Reflections vs Reflex [View all]

[H2O Man]

"I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death."
-- Leonardo da Vinci


I was thinking today -- as I often do -- about a discussion I had yesterday with a forum member that I have a lot of respect for. This concerned how to best respond to Marjorie Taylor Greene's aggressive onsession with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Our discussion was in the context of the Democratic Party's considering getting a court to get a restraining order in attempt to deal with Greene.

While out feeding the fish and birds near my pond in between thunder storms, I had one of the internal discussions common among old hermits near water. I'm fully aware that there are issues where there isn't a "right" or "wrong" answer, just differing opinions on how to reach a shared goal. More, even when there may be a correct answer, it frequently what I think is right.

I think that a court order is the way to go. My friend thinks hiring body guards is a better option. We agree that MTG presents a risk to AOC, and needs to face the consequences if her shit doesn't stop. Since I can't, I won't try to present my friend's case as s/he can. But is involves body guards protecting OAC during her duties as a member of the House of Representatives.

In her time away from her DC duties -- for example, when she appears in public for scheduled meetings -- I think that body guards are unfortunately necessary. These are strange times, and the Trump cult contains dangerous wingnuts. These include the brain-dead individuals who may be inspired by MTG's hatred of Alexandria.

Body guards could do little to nothing about MTG's unstable though berbal attacks on AOC in the congressional setting. But a restraining order, if violated, would involve legal consequences. It would add pressure for republican leaders to agree to firm consequences, too. For as the late Vine Deloria, Jr., noted in his classic "We Talk, You Listen," if you apply maximum pressure on a weak link in any organization, the others will gladly sacrifice that person.

It is true that, initially, republicans and their media parrots would mock AOC for getting a restraining order. It is equally true if she is surrounded by body guards. Indeed, it iwould be equally true if she found the cure for cancer. In my opinion, we should never allow what type of vile ugliness the republicans put on the table.

While I sit at my pond, I remember some of the things that I learned about the human experience from Chief Paul Waterman. Divisions in society always raise, for a time, the most extreme people to positions of "leadership" -- and they lead in the direction of the most extreme impulses, including mindless violence. Their words and actions are a reflection of their inner turmoil. It would be a mistake for us to mirror those reflections.

The solution is only and always found in adherence to the rule of law. That rule of law is found in the US Constitution, and in the Haudenosaunee Great Law of Peace. Adherence to the rule of law does not equate to being the willing victim of violence -- it does not exclude self-defense. To paraphrase Malcolm X, I think that if someone comes to your home to harm you and yours, you should send them to the ER, to jail, or to the cemetery.

In the public square, however, we want to reduce the need for body guards, and the number of angry, unstable, armed individuals. This is best accomplished by the rule of law. Despite the frequent failures of the legal system -- from police violence to stratified justice in the courts -- the actual rule of law offers the potential for a more just society.

Peace,
H2O Man