Thoughts from my Garden

[H2O Man]

Last edited Thu Jun 12, 2025, 10:49 PM - Edit history (1)

“The phrase ‘passive resistance’ often gives the false impression that this is a sort of ‘do-nothing method’ in which the resister quietly and passively accepts evil. But nothing is further from the truth. For while the nonviolent resister is passive in the sense that he is not physically aggressive toward his opponent, his mind and emotions are always active, constantly seeking to persuade his opponent that he is wrong.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.


I've been slowly but surely making progress in my garden. Due to physical issues, I had not been able to really keep up with it. And with all the rain the weeds are attempting to take over. So I may have appeared odd to those driving by while I was pulling weeds in the rain this afternoon. But when I am pulling weeds, I'm thinking about the Troubles we are experiencing in this country today.

The resistance takes many forms. One part involves our elected representatives in state and federal offices. I understand that some wish they were doing more. The truth is they are not in control in DC, and hence are limited in what they can do. They have different talents – hence a Chuck Schumer cannot speak out with the flair and charisma as Jasmine Crockett. So be careful when you see someone talking trash about “Democrats.” As George Harrison sang, “Beware of darkness.”

The court system is supposed to put up road signs and stumbling blocks to prevent the self-destruction of our democracy. Sometimes, it works well. Other times, just the opposite. But there are groups with standing making solid cases against this administration. The obvious question is how does society respond to a president who ignores and violates court orders. In normal times, the legislative branch would support the judicial branch …...but we are beyond anything that resembles “normal.”

What makes it hard is that we are confronted with an opposition that fully rejects all that is good about this country. They are intent upon the destruction of human goodness. I thought of Stephen Miller as I approached the compost pile. I thought of Freud's early stages of development, as “anal retentive” seems to fit like a glove. I am serious, and thus avoiding jokes about his splattering shit when he talks.

His essence reminds me of some things Freud thought that was seriously debated long ago: the possibility that, at least in some, there is a “death drive” that takes hold of the internal steering wheel. He found it most common among conservative white men, when they are driven to deconstruct valued things that took years to make. There is, of course, much more about this pathology, perhaps most commonly associated with serial killers. I am certain that Freud would have recognized Miller as an extremely sick man.

Thus, as I stopped for a drink of water, a question arose in my mind: how do we confront about one-third of adult Americans who – consciously or unconsciously – want to deconstruct our country? I know there is no immediate solution. I like the rallies and protests. I like contacting my elected representatives. These are helpful for us to build the foundation we need.

We have two important factors to consider. First, our opposition believe they have license to be violent, and second, they will try to infiltrate and disrupt peaceful protests. There are, of course, people who feel so disconnected from the larger society they move to Bob Marley's “Burning and Looting.” If we remain strong, we can disassociate from any type of violence.

We need to study the tactics of Gandhi and King. We need people to put these tactics into practice. Nonviolently. With the understanding that some will go to the ER, some will go to jail, and some will go to the cemetery. As an old person, I advocate our generation be the first wave. It will rouse the necessary public conscience, perhaps slowly, but definitely surely.