Years Of Being – Page 3 – A blog of my cosmic (and less than cosmic) observations and ruminations.

How Low Will He Go?

Trump is now issuing arbitrary pardons for convicted criminals. He’s doing this without even the pretense of some sort of review or justification, just tweeting to the world, bypassing DOJ and established procedure completely. Basically acting like a king. Or tyrant.

The real, deeply disturbing impact of all this will be the effect it has on the American will to ultimately do the right thing. We’ve been beaten down by the incessant drumbeat of Trump’s lies and baseless accusations. Nixon never got anywhere near doing what Trump has done, and continues to do, but even the GOP leadership in 1974 realized Nixon had gone way too far. Contrast the current GOP Congress’ behavior. They remain Trump’s faithful lapdog, ignoring his corruption and coarseness with a willful ignorance that is astonishing to behold. Surely to God this moral and ethical failure is at least embarrassing to them, on some level. The extent to which they have completely abrogated their Article One responsibilities is more than shocking; it borders on treason.

As has been pointed out in many places, the unpreventable POTUS power to pardon (how’s THAT for some cool alliteration? ) originated in old English law, with it’s concept of a king’s divine right. In all the history of the U.S. (notwithstanding Nixon’s considered attempt), the use of that pardon has always been subject to strict review, to an established process. While not “law” per se, this adherence to custom and norms has, until Trump, pretty much had the force of law, if not the letter. Trump has completely destroyed those historic constraints, and is now arbitrarily pardoning right and left, obviously sending “keep the faith” messages to all the players lined up to potentially flip on him.

Whether he would actually issue blatant, unreviewed and arbitrary pardons for Manafort, Cohen, etc, is open to debate. He may just be sending the signals to those people to keep them silent, by pardoing people who have (mainly, save Sheriff Joe) already done their time, and thus for whom the pardon is pretty much an empty gesture. The only reason to issue these tweeted pardons is to send the message to his partners in crime, sending up the clear smoke signal that he will definitely “take care of them.” He may may have no intention of actually exercising a potentially incriminating pardon after they are convicted. There is no depth of dishonesty and betrayal to which Trump will not sink.

Those who make a deal with the devil always find themselves in hell when it’s all over. That’s how all the stories go, right?

Indigo Hope

A friend of mine commiserated the other day that we as humans (and especially Americans) are fated to forever arm ourselves to the teeth, and to maintain warlike superiority over whatever competition presents itself. That “we are who we are”, and there’s no use resisting our essential nature.

I will begrudgingly agree that our generation is, in the main, beyond redemption or alteration, regardless of the hope and naive promises we made to each other in the heyday of the Hippie Revolution. On the other hand, I have great faith in the so-called”Indigo Children”. I know personally that my own children have, for all their lives, been more aware and involved and active than I ever was at their age(s). And I believe that such awareness and activism is a wide spread phenomenon.

If you have not come across the book, I urge you to read Generations: The History of America’s Future, written by William Straus and Neil Howe, two historians/sociologists. It is a fascinating look at the cycles of history in general, and America in particular, and provides some very hopeful predictive viewpoints. Specifically with regard to the generation that is poised to take the reins of power. That would be the afore-mentioned Indigos (for lack of any better nomenclature; “Millenials” seems too empty).

And I must also mention one of Arthur C. Clarke’s ideas that has remained a potent metaphor for me (and judging by a fair number of movies, etc, for many others as well). I speak of Childhood’s End, which is his tale of the Next Evolutionary Phase. In Clarke’s thought-provoking myth, it is our childhood that is ending, to be replaced by a species that resembles us, but which wields an infinitely broader world view, coupled with powers that obsolete homo sapiens. In this story, perhaps the best we can say is that we at least begat them.

The arc of history bends not only towards justice, but also inevitably towards more freedom, enlightenment and globalism. I know the current situation is dark and gloomy. But I believe it represents the “one step backward” before the “two steps forward” that is bound to come. The Trumps and Cheneys and Putins of the world carry within them the seeds of their own destruction. When one is motivated only by greed and power and self-aggrandizement and hatred and fear, there is nothing solid to build upon, only a rotten core that inevitably collapses upon itself.

