The Golden Dinosaur | Jean Berkompas

That’s all we are.

Each of us, one heartbeat in the life of the universe. One blink of an eye. Insignificant. We exist because of a fluke of nature, where the ingredients of life just happened to meet at the right time, in the right place, to create the primordial soup, which, in turn, created the amoeba, the dinosaurs, birds, mammals, cockroaches, humans, and the Blue Footed Booby.

A miracle. The only one we know of, so far.

We exist on a tiny planet, part of a solar system orbiting a relatively tiny and unremarkable sun, on the edge of a rather small galaxy with an estimated 200 billion suns visible to us, and with, potentially, 60 billion habitable planets. And there are an estimated 100 billion to 2 trillion galaxies in the universe. Whew…

Who do you think you are? Ha, ha, ha, bless your soul, you really think you’re in control? (From the song Crazy, by Gnarls Barkley)

We are so, so, so insignificant and yet remain so, so, so full of ourselves. The center of the universe. Everything revolves around us. Do you really think wars matter? Fighting over lines in the sand? Do you think our politics will matter in a hundred years? In ten years even? Are our politics worth hating over? Do you think material wealth is what’s important to life on this planet? Oh, I get it. Wars, famine, drought, storms, politics, climate change – you name it – certainly create a miserable life for those affected. And wealth can create an “easy” life for those fortunate enough to have it. But none of that matters in the grand scheme of things. In the end, we are all dead. Like the 117 billion who came before us.

Perhaps it’s time to rethink our priorities.

Just ask the dinosaurs. They existed for 165 million years. We’ve been here, in our modern form as homo sapiens, for about 300,000 years. At the rate we’re going, as we destroy this amazing blue sphere located in the middle of nowhere, scientific experts suggest we won’t last another couple of centuries. My guess is that’s optimistic…

We are star stuff. Made up of the same stuff stars are made up of: oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen. We are energy existing in this current form. We are nothing extraordinary, regardless of what some people might have you believe about themselves.

So, when you hate, argue, fight, disenfranchise or marginalize others about nonsense like race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, wealth – it’s all just nonsense. We are part of the universe as a whole. Created by exactly the same stuff whether we look alike, or act alike, or not. And this little teeny, tiny planet floating around in the unimaginable vastness of space is all we have.

Just think: in another heartbeat, or blink of an eye, you and I will cease to exist. What were we arguing about again?

Live compassionately. Love unconditionally. Share what you have with those less fortunate.

Be kind. We are one.

~jwb~

Let me start with these facts: I am a woman. I am gay. I served honorably in the United States Army for 8 years. For these three reasons I cannot, in good conscience, vote for any republican candidate, and most certainly not for the current republican nominee for president.

I don’t even think there’s much more to say. But if you were to ask why, I might just tell you.

For instance, I might tell you that, as a woman, I am appalled that the right is trying to take away a woman’s reproductive rights and healthcare choices by attempting to establish a nationwide ban on abortion, stop IVF treatments (because, in their infinite wisdom, a fertilized egg has “personhood” status), and restrict birth control contraceptives (because, they too, can inhibit a fertilized egg [now a person] from attaching, thereby “killing” the egg).  Or there’s the fact that they want to do away with no-fault divorce which will impact women at a much higher rate than men. Or the fact that they believe domestic abusers have a legal right to own guns. Or I might tell you I’m appalled at a man who would say grabbing a woman by the you-know-what is fair game, especially if you’re famous. He was also, I might remind you, found guilty of sexual assault and defamation for attacking a woman.

I might tell you that as a gay woman, I am appalled that the right is intent on allowing discrimination against gay and transgendered people simply because we exist, not because we are a threat. We are simply a target of their anger. The right, in several states, has struck down protections and equal rights for gay people – in other words, sanctioned discrimination. Like homosexuals and transgender human beings are not worthy of the same protections and rights as heterosexuals. It’s a slippery slope which threatens individuals, their families, and their friends and allies.

