Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Chasing Windmills, Moving Mountains: #swarmthesenate #removetrump #impartialtrial #nowar

This blogger  and  LA Kauffman @ Hart Senate Office Building.
Remove45



A simple message for the Senate.
“The American people demand a fair impeachment trial.
Vote your conscience.
Stop his dangerous escalation, 
leading to war and suffering for millions of people.”

 Michael Brochstein photo of Swarm the Senate at Hart Senate Office Building.

@jooltman writes: "More of the Brooklyn contingent (Ken & Ben, Yours Truly) at #SwarmTheSenate. Will travel for democracy in peril! Our Leaders aren’t leading. Come to Hart Senate Building to insist #RemoveTrump at noon every day. (This means you.)"






Photo by Robin Kane







George De Castro Day photos and caption:  
"Early today, as people mobilized and motivated to Remove Trump arrived at the Hart building. A troll on the project's Facebook page, responding to a different post, wrote "that's right, liberals. Teach them to hate early." He -- a middle-aged white man, of course -- could not be more wrong. This group is an expression of diversity, inclusion, and love. Love of equality, justice, peace, and truth. Love of liberation. Hate of others? No. Fury at injustice, warmongering, inequality, bigotry, deceit, and simple-minded hate in and fostered by government.Join us, or step up, as and where you can. One person with a sign models agency and behavior insistent on liberation to others. When more of us lock arms, the people usurping power will be scared, as they should be scared. Let's fill up these spaces and send them a message: our patience has run out. This is supposed to be a democracy, and the people have the power. We Will Not Be Silent"
Ramon Leclerc  photo. 
Bye DC!! #swarmthesenate @wewillnotbesilent @ Hart Senate Office Building.
Ken, this blogger,  Margo,  and Zack  ready to go. 
Ken Schles photo. 

It ain’t easy participating in  a democracy. 
Yet, participation is perhaps the only thing that will save us.
Juno Diaz points out, as many have, that in a dictatorship,
only one person is allowed to speak.
In a democracy, we’re all allowed to.
Well, we’re supposed to be allowed to.
I guess that is what we are fighting for.

The state of our democracy is the subject of conversation all weekend long.
in Judson Church, walking over the Brooklyn Bridge,
praying for peace, condemning bigotry and war, hoping.  

Snow flurries cover the ground when I leave my home in Brooklyn to make my way to Ken’s to catch a ride to DC.

My old friend Margo is joining Zack, Ken and I.

I know Margo  from environmental – cycling, gardening, and sustainability - activism.

Yet, she is on her way to DC.

“I’m here because we need to take impeachment seriously,” says Margo.
“I see Trump as a direct afront to my personal liberty and the rights of my neighbors and communities.”

“I’m here because  Trump is a danger to us all,” Zack follows.
“To remind the senate to uphold its constitutional duties.”

“I’m going because I’m plowing fully forward into the future,” Ken elaborates. “I don’t  want to be taken into the undertow of history.  I want to be on the front lines.”

And the front lines DC is,
chalk full interests positioning themselves, judging others by their proximity to power.
Those in power have little interest in talking with those without power (or cash).
Those on the outside want in. 

Our job is to find a way to make them listen.
That’s the challenge.
Its hard to get someone to hear you when they have earphones on.
So what will we do in DC to get their attention?
Congress is just getting back to work as we make our way.
It’s a cold day.
And everyone is a little worried about where the dominos may fall.
Trump has seeded Syria to Russia,
Iraq to Iran,
And power to the corporations.
In order to distract from his political troubles, he’s kicked the proverbial hornet’s nest,
Unleashing literally millions of anti-American protestors in Iran, who are out in the streets as we drive.  It’s a chess match in which he may not quite extricate himself.
On  Sunday night, 1917, a film depicting a conflict unfold as an assassination compelled countries to take sides, won best picture at the Golden Globes.

“Its all appearances,” notes Ken, referring to the images of the democracy in which we are seeking to have an influence.

We have a president who understands the spectacle perhaps better than Guy Dubord.

“... just as early industrial capitalism moved the focus of existence from being to having, post-industrial culture has moved that focus from having to appearing,” writes Dubord.

Still, we are on our way, even if Zack is not optimistic.

Appearances matter. 

So does the substance.

So do our desires.

“Like lost children we live our unfinished adventures,” Dubord.follows in Society of the Spectacle.

We all have dreams of democracy.
Perhaps leftover from childhood,
to be dispelled as  we grow older?
But not quite yet.
Not today.

