Brian K. Noe

On the Election of 2020

Brian K. Noe · October 20, 2020 ·

Here is the current situation. We have an administration in power that is unprecedented, at least in my lifetime, in its ineptitude, corruption, destructiveness, callousness and hypocrisy. It has proved itself unwilling to conduct its affairs according to the most base standards of decency. It has, by every conceivable measure, made things worse for all of us. Not only has it made things measurably worse, it has created a political climate which will make it inestimably more difficult to begin making them even slightly better, regardless of the outcome of the 2020 elections. It continues to pose serious dangers to the lives, health and well-being of everyone in our society, and across the globe, and especially the most oppressed and vulnerable among us. It is shocking and unconscionable that such an abomination could rise to power in “the greatest democracy” on the Earth.

On the other side of the political aisle, we have a party which is so desperate to stave off any fundamental change that they have nominated a doddering, glib, gaffe-ridden career politician, notorious as a puppet of the insurance industry, with a sordid history which includes multiple, credible complaints of sexual assault.

It appears, two weeks out from the Presidential Election of 2020, that the Biden/Harris ticket may prevail, although many of us have the uncomfortable sense that we may have seen this movie before.

The frantic exhortations about this being “the most important election in history” might have some validity, except for the fact that the Democrats offer nothing as an alternative to Trump other than a return to everything that got us into this mess to begin with. For many decades now, up until this very moment, they have paid lip service to everyday working people, while attending to the whims of their corporate lords and masters. They have ignored each and every one of the most urgent problems that we face, from murderous cops to the public health crisis to looming economic disaster to a climate emergency that poses the prospects of near-term extinction for our species (along with much of the rest of life on this planet).

So, it is fine, I suppose, for people to encourage us to vote for this garbage as a temporary respite from outright fascism. But it is dishonest, and sickening, for them to ask us to place any other hope in a Biden Presidency, or in the party that he leads.

I have spent most of my life as a political activist. I volunteered on my first campaign as a teenager, when a friend of our family ran for State’s Attorney in the county where I grew up. I was a “Yellow Dog Democrat” for more than 30 years, always voting a straight punch in the general election. I’ve marched, and I’ve donated, and I’ve phone banked, and I’ve walked precincts and I’ve organized. I’ve drank the Kool Aid, and I’ve served it up. I’ve been a jubilant winner on election night, and a dejected loser.

We have come to the point where there’s not enough Kool Aid on the planet to make any of this palatable, and there can be no jubilee in sight.

So, where might we find any glimmer of hope in all of this madness?

For me, any path forward falls outside of the realm of electoral politics. Although I cannot find it in my heart to discourage a vote for Biden from my friends who live in states which will be legitimately contested, I absolutely refuse to place any faith in him or his party to lead us into the light, either in the weeks to come, or in the imaginable future.

We have to find the way ourselves, and we have to start by looking in the right direction. That direction is not right, nor left, nor forward, nor upward nor onward.

It is inward.

Chris Hedges Sums It Up

Brian K. Noe · October 19, 2020 ·

This is a rather long read, and not a lot of fun, but I think that Hedges (as usual) describes the moment well.

The most difficult existential dilemma we face is to at once acknowledge the bleakness before us and act, to refuse to succumb to cynicism and despair. And we will only do this through faith, the faith that the good draws to it the good, that all acts that nurture and protect life have an intrinsic power, even if the empirical evidence shows that things are getting worse.

Source: Chris Hedges: The Politics of Cultural Despair – scheerpost.com

Restoring Natural Landscapes Offers Hope

Brian K. Noe · October 18, 2020 ·

Rewild to mitigate the climate crisis, urge leading scientists. The Guardian reports that restoring natural landscapes damaged by human exploitation can be one of the most effective and cheapest ways to combat the climate crisis while also boosting dwindling wildlife populations, according to a scientific study published recently.

If a third of the planet’s most degraded areas were restored, and protection was thrown around areas still in good condition, that would store carbon equating to half of all human caused greenhouse gas emissions since the industrial revolution.

The changes would prevent about 70% of predicted species extinctions, according to the research, which is published in the journal Nature.

Source: Environment | The Guardian

Shyamatara Das Website

Brian K. Noe · October 17, 2020 ·

As you may have seen in earlier posts here, I began a daily meditation practice in the Spring of 2019, and it has changed my life dramatically. In July of 2020, I had a sudden realization that the good things coming into my life were the fruit of seeds that had been planted decades ago, and that my life belonged to a particular spiritual lineage. This lineage has found expression in my life and practices most often over the years in the form of Marian Devotion.

I have also had an attraction, for decades now, toward the Tibetan Buddhist lineage of His Holiness The Dalai Lama. I have borne a tattoo of the mantra “Om Mani Padme Hum” on my arm for many years. I knew the literal translation (“I Bow to the Jewel in the Lotus Blossom”), but had very little understanding of its deeper meaning or significance.

In July, I came to learn about the Compassionate Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, to whom the Om Mani mantra belongs. I learned the story about him shedding a single tear, which became a pond, from which bloomed a lotus, from which emerged the Green Tara – Mother of all Buddhas, Guiding Star, Guardian of Souls, Compassionate Liberator. Behold, the Jewel in the Lotus!

One of Mary’s titles is “Stella Maris” or “Star of the Sea.” Compassionate Mother, Guiding Star. Does any of this sound familiar?

I took the name Shyamatara Das, as a way to honor this lineage, in all of its expressions, Buddhist, Hindu, Christian and beyond.

