Joyce K Reynolds's Open Salon Blog

And Who Will Lead Us Now?

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:12:39 -0500

I passionately believed in Barack Obama, campaigned for and eagerly voted for him. I was jubilant - even giddy - when he was elected. I breathed a sigh of relief believing the world had just been - if you'll forgive the term - righted again.

Almost a year later, I'm experiencing alternating disbelief and numbness at the course of events that have not followed my hopeful vision for his presidency.

I am as passionately against continued war in Afghanistan as I was appalled and angered by our invasion of Iraq. I believe we should have healthcare as described in the Obama campaign with choices not only on abortion but on who insures us as well (the mislabeled and totally misunderstood 'public option') .

I believe the banks, credit card companies and most Wall Streeters are greedy crooks who should be 'governed' given it is OUR tax dollars that kept them afloat.

I believe we need to put the brakes on the real destruction we are wreaking on our planet.

Yes, I could go on and on as all of us could.

But what I can not do is what many on the left and lots of independents (silly to mention those on the right) are doing: turn on Obama with teeth bared and blood dripping their fangs.

As tempted as I may be, I, ultimately, have to ask myself what would that accomplish? I can hardly stand to hear the now-screaming voices on 'our side' fillet Obama without offering one civil word or thoughtful direction or solution.

Oh, yeah, Ed Schultz can get his mouth (and ego) going about how bad Obama is. Howard Dean can now turn in the destruction direction of 'Kill the Bill' and feel he's being a leader. Anon.

The real heartbreak is not that this new President is seemingly turning his back on those of us who believed in him so deeply. It's not even that we have reason to feel betrayed, that we have no idea who that guy in the White House really is.

The REAL heartbreak is that no non-political (assume press/media) leader has emerged to speak thoughtfully or civilly in solution-oriented terms that might help us make our way through these difficult times without eating our young.

The voices on the left are no better than the Limbaughs, Palins, Cheneys on the right. They have in one short year become equally accusing, strident and vicious.

And it's unacceptable.

I despise a lot of what I am seeing from this administration in its early days. But I don't know what their big picture is and I'll be damned if I'm jumping on the hate train that is going to feed the public as much destruction from the left as from the right and ENSURE republican victories in 2010. No thank you.

The New Medium Message: Promote the Divide

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:08:33 -0400

I guess there's just no precentage (rating, that is) in promoting that old Rodney King 'getting along' thing.

Power-mongers purposefully stirring up ugly, near-violent confrontations based mostly on lies that go willfully uncorrected by press and media - well - that's life today in these United States.

Far from our so-called leaders caring about we-the-people or the UNITED States of America, there is no longer any discourse on matters that affect me and thee and the nation-at-large. There is not the slightest attempt to come together to do anything constructive. Except for President Obama who is starting to look weak for trying to do so.

Sadly - and as reasonable and moderate as I try to be - I'm starting to agree with those who think the Dems should take the power they have (which may only last another 16 months) and use it.

Because there is no coming together in D.C. There is no unity in America. There is no press, no media, no leading political, business or community leader advocating civil discourse vs. rant. Instead, vile, hate-filled language is flowing through our communications. Violence can hardly be far behind.

I don't know if I'm more scared than sad. Or angry. Or feeling stupid that I believed Obama could pull this thing together.

I just know after living through countless and sometimes deadly challenges to America , this time feels worse than all the rest. And, it increasingly appears that Airel Durant 's fateful observation is once again about to be proven: "A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within."

Someone please convince me that I'm wrong.

The New Republican Oath of Office.

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:08:07 -0400

Ms. Palin decided it was better for Alaska if she quit the job they elected her to do eighteen months early. (Hey - not to worry. She'll get stuff done with the press/media now treating Facebook as a NEWS source).

Mr. Martinez didn't feel like hanging around Senate to finish the term he was elected to serve so he up and quit. (Never mind, he'll have plenty of influence as a lobbyist or whatever).

Kay Bailey-Hutchison figures it won't be fun being in Senate for the next little while, so she's leaving her newly re-elected post three years early. (Fear not, she intends to be around to run for Govenor.)

In light of all the switcheroo's, maybe it's time to add a little something to the Republican oath of office, e.g. "I do solemnly swear to support and defend...UNTIL..."

This way, it puts voters on notice. Vote Republican at your peril. Because if you do something they don't like, they'll just QUIT!