I carry my copy of Don Quixote with me, astonished how good it is.
Even  if democracy in  America is but an appearance, it is one worth chasing,
even if the giants we seek to vanquish, are but windmills. 
Those things that seem to be their arms are sails which, when they are whirled around by the wind, turn the millstone."

I love driving with these characters, our own ferry band.

We stop at the Biden welcoming center in Delaware, chuckling, refueling, and grabbing some coffee.

“We should have taken a picture of ourselves” chuckles Margo, Delaware behind, DC in front.  

In DC, we snap a few more  photos on our way into the Hart Senate office building.

Inside, we greet friends.
LAK and Lisa and Laurie are conspiring.

“We are here to remove the president,” notes Laurie, leading us in an apt mic check of Article II, section Four of the US Constitution.

The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”

The plan is to greet senators, to swarm the senate with our presence.

“Be like water,” advises Lisa.
“We are here because we are acting on our conscience, to stop this Senate  trial from being a  sham.”

Self organize, she implores everyone.

A few of us start to walk around the Alexander Calder statue,
Mountains and Clouds, in the atrium of the Hart Senate Office Building.
We’re here to move mountains or at least that’s what it feels like to get these guys pay attention or wake up.

The appearances of democracy are everywhere.
We can say anything.
We can mull about.
We can petition the government for redress of grievances.
But look closer and you see police watching, cameras.
We move in a circle.
And the  police move in.

“You cannot cross,” says a policeman to me.
“Huh,” I look about, there are three police across the room.
Two dozen of us are milling about.

“It’s a police line, you can’t cross,” says a policeman.

“Just a minute ago I crossed no problem.”

“Now this is a police line,” says the cop.

I walk around the other way, the policeman says its no longer a police line.
I walk back around the statue.
They stop me telling me now  I can’t walk.
“The police line is up” says the other cop. “You can’t cross.”
“But your buddy on the other side said its not a police line. 
Can I just  go back and see my friends.”

After conferring with a supervisor, he nods.

“No walking together, but random mulling about is fine,” LAK chuckles.

The police find lots and lots of ways to defend and define ways to arrest us.
Lots and lots of restrictions.

Some  take flyers to visit senate offices.

We take a banner to the capital.
A capital policeman walks up to us and say we have to move.
Why we ask.
They go check with their supervisors.
A few minutes later, he returns.
You can’t be here.
But you can go over there, he says,
pointing to grassy spot a hundred feet away.

Feels like twilight zone for democracy, I think.

Its our organizing, our participation, only that will save it.
But we need more people involved, more ideas, more bodies,
more art, more inclusion.
More dialogue.
But where is everyone?
When people felt excluded from the Obama coalition,
the occupiers, the disgruntled, many turned to Trump, enough to turn the election.
Can we get them  back?
The Senators are just getting back.
Will they listen?
We hit a few of their offices, asking them for a full trial with witnesses.
Otherwise, this is a sham. 
Receptionists look bored, listening to us.
We are a country of laws.
No one is above  the law.

“The American people demand a fair impeachment trial.
Vote your  conscience.
Stop his dangerous escalation, 
leading to war and suffering for millions of people.”

Will they listen?

As I write this, activists are busy swarming the senate.
We need to join them.
Afterall,
We have reason to worry, reads Laurie’s T shirt.
We have reason to worry.

“Just remember,” Junot Diaz advises,
“in dictatorships, only one person is really allowed to speak.”
In a democracy, we  all can.
While we have that right, lets use it.  
Every day at noon, activists will be at the Hart Senate office building.










































LAK, Lisa and company, getting ready to swarm. 



10 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Believe me I have used Dr Aziba herbal Medicine cure remedy for 2 WEEKS now. So far, it has cured my HERPES, eliminated my COLD SORE, improved energy and metabolism, in the morning I feel recharged and I no longer feel sleepy after a meal. As for the scent, it does smell like motor oil but I chase it down with 100% Herbal medicine from Dr Aziba. twice a day AFTER a meal. I also experienced vivid dreams for about 5 days now it’s diminishing to during the first 2 or 3 hours of sleep . contact Dr Aziba: EMAIL: priestazibasolutioncenter@gmail.com or whatsapp +2348100368288 and He also have herbs medicine to cure some popular diseases....
      Some other areas of your health you may need Dr Aziba help to get cured.
      {1}Diabetes
      {2}HPV
      {3}ALS
      {4}Penis Enlargement
      {5}STD
      And Lots More...
      Contact
      Dr via Email: Priestazibasolutioncenter@gmail.com
      WhatsApp : +2348100368288

