Yesterday marked a positive moment for rescuing American democracy from the cynicism and greed of the richest man in the world and the wannabe-dictator who hired him to replace American democracy with a government of billionaires, by billionaires and for billionaires.
In a previous DM I call Mr. Musk a “mad hatter” for good reason. Whether wearing MAGA hats or Cheez head hats campaigning for a thoroughly discredited supreme court judge in Wisconsin, he took a beating yesterday at the polls where Americans voted for government of, by and for the people.
He spent $26 million to elect his candidate (and close to $300 million in the presidential election which bought him a front line place in the Oval Office) and in all the offices of the federal government where, in the name of wiping out fraud he is instead taking a chain saw to erode health care for the young and aged, children’s lunches and so much more.
Praise to the voters of Wisconsin who told the mad hatter to exit Wisconsin and not return. And who chose a qualified supreme court judge.
Another victory for democracy yesterday was the powerful 25-hour non-stop speech on the senate floor by Senator Cory Booker. No bathroom break, no nonsense, he beat the record of Senator Storm Thurman who spoke for about 24 hours to filibuster the Civil Rights Act in 1957.
ABC News
Kudos to Booker for not only outlasting the racist rant of 69 years ago, but doing it with elegance and moral purpose and uplifting the better angels of our nature rather than feeding the worst demons of our nature.
Referring to Storm Thurmond’s speech, he said, “I’m not here though because of his speech. I’m here despite his speech. I’m here because as powerful as he was, the people were more powerful.”
He cited John Lewis often, one of many heroes who put his life on the line frequently to bring justice to black Americans. “He said for us to go out and cause some good trouble, necessary trouble, to redeem the soul of our nation. I want you to redeem the dream. Let’s be bold in America.”
Booker prepared for his ordeal by fasting from Friday to Monday and underwent dehydration to the point of cramping up. He paid a physical price for his determined effort to name the “crisis” and “moral moment” the country is undergoing only two months into the new administration.
He called out the dangers to Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, Head Start, and the disregard for the constitution and the rule of law. He proved himself a spiritual warrior.
Comparing today’s moment to the civil rights and the women’s suffrage moments, he proclaimed that we’re senators with all of this power, but in this democracy, the power of people is greater than the people in power. The civil right movement wasn’t just won because of just a few Black folks that stood up.
He called on a broad coalition of citizens to stand up to the current administration. “This is not right or left, it is right or wrong. This is not a partisan moment. It is a moral moment. Where do you stand?”
Democracy also won in elections in Florida insofar as two democrats who lost their run for congress there in deep red districts cut the vote by 50% compared to November’s election. This will surely rattle the cages of those republican congress people who think there is no political price to pay for lacking the conscience to ever say No to the president.
This weekend, April 5, is a day for marching on behalf of American democracy. Be sure to check a march near you HERE.
See Matthew Fox, Trump & The MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ.
And Fox, The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors To Awaken the Sacred Masculine.
And Fox, Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society.
And Fox, Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality.
And Fox, Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth.
And Fox, “Spiritual Warriorhood” in Fox, One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faith Traditions, pp. 404-423.
Banner Image: Senator Cory Booker receives a standing ovation as he concludes his 25-hour marathon speech. Screen grab from CSPAN recording.
Queries for Contemplation
Do you see election day as an encouraging day for American democracy? Will you march for democracy on April 5?
Recommended Reading
Trump & The MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ: A Handbook for the 2024 Election
Matthew Fox tells us that he had always shied away from using the term “Anti-Christ” because it was so often used to spread control and fear. However, given today’s rise of authoritarianism and forces of democracide, ecocide, and christofascism, he turns the tables in this book employing the archetype for the cause of justice, democracy, and a renewed Earth and humanity.
From the Foreword: If there was ever a time, a moment, for examining the archetype of the Antichrist, it is now…Read this book with an open mind. Good and evil are real forces in our world. ~~ Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit and Conversations with the Divine.
For immediate access to Trump & The MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ: A Handbook for the 2024 Election, order the e-book with 10 full-color prints from Amazon HERE.