So prepare for 2018. And 2020. Stay aware. Stay informed. Don’t succumb to what seems to be an overwhelming tidal wave of bad tidings. Instead, keep our eyes on the prize. And hold on.

“I Only Want To Say” – NBC’s Superstar

I anticipated NBC’s live production of Jesus Christ Superstar with some definite trepidation. Oh, there was never any doubt I would watch it. I bought the album when it came out, back there as a freshman in Tuscaloosa at the University of Alabama. Heck, I wore out the grooves on that album, knew every lyric. Learned the riff to “Heaven On Their Minds” and played it ad nauseum. I even played Pontius Pilate in a production at Giles Heritage Theatre. Screaming “Die if you want to/ You innocent puppet!” was incredibly cathartic. My band Bimini Road even played several Superstar songs at a gig one night. The reviews were mixed. “Daring choice.” “Very enthusiastic rendition”.

So there was no doubt I would watch. But I confess, my expectations were severely inhibited by NBC’s track record on these live productions. The very first one also attempted to deliver one of my long time cherished favorites, one that went even deeper into my youthful psyche. NBC’s kinescope airing of Peter Pan was an annual Christmas season event for me growing up. It provided me with a lifelong philosophical underpinning: “Never Grow Up/ Never grow up/ Never grow up/ Not me!” More than that, the incredible songs sung by Mary Martin, Cyril Ritchard and the rest of the cast never failed to bring the lump to my throat, the misty tearing up in my eyes. And when Peter tells the adult Wendy she cannot go with him back to Neverland, because “you’re all grown up”… even writing this now, I have the same emotional reaction. To have never lost the innocence is such a powerful hope. And yes, I played Hook/Mr/ Darling as an adult, and yes, I stole every nuance I could recall from Cyril.

“‘Tisn’t fair! I say it as though it were my last breath – it isn’t fair! Pan, who and what art thou?”

“I am youth. I am joy. I am freedom!”

But NBC butchered Peter Pan. I couldn’t even watch it to the end. It was sterile, and nobody in the production got it. They made it all about themselves, and missed the point of eternal youth. I didn’t even give Sound Of Music a chance. Watched Hairspray, after the fact, and found it to be quite good. But all in all, I felt apprehensive.

I can now safely attest, along with essentially everyone else in the world, that NBC definitely got it right with Superstar. The adjective “stunning” is not hyperbole. This was an outstanding production in every regard. The talent was amazing, the technical aspects were amazing, the music was amazing. The directorial choices made were amazing. The set was beyond amazing. I was a little surprised at the longitudinal emphasis, with the gigantic wall off stage right. But then of course, the way it was used during the show, and especially in the finale, was nothing short of spectacular. I felt a keen excitement in my gut as the show opened, and it only became more and more exciting, and emotional, as things progressed.

The principals were incredible of course. I confess that my old man persona is not aware of the star stature of John Legend, but the man can definitely sing. What he lacked in the “screaming” songs (eg, “Gethsemene”) he more than made up for in the songs where emotion needed to come through.

(I must point out that, for the screaming, NO ONE has ever held a candle to the original album Jesus, sung by Deep Purple’s Ian Gilliam, who was doing rock and roll screaming before Robert Plant or Roger Daltrey made it de rigueur. But Gilliam lacked Legend’s emotional range.)

Sara Bareilles may have been the best Mary Magdalene ever. And casting Alice Cooper as Herod was simply inspired.

But of course it was Hamilton‘s Brandon Victor Dixon as Judas who carried the show. Confusing Superstar as being about Jesus is a common mistake. The show is, and has always been, centered on the character of Judas. Dixon was absolutely perfect in this role: voice, acting, everything. It is always rewarding to have talent at this level on stage. In a show that means so much to so many, it was beyond rewarding. It was transcendant.

The choice to have Judas’ ladder fall to symbolize his suicide was, I think, inspired. We know what happens; trying to make it visually realistic can only detract. And of course, the transfiguration after the crucifixion was a piece of staging that took the last breath away.