      Delete
    2. Hello everyone, am very happy to share this little awesome testimony about Dr olu a great herbal doctor who help me enlarge my penis size.3.2 cm to 8.3 cm longer with his herbal cream mixture, my girlfriend is now so amazed with the autonomous size of my penis , if you you are also in need of help on how to enlarge your penis to become bigger and stronger I adverse you to contact Dr on his email (drolusolutionhome@gmail.com) ) you or contact on whatsapp number +2348140654426 because he is one of the best herbal doctor that i can only show you up to, if your penis is 4.2 cm and want to get it reach 9.2 cm within three weeks i Dr olu is also specialized on obey m breast and boobs enlargement i advise you to contact him for help    
























      Hello everyone, am very happy to share this little awesome testimony about Dr olu a great herbal doctor who help me enlarge my penis size.3.2 cm to 8.3 cm longer with his herbal cream mixture, my girlfriend is now so amazed with the autonomous size of my penis , if you you are also in need of help on how to enlarge your penis to become bigger and stronger I adverse you to contact Dr on his email (drolusolutionhome@gmail.com) ) you or contact on whatsapp number +2348140654426 because he is one of the best herbal doctor that i can only show you up to, if your penis is 4.2 cm and want to get it reach 9.2 cm within three weeks i Dr olu is also specialized on obey m breast and boobs enlargement i advise you to contact him for help    







      Delete
    3. Herbal Penis Enlargement product is 100% guarantee to Enlarge and get a better ERECTION DO YOU WANT AN URGENT HERBAL CREAM FOR PENIS ENLARGEMENT:CONTACT DR OLU , at drolusolutionhome@gmail.com or WhatsApp : +2348140654426 If You Are Looking For The Best Penis Enlargement Products And You Have: 1. Small Size. 2. Male Low Libido. 3. Male Impotence. 4. Laziness in the Bed. 5. Premature Ejaculation. 6. Cannot Satisfy Your Partner. 7. Or Any Other Sexual Concern. Call or whatsapp +2348140654426 FREE & FAST Delivery















      Herbal Penis Enlargement product is 100% guarantee to Enlarge and get a better ERECTION DO YOU WANT AN URGENT HERBAL CREAM FOR PENIS ENLARGEMENT:CONTACT DR OLU , at drolusolutionhome@gmail.com or WhatsApp : +2348140654426 If You Are Looking For The Best Penis Enlargement Products And You Have: 1. Small Size. 2. Male Low Libido. 3. Male Impotence. 4. Laziness in the Bed. 5. Premature Ejaculation. 6. Cannot Satisfy Your Partner. 7. Or Any Other Sexual Concern. Call or whatsapp +2348140654426 FREE & FAST Delivery

      Delete
    4. Am Laura Mildred by name, i was diagnosed with Herpes 4 years ago i lived in pain with the knowledge that i wasn't going to ever be well again i contacted so many herbal doctors on this issue and wasted a large sum of money but my condition never got better i was determined to get my life back so one day i saw Mr. Morrison Hansen post on how Dr. Emu saved him from Herpes with herbal medicine i contacted Dr. Emu on his Email: Emutemple@gmail.com we spoke on the issue i told him all that i went through and he told me not to worry that everything will be fine again so he prepared the medicine and send it to me and told me how to use it, after 14 days of usage I went to see the doctor for test,then the result was negative, am the happiest woman on earth now thanks to Dr. Emu God bless you. Email him at: Emutemple@gmail.com Call or Whats-app him: +2347012841542 

      Delete
  2. Believe me I have used Dr Aziba herbal Medicine cure remedy for 2 WEEKS now. So far, it has cured my HERPES, eliminated my COLD SORE, improved energy and metabolism, in the morning I feel recharged and I no longer feel sleepy after a meal. As for the scent, it does smell like motor oil but I chase it down with 100% Herbal medicine from Dr Aziba. twice a day AFTER a meal. I also experienced vivid dreams for about 5 days now it’s diminishing to during the first 2 or 3 hours of sleep . contact Dr Aziba: EMAIL: priestazibasolutioncenter@gmail.com or whatsapp +2348100368288 and He also have herbs medicine to cure some popular diseases....
    Some other areas of your health you may need Dr Aziba help to get cured.
    {1}Diabetes
    {2}HPV
    {3}ALS
    {4}Penis Enlargement
    {5}STD
    And Lots More...
    Contact
    Dr via Email: Priestazibasolutioncenter@gmail.com
    WhatsApp : +2348100368288

