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Scoop
6 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
The Polycrisis Is Not Political And National; It's Psychological And Spiritual
Conspiracy theories fill the metaphysical void generated by the projection or denial of evil in human consciousness. Here's a current case in point in the late United States of America. The eruption of MAGA madness over the Epstein files boils down to Trumpers feeling betrayed after their longstanding projection of evil onto 'pedophile Democrats and liberals' ran into reality. Now that Trump is withholding the files, he has become part of the hated 'deep state.' To understand the madhouse that America has become it's essential to realize how the darkness at the core of the national psyche is projected outwardly onto liberals and Democrats by the MAGA mob, while the left is still denying the internal reality. The world's most powerful fool and tool of evil just revealed what he really thinks of his mob base. He's taken to calling his die-hard followers 'stupid weaklings.' And he's betting they're stupid enough to believe that Obama, Biden, Comey and the Democrats have concocted what he's now calling 'the Epstein hoax.' They may be that stupid, since Trump's proverbial base totally bought into the lies that Russia didn't interfere in the 2016 election, and the 2020 election was stolen from their clown-in-chief. It may be tempting for those observing this madness from more rational lands to think that the demise of the hegemonic superpower clears the path for effective multilateralism. But that too is delusion. America is the engine of the global capitalistic train plunging over the edge of the burning Grand Canyon between the haves and the have-nots of human civilization. The global train wreck cannot be stopped, and existing means and institutions cannot bridge the chasm. It's not hopeless however. As man plunges into the abyss, the human being remains grounded to the Earth, however much humans decimate it. The human crisis isn't political and national, but psychological and spiritual. Its remedy will never be found at the superficial level of 'resistance,' protest and marches, but in a revolution in consciousness, beginning within the individual. One starts with negating the feeling, ' my country.' It's not difficult to never think or say 'my country' again. Simply see and feel that nationalism is tribalism, the atavism at the root of conflict and war. It's no coincidence that the president of the most powerful nation on the planet is a reckless jingoist. His xenophobia is the expression of the chauvinism and self-centeredness in the American people. Having fanned the flames of nationalism and the scapegoating of legal and undocumented brown and black immigrants, Trump rides the rabid tiger of his rabid base. They're calling for even crueler and more extreme ICE'ing of people that the POTUS says are 'poisoning the blood of the nation.' The legacy liberals in the national media keep repeating the falsehood that Trump and Trumpism, along with complicit Republicans, are the problem. That too is propaganda, since the putrid source of Trumpism's evil emanates not from partisanship but the rot at the core of the American body politic. I don't know how pervasive the darkness is in other lands, but it saturates human consciousness as a whole now. The malignant shadow only varies from a total eclipse of the heart and mind in America, to partial eclipses in other lands. If you've ever witnessed a total eclipse and a 90% eclipse, there's a tremendous difference in visibility, the difference between dusk and a moonless night. But that merely means, where this metaphor is concerned, that the light hasn't been completely blocked and blotted out in other lands yet. The paradox is that the more planetary the polycrisis has become, the more localism and particularism have become the rage. Psychologically, that stands to reason, since the more deeply homogenous people become, the greater the need to accentuate superficial differences. Just 50 years ago, there were still isolated indigenous cultures that were objects of anthropological study. Now how many intact cultures are left on Earth that have no access to cell phones and the internet? Irrespective of bygone cultures and superficial backgrounds, the human being awakens the latent potential for insight in the brain. AI will never have insight, no matter how much money and energy the tech-boys throw at producing 'artificial general intelligence' that 'outthinks humans.' The source of insight is the same unknowable source as the ongoing creation of the universe, the same source as the drive and random directionality of life for increasing neuronal complexity. It's the antithesis of mechanism, without denying mechanism in nature and man. Like the perpetual ground of death, creation and love, insight has no time. There's no choice now but to bring about a creative explosion of insight in human consciousness, beginning within ourselves. If insight does not ignite the dark matter of collective consciousness at this juncture and change the disastrous course of man, the alternative for the dwindling number of inwardly alive individuals is to remain alive by growing in insight, and work for the future of humanity…if we have one. Martin LeFevre - Meditations Scoop Contributor Martin LeFevre is a contemplative and philosopher. His sui generis 'Meditations' explore spiritual, philosophical and political questions relating to the polycrisis facing humanity. lefevremartin77@gmail
San Francisco Chronicle
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
These young Oakland musicians got invited to Trump's Kennedy Center. Here's what they decided
