Tag: America

A FESTERING HATRED OF GOVERNMENT

~ Jnana Hodson ~ 1 Comment

A provocative article by Jane Mayer on the Politico magazine website taps into some truly disturbing history that’s still erupting in the current presidential race. The Secrets of Charles Koch’s Political Ascent, subtitled “Two new documents reveal the political blueprint the billionaire developed 40 years ago, heavily influenced by the John Birch Society,” is based on her new book, Dark Money: the Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Political Right, and outlines the anarchist leanings of the Libertarian movement’s biggest donors and organizers. (Mayer is also the author of The Dark Side: the Inside Story on How the War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals.)

If you believe in the American ideals of equality and justice in a political system of checks and balances, the outsized financial influence of Charles Koch and his brother, David, is creepy enough. Their origins in the extreme right-wing anti-Communist John Birch Society, which the brothers eventually left, is scarier still. Mayer observes, “Charles’ aim, according to [Brian] Doherty, who interviewed Charles for his book, was to tear the government out ‘at the root.'” The details are chilling.

As Mayer also reports, their father, Fred was a John Birch founder who deeply shaped their thinking. Never mind that the family fortune originates from the years Fred worked in Stalin’s Soviet Union developing oil refineries, he turned into a rabid loathing for the New Deal policies of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Turning to another source for perspective, Mayer notes that the father’s dark shadow was not merely ideological: “The early years of Charles and David Koch’s political planning are described in Stealth, a 300-page unpublished and private history commissioned by their estranged brother, Bill Koch, and written by Clayton A. Coppin, a researcher who taught history at George Mason University. Coppin had unusual insight. He had previously been hired by Koch Industries to write the company’s history. The earlier project had given Coppin access to many of the family’s private letters and papers, as well as license to interview the Kochs and their intimates as few outsiders could.”

She observes: “Coppin saw Charles Koch’s strong political views in the context of his upbringing. In Stealth, written in 2003, Coppin suggests that Charles harbored a hatred of the government so intense it could only be truly understood as an extension of his childhood conflicts with authority.

“From his earliest years, Coppin writes, Charles’ goal was to achieve total control. ‘He did not escape his father’s authority until his father died,’ he notes.”

Paradoxically, then, the opponent of authoritarians becomes an authoritarian figure himself:

“After that, Charles went to great lengths to ensure that neither his brothers nor anyone else could challenge his personal control of the family company.”

And now, we might assume, the political sphere itself.

ON THAT CONSERVATIVE LABEL

~ Jnana Hodson ~ 4 Comments

There were times I’d joke, “I’m the most conservative person around here,” back when I worked for what was often called an ultraconservative newspaper.

In some ways, I’m not that far from the Amish, at least in my sympathies, and you can’t get more conservative than that. Apart from my electronics gear and some original artwork, my household at the time was plainer than some of the old-order Mennonites I visited. I’m appalled by waste of any kind, and have been frugal by choice and necessity. You can guess what kind of cars I drive — it took me a long time to accept air conditioning over rolled-down windows. In the political sphere, I’m very much in favor of cutting government spending in the one place it’s truly bloated and out-of-control. (The part that doesn’t get audited.) In the realm of the mind, I love old-fashioned music (classical, opera, folk, jazz) and serious literature – the lofty visions of civilization I believe should be preserved for the future. Conservation and ecological awareness and sustainable economics and small-is-beautiful enterprises – don’t they all fit a true conservative outlook? And then there’s the garden and hiking and camping, all back to basics. My personal finances tend toward debt-free, apart from the mortgage and car payment. These days, many of my clothes come from yard sales. Gambling is out of the question. All that before we’d get to the radical Christian perspectives from the Bible (not legalistic mind you, but prophetic).

None of the candidates insisting they’re conservative seem to fit the daily description, even while insisting everyone conform to their political label. Long ago, I learned to look at actions more than words when it comes to trusting a person. Do they match up?

I just wish they’d call their strand something else, something more accurate. Or change their direction to fit the broader picture.

IN ANOTHER KIND OF POLLING

~ Jnana Hodson ~ Leave a comment

Today’s mail delivered six big political campaign cards of the kind I’ve previously described — the stiff ones that are at least eight-and-a-half by eleven, although one was closer to nine by fourteen inches.

In a switch, only one is funded by Jeb Bush’s deeply bankrolled Right to Rise USA super PAC, and that’s an attack on both John Kasich and Marco Rubio. (You’re surprised I’ve come to the conclusion Jeb’s really in Donald Trump’s camp. Why else would you ignore the front runner?)