As I began to write about my experiences with spiritual practice, I realized that it might be helpful to gather some of the essays and resources into a website entirely devoted to such topics. In September, I created the first post at ShyamataraDas.com, noting that the site is a vehicle for sharing “thoughts, spiritual practices, techniques and resources for living a full, beautiful life.” It will include material on a wide range of topics: service, bhakti, meditation, plant-based cooking and more.

I hope that you will find something of interest there.

Organizing To Thwart Theft of a Presidential Election

Brian K. Noe · October 16, 2020 ·

There was a brief moment after the election in 2008 where I was worried that G.W. Bush and Dick Cheney would refuse to leave office. When the fears proved unfounded, I chalked it up to paranoia.

This year, I just don’t know. It’s hard to say whether it is sad, or fortunate, that we have come to the point where we have so little confidence in the health and veracity of our public institutions. I suppose that it may be both.

In any case, if folks’ fears about this are realized this time around, the notion of a nationwide general strike to keep the current occupant of the White House compliant is appealing.

Unions Are Beginning to Talk About Staving Off a Possible Coup – Labor Notes Reports: “Therefore, be it finally resolved that the Rochester Labor Council, AFL-CIO calls on the National AFL-CIO, all of its affiliate unions, and all other labor organizations in the United States of America to prepare for and enact a general strike of all working people, if necessary, to ensure a Constitutionally mandated peaceful transition of power as a result of the 2020 Presidential Elections.”

K-E-double-L-O-double-good.

Brian K. Noe · October 15, 2020 ·

The Other Kellogg: Ella Eaton – Edward White’s monthly column, “Off Menu,” at The Paris Review, reminded me about cold cereal’s early history as a health food.

I’m ashamed to say that I had never heard of Ella Eaton.

In the Kellogg story there was one person in particular devoted to getting food right—not the flamboyant, egocentric John, nor the embittered, entrepreneurial William, but Ella Eaton Kellogg, John’s wife, one of the most overlooked but most important names in the ever-twisting story of America’s relationship with food.

Which Side Are You On?

Brian K. Noe · October 14, 2020 ·

A Bunch of Union Organizers Explain What’s Wrong with Unions – Hamilton Nolan from In These Times asked the real experts about the gap between public enthusiasm for unions and the lack of actual union members.

Personal Notes: I am a proud, card-carrying union member. Also, I once came dangerously close to being hired as an Associate Editor at ITT. 🙂

Weatherman David Lynch

Brian K. Noe · October 14, 2020 ·

I cannot explain it. You’ll just have to watch.

Public Safety Alternatives

Brian K. Noe · October 13, 2020 ·

Public Safety Without Police – Chicago Alderwoman Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez speaks with Rampant Magazine’s Brian Bean about her efforts to reprogram $150 million in funding from the Chicago Police Department to an alternative Chicago Crisis Response and Care System.

The CPD’s annual budget is $1.8 billion, so this shift would represent less than 10% of the city’s current police funding.

For those who consider calls for “defunding the police” ludicrous, as if major city police departments would cease to exist altogether, I would urge you to read the interview with an open mind, and try to envision how a relatively subtle shift in the way public safety funds are used might improve our lives and communities.

https://rampantmag.com/2020/10/13/public-safety-without-police/

Taking Stock

Brian K. Noe · October 12, 2020 ·

The Original Daily Dispatch Site

This weblog began on February 9th of 2005. At the time, it was on the Radio Userland platform under Salon.com’s hosting. At some point I moved it to a self-hosted site with the same platform, but eventually functionality began to deprecate, and I found myself moving to WordPress on November 11th of 2011.

In the early years of this website, blogging was fairly new. Podcasting was just beginning. I remember being thankful and excited for the opportunity to write and create, and to publish my creations for the world to view. It was really through this vehicle, The Daily Dispatch, that I found myself, my voice and my tribe.

My tendency in those early days was to use Userland’s built in news aggregator to track dozens (or maybe hundreds) of RSS feeds to find things of interest to share, along with my comments. I would also write some longer form content of my own from time to time, but much of the time I was posting links and brief comments several times a day, in the same way that we do on Facebook and other social platforms now. The site lived up to its title back then.

Today, I migrated the last of my web properties (including this one) over to a new hosting provider. Sort of like when you move house, the process afforded an opportunity to take stock. I looked back over some of that content from the early days, and was able to get a sense of how the site has evolved over the years, both in terms of the types of content, and the topics upon which they centered.

My interests have changed a great deal over these 16 years, and I believe that I have grown and matured as a person. I find myself much less preoccupied with “the news” and the political landscape. It’s not that I consider what’s going on “out there” less relevant, but I find it much more difficult to see a way forward involving political work as we currently do it. In any case, that sort of thing is no longer my passion. For better or worse, there seems to be plenty enough passion to go around on that front elsewhere anyway.

Thankfully, there are a number of other things about which I do remain passionate, and I am excited at the prospects of sharing them.

In the weeks to come, I hope to give more attention to this site, posting items and links of interest along with short comments about them as I used to do. I also plan to add more poetry and occasional essays that don’t fit well with my other (now rather extensive list of) website projects.

I may also begin to create some audio podcast episodes again at some point, and if that is the case, I’ll likely use this site for shownotes, links and related content.

So, drop by when you can, or add the site to your RSS newsreader aggie if you still have one. I will not promise that the dispatches will be daily, but I hope that they will at least be more frequent.