I do have 2 quibbles to raise. There is a whole internet discussion centered around the change of the lyric “One thing I’ll say for him, Jesus is cool.” Taking that lyric out was just stupid. Every Superstar aficionado noted the change, and nobody agreed it was needed or made an improvement to the show. Me, too.

The other lyric change seems to have escaped general notice. But for me, it is much more substantial. During “Gethsemene”, Jesus sang “God, thy will be done/ Take your only son.” That may sound more religious and obedient to the Divine Will. But the original lyric is:

God, Thy will is hard
You hold every card

The original lyric is existentially deeper and harder to accommodate. It puts the eternal question of Free Will front and center. It puts the Essential Problem explored in Superstar in sharp perspective. Is Judas the worst villain in Christendom, or was what he did absolutely necessary? Did he even have a choice?

“Why don’t you just do it”
“You want me to do it”

This is a question that anyone who has ever thought deeply about the Passion of the Christ has had to come to grips with. Judas’ betrayal was absolutely imperative to the whole narrative. Without it, Jesus doesn’t get arrested, doesn’t die on the cross, never redeems humanity. Yes, God does hold every card. Why skirt the fact?

But now I’ve detoured into metaphysics and theology. Putting that aside, as a piece of stage craft, NBC absolutely (and I permit myself this small pun) nailed it on this show.

I can only hope that, like my annual sojourn to Neverland, NBC will present this yearly.

A Very Few Good Men

Tonight (Sunday, April 8, 2018) MSNBC’s Headliner program had as its subject Special Counsel and former FBI Director Robert Mueller. Mueller is of course in charge of investigating the Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, as well as any involvement the Trump campaign may have had in that interference. In addition, Mueller was given a broad scope to investigate any ancillary criminal activity that his investigations might unearth during the process. This state of affairs is pretty well-known by just about anyone who has not been living under a rock for the past 10 months. I note in passing that, unfortunately, there are probably a good many citizens who have been living under a rock, but that’s another topic.

I urge everyone who missed the hour long program to make every effort to catch a rerun, or visit the MSNBC web site and look for the video that will surely be available in due course. Why do I think that’s important? There are several reasons.

Primarily, it is critical that the public learn what kind of man Bob Mueller is. Fox News, in conjunction with GOP members of Congress (primarily the House) have waged a ceaseless campaign trying to discredit Mueller personally. This effort attempts to paint Mueller as a partisan hack, out to destroy Trump for purely partisan reasons. This is beyond ludicrous, which becomes evident when one learns the details of Mueller’s life, and especially his record of service to our nation.

It is also enlightening to see the contrast of character between Robert Mueller and Donald Trump, and then to weigh the actions of the two men and judge for yourself whom you would believe, whom you would pay heed to, whom you would trust.

Bob Mueller graduated from Princeton and immediately enlisted in the Marines to fight in Viet Nam. He was awarded a Bronzed Star for valor and a Purple Heart. Trump had bone spurs. When Mueller left military service, he immediately prepared himself for further service to his country. He became a criminal prosecutor, joined the FBI. He was eventually nominated by George W. Bush to head the FBI, and was confirmed by the Senate unanimously. Nine days after he took the job, 9/11 happened. He served heroically in that national disaster, and maintained a cool head, insisting on the strict rule of law while pursuing the terrorists. He inherited an FBI that operated in a technical stone age, lacking even email. He left the department fully modernized, and stronger than ever.

FBI Directors serve a 10 year term. When he completed his ten years, Obama asked him to stay on an additional two years. This required a special dispensation by the Senate, and the Republican majority in that body again voted unanimously to extend his term.

Mueller is a lifelong Republican. Republicans in the Senate have twice supported him unanimously to serve as FBI Director. To suggest that he is in anyway partisan, and especially partial to Democrats, is just plain stupid.

In Washington political and professional circles, Bob Mueller has always enjoyed universal acclaim and honor. His character has been universally admired and his reputation is absolutely untarnished. When he was first appointed Special Counsel, both sides of the aisle, and pundits everywhere enthusiastically applauded the choice. Everyone knew this was a man with impeccable credentials, a man who would simply seek the truth. It is only when the truth apparently went sour that the right-wing pundits and the Congressional ferrets began trying to discredit the messenger, since the message was unacceptable to them.

