long one as Democrats will be standing up defending the power of the institution of Congress against the over reach of the Executive. Once again, they will potentially not get paid, they are worried about their contracts being cut and their positions potentially being terminated. We are all taking it one day at a time uncertain of what tomorrow will bring.

On a personal level, I have been dealing with an important issue of my own. About two years ago, I was playing tennis and the lines on the court started disappearing. It was initially diagnosed as an ocular migraine, however the phenomena was confined to my left eye. About 2 weeks after that, I was watching TV on the couch and all the sudden my left eye spontaneously filled with floaters.

I have had 3 surgeries since, one to reattach the retina and fill the eye with oil. Second, to remove the oil secure the retina, and fill my eye with gas. Third one was yesterday, to remove the cataract that formed in the left eye. The final surgery was a complicated one, as the cataract had spread to the capsule around the lens as well, and could not be fully removed. This surgery lasted an hour which is abnormally long for cataract surgery which usually only takes 15-20 minutes. As I write this, I really don’t know if I will see out my left eye ever again.

This has been going on for about 2 years. At the beginning of this process, I realized I had a choice in front of me. Am I going to let this rule me or am I going to approach this situation with positivity, humor and gratefulness? I chose the later.

My doctors have opened offices on off days to see me. My family has supported me. I also strived not to let this handicap me. I still play hard and beat my friends at tennis, depth perception be damned. I am grateful for all the support I have had and even have become grateful for this happening to me. It allowed me to find what strength I had that I did not know. It also taught me that I am capable of by overcoming significant obstacles in my life.

People have told me that I am an inspiration to them in how I have dealt with this. What they do not realize is that their love, support, friendship, and time have empowered me to have this attitude. In short, they have inspired me.

So in these turbulent times that are before us, we need to strengthen our bonds in our families and our friendships. Our relationships must become stronger whether they be colleagues or coworkers. We must build a community of support. If we can reform our nation from the ground up with an empathy first view of our neighbor, we can rise.

Midnight is when the day begins. So long as we work for the dawn, the dawn will arrive and the day begin anew.

posted by

Brian Smyers

The post Rising through Turmoil appeared first on The Ascendant Project.

I’m starting this blog because I am 46 years old and we are divided more than we ever have been. I write this on June 4, 2020 and there are protests in the streets across this nation. We are exiting the first wave of the Corona virus pandemic, and many people still feel raw from Decision 2016.

I have left Facebook behind. I shut it down a couple weeks ago, just before the alleged murder of George Floyd. I knew a storm was coming. President Trump thrives on division and chaos. Through organizations like Black Lives Matter and athletes on TV, the African-American community had been asking for help in tearing down Qualified Immunity as an institution of protection for police officers. Many of my conservative friends were considering not watching the NFL because they felt players kneeling during the national anthem were dishonoring the flag and this nation.

Over the past couple of months, I have found myself getting very angry, yelling at the TV, the computer, or even myself in the shower when I run through possible conversations with my friends regarding politics. As the pandemic droned on, I found myself becoming more and more sedentary; my daily step would drop from 9,000, to 2,000. Then George Floyd unrest occurred.

At first I was following the news as much as possible, but I felt overwhelmed and my anger continued to grow. So I tried to tune out by playing through Skyrim for the umpteenth time. This only lessened my activity and I found myself swinging between rage and depression. In my head I had yelling matches over politics with my friends who l am not just happy are in my life, but I need my life. My thoughts would become so loud they became verbal and my wife and daughter would hear my mutterings.

I know this isn’t healthy. I know I haven’t been healthy for a while. I don’t think most of us are. Not with each other, and not with ourselves. Through all of this, I yearned for a place where I could host political opinions and let them be valued. Also I was determined that today was the day I would take care of myself. At 7:00AM I went for a walk. So it begins.

Before the pandemic started, I had read “Love Your Enemies” by Arthur C Brooks. It is about how to have constructive political conversations and when to demonstrate “righteous anger”. I also joined a group called Better Angels who are now known as Braver Angels. They administer workshops to train people in how to have a political conversation without getting them or yourself angry. My takeaways from “Love Your Enemies” and Better Angels are the following:

Using these principles, I have found the best political discussions are rooted in stories. I have an African-American friend who will not travel to North Carolina because in the 1980s he was pulled over for a minor traffic infraction. The traffic stop lasted 90 minutes because they were running background check after background check. It is his impression that they presumed he was guilty because he is black and was from out of state. The fact that his family was in the vehicle didn’t matter.

I am certain his experience gives passion to his thoughts on George Floyd, Freddie Gray, and others. His experience personally connects him to the news. It is our stories that drive us and our politic.

Our biases have long been used to divide us. Easily so, as it is their primary nature to preserve or enhance one’s position in society and interests. Perhaps by learning each other’s stories, we can turn bias on its head, and use bias to unite us.

Ascendant

Political power needs to come from the grass roots. When the electorate is informed and understands each other’s stories then our leaders can make good policy. When we view each other as the enemy, then only the interests of the few are cultivated, grown, and governed. Despite what they say, those few are not really Democrats, Republicans, Liberals or Conservatives. They are parasites that use us and our conflicts as pawns for their own gain. To put another way, our division breeds corruption.

It is my intention with this blog to get to know and share the stories behind the political positions of everyday people. In time I will be looking for contributors. Eventually, I want those contributors to write a political essay, and then be interviewed. The interview will be more about the personal stories of how the contributor came to those conclusions as opposed to fact-checking the essay. Any necessary fact-checking should fall to me.

The more we understand each other’s stories, the better we can work together and learn to forgive each other one heart at a time. As we build a better society, you – the reader– can rise and become The Ascendant.

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