To get a print-on-demand paperback copy with black & white images, order from Amazon HERE or IUniverse HERE.
To receive a limited-edition, full-color paperback copy, order from MatthewFox.org HERE.
Order the audiobook HERE for immediate download.
The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine
To awaken what Fox calls “the sacred masculine,” he unearths ten metaphors, or archetypes, ranging from the Green Man, an ancient pagan symbol of our fundamental relationship with nature, to the Spiritual Warrior….These timeless archetypes can inspire men to pursue their higher calling to connect to their deepest selves and to reinvent the world.
“Every man on this planet should read this book — not to mention every woman who wants to understand the struggles, often unconscious, that shape the men they know.” — Rabbi Michael Lerner, author of The Left Hand of God
Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society
Visionary theologian and best-selling author Matthew Fox offers a new theology of evil that fundamentally changes the traditional perception of good and evil and points the way to a more enlightened treatment of ourselves, one another, and all of nature. In comparing the Eastern tradition of the 7 chakras to the Western tradition of the 7 capital sins, Fox allows us to think creatively about our capacity for personal and institutional evil and what we can do about them.
“A scholarly masterpiece embodying a better vision and depth of perception far beyond the grasp of any one single science. A breath-taking analysis.” — Diarmuid O’Murchu, author of Quantum Theology: Spiritual Implications of the New Physics
Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality
Matthew Fox lays out a whole new direction for Christianity—a direction that is in fact very ancient and very grounded in Jewish thinking (the fact that Jesus was a Jew is often neglected by Christian theology): the Four Paths of Creation Spirituality, the Vias Positiva, Negativa, Creativa and Transformativa in an extended and deeply developed way.
“Original Blessing makes available to the Christian world and to the human community a radical cure for all dark and derogatory views of the natural world wherever these may have originated.” –Thomas Berry, author, The Dream of the Earth; The Great Work; co-author, The Universe Story
Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth
Fox’s spirituality weds the healing and liberation found in North American Creation Spirituality and in South American Liberation Theology. Creation Spirituality challenges readers of every religious and political persuasion to unite in a new vision through which we learn to honor the earth and the people who inhabit it as the gift of a good and just Creator.
“A watershed theological work that offers a common ground for religious seekers and activists of all stripes.” — Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice.
“I am reading Liberating Gifts for the People of the Earth by Matt Fox. He is one that fills my heart and mind for new life in spite of so much that is violent in our world.” ~ Sister Dorothy Stang.
3 thoughts on “A Good Day For Democracy, Bad for Mad Hatter & His Boss”
My partner David (a Buddhist) and I are designated peacekeepers for Prescott Indivisible in Prescott, Arizona. We will be there on April 5th. Two people lead our peacekeepers, Marion Pack, a lifetime activist, and Laura Molinaro, a retired police officer. Our job at each of our rallies in Prescott is simply to see that everyone remains peaceful, to watch for any trouble from counter protesters, and if we see any trouble in need of help to call the police using the phone number for whom we keep in our cell phones. Our last rally on Women’s Day in our little town of about 35,000 people had some 700 people. My guess is that rallies all over the country have private citizen peacekeepers and that this time there will be even more people.
Yes! I’m not sure yet whether I’ll join our local march. But God’s Spirit of Love Wisdom Truth Peace Justice Healing Compassion, Loving Diverse ONENESS — “Good Trouble “ — Is With All of Us! Blessings to All Our Sisters & Brothers around the World!
What most who strive toward developing our Spiritual Warriorship do not consider is the root reason why they find themselves confronted by people like Trump and Musk. When are we going to ask ourselves how we ended up in a situation where they came into existence? The only way to beat them is to not need them. So, our goal is to try to make them play the game of separateness nicely, right? The truth is what the cartoon character Pogo said: “We have seen the enemy, and the enemy is us.” How can we expect to change the stage of this world when we are our own worst enemies? People like Trump and Musk will continue to rule our reality, and we will continue to complain about how awful the conditions they are creating for us, the Earth, and our spiritual state. Trying to organize an effective response to this and also maintain the illusion of our separateness will not insulate us from the consequences. This is not Spiritual Warriorship.