Contrast Mueller to Donald Trump. The latter cannot go 24 hours without bending or breaking the truth. He golfs much more than he governs. His administration has suffered more scandal and corruption than any in modern memory. He never divested himself of his business, and makes tons of money trading on the Office of POTUS. He has stiffed contractors for decades. He is incapable of communicating in anything above than a grade-school level. He has had more administration position resignations and firings in his first year than any POTUS ever. Members of his campaign staff have suffered indictments and convictions as a result of Mueller’s investigation. And on and on and on.

Watch the Headliner program about Mueller. Then decide for yourself who is the most likely to be seeking the truth. Who has more character and integrity.

Who is working for the American people.

Quantum Divide

It is difficult to comprehend the extent to which there are two completely different Americas, existing side-by-side, like one of those science-fiction constructs, two intermingling realites, separated not in time and space but by alternate perceptions so drastically and radically different that neither is even aware of the other’s existence, except in fleeting moments when they brush up against each other. Sort of like the Thin Place you read about in tales of the supernatural, between the real world and the world of Fairie. The inhabitants of the two worlds look on events and see things the other would never recognize.

This difference in perception and conception does not mean, however, that both worlds are equally valid. Before this dichotomy took such a firm hold on our national consciousness, it is impossible to imagine that Trump’s behavior would ever have been seen as valid, much less admirable, by anyone. There was a time when incoherence, ignorance, lack of focus and a blatantly self-serving agenda would have been perceived the same by everyone. But now we have a significant (a definite minority, but still significant) segment of the electorate invested in this president. Once they pulled the lever, they established a psycological connection that will find validation wherever and however they can.

This dichotomy is destroying the very fabric of our national character, eroding our ethos, undermining our unity. The only vain hope is to think that somehow, this madness will pass, the veil will be pulled back, the obvious insanity will be recognized by everyone, and the abominations that Trump has visited upon us will fade back into the shadows. But the greater likelihood is that this ignorant egomaniacal sociopath has effected too much damage, both on the institutions of our government, and upon the Office of the Presidency itself, for it to ever truly recover.

The most probable outcome is is a world devoid of decorum and good will, a landscape reduced to a pile of detestable rubble. No shining city on a hill, but a dystopic gutter replete with outlet malls and trash on the bottom, separated from a glitzy tackiness lounging on the top.

The DACA Dodge

Trump has summarily decapitated DACA, the executive program instituted by Obama that allowed children, who had been illegally transported to America by their parents, to “come out of the shadows”, get work permits, attend schools and college. To become productive citizens without punishing them. Obama issued this admittedly unconstitutional order (he even said so) when Congress failed to pass anything to address a situation that had deep ethical problems.

I do not question the legality of what Trump did, only the morality. Congress is not going to do “comprehensive immigration reform” in the next 6 months (the time provided by Trump before he starts deporting dreamers). Congress has done exactly nothing for 8 months (save approve a SCOTUS member). I think the chances of a straight up/down Dreamer Act (independent of broader reform) is also highly unlikely. They will have 6 months to let this fervor die down, undoubtedly to be replaced by MANY fresh new “burn down the house” controversies and scandals. Once out of sight, out of mind.

And if that happens (or, more correctly, if nothing happens), then what becomes of the 800,000 who voluntarily provided all their informaton (including residence location, etc) in order take advantage of the DACA offer? Who are not receiving any welfare or other government assistance, but who are in fact 91% employed and/or in school? Who contribute $2 billion in taxes? Who have never been arrested, or in trouble, or been anything but a positive force in our society?

THESE are the first targets of Trump’s immigration “policy”?

Trump had other options. Primarily, he could have actually led the legislative fight to pass a Dreamer Act, instead of playing this game of chicken with Congress, while 800,000 model citizens are thrown into terrible jeopardy in the middle of the road between them.