Rubio’s Conservative Solutions super PAC, meanwhile, rushes forth with a “Don’t trust Ted” assault on Cruz. Which has me wondering why Rubio, like Bush, is afraid to go after the Donald. Has this really devolved into a race for vice president? If it has, we can safely assume none of the GOP candidates in the race has a chance for either spot on the national ticket.

Meanwhile, Chris Christie is fighting back with a claim he’s “vetoed more tax hikes than any other governor in modern American history” and four talking points in his favor.

And I’m perplexed by two we got from America Needs Leadership, which opposes amnesty for illegal immigrants. No idea who’s funding it, but it’s clear its backers oppose President Obama. The fact the fliers quote the Moonie right-wing Washington Times says volumes.

Only one of the mailings takes aim at Trump — along with the rest of his GOP field — and that’s Hillary Clinton’s “They would all defund Planned Parenthood.” It’s not the first time we’ve seen her go after the Donald. Is it true that it takes a woman to do a man’s job, or whatever the joke is? I’m wondering.

What’s happening in our household is that as the campaigns and surveys keep calling us to see where we stand, I’m examining their campaign mailings for something similar. Do you have a plan you’re willing to stand behind or are you out and out negative? We already have too many right-wing politicians who haven’t done anything positive to speak of. You can decide not to spend anything, after all, and let the house fall apart or have the family go hungry. I wouldn’t brag about that, and apparently neither are they.

From the Republican side, the only one I’m seeing toeing a positive course is John Kasich, and his mailings are smaller in format and more modest. I like that. In fact, that’s truly conservative. The only one? I’m beginning to think so.

On the Democratic side, the tone’s altogether positive. For all of the Ronald Reagan shadow, if you’re looking for fresh ideas, look there.

And we still have a bit under two weeks to the primary election. Things are beginning to heat up in New Hampshire.

WHAT GAME? WHAT TEAM?

~ Jnana Hodson ~ Leave a comment

A bit of news over coffee came as a question. “Did you know Bill Clinton was in town yesterday?”

No, I had no idea. Turns out it was an unannounced stop at his wife’s campaign headquarters about a mile from our house. Fire up the troops. Support the loyalists. Show some spirit. A smart move between appearances elsewhere in the state that day.

It’s also the sort of thing that can make the New Hampshire first-in-the-nation presidential primary a lively affair. You just might be greeted by one of the White House hopefuls in your favorite diner or convenience store. You just might ask a question that generates headlines. Or you might accept a campaign button or bumper sticker or sign up to help. It’s all face-to-face, even hand-to-hand connection. You get a real-life measure of the person.

Usually, we’re aflutter in action this close to the actual voting. At least Hillary and Bernie are in traditional mode, but the Republican side is utterly baffling. I’m still not seeing much in the way of ground action. Very few bumper stickers or lawn signs, for one thing. No downtown rallies with enthusiasts waving “totem poles” of posters. No canvassers going door to door, either. Just what’s going on? Where’s the enthusiasm? The real enthusiasm?

My guess is the managers think they can do it all with television clips, mailings, radio advertising, and the like. Things they can, uh, manage. No surprises. And nothing personal.

Think of watching a professional football or baseball game and noticing there are no fans in the stands. No cheering or booing, for that matter. It would be deadly dull. And then, a moment later, realizing there are no live figures on the field, either. It’s all for appearances. Now, to the ads. The endless ads. At some point, you need a product — the one you tuned in to view.

There are good reasons to play the actual games rather than rely on the stats (or, in the political realm, rely on surveys). Upsets and unpredictable flashes make the day. The mouth-running coach may be good for building anticipation, but the quiet, calculating rival may deflate all that pregame hype and bombast. So everyone shows up for the contest. Or that’s what I’d expect.

ARE YOU SAFER?

~ Jnana Hodson ~ 4 Comments

That’s what the big red headline said on the large card we got in the mail. The headline was underscored by the line, “Are you safer now than you were just one year ago?”

Before answering, note that the lines were accompanied by a large photo of masked men waving Arabic flags from a parade of pickup trucks. No way to tell where the photo was taken, by the way – it could have been from the movement that toppled dictators across northern Africa for all we know.

The mailing, from the self-proclaimed Conservative Solutions Project, is attempting to restore excessive national security measures many conservatives successfully clamored to remove. And now? They want it back. Or some of them do. Or maybe a group of retired intelligence officers, now living in Florida, are trying to stir something up.

