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Sheltering Walls

Bare Trees in Fog

Both/And

The Moon shot was taken in Washington State by photographer David Salisbury.*


We are living in a dichotomy of Awe and Wonder and Shock and Awe from Washington state to Washington, D.C. These are not flip sides of the same coin, but are as different as a majestic moon and a steely rat.


President's Day Protester's sign at a rally opposing what is happening in Washington D.C.
President's Day Protester's sign at a rally opposing what is happening in Washington D.C.

The Both/And of these two worlds will never be of a piece, but both will continue to co-exist whether or not we notice. There is a choice to be made by each of us in the way that we accept or reject one world or the other. Will we choose one over the other? Or, a little more of one than the other? Or, neither one? It is ours to decide.


So, let's imagine that each day there is at least one opportunity to see the sunrise or sunset and that watching this happen before our very eyes is worthwhile. Our amazing eyes can see millions of miles so as to notice a sparkling jewel like Venus suspended in the darkness. We just have to look up! How different things might look if Awe and Wonder framed the day rather than an endless cycle of stories intended to Shock and Awe for the sake of it.


When a sense of pure awe pervades all that we perceive, we are reminded of the Wonder that has always been and always will be, and that we ourselves are dust in the wind.



*According to the Pagan Grimoire, the Snow Moon “shines brightly during a time when winter still grips the earth but signs of spring are just around the corner. The Snow Moon represents transformation, hope and renewal, making it a powerful time for self-reflection and setting intentions for growth as you move into the next season.”


 
 
 

Be like water . . .

At this crtical juncture in our American story, we find ourselves facing monumental consequences for our children, their children, and life as we know it today.


Tearing down a society does not require leadership anymore than clear-cutting a forest for the sake of replacing what has existed for centuries. Who doesn't know how to do that? Get yourself a large bulldozer and off you go. In essence and fact, this is happening before our very eyes: "Now you see it; now you don't" as systems succumb to the bulldozer of autocracy without regard or respect for what actually makes America "Great"!


There is a difference between the words "great and first". Great means "above average" as in your kid getting the best report card because she/he/they is "above the average" within the class. Kudos! The word "first" means "preceding others" as in your kid cutting to the front of the line before all the other kids. Boo!


As the world watches bullies in the playground of these United States of America, the difference is obvious between making America "Great" and intending to cut to the front of the line, no matter who or what has been standing for centuries, be it a shared borderline, or a sovereign Constitution. It is not a pretty sight to watch any more than seeing hundreds of felled trees their root systems exposed, intentionally left to die. Die they do. Replacing a two-hundred year-old living and breathing thing whether trees or countries, will take another two-hundred years of growing pains just to recover from the self-imposed destruction. That's where we are in 2025, believe it or not.


Our homeland is somewhere in-between autonomy and autocracy. Autonomy means "the right or condition of self-government". The word autocracy means "a system of government by one person with absolute power". This is basic fifth-grade civics that every American who went to public or private school learned is our foundational understanding of the country in which we live. While we were not all "great" students, we were all taught the right and wrong of being a bully pushing out whatever or whomever to be "first" regardless of others. Bullies were punished by the principal to teach that fundamental difference between being "Great" and being "First": Striving for great will never hurt others, and will enhance oneself. Pushing to be first, destroys others, and harms oneself . . . greatly!


We are an autonomous society under pressure by an autocratic faction. Autonomy was granted to all free citizens who with hand over heart pledged an allegiance to one country, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. That has not changed. That is a pledge that cannot be taken back. It is our pledge of freedom.


This freedom is worth protecting for it is our future. The cavalry is not coming to save us. Leaders are not rising up to guide us. It is up to each of us for all the individual and collective reasons we can think of to speak up, speak out, stand up, but never to give up. Be like water, find a way. We must.




 
 
 

Voice of America


“Of course you’re going to have your handful of politicians, a small group of activists and a lot of paid bots on social media trying to gaslight you,” Perez told [Florida] house colleagues.

“But we know that truth matters, and simply saying that something is terrible over and over doesn’t actually make it true. Threatening others to get your way isn’t leadership, it’s immaturity.”https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/01/ron-desantis-florida-immigration-schools

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"Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, said he would ban US companies from provincial contracts until the tariffs are removed.

He added: “US-based businesses will now lose out on tens of billions of dollars in new revenues. They only have President Trump to blame.

“We’re going one step further. We’ll be ripping up the province’s contract with [Elon Musk’s] Starlink. Ontario won’t do business with people hellbent on destroying our economy.”


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"In 2023, the first full year after Roe fell, the US saw more than 1m abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which tracks abortions and restrictions on the procedure. It was the largest number recorded in more than a decade . . ."


"The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) says doctors should advise patients about “reversible alternatives” such as vasectomy or other forms of birth control, . . .Respect for an individual patient’s reproductive autonomy should be the primary concern guiding permanent contraception provision and policy,” the ACOG says.https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/30/sterilization-women-roe-v-wade-trump

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“If you can see in the social media, people are angry, angry, and writing: ‘No way – this is not gonna happen again’.”https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/26/panic-and-defiance-in-panama-after-trump-threatens-to-take-back-canal


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These quotes are taken from full-length news reports not sensationalist headlines used to distract from the truth. It is incumbent upon each of us to seek the truth to set us free from fear. In so doing, we will find each other to join hands with across our country.


This fifteen-year-old sang her heart out rising above angry boo's, then the game was played as always. We are the VOICE OF AMERICA!


The Capitol where our representatives work has a main phone number to directly connect you with each Senator: (202) 224- 3121. Put in in your speed dial!


As my Spanish teacher used to say before each exam: "Don't be a-scared".  The more we speak, the easier it becomes. You are welcome to test the waters in the comments section to join in solidarity with those who are "hellbent" on speaking the truth.

 
 
 
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