politics – Page 4 – Confluence Daily

Reading Time: < 1 minute Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib is a veteran defender of civil rights and civil liberties with big ideas about how to serve her constituents in the Detroit area, usher in a new era of economic, social and racial justice in the United States, and promote peace and cooperation on the global stage. Unfortunately, since she arrived in Washington, she’s been targeted by Republican members of Congress, right-wing media, and even the president; they’ve crudely and dishonestly attacked Tlaib, seeking to marginalize the first Palestinian-American Muslim women ever to serve in the US House.

It’s been rough. But she is not backing down.

Informed

June 10, 2019 Confluence

The Root: Help! Trump Spoke to CNBC and I Don’t Understand Anything He Just Said

Reading Time: 2 minutes The president of the United States gave an interview to CNBC and he sounded like a man who doesn’t know what the hell is going on. But what was even more concerning is instead of his usual word-salad, this was more like a word Chipotle bowl that was dropped on the floor and then kicked around.

Informed

May 31, 2019 Confluence

Nancy Pelosi: What if the greatest democracy in history failed in the dark?

Reading Time: 4 minutes Nancy Pelosi will make her place in history which hangs on one decision. She will either be the hero of a clap-back meme or the woman who made the decision to allow what belongs to the public into the light. That truth belongs to each and every one of us and it’s past time we had it.

Pelosi is one of the most powerful women on earth. Will she lead or will she continue to stonewall?

This is about transparency and Pelosi knows it. If she fails to proceed, she’s no less guilty of choking our democracy with lack of transparency than a President who’s guilty of Obstruction of Justice.

Engage

May 29, 2019 Confluence

Inconvenient is Not a Reason Not to Start Impeachment Proceedings

Reading Time: 5 minutes I am not delusional. I know the Republicans control the Senate. It’s highly unlikely Trump will be removed from office. I also know that starting impeachment proceedings will disrupt the legislative process. However, there is nothing more important on our agenda than holding our elected officials, especially if that official is the President, accountable, making it clear that there are lines you cannot cross and continue to serve unchecked.

History must reflect that we did something in the face of the most corrupt, disruptive, and criminal administration in the history of our nation. It’s up to Congress to put that in the record books. Trying to impeach might have to be enough, and even if it fails, we cannot look ourselves in the mirror and not try.

Engage Uncategorized

May 13, 2019 Confluence

Sen. Cory Booker Answers Teen’s Questions on Facing the Addiction Crisis

Reading Time: < 1 minute The teen didn’t shy away from asking 2020 presidential candidate Cory Booker about his plan of action for the opioid crisis – — and he chose to listen to her solutions before speaking himself.

Informed

July 5, 2018 Confluence

If It Quacks: Opinions are Important, but Facts are Facts

Reading Time: 5 minutes You can decide your own opinion, but you can’t decide your own facts. And the fact is that there is a definition for abuse, just like there is a definition for fascism, for authoritarianism, for dictatorship, for tyranny. It’s shocking to me how many parallels there are between our current political climate and living in an abusive relationship – from the gaslighting to the total lack of respect – respect for norms, for human dignity, for women, for the truth, for the rule of law.

Editor Informed

June 29, 2018 Confluence

I Am Not Going to be Celebrating the 4th of July and Here’s Why

Reading Time: 5 minutes I don’t think it’s appropriate to celebrate a holiday based on a history that has separated children from parents from the inception of our nation and has thousands in custody now that will not be returned to their parents.

I don’t think it’s wise to dedicate a red, white, and blue barbeque to a commercialized notion of God and country when by doing so we’re continuing to sell the illusion that holds this hostile takeover together.

So, as we’re facing down Independence Day wondering how we’re going to get our independence back, maybe the first step is to stop pretending everything is just fine when things are not. Pretending is exactly what they want us to do because if things look like they always have maybe we’re fine enough not to want to demand our democracy back.

Evolve

June 25, 2018 Confluence

How to Heal a Fractured Society

Reading Time: 8 minutes Being human, there’s always a gulf between our intentions and our actions. This is especially true when we are attempting to include, in our constitutional framework, a widely diverse set of individual beliefs, values, and cultural practices.

If that gulf is left untended, it results in fracture patterns in our society. These fissures may remain largely invisible in times of peace and prosperity, except to those who live on the wrong side of the divide. They deepen into seemingly unbridgeable chasms in times of economic and other stresses that reveal the true nature of our cultural and social landscape.

As Without, So Within.

Engage

April 13, 2018 Confluence

A Liberal’s Guide to Staying Sane in a Trump Presidency

Reading Time: 6 minutes At the end of the day remember, nothing is permanent. The Buddhist concept of impermanence is often associated with loss. For many of us right now, the law of impermanence is a promise that there will be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Engage

April 12, 2018 Confluence

5 Ways to Get Involved and Do Something Politically Instead of Sitting Around Freaking Out

Reading Time: 2 minutes A lot of good things are going on right now. A lot of good people are doing good work right now. Much of it is being inspired by the Trump Administration. So, we have to admit, not everything is going to hell. As things seem to be moving daily further in the direction of OMG, it might feel better to DO something rather than do nothing.