All he’s doing is grabbing the low-hanging fruit. Because DACA people voluntarily exposed themselves in the belief they would be free of worry, they are now in daily dread of their very future. And these are people who have known no home other than the United States. Think what that will actually mean to these young people if they are deported. Deported to where? Their homes are here. Are they just gonna dump them on some street in the middle of Mexico City. Or in the Sonoran desert?

However Trump might have dealt with this situation, the course he actually chose to take, while by the letter of the law is perhaps “correct”, by any moral or ethical measure, is unhumane and reprehensible.

Again: the DACA program has been in effect for several years; if he was pushing for immigration reform, he could easily have waited a few more months. Or he could have used the bully pulpit to oush for a stand-alone Dreamer Act. But to simply end DACA, and dare Congress to fix it, is not leadership. It is cowardice and shows a complete lack of a moral compass.

It is not the bully pulpit, it is simply a bully lashing out at those least able to defend themselves, and most easily deported.

The Butterfly Dreaming

Last night I had one of those dreams that involved dream places (and in some cases, places that were conflated from real places and other dream places). As the decades go by, and I occasionally revisit those dreamscapes (and dream situations), it has become harder to separate which were real memories and which were only fabricated in my sleeping mind.

Oh, sure, some are obvious. There are places I definitely know without doubt are dream locales, which, for whatever reasons, my dreaming consciousness chooses to see or use again. But in my waking memory, I have snatches of scenes, vivid and seemingly real, of places I have walked or driven through. But for which I cannot for the life of me recall where I would go to find them on the surface of the earth. Trails through the woods, hilltops, certain city streets and scenes, the interiors of certain houses or other buildings. I can see the details, but have no clue what directions I would take, nor from what starting point I would leave, in order to arrive there.

There is a bit of poignancy in remembering these unattainable islands, knowing that things happened there, real or imagined, of such import as to have imprinted them so clearly in my mind. And yet also knowing that I will, in all likelihood, never actually cast my eyes again upon these strange localities.

“There are places I’ll remember

All my life…”

The twisting question is, whether I remember Reality or something Other Than. The butterfly dreaming.

Re-Entry

[Originally published as one of my Facebook Notes]

It has often occurred to me that one of the truly “out of joint” aspects of doing community theatre is the “re-entry”. We all experience it: you build the intensity around the show, from diddly-squat at early rehearsal, gradually increasing to total involvement during the run, to the point that, for a week or two, the Show is the one, true rhythm of reality, the focus of all your energy and thought, and “out there” is a mere mist, a phantom world that you wander through until it’s time to do the Show again.

But then the final curtain falls, you strike the set and haul your paraphernalia home, and go back to work the next morning. And the odds are that almost no one back in this (old) “real” world has any inkling of the fact that for several days now, you have been A Completely Different Person. It’s not that they are aliens, but nevertheless, you have inhabited, even in their midst, a totally different reality. Sure, you looked the same, and you’ve taken part in all the normal activities. But your inner monologue has always been thinking about lines and movement and expression and how to fix that or improve this and tweak everything, to find some subtlety that will keep it real, and make it better. All the while going about the daily chores that pay the bills.

And then comes the exit from that orbit of rarefied air and the Re-Entry into the thick air “down here”. It always takes a few minutes (or hours, or even days perhaps), to trade in the rhythm of the Show for the mundane rhythms of your other life. Inevitably, you’re still spending a few brain cycles on improving a performance that is now forever beyond change, and that world of the Show begins its fade into dissolve. And you turn that inner eye and ear to the next show.

Theatre people walk in two worlds, I think. And how easily we slip through that unseen, seemingly fragile, yet infinite curtain that separates them.

Pollyanna

On Sunday, my wife Carol got me to watch a movie I had somehow missed in my childhood. I watched almost all of the Disney canon, from Old Yeller to Darbie O’Gill & the Little People (w/ Sean Connery!), from The Shaggy Dog to The Parent Trap. Swiss Family Robinson, Treasure Island, The Love Bug… not to mention all the classic animated films.

But I had never seen Pollyanna.

And having missed it as a child, as young teen and adult, I had already dismissed it as, well, Pollyannish, and the notion never again crossed my mind. Which was my loss.

