22. June 2009 by Da Fu.

All conflicts are tribal. Even those conflicts within Tribes are about factions (’sub-tribes’) within tribes. How sub-tribes and minority Tribes are allow to participate in governing determines the way they are respected and how they survive.

Take Iraq for example. The major tribes are Shiite, Sunni and Kurd with many other minor tribes (e.g., Christian Iraqis). Since the majority of the country is Shiite and if they can come to vote as a block, the Shiite’s will control the country and the Sunni and Kurd Tribes are powerless. Even if the Sunni and Kurd Tribes could form a political alliance, they would still be in the minority. Is there any hope for Iraq as country then? The answer depends on their governing structure.

If a super majority such as 60, 66 or even 75% is need for major constitutional and oil revenue redistribution then the minority tribes could garner enough influence to demand respect and prevent a simple majority overwhelming them. As an alternative a majority of each tribe’s representative would have to support the measure. In these situations, the minority Tribes/Parties cannot be ignored.

Ironically, in the USA W. Bush and his VP Dick saw a 51% slim majority as a “mandate” to lead all the people the way this slim majority desired. They railroaded the other 49% and caused them enough pain to throw the Republican Tribes out of office and also take their ruling majorities away. The Bush Republican Coalition was made up of the Conservatives, Capitalists and Christian Tribes. This coalition fell apart due to the Conservative’s hegemony and Capitalists’ financial mismanagements.

Does this mean the Democrats can govern at will? No because the “60% filibuster rule” in the Senate allows a minority to maintain power by preventing the majority to act. Thus there is a mechanism for minorities parties (’tribes’) to be respected. Paradoxically, this minority power that the Republicans hold on to so dearly, is the same power they threatened to take away from the Democrats when they lead the Senate. Their “nuclear option” to get rid of the 60% filibuster would not be serving them well at this time. Republicans need to know that what goes around comes around.

Even the Democrats have sub-tribes. The Minorities (e.g., Hispanic, African-American), Liberal and Moderate Tribes. The Liberal Tribe’s Health Care Reform is garnering some resistance from the Moderate Tribe and will have to be changed to get passed. Compromise and accommodation (’two dirty words’ to Conservatives) will be required to have a measure passed.

Israel is a reverse example. Israel’s major Tribes are so evenly split that very, very small Minority Tribes (e.g., Ultra Orthodox Jewish Tribe) have garnered unprecedented control to make a majority. If a super-majority was required to bring down a government, then the power of very small Minority Tribes can be prevented from becoming controlling.

Successful governing is about including all tribes and balancing power. It is not about a majority takes all because this leaves out a significant number of citizens. It about inclusiveness, compromise and respect of all citizens.

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10. June 2009 by Da Fu.

Through duplicity and chicanery, the Republican Conservatives, in George W Bush, had political control of all Americans. Their “it’s our way or the highway” attitude made a lot of enemies across our country and in the world. As a result, the Republican coalition of Conservatives, Capitalists and Christian Fundamentalist has fallen apart, probably never to be reformed. So, can Conservatives ever play a major role in politics again?

Christian Fundamentalists are seeing the light and getting out of politics. They have figured out that Christian values cannot be enforced and forced on the unwilling through political action. They need to work to take care their brethren that has come to worship prosperity more than charity love. Capitalists are on the ropes. They have mismanaged themselves out of being considered serious leaders. It will be a while before capitalists will have enough credibility to lead again. That leaves the Conservatives.

The Republican Conservatives need to form coalitions with conservative, largely Democratic Minorities like the Cuban and African American Christian Communities. This is not going to happen unless the Republicans Conservatives learn tolerance and accepts other for who they are like the Democrats do. It doesn’t seem likely that the Republican Conservatives are able to do this, but until they do, they will mainly be a fringe group. After their last leadership debacle, this may be for the best.

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26. May 2009 by Da Fu.

Social Security is going to run out of money soon. The best way to save them is use them for what they were intended, that is a pension not a welfare fun. The following is my reasoning.

Social Security was developed as a Pension fund. Unfortunately, it pays out a lot more than is funded by the participant. This makes Social Security a Welfare Fund. Most do not have a problem paying Social Security Welfare for those who fail a means test. This does not happen so that many with good incomes receive Social Security Welfare even though they do not need welfare.

Social Security Pension money should repay according to the person’s investment in the fund. Once this runs out, a means test (e.g., income less than 200% poverty level) should be used to exclude those who do not need social welfare.

I imagine many would be eliminated from the SS roles with a means test after their Pension runs out. Many like me would probably even donate our SS Pension as long as it was matched by Congress to avoid having Congress continue to pillage the SS Pension.