The text on the back includes the misleading statement, “Conservatives know that we can never preserve the American Dream if we can not first preserve our National Security.” No, that’s a pathway to dictatorship and its police-state terror. Wasn’t that what both Iraq wars were supposed to obliterate?

The American Dream rests on civil liberties and economic opportunity. That’s what needs to be protected, first and foremost.

What truly annoys me about this bombastic mailing is its blatant fear-mongering. I can answer that I don’t feel safer than I did a year ago, but it’s not because of the 2015 USA Freedom Act. It’s because too many nutty Americans are carrying guns they can obtain all too easily, and attempts to limit that keep getting rolled back. I’m concerned that some kid stealing quarters out of unlocked cars in our generally quiet neighborhood is going to get blasted away by a self-appointed vigilante walking his dog in the night. Or that the bullet will fly off to unintended mischief.

Look, I’m not against gun ownership – I’ve lived in rural areas where hunting puts food on the table. But let’s get real. How many of the 12,413 firearm deaths so far this year involve national security issues, anyway? How many of the 312 mass shooting incidents? How many of the 650 children and 2,452 teens killed? (These statistics do not include suicides — 21,175 in 2013). Talk all you want about radicalized Muslims, they’re not the big problem.

So, to the political groups, let’s just say this. Don’t play the “safer than a year ago” card unless you have some concrete proposals for dealing with rampant gun violence in this country. Something that makes sense without undermining our trust.

HALLE STREET, AS I’VE CALLED IT

~ Jnana Hodson ~ Leave a comment

Big or little, it’s a city, after all, with daily encounters. Along the street. From the porches. In third-floor apartments. It’s broken glass on cracked pavement. Parking along the curb, maybe requiring a permit. It’s the bakery, Laundromat, or bar around the corner. It’s decay and repair over the years imbedded in the floors, walls, and ceilings. It’s a stale cigarette in the morning of love.

~*~

To see more, click here.

Riverside 1

 

OF TURTLES AND SHOES

~ Jnana Hodson ~ Leave a comment

As I said at the time …

A constant challenge in any artwork is how do we shape the material so that it enters some other place from the one where it originates? What form or structure is appropriate or helpful? How much abstraction? Do we stay general or become specific? (I notice that you don’t identify what kind of turtles these are!) How much elaboration? What does it take for the unexpected force to appear, that third enterprise apart from the author and the reader? How transparent or center-stage should the author be? Never easy answers!

I have many fond memories of Cincinnati, once I was able to drive down to escape Dayton for an evening or weekend, back before I finally got away to Bloomington and points beyond. Maybe you’re ready to do a poem about Erchenbrecker and Vine, the address of the zoo?

I love the cover. A good feel to that turtle art. And the Revolutionary War-era American composer William Billings (who’s also a kind of Yankee grandfather to the Southern “Sacred Harp” style of hymn-singing) has a wonderful part-setting of the Song of Solomon citation you use.

Thanks for the reactions – and for giving the shoes a good home.

Catch you later – Namaste.

~*~

This was to small-journal editor Troy Teegarden, who’d sent me a copy of his latest poetry chapbook, Reflections on the Elkhorn (1997).

MONET AT THE WINDOW

~ Jnana Hodson ~ 6 Comments

I’ve often joked (or was it boasted?) that we have the best stained glass windows in town. And not just at this time of year. Actually, there’s something basic in the Quaker practice of having clear windows, whether the view opens to the city jail next door or a busy highway or a placid burial ground – we’re not isolating ourselves from reality when we worship.

Sitting on the clerk’s bench one morning one May, I found myself looking out at a Monet. Well, the spring green for three-quarters of the hour fit the tones he used, until it turned metallic in the last quarter-hour when the sunlight turned harsh. Most weeks after that, I tried to identify which painter the view brought to mind – a sequence of Corot, Diebenkorn, Mitchell, Twombly, Klimt, Pollack, even the Zen painting of six persimmons (ours, however, had about twice that amount of fruit), and maybe a bit of Chagall or Hopper. (What was I saying about our Meeting not being blue-collar? Here I am, expecting most Dover Friends to know most of these artists!) Occasionally, even a Kaufmann, as Dick and Jane’s heads appeared in the lower corner while they walked up the ramp to the door. Sometimes the dogwood tree presented a flat image; other times it had holes, opening to the depth behind it; eventually, come winter, it was only sketches in front of a more distant landscape, and etchings, rather than paintings, came to mind. Expecting the Monet to return the next May, it didn’t, for whatever combination of reasons, although there was one week when it was adorned with pale stars – its flowers.

