A Blue Revolution

As we wait for the results today from the last two primary votes, I have a few things I’d like to mention.

One? I’m sick of the Democratic Party. I’m sick of the games, the back room politics from a group that says it doesn’t play back room politics. I’m tired of the primary politics and super delegates- can we please have a system that the average Joe can understand? Not ever Democrat went to Harvard, and if we want to keep it that way, make it accessible. I’m sick of the centrist leanings in an effort to capture the vote of right wing fanatics.

Wake up. We’ll never get those votes. Donnie McClurkin is no way to bridge the gap.

I’m also tired of being a ‘gimmie’ vote for the Democrats. Howard Dean addresses the rules committee on Saturday and does he give a single shout out to LGBT groups? Nope. Why bother? Who are we going to vote for? McCain?

Although I can’t say Obama addresses our issues a whole lot better. Sure, he says the words, but the policies are nowhere. McCain panders to the right wing and charms Ellen Degeneres all in the same day. The double talk express is at least consistent.

I want electable candidates, like Al Gore, who will stand up and say, I believe in gay marriage. I believe in equal rights for all Americans.

Period. No pandering, no bullshit, pure and simple leadership.

I want a party that incorporates what Adam Werbach described in San Francisco at “Blue Living.”

As Werbach said, “I've seen people seeking something broader than a green or environmentalist solution to the myriad problems they face in their lives. Yes, they believe climate change is happening, but they also want to feel good about the way they look in the mirror and the way their kids look at them at the dinner table. They want to be part of something larger than themselves without having to sacrifice their identity. They want joy, not guilt, and a little money in their pocket so that they don't have to trade down on yet one more thing in their life.”

When I heard Werbach’s speech, I was deeply moved. He spoke to my values- that there are many problems and issues facing us today, and climate change is a big one. I have always believed that business- especially big business- is the way to create social change in our country. I have poured my heart into shareholder resolution work only to see it ignored by the mainstream media.

I’m done with the Democrats. Yes, I will vote for Obama this fall. If he loses, the Democrats will turn and point to Clinton, I’m sure, for their failure instead of looking within their own system to create changes.

Same ol’ same ol’.

I want change. I want a new political party. I want a party based on the Blue Movements ideals. I want to be a part of a movement that recognizes the power of the consumer. One not built on guilt but that recognizes the reality of people’s lives “as busy, complex humans looking to do the best thing for their family and themselves.”

I believe people are ready for this change. It is why Obama’s speeches have been so popular. For me? I want real change.

I want real leadership.

No more pandering bullshit.

Please read the text of Adam Werbach’s speech.

And let’s create a Blue Political party.

What do I Need?

One of the striking images of Costa Rica was the poverty. And Costa Rica is wealthy by many standards, although they suffer a high inflation rate, and have had a struggling economy until recently. But they have a 96% literacy rate, high levels of education across the board, and are lucky recipients of a fairly non-violent history.

They were the first country in the world to constitutionally abolish their military. Can you imagine ever doing that in the United States? I asked my boys.

Nah, too many people hate us, Zachary said.

So true.

Returning to this country, to my own home, I look around and wonder, what do I really need? Not in a guilt ridden, I’m a bad consumer and should live on bread and water forever, but an honest evaluation of what I need.

Need: something required, something necessary.

Do I need coffee in the morning? Yes. Actually I do. Do I need Starbucks coffee in the morning? Well, if I am going to drink coffee, it might as well be good.

Do I need a new car? No. My kids still fit in it, although a tad cramped, I can put stuff on the roof and it is reliable. If it stops being that? I’ll need one.

I have a lot of beautiful art, most of which I inherited from my mother. Do I need it? No but our society needs artists. We need people to write, to paint, to sing, to draw, to act because it keeps us honest, I believe, as a society. That’s a need. Maybe not mine individually, but mine as a member of society.

Do I need 8 thousand kitchen gadgets? No. But really, they are not mine, they are Jeanine’s and she swears she needs every single one. Me? Good knife, wooden spoon, spatula and tongs. I’m good.

I’m not trying to pick on Jeanine, because I know she loves her gadgets but I wonder, if we have three kinds of juicers, how many have been produced, how many are broken and how many end up in landfills?

When I get to the house in Down East (yes, you can all collectively roll your eyes at the notion I have more than one house), I go into conservation mode.

It feels good.

It’s hard to do at home. With three kids, and the accumulation of stuff from gifts, school, holidays, birthdays, not to mention our own impulse driven need to simply get something because it will make things easier, quicker, faster…

After seeing so much disparity, though, I feel overstuffed, and slightly nauseous, like after having too much Thanksgiving dinner, or eating a whole pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.

I also feel a little hopeless about how much I can do to make a difference. It’s funny, but I believe we can get marriage equality for gays and lesbians before we can tackle the environmental mess we’re in from over consumerism.

But I’m not going to go global in this act. I’m going to focus on my own little world, and do the best I can.

Because there is so much around me that I truly do not need, it makes the things I do get lost in the haze.

Besides, if we’re swearing in President Huckabee next January? I’m outta here. Not really worth it to pack three kinds of juicers, either.

Privilege, Entitlement and the Holiday Season

Friday night, before I went to sleep, I promised myself I was not going to yell at Ben. It was going to be "Christmas" and however he felt about the gifts he received, however he expressed himself was going to be met with my silence.

I lasted about an hour.

What is it about privilege, entitlement and the holiday season? They seem to go together hand in hand.

Have I done a lousy job with Ben or is it all kids at this age? I swear, you could give Zachary a lump of coal and he'd think it was cool. Jake is easy, too, but he's still in the toy stage. Ben, however, was unhappy with everything except one gift.

And they were all gifts he asked for. Can someone explain this to me?

He opened the Souljah Boy tee shirt, hat and glasses.

I wanted the hoodie, too, he said, annoyed.

I could have killed him but I stayed quiet and simply shrugged.

He opened a 50 cent style baseball cap, with plaid on the front but a Boston Red Sox logo.

Whatever.

Tongue bleeding, I nudge Walter next to me. I'm not going to say a word.

I can see that, Walter said.

Finally, when he told Jeanine to shut up, I lost it.

Can someone give me some insight? Should I put the boy on bread and water and remove all the Abercrombie shirts? I feel like I'm constantly harping on him and it's not doing any good at all.

A friend reminded me yesterday, that until we have compassion for where they are, their experience, we cannot be helpful.

That's where I get stuck and channel my mother. Not only because they have so much in comparison to the rest of the world but also because they have so much in comparison to what I had.

It's not fair for me to go there. I'm not talking about walking uphill in the snow both ways, or the starving children in India, but alcoholism and abuse. I have to shut the hell up when I want to say, DO YOU KNOW HOW LUCKY YOU ARE?

See? My mother, coming out in spades.

I know he's a good kid. I know he has compassion and is kind. I want to help him shine and want to bring out those pieces of himself.

How do I find the compassion for his reality?