I might tell you that as a veteran, I am appalled at the republican nominee’s attacks on military service members. He has stated things like “I like people who weren’t captured,” referring to John McCain’s stint as a POW. Or how about, “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers,” in reference to refusing to visit the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in 2018 – a cemetery where American soldiers are buried. He also asked that wounded veterans not be included in military parades. He asked his former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Milley, who had the audacity to choose a wounder warrior, Army Captain Luis Avila to sing at an Armed Forces event, “Why do you bring people like that here? No one wants to see that, the wounded.” All this from a man who avoided serving during the Vietnam war because he claimed he had a bone spur and because he was in college.

And while I am appalled at these few instances, there are so many more which would fill pages. The threat to immigrants, the threat to healthcare, the threat to social security for the elderly, the threat to education standards, being dismissive of the sciences which validate the ongoing threat climate change will have on us and our environment, the threat of moving away from our global relationships, etc. This is not a man, or a party, which deserves my respect or my vote. Not by any stretch of the imagination.

But I am also appalled that someone attempted to shoot him recently, killing one person and wounded two others. No one – yet – knows why this young, white male fired at him. The suspect apparently was a registered republican but donated a few dollars to the democrats. Not much to glean from that. Maybe he just hated him. Maybe, like Hinckley, who tried to assassinate Reagan, he was trying to impress someone. Maybe he was just bored. Maybe he was suffering from mental illness. Doesn’t really matter because it’s wrong regardless of reason. Having said that, however, the republicans need to take some ownership here. As does their nominee. They have been promoting violence since 2015 – encouraging their constituents to fight for what belongs to them. “Knock the crap out of them. I’ll pay your legal fees!” Fight for their country. The right has suggested there will be a bloodbath. A civil war. (Well, only if they lose the election I guess.) “Fight, fight, fight!” is the new mantra on the right. And they laughed – laughed! – when Nancy Pelosi’s husband was almost killed by a deranged individual wielding a hammer. But, hey, let’s make sure guns are readily available to everyone. Even military-style assault weapons. Nothing is off limits when it comes to their 2^nd Amendment rights. The heck with anyone else’s right to live without fear.

Here’s the thing – and it applies to all of us – you reap what you sow. And I’ll use the words of Yoda from Star Wars to explain: “Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”  And I’ll take this one step further: suffering leads to violence. Or, in other words, anger begets anger. Hate begets hate. Violence begets violence. If you preach violence as a way of achieving an objective, expect that it will come back around to you at some point. Republicans, mostly white males, now incorporating “Christian nationalism” into their party platform, feel threatened by women, the LGBTQ+ community, people of color, and immigrants. They fear they are becoming a minority – which, in all honestly, they are. But their fear won’t change that fact and, in truth, has only led to a polarized and fractured country. They have created an “Us vs. Them” mentality. They mean to divide and conquer out of their fear and hatred by resorting to violence. And it appears that message of violence came home to roost.

I’ll agree that not all democrats are pure, but I don’t hear them espousing that same violent rhetoric that led to an insurrection on January 6^th, 2021. I don’t see democrats wearing assault-rifle pins on their lapels or posing for family photos where everyone, including toddlers, holds a weapon.

My superpower is the same as yours: voting. I take voting seriously as I have a lot at stake here: my rights as a gay, female veteran. I have a moral compass I follow. I vote with empathy and integrity. I vote for humanity. I vote for democracy.

Do some soul searching of your own. Take stock of your personal moral values and ethical standards. Think about the type of country you would like to live in. One that includes all inhabitants of the United States? Or one that excludes a good portion of people around the country? One that believes in law and order? Or one that gives it lip service while anointing their standard bearer King, immune from any prosecution? One that moves this country forward with new ideas and support for the people? Or one that’s fixated on perceived past wrongs, looking for vengeance and retribution? One that respects you and your right to be who you are?  One that allows you to make your own decisions about how you live, who you love, your religious choices, your healthcare choices? Openly and without fear? Or the one that will dictate what life choices are acceptable and which are not?