After all, who wants to learn all that new stuff, read all those stupid bills and put up with all those dopey ethics investigations? Why should they hang around doing a cheap little public job when they could be making bizillions as lobbyists? And - hah - who's going to put up with stingy constituents who complain about using an itty bitty of their precious tax money for their private affairs (read that anyway you'd like)?

Let's just face it. That is NOT the Republican way.

So - how about this? You vote for them, they'll take the job.

But - let's be clear about one thing. It's their way or the highway. Otherwise, here's their message - I QUIT!

Now that's the new Republican way.

President Obama, Anderson Cooper and Walter Cronkite

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 11:07:20 -0400

I had tivo'd Anderson Cooper's AC360 Africa show with President Obama and decided yesterday to take a look.

It was unbelievably powerful. Gripping. Devastating to watch.

I had to fast-forward through some of it because I was unable to bear the pain of Anderson describing the horrors of the to-be-slave holding rooms. The hideous, beastly events of the killing rooms. The description of all the lives, families and rightful existence sacrificed for other men's comfort.

I felt the smallness of the doorway those condemned to slavery had to pass through to be loaded onto boats taking them to foreign lands filled with abuse, terror and death.

I saw the gorgeous shore line they would never again enjoy.

It broke my heart.

In the next few hours, I found myself watching another powerful drama unfold as 60 Minutes relinquished its time to a retrospective of Walter Cronkite's life.

In what turned out to be perfect juxtaposition, I found myself, in this next hour, equally undone.

In awe of Cronkite's courgeous reporting during WWII. Reliving the deep sorrow of his near-tear-filled issuance of the horrific news that President John K. Kennedy had been assassinated. Witnessing again his reporting of the historic ramifications of slavery in the evil of the bombings in Selma that took the lives of four beautiful little girls. And, the killing of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Cronkite was on the scene to give us blow-by-blow of violence in Chicago and the terrible events of Vietnam. And, I wonder how he felt when he saw photos of Lyndon Johnson weeping over his pronouncement - in front of all America - that this war could not go on. (How I wish he had been on the air to say the same of Iraq and Afghanistan).

One thing we know is that Walter Cronkite did not use his power in unseemly ways. Incredibly and unlike most of today's media representatives, he used it responsibly, even-handedly.

Add to those recollections, the wild, joyful emergence of Woodstock and the Beatles. The Grateful Dead and walking on the moon. Brokering peace deals and meeting with untold numbers of national and world leaders. Laughing with his colleagues. Sailing into countless gorgeous sunsets that he seemd to endlessly appreciate.

And that's not even half of the story.

Yes, the man led a life.

Perhaps, the thing I am most grateful to Walter Cronkite for is that he lived those 92 years in wholly-unblemished fashion.

Oh, I know he wasn't perfect. But he was moral beyond measure. He loved his country and served it unfailingly. He seemed to have loved his wife the same way. And his family. He had a rare and deep humility that balanced his incredible worldwide media power. He was an honor to his profession.

All told, he lived a deeply meaningful and seemingly fulfilling life while giving all who knew - or knew of - him comfort, joy, compassion and the news.

Now that's a REAL American Idol.

Obama is making me sad.

Thu, 21 May 2009 12:05:47 -0400

For the record, I remain deeply grateful that Barack Obama is our President. He is superbly intelligent, balanced, ethical and, I believe, deeply well-intentioned. I think he, like so many young, charismatic leaders, truly believed he could bring change to America.

In some important ways he has.

But, in many ways, he is already failing - and will contine to fail - to bring nation-resurrecting change to this county.

Maybe he's now seeing that the cancer is too deep. That he, too, has to make horrendous choices he didn't expect - e.g. signing a credit card reform bill with a horrific loaded-gun amendment attached or reversing his decision to release photos of our past crimes in Abu Ghraib instead of facing down a malevolent ex-vice president's fear-mongering.

Granted, there is bigger picture I know nothing about.

But it deeply saddens me to see many of the choices President Obama is making. This all feels so terribly familar. Expanding war in the middle east instead of bringing our troops home. Not ensuring the end to American terror abuses by shutting down an employed outlet, Gitmo.

Tribunals are remaining in place. Wire-tapping is still OK. Worst of all, the United States of America under the new leadership of Barack Obama is still acting the part of all-knowing leader of the free world dictating with our policies and behaviors. Intent on having it our way even to the death and destruction of our own troops and citizens of foreign lands.

As I said, the whole thing is making me very sad.