Not that any of this is essentially profound, other than as a recognition of the play of light – just as we encounter various presentations of Light within the room and ourselves through the hour. But I do consider ways our perceptions and expressions differ from the earliest Friends who sat in the room. These artists, for one thing, came after them, except for the 12th century persimmons (and those were off in China, anyway); the now familiar language from science or psychology, too, to say nothing of sports jargon and even military expressions. Did those Friends ever have a bagpiper playing at the edge of the yard, or some equivalent to our sirens on the street or music from a neighboring church? How did they see the world, in ways that we don’t? Somehow, all kinds of differing eras come together when we, too, sit together. So just how do we see each other through all of these seasons and ages?

~*~

This piece originally appeared in Types and Shadows, the newsletter of the Fellowship of Quaker Artists.

AN ABOLITIONIST NEXUS

~ Jnana Hodson ~ Leave a comment

Coming upon Moses Brown Square in Newburyport, Massachusetts, one evening threw me for a loop. The plaque said this Moses, 1742-1827, was a prominent shipbuilder and merchant active in the slave trade. (Not to be confused with a Capt. Moses Brown, 1742-1802, a privateer – that is, a licensed pirate living nearby — also on the wrong side of my moral compass.)

The ringer, as I read, was that Newburyport, with all its wealth based on the rum, sugar, slave trade triangle, was hostile to abolitionists, and its Moses had soon become its wealthiest resident. So that was the funding for those glorious houses on High Street, not the whaling trade? I hadn’t suspect this turn.

What a contrast to the more famous Moses Brown (1738-1836), a Rhode Island Quaker convert who became both an avid abolitionist and a pioneer of the Industrial Revolution in America – himself quite wealthy and a founder of what’s now the prestigious Moses Brown School in Providence, adjacent to Brown University.

I’m guessing they were all cousins, given the naming patterns and wealth.

What further intrigues, though, is the other statue in the square, this one for William Lloyd Garrison, an abolitionist who was also from Newburyport. There you learn of the depths of the town’s virulent support of slavery and their collaboration with its institution.

Curiously, Garrison “the Great Liberator” found two important colleagues from upstream on the Merrimack River.

The first was John Greenleaf Whittier, the Quaker poet living in neighboring Amesbury, Massachusetts, kitty-corner upstream.

And the other was the journalist Horace Greeley, born in Amherst, New Hampshire, further upriver.

What I see in all this is a hint at the hot pockets, pro and con, on a contentious issue of the time – sometimes within a stretch of the map, sometimes with a family. Not that things are always any different today.

TOMBSTONE: THE PREMISE

~ Jnana Hodson ~ Leave a comment

One late October afternoon, after most of the foliage had fallen, Randy Kezar and I simultaneously looked up from our pathway and beheld a large red maple fully aflame in sunlight as we strolled through the burial ground behind our Quaker meetinghouse. It was the embodiment of the single detail that says everything, the flash of perfection; this individual tree expressed the season as much as all of the previous color change and shifting light we had savored in the previous weeks. “I suppose if we were Japanese, we’d sit down and write a haiku on the spot, in celebration,” he said. Later, I took up the challenge and came up with a few lines I hope come close:

Somehow each New England autumn
comes down to boughs in a graveyard

– a common of stone and bone –

But my provocation and observations kept ranging wider, invoking a calendar not just of the place across  a year but also the epochs that fill what went from a boneyard and burial ground to a Victorian cemetery to the present, as well.

The winged death's head is a common gravestone motif in New England. This example is in Watertown, Massachusetts.
The winged death’s head is a common gravestone motif in New England. This example is in Watertown, Massachusetts.

The poems that resulted have one foot in Portsmouth and Dover, New Hampshire, and another in Portsmouth and Newport, Rhode Island, where I quote from the 1664 will of Alice Shotten Cowland and some of the activities of her son-in-law, Robert Hodgson – sometimes spelled Hodson, as well as Hutchin. (I detail what is known of their lives in my genealogy blog, The Orphan George Chronicles.) She was part of the early dissent against Puritan authority, first with Samuel Gorton and then as one of the first Quakers in the New World. I love Robert’s memorial minute, which calls him “an ancient traveler in the Truth.” He arrived in America on the historic voyage of  the tiny Woodhouse, causing turmoil in Manhattan and Long Island before heading on to Boston. As far as I can determine, he was no relation to my line, no matter how much many have tried to find the link.

~*~

Winged Death 1To see more, click here.