It is easy to dismiss so much of the Disney vault as pure syrup. And as the years went by, I think perhaps that the studio indeed fell into formula. But there can be no question that so many of those early films, crafted elegantly and masterfully, had a tremendous impact on the morals and ultimately the hopeful outlook of an entire generation (mine, the Boomers). There was ALWAYS an essence of goodness, and it was juxtaposed against self-centered meanness, with an element of danger (and fear). Good had to be more than merely “good”, it had to have the power to overcome adversity.

The movie Pollyanna was the quintessence of that combination of elements. I confess to being moved and touched. The film spoke past my adult cynicism and reached back to resonate with the child I hope we all keep safely stored away, ready to rise strong.

The Glad Game, on the face of it, does seem hopelessly “Pollyannaesque”. But in its essence it holds a great truth, one that we should all wake up to every morning: If you look for the bad in people expecting to find it, you surely will.

Pollyanna and Anne Frank both believed something that is very, very hard to see: people are good at heart.

There are of course, some beings that look like people but probably are not. But let’s not discuss politics this today.

Down the Trump Care Hole

The examples of outright callous meanness and utter disregard for human decency that have been exhibited by the Humpty Trumpty administration are legion. Just consider a budget that eliminates Meals On Wheels and free after school lunches for poor children. That pulls the plug on the NEA and NPR. That ignores science and the future of our children with a 32% cut to the EPA because “we don’t believe in climate change and we’re not going to waste any money on it.” That cuts the State Department budget by 30%, mainly in foreign aid, including relief to millions starving in Africa. Meanwhile, the military budget sees a very hefty increase, even though American military might already dwarfs the all nations on the planet, combined.

But TrumpCare offers an especially cynical stab at the less fortunate, right here in the U.S.A. And since it originates from Paul Ryan and his like-minded party, it reflects the kind of disdain for anyone not rich that so completely characterizes the party of Trump. He absolutely endorses the legislation, btw, even though it flies in the face of every promise he made w.r.t health care during the campaign.

Here’s what I consider the major flaw that lies at the heart of the darkness that is TrumpCare. Rather than scaling things so that richer people take on more, TrumpCare offers a single-size tax credit, regardless of the income of the recipient. I believe it’s $4000. The person gets the tax credit, and in some sort of distorted Objectivism, then negotiates his or her own health care. No mandate, you don’t have to actually get a plan.

Understanding health plans is complicated, as any one who has negotiated for one will attest. Throwing the entire population into the deep end of this pool means that only the well-off and the well-educated will swim successfully. Maybe that’s what Paul Ryan has in mind, as he re-reads Atlas Shrugged for the umpteenth time, and sneers at those who don’t meet his expectations. A healthy pruning of the gene pool never bothered a true believer in the “philosophy” of Ayn Rand. Let the wolves have the slow and the aged.

Now, put aside for a moment the aspects that have (rightfully so) been castigated by opponents of the GOP “plan”. Namely, that low income and the elderly are going to take it on the chin, paying as much as 2-300% more for whatever health care they can get. Medicaid (for the needy) gets slashed way back. These are awful situations, and they will most severely affect (in many cases) the very people who were fooled into voting for the Trickster.

But here’s another hidden cost, one that will devolve directly onto the taxpayer. There is no mandate to purchase insurance. The one thing that makes health insurance work is having a large pool of fairly healthy people (read “young”) paying premiums, and this off-sets the costs of the elderly and seriously ill. But with no mandate, there’s no reason to buy a plan. So, instead of having lots of insured people to average out the cost, we’ll inevitably have very many young and, shall we say, not particularly forward-looking, people opting NOT to be insured. The result? An overall decrease in health, and lots of people showing up in emergency rooms, since they have no doctor (or insurance). The hospitals can’t refuse them, so the costs ultimately come back to the taxpayers.

The only solution that will ever make sense (economic and ethical) is universal single payer health care. Medicare for every American, and if the well-to-do want more, fine. Their choice. But if we only guarantee that that the wealthy are adequately covered, we have made a moral choice that reduces us to that of scavengers.

But wait… that happened when they decided to cut Meals On Wheels.