When President Donald Trump assumed control of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts this year, many left-leaning artists on its lineup faced a defining choice: Stay on the bill and risk forever linking their name to the president, or cancel and forfeit the chance to voice dissent from Trump's own stage. Ahead of a Friday, July 18 concert at the flagship Washington D.C. venue, Oakland Rising faced that exact dilemma. Of the seven-person music collective, three members plan to perform, while four have opted to refrain. Each had to articulate their own principles while giving grace to others who made the opposite decision. What's more, these musicians are taking this consequential stand at very young ages — one of its members can't even drive yet. B DeVeaux, 24, called the Kennedy Center invitation 'a moment where you decide what side of history you're going to be on.' That kind of predicament would have seemed unimaginable just a year ago for a youth group that only first performed at last year's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass music festival in San Francisco. Oakland Rising was formed under the aegis of two-year-old nonprofit Follow the Music in collaboration with Hardly Strictly. The goal, said Follow the Music Executive Director Phil Green, was to 'change the narrative' around Oakland by spotlighting the prodigious talent of its young musicians, who could cycle in and out of the group as a career stepping stone. Current members' styles range from folk to jazz, bluegrass to R&B. After national booking agents Jaime Kelsall and Bruce Solar of Paladin Artists saw clips of the collective's debut in Golden Gate Park, the pair began helping Oakland Rising secure other gigs, including at the Kennedy Center, where Paladin had a relationship that long predated the Trump administration. 'We're not Trumpers. We're the furthest thing from,' Solar told the Chronicle. But after Trump's takeover, he explained, 'It is not our choice to tell (Oakland Rising) to do it or not do it.' Oakland Rising isn't the first to face the to-perform-or-not quandary and justify its decision publicly. In February, when Trump appointed himself chair of the center's board, decrying its previous 'woke' programming, specifically targeting LGBTQ content. These moves turned what had long been a bipartisan cultural institution into a highly politicized stage and quickly spurred many artists to withdraw any association. In March, Lin-Manuel Miranda scrapped a run of 'Hamilton,' telling the New York Times, 'We're not going to be a part of it while it is the Trump Kennedy Center.' Meanwhile, Oakland comedian, author and TV host W. Kamau Bell went ahead with a stand-up appearance, posing a moral question in defense of his choice via his Substack: 'Is not showing up in the face of evil always the moral thing to do?' Naima Nascimento, 15, pointed out that there's a big difference between those artists and her. They're famous, and she's not. 'If I don't do it, no one's really going to care, because no one knows who I am,' she explained. A celebrity's absence is leverage; hers would just mean she's sitting at home, influencing little. August Lee Stevens, 25, was the third musician to decide to perform, alongside Naima and DeVeaux. She recalled asking herself, 'What is the intention behind it, and what is it that we want to say?' Done thoughtfully, it was a huge opportunity to represent themselves, their art and Oakland positively, she concluded. 'There sometimes feels like such a gap between my voice and the rest of the world,' she said. 'If I'm being presented this stage where I can go and speak up and make some kind of difference or stand on what I believe in … then I personally thought that was a good opportunity to take.' Micaiah Dempsey, 21, was one of the Oakland Rising members who declined to perform at the Kennedy Center. 'I don't like the idea … of being censored as an artist,' she said. She sees her music as for the people, broadly defined, and 'I just couldn't picture how that would fit in to the Kennedy Center and what currently they were standing for,' referring to the administration's array of 'rash moves' and its policing of artists' free expression. The two sides' reasonings sound similar. Both want to use their art to help others. They just came to very different conclusions about the best means to that end. Dempsey, who notes she's 'proud' of her collaborators for their different but 'beautiful' decision, acknowledges the shared principles. 'There's a bridge, and one person went across it, and the other person said, 'You know what? I'll wait till you reach the other side,'' she said. For the three performing in D.C., their concert might feel different than any other — the momentous decision they've made, being inside the walls of an administration they oppose. 'We're just three Black people from Oakland,' said DeVeaux, who uses gender-neutral pronouns. 'Our music and who we are, simply being on that stage is offense enough to whatever (Trump) may think he's upholding.' DeVeaux has sung in all-white spaces before, they noted, thinking especially of a performance in Eugene, Ore., of a song they wrote called 'Queen' that's dedicated to dark-skinned women who've been told they're not good enough. Being outside of their echo chamber, they said, 'makes me go harder or makes me want to be more purposeful and more punchy.' Three days after the Kennedy Center gig, DeVeaux, Naima and Stevens are scheduled to open for Pulitzer Prize-winning musician Rhiannon Giddens — who in February canceled her own spring Kennedy Center gig — at Mountain Winery in Saratoga. Dempsey was philosophical about what the diverging experiences might mean for the collective. 'As artists, we have the right to protest in doing and not doing. … If (D.C.) ends up being an amazing opportunity for them, that was in their plan,' she said. 'I know my door is coming.'