I believe the choice is clear.

~jwb~

I had a fellow dog walker ask me how did I get started writing my book? She said she felt she had a book in her, but she didn’t have a clue where to start? I told her you start by writing that first thought. That first word. That first sentence. In my book, Resistance is Futile, I wrote this as my first couple of lines:

Because I don’t know where to begin, I’ll begin here.

Right here. Right now.

The blank page is so intimidating. So white. So spacey and empty. Filled with the promise of success and the fear of failure.

I had read somewhere that everyone has at least one book in them, and I believe that to be true. Maybe it’s a memoir. Something they want to pass on to their family, their friends, the world at large. Maybe it’s a novel. Maybe it’s a self-help book, a way of giving back what they’ve learned during challenging or difficult times. Maybe it’s a dream they had that they want to weave into a story. Maybe it’s historical. Maybe it’s futuristic. Whatever it is, it’s there for the taking. But you have got to write that first sentence.

I think this applies to any creative pursuit. We have a thought in our head, something niggling at us, telling us in no uncertain terms it wants out! And then we stare at the blank page, the blank canvas, the unmolded lump of clay, or the uncarved piece of wood, and we don’t know where to begin. That first word though? That first brushstroke? That first touch of pressure on clay or that first cut into the wood? That’s liberating. It begins the creative process. It allows the creative juices to flow.  And the miracle of the artistic process has begun.

In Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll), the White Rabbit asks the King where to begin in reading a letter submitted as evidence in the trial of the Knave of Hearts (who is accused of stealing the Queen’s tarts):

“Where shall I begin, please your Majesty?”

“Begin at the beginning,” the King said, gravely, “and go on till you come to the end: then stop.”

I think this is good advice in pretty much all aspects of life, right? Whether you are creating a work of art, or beginning a diet or exercise regimen, or making a lifestyle change which better suits the person you would like to become. You start anything – anything – by taking that first step, regardless how small a step it is. The Universe, Spirit, Source – that which lives within you – will guide you if you let it. But it won’t do it for you.

I’ll admit, I struggle with my own sloth-like behavior at times and often lack motivation. For example, my first book, which probably could have been completed in less than a year, took three years. There were many fits and starts. Moments of self-doubt. Frustration. Disillusionment. But it eventually came together, partly though my perseverance, and partly through talking with others who nudged me along the way. Now, looking back? There are parts I honestly don’t even recall writing.

We all have a creative aspect that lives within us. Or a change we’d like to make. As I told my fellow dog walker, it begins with taking that first step. You just need to start. And I suggested she start with this:

I have a story I have to get out of my head…

It’s really that simple. Go. Write your book. Paint your painting. Create your masterpiece. It’s just waiting on you.

~jwb~

…I dissent.”

Those are the final words of Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor, in her scathing dissent regarding the recent ruling on presidential immunity.

We have had some significant, and in my humble opinion, unconscionable, rulings come down from the Supreme Court over the past several months. The current ultra-conservative court enjoys a 6-3 super majority that, from my view as I peek in through the window, appears to be a politicized rogue court, intent on dismantling democracy as we know it.

I realize I only have a few folks who will even read this. I also realize, of those that do, they are probably of the same persuasion as I – identifying as democrats and liberals. But I will continue to do this – write. It is what I do best, I believe, and if even one person reads something I’ve written, and questions something they had come to believe was true, then does their own research and comes to the realization that maybe what they were told wasn’t true, well, then, my work here is done. I’m willing to change my mind and admit my errors in judgment when provided factual evidence to the contrary. Are you?

Following are four cases I find incredibly disturbing. But, again, please, do your research. Not by watching far-right or far-left news. Not by simply trusting what someone is telling you. Seek out the facts. The truth. It’s out there and it may just surprise you.