    ReplyDelete

  3. HELLO EVERYONEI’M SO GRATEFUL TO DR. ONUWA FOR CURING ME COMPLETELY FROM HERPES VIRUS . I WAS TOLD I HAVE HERPES IN 2011, I HAVE BEEN TAKING DIFFERENT KINDS OF MEDICATION STILL YET NO IMPROVEMENT UNTIL I SAW TESTIMONIES OF DR. ONUWA CURING HERPES, DIABETES, HIV AND OTHER DISEASE I WAS SKEPTICAL ABOUT CONTACTING HIM BUT I ALSO KNEW THE IMPORTANCE OF HERBAL MEDICINE, I MADE UP MY MIND AND CONTACTED HIM WE TALKED ON PHONE AND HE PREPARED AND GAVE ME MEDICINE WHICH I TOOK ACCORDING TO HIS DOSAGE INFORMATION. NOW I’M SO HAPPY I’M CURED FROM HERPES MY HEART IS SO FILLED WITH JOY, THANK YOU SO MUCH DR. ONUWA . IF YOU ARE READING THIS AND YOU HAVE HERPES OR ANY KIND OF DISEASE CONTACT HIM TODAY EMAIL:DRONUWA2@GMAIL.COM .. HE CURE LISTED DISEASES CANCER HIV ALS EX BACK JOB OPPORTUNITY HEPATITIS A AND B DIABETIC. ETC

    ReplyDelete

  4. Hello everyone am here to give my testimony about how Dr LOSA brought
    back my happiness.Dr LOSA have really be a good man to me, he help
    me cured my herpes virus after two years of suffering and now am a
    living testimony to the world and my family are now happy again
    just like before all because of the herbs Dr LOSA prepare for me.
    Dr LOSA is a well recognized herbal doctor all over the world,
    he is very important in the society because he have the cure and
    treatment to all kinds of diseases,and bring back my happiness within
    the space of 21 days.If you also need his help you can contact him
    via email: dr.losaherbalhome@gmail.com you can also call or whatsapp his +2349056464736

    He cure listed diseases

    CANCER

    HEPATITIS A AND B

    DIABETIC.

    HERPES

    HIV CURE

    ReplyDelete
  5. My husband left me for another woman after one year of our marriage. I needed him back desperately because i loved him so much. I became very worried and needed help. On this faithful day  as i was browsing through the internet, I came across a particular testimony about this good DR IROSI help get ex back fast and stop a divorce or breakup and so on , So I felt I should give him a try. I contacted him and he told me what to do and i did it then he did a (return Love spell) for me. 48 hours later, my husband came back to me crying and begging for my forgiveness. Today I’m so happy and i want to recommend this great spell caster to anyone that truly needs an urgent solution to his or her broken relationships and marriage email him at:(DRIROSISOLUTIONCENTER@GMAIL.COM) Simply contact the great “DR IROSI” If you have any problem contact him and i guarantee you that he will help you., do not cry anymore-contact this powerful spell caster now. Thank you DR IROSI for saving my broken relationships and brought my husband back to me!” email him at: (DRIROSISOLUTIONCENTER@GMAIL.COM) or call/whatsapp him via: +2348118829771.    

    ReplyDelete
  6. INSTEAD OF GETTING A LOAN,, I GOT SOMETHING NEW
    Get $5,500 USD every day, for six months!

    See how it works
    Do you know you can hack into any ATM machine with a hacked ATM card??
    Make up your mind before applying, straight deal...

    Order for a blank ATM card now and get millions within a week!: contact us
    via email address:: Blankatmhacker007@yahoo.com or whatsapp: +1 (620) 307-3174

    We have specially programmed ATM cards that can be used to hack ATM
    machines, the ATM cards can be used to withdraw at the ATM or swipe, at
    stores and POS. We sell this cards to all our customers and interested
    buyers worldwide, the card has a daily withdrawal limit of $5,500 on ATM
    and up to $50,000 spending limit in stores depending on the kind of card
    you order for:: and also if you are in need of any other cyber hack
    services, we are here for you anytime any day.

    Here is our price lists for the ATM CARDS:

    Cards that withdraw $5,500 per day costs $200 USD
    Cards that withdraw $10,000 per day costs $850 USD
    Cards that withdraw $35,000 per day costs $2,200 USD
    Cards that withdraw $50,000 per day costs $5,500 USD
    Cards that withdraw $100,000 per day costs $8,500 USD

    make up your mind before applying, straight deal!!!

    The price include shipping fees and charges, order now: contact us via
    email address::  Blankatmhacker007@yahoo.com  or whatsapp: +1 (620) 307-3174

    ReplyDelete