ChuckFreeman.Org

“If you can’t dance to that song, go ahead to the morgue and check yourself in!” Those were my exact words yesterday to a friend as our souls and feet moved to a gleeful, liberating jig listening to Rev. Dan Smith’s lyrical gospel salve.
“Just keep going on, just keep going on, take every knock as a boost, every stumbling block as a stepping stone. Lift up your head and hold your own, just keep going on.”

Since 9-11 I have found myself passionately, even obsessively distressed with the health of democracy in our nation and around the world. Do not be fooled. It is the imperialists who are the horse flies in Democracy’s ointment. Terrorists are the latest fascist fashion ploy to suspend shared power and human dignity.

Most recently I have witnessed my spiritual and ethical fervor flowing deeply in the direction of Burma and Pakistan. In Burma there continues the brutal military squashing of the Buddhist Monks and citizens as they seek the most rudimentary expressions of fair governance. General first, President second Musharraf in Pakistan has suspended the constitution and declared a state of emergency allegedly to fight terrorism. By some odd mutant coincidence only the proponents of democratic checks and balances have landed in the slammer.

I find every fabric of my middle aged being wanting to be a moral force for democracy. But, I see little evidence that I, and others of like spirit, can even keep another torture bearer out of the Attorney General’s quarters in America. My heart breaks for the decent people of the nations whose democratic potential seems on par with a condemned house.

Like many activist idealists, I am a romantic perfectionist. In growing up, I am slowly realizing that arriving is not in my control. Acting with integrity is.

When I first started my ministry some 30 years ago I commissioned a calligrapher to create a plaque for me with this saying from Theodore Roosevelt inscribed. Last night I pulled it off my wall to read. Like Rev. Dan’s song it too enlightens the heart.

“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”

Every morning I would walk down the creek bed on the way to my 4th grade class in Rapid City, South Dakota and Seth would be waiting. He wouldn’t allow me to walk up the hill to our elementary school without harassing and punching me. On a lucky day I could out maneuver or out run Seth.

One wintry am. I rounded the bend and I was welcomed with a barrage of snowballs, which Seth hurled at me with machine gun rapidity. I covered, ducked, and ran, but then something inside shouted, “Enough.” In desperation I fashioned a snowball and instinctively flung it in his direction. To my utter astonishment the icy sphere hit Seth square in the face! He scampered off screaming. Seth never bothered me again.

We are long overdue for a Seth moment in America. Bush/Cheney and their co conspirators are textbook bullies. Those who have studied such abusers will tell you that blowhard talk only emboldens sociopaths like these. Decisive action is the only course that will end the cycle of abuse.

Last week Attorney General nominee Michael Mukasey used weaker than Democrat semantic double speak to non answer his true convictions that the President can break the law at this pleasure and that torture is just fine. It looked like for once the blue-faced Dems might actually mount a true defense of our Constitution, laws, and common decency.

Upon further review however, Senators Schumer and Feinstein decided they would vote in favor of Mukasey virtually ensuring his confirmation. Schumer justified his vote saying that he visited with Mukasey and he “flatly told me” if Congress passed a measure outlawing waterboarding, “that the President would have absolutely no legal authority to ignore such a law.” This is about as reassuring as saying Alberto Gonzales has recovered from his Alzheimer testimony syndrome. Senator Feinstein whined, “I believe that Judge Mukasey is the best we will get.”

In the legendary story from the Jewish scriptures, NBA sized Philistine warrior Goliath taunted the Hebrew people day after day while the elected officials and trained military leaders quaked in their armor.

Righteously sick of their cowardice a scrawny shepherd boy named David emerged from the pasture and planted a smooth stone with his sling shot between the giant’s eyes. He then used Goliath’s sword against him. At the sight of this the bully’s cohorts ran for the hills. Congressional Democrats, as the bumper sticker insists, “Lead, Follow, or get the Hell out of the way!”

Even the gently flowing Tao Te Ching instructs, “In action; be aware of the time and the season.” Democracy’s sun is sinking low. There’s a time to fling the snowball. The time is now.

Last week Senator Byron Dorgan outed Kevin Martin. This isn’t another one of those pathetic wide stance, foot tapping bathroom stall shenanigans. Kevin Martin is our current Chair of the Federal Communications Commission. His closeted activities promise to have a much broader impact and crushing foot print.

Mr. Martin is clandestinely proposing to do away with media ownership rules that bar companies from owning both a newspaper and a television or radio station in the same city. Martin’s push to rewrite existing rules were revealed by North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan during a Commerce Committee hearing last Wednesday. If approved the new rules could take effect as early as this December. But Senator Dorgan vowed to put up a fight and said, “If the chairman intends to do something by the end of the year, then there will be a firestorm of protest and I’m going to be carrying the wood.”

According to Freepress.net -

“The past two decades have witnessed the number of major corporations that dominate television, movies, music, radio, cable, publishing and the Internet dwindle from 50 to less than two dozen, with much of the control concentrated in fewer than 10 massive conglomerates. While enriching investors, these changes have endangered democracy.”

In the radio biz, Clear Channel’s current ownership of 1168 radio stations, represents about 8.5 percent of the free radio market.

The health of our Republic relies on informed citizens with access to a variety of voices and viewpoints. In the propaganda feast that created the “mushroom cloud” of support for our illegal invasion of Iraq, the fourth estate was nothing more than well-manicured groundskeepers for the Bush/Cheney Imperial Mansion. They are slowly waking up to their calling as responsible neighbors rather than administration servants.

Conglomerate Media feeds us the latest gossip on Britney, JLo, and the like, reducing us to consumer junkies rather than noble citizens. The spiritually awakened one will ignore the reptilian brain food and munch on organic ideas that resonate with the substance of Being.

An ancient Zen Master offered this earthy truth. “Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.” Spiritual illumination is not confined to monks, nuns, and monasteries. If it don’t spread to the street it is about escapism or autoerotic religiosity.

I am elated that Senator Dorgan is going to be “carrying the wood” of fiery protest. Last night I went to the FCC website and wrote a short note to Mr. Kevin Martin.

“I am not in favor of relaxing the FCC ownership rules in any way, shape, or form. The radio consolidation is already a blight on our democratic climate.”

I invite you to join the sacred work crew. Chop wood, carry water.