By now we’re all familiar with the Dobbs v. Jackson decision – the decision that reversed 50 years of legal precedent regarding a woman’s right to abortion. This has already had a huge impact on women’s pre-natal health care, forcing women to go through with pregnancies which could be deadly or result in major medical complications that will affect their lives for years. Once SCOTUS relegated the abortion debate back to the states, many red states decided to jettison the right to abortion almost completely. Doesn’t matter if the woman might die. Doesn’t matter if the fetus will not be viable outside the womb. Doesn’t matter if the woman – or girl! – was raped. Recently, IVF also came under fire based on a ruling from a lower court stating a fertilized egg has personhood status and, if destroyed, could be criminalized – as in murder. Birth control pills, potentially next in line, could be banned because they inhibit a fertilized egg from attaching to the womb. That, too, could be construed as abortion and therefore murder. It’s a slippery slope we’re on, for sure. Doctors, emergency care workers, insurers, and other healthcare-related entities are backing away from anything that might be considered an abortion for fear of losing their licenses, their jobs, their livelihoods. Women’s health be damned.

Then there’s Snyder v. United States. This case is pretty simple and straightforward. The court decided that gratuities – gifts given after an action was taken – were legal and not bribes. A bribe can only, apparently, be given before an action is taken. This ruling, in and of itself, was a “gift” by the SCOTUS to their own, most especially Justice Thomas, who has received over four-million dollars, to date, in “gifts.” This, effectively, makes corruption legal, providing payment is made after the deed is done, not before.

The Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo ruling is another decision, like Dobbs, that overturned precedent, in this case 40 years of precedent, effectively hobbling the decision-making abilities of federal agencies. This means agencies like the FDA, the EPA, HHS, and the Department of Education. It allows courts to decide issues that could impact huge swathes of this county based on the court’s “expertise,” as opposed to relying on the expertise of those with advanced degrees in specific fields within agencies, or years of experience within their field in federal agencies. This has reared its ugly head twice already – in Texas, where a judge halted FDA approval of the drug mifepristone (which has been in use, safely, since 2000), claiming the FDA acted unlawfully in approving the pills for use and for allowing them to be prescribed and dispensed. (The SCOTUS, surprisingly, rejected the lower court’s decision in this case.) Then, a few days ago, a judge in Mississippi ruled that HHS overstepped its bounds based on the recent Loper Bright ruling and, at least until opposing legal challenges are mounted, blocked a new rule which was set to add gender identity and sexual orientation as protected classes within the  healthcare arena. In other words, this new lower federal court ruling makes discrimination by healthcare practitioners and entities based on gender identity and sexual orientation permissible under the law.

And finally, the United States v. Trump immunity case. This decision provides absolute presidential immunity for acts deemed “official” in nature and within a president’s “exclusive sphere of constitutional authority.” While this applies to all former, current, and future presidents, it is only advantageous to the corrupt among them. Interestingly, in the 235 years since George Washington was inaugurated as our first president, we haven’t needed an immunity clause to protect the president as he did his job. Now we do. I think it’s painfully obvious why this was changed by the Court at this juncture, some 250 years into our democratic experiment.

Here’s the thing, and this is a fact: Absolute power corrupts absolutely. This court has whittled away at agencies being able to do their jobs and has granted extraordinary power to the president. Democracies are not ruled by Kings. Autocracies are. And, like Justice Sotomayor, I fear we are headed in that direction.

But hey, don’t trust me – do your own research. Because come November, you have a decision to make. It’s no longer a red vs. blue decision. It’s not conservative vs. liberal decision. It’s a democracy vs. dictatorship decision. It’s that simple. You must decide the world in which you, your children, and your grandchildren will live. Will you choose one with freedoms intact and the rule of law applying to all equally, regardless of position, and a government which does what is best for the country at large? Or will you choose a country which curtails freedoms from those not in the favored group (currently white, male, straight, Christian Nationals) and a government filled with oligarchs (think Russia, for instance) intent on using whatever means necessary to line their own pockets – legally, according to SCOTUS – with little regard for the American populace?

It is your choice. Choose wisely.

~jwb~