The Hill
03-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Ackman: Adams can beat Mamdani; Cuomo should leave race
Hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman has become the latest political influencer to publicly urge former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) to step aside from the New York City mayoral race, even as his name is set to appear on the ballot. Cuomo will appear on the November ballot representing the 'Fight & Deliver' party — which he formed in May — after losing the Democratic primary last month to 33-year-old state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani. The election, which relies on ranked choice voting, was officially called for Mamdani on Tuesday. Ackman wrote over two lengthy posts on social platform X late Wednesday evening that he doesn't want Mamdani, a democratic socialist, to become the city's next mayor and thinks removing Cuomo as an option on the ballot will benefit incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat who is seeking reelection as an independent. The billionaire said he met with both Adams and Cuomo earlier this week to assess their rival candidacies. 'In short, my takeaway is that Adams can win the upcoming election and that the Governor should step aside to maximize Adams' probability of success,' he wrote. 'I say this while having a high regard for Andrew Cuomo and his contributions to New York State.' Ackman added, 'But it was abundantly clear in his body language, his subdued energy and his proposals to beat Mamdani, that he is not up for the fight.' The deadline for candidates to remove their names from the November ballot lapsed last Friday. Cuomo has given no indication that he plans to pull away, as polls have shown him ahead of Adams and close to Mamdani if he remains in the race. 'Everyone is entitled to their own political opinion — we understand President Trump supports Eric Adams, and do not believe socialism is the answer,' Cuomo campaign spokesman Rich Azzopardi said in a statement to The Hill this week. 'Most New Yorkers are not Trumpers, and most New Yorkers are not socialists — the majority lies in the middle.' 'We will continue to assess the current situation in the best interest of the people of the City of New York,' he added. A poll released this week showed that among all candidates slated to be on the ballot, Cuomo came in second to Mamdani with 29 percent to the Democratic candidate's 35.2 percent. Adams polled fourth behind Republican candidate Curtis Silwa with 13.8 percent and 16.1 percent, respectively. Rev. Al Sharpton, a New York native and Democratic political activist who is backing Mamdani, also urged Cuomo to step aside. 'I think, in the best interest of the legacy of Andrew Cuomo, that he ought to let them have the one-on-one race,' Sharpton said Wednesday on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe.' Sharpton added, 'He can endorse one or the other, and let them have a battle over what is best for New York.' The pressure comes after the former governor said last month that he was 'assessing that landscape,' when asked about a potential independent bid.
Politico
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Andrew Cuomo is trying to hang on to support for a general election bid
Cuomo received the backing of nearly every major union in the primary, which he used to generate an aura of inevitability. He then relied heavily on labor for his get-out-the-vote operation. Adams dropped out of the primary in April on account of a criminal bribery case that was dismissed at the behest of President Donald Trump. He is now running in the general election on an independent ballot line. Fellow independent Jim Walden, a former federal prosecutor, and GOP nominee Curtis Sliwa — a perennial candidate who got 28 percent of the vote four years ago — will also be on the ballot. Cuomo's name, meanwhile, will appear on an independent line regardless of whether he mounts an active challenge. Mamdani defeated Cuomo after three rounds of ranked-choice voting, 56 percent to 44 percent. Cuomo's campaign has credited Mamdani with expanding the electorate to include first-time voters and young people who cannot normally be counted on to cast a ballot in a primary. Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi in a statement said general election voters won't embrace Adams' Trump alliance or Mamdani's hard-left politics. 'Everyone is entitled to their own political opinion — we understand President Trump supports Eric Adams, and do not believe socialism is the answer,' Azzopardi said. 'Most New Yorkers are not Trumpers, and most New Yorkers are not socialists — the majority lies in the middle. We will continue to assess the current situation in the best interest of the people of the city of New York.' Cuomo's general election pitch, in part, is that a November electorate will be different than a closed party primary. A general election will turn out independents and Republicans who could be persuaded to vote for the moderate former governor over Mamdani and Adams, Cuomo's team has asserted. Ranked-choice voting, which Cuomo did not utilize as a strategy after being endorsed by fellow mayoral candidate Jessica Ramos, will not be used in the general election. Adams and Cuomo share a base that includes Black New Yorkers, Jewish voters and blue-collar people who live outside Manhattan. In one phone call with a state lawmaker, Cuomo acknowledged Adams' presence in the race would make a November victory harder to achieve.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rev. Al Sharpton says Andrew Cuomo should drop out of NYC mayoral race
Rev. Al Sharpton is urging Andrew Cuomo to drop out of the mayoral race to allow Mayor Adams and Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani to face off in the November general election. 'I think Andrew Cuomo should look at what is best for the city and let them have a one-on-one race,' Sharpton said on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe.' 'I said that to his people yesterday. I think, in the best interest of the legacy of Andrew Cuomo, that he ought to let them have the one-on-one race. He can endorse one or the other, and let them have a battle over what is best for New York.' Cuomo has secured an independent party line, Fight and Deliver, on which he could run in November. Regardless of whether he actively pursues a campaign or not, his name will appear on the ballot. After Mamdani's 12-point victory over Cuomo in the Democratic primary election and signs that some of the city's wealthiest businesspeople may back Adams, the former governor would face a steep climb to the mayoralty. Cuomo enjoyed frontrunner status for much of the primary race and netted powerful union support, but ran a Rose Garden campaign that largely shielded him from public view. His attempts to hit Mamdani on his stance on Israel in the last stretch of the race didn't land. 'Most New Yorkers are not Trumpers, and most New Yorkers are not socialists — the majority lies in the middle,' Rich Azzopardi, a spokesman for Cuomo, said. 'We will continue to assess the current situation in the best interest of the people of the City of New York.' Mamdani, at an unrelated appearance, didn't explicitly call for Cuomo to exit the race, saying he'd leave that decision to Cuomo. 'But what I have appreciated is the fact that this coalition continues to expand each and every day,' Mamdani said, 'and it continues to reach out across the five boroughs to New Yorkers to make clear that this is a vision for every single person.'