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16. May 2009 by Da Fu.

Since Primeval Tribal members can conceive and hold only one ideology at a time (their own!), the cannot accept anyone else with differing thoughts. Thus, they attack the person with the differing ideology rather addressing (’attacking”) the different ideas. These attacks are a successful way to divert the attention from the ideas to the person; thus, leaving the ideological controversy unaddressed. These Primeval attacks are getting old and remain unfruitful in the Modern era. Basically, the autocratic leader of the Primeval Tribe, Rush “Limpbag” Limbaugh, ought to resign and lead a monastic life of sllence and solitude. This should lead to the Enlightenment of some of his ideological automatons.

Speaker Pelosi’s statement that the CIA mislead her is her personal belief. The Primeval Tribe should know better than anyone else the political value of ‘faulty’ recollection. W. Bush, Cheney, Rove, Gonzalez and may other W. Bush Regime cronies purposely used ‘faulty recollection’ as means to excuse their misgoverning. There is no proof that Pelosi’s recollection is faulty yet.

Yet, the Primeval Tribe men like Rush Limpbag call for Pelosi’s resignation because she doesn’t remember like they think she should and they frequently don’t. This is a double standard, i.e., faulty memory is OK for Conservatives/Primeval Tribal members but not for Modern Tribal members.

It is ironic that even if Pelosi had known about water-boarding in 2002, if she had tried to do anything about it she would have been pilloried and mercilessly attacked and even called a traitor. Limpbag would have called for her resignation. No one outside the Primeval Tribe can ever be right! Peolsi and any Modern Tribal member can NEVER be right unless they adhere to Primeval Tribal ideology.

The era for the Conservative ideal for universal mono-ideology is passed. W. Bush and his Dick were their chance to govern and they failed miserably. Diversity of culture and socio-economic statuses will forever prevent the return of Conservative hegemony. Thus, Limpbag take a hike….your ideas are passe. Then again, I don’t expect Limpbag to walk away from a cash cow since it’s really about Conservative money not the Conservative agenda.

(addendum: For clueless Republicans, it is with tongue-in-cheek that I write this using Republican methodology)

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16. April 2009 by Da Fu.

Gov. Rick Perry of Texas at a Conservative Tea Party on April 15th said something like “Americans are getting tired of what is going on in Washington.” What Americans are tired of is clueless politicians like Perry saying they are speaking for Americans. It is ironic that those who lost the national race for leadership are still acting as they are leading. Is it stupidity or hubris?

NO ONE SPEAKS for AMERICANS. Americans are TOO DIVERSE to have ANY ONE PERSON speak for them. Leaders in America REPRESENT their American constituents but they do NOT speak for them. They must continuously ask their constituents what they are thinking and convey what their constituent are saying. It is hubris to believe that they always know what they thinking and are always speaking for them.

Conservative (Primeval) Tribal Leaders lead by fiat and do not believe they need to ask their constituents for advice. That is why they shun polls and get record low poll approvals like GW Bush did. GW was not representing his American constituents and he was NOT speaking for Americans most of the time he was in office even though he believe he did. They are exclusively partisan.

Modern Tribal Leaders l B. Obama listen to their constituents through all sorts of methods including polls. They represent their American constituents as much as possible. The look beyond partisanship and for consensus hoping Primeval Tribal leaders are unable to get beyond their partisanships.

It is unlikely that clueless Politicians like Gov. Perry of Texas will become wise enough to represent Americans nationally. Yet, GW Bush did it. So to quote H.L. Mencken, “No one in this world has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby.” Has G.W educated us enough to be wary of a Rick Perry and Jeb Bush? I would certainly hope so.

Americans can not stand to have there Leaders Speak for Them rather than Represent Them again. We cannot afford it politically, financially or spiritually.

P.S. Dick Cheney: You have always been wrong. You are an anachronism. Go back to your pre-1960’s fossilize era. You don’t belong in the 21st Century.

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16. April 2009 by Da Fu.

Today, the Obama Justice Department released GW Bush Regime’s Legal Opinions on torture. They condone blatant violations of basic human rights and violate the Nuremburg Trials and Helsinki Accords. Yet, the current Attorney General said that no CIA or other agents using these legal opinions will be prosecuted. Is this the ultimate in American hubris?

In the Nuremburg Trials, it was decided that a defendant’s claim that the action was a legal State order or sanctioned is insufficient to justify basic human rights. Are American’s doing the say thing?

Someone needs to be prosecuted for this egregious violation of basic human rights and I believe Bush’s so-called Legal Team should be the ones. They are the one who wrote these opinions and sanctioned illegal actions. They are the criminals and they should not be allowed to get a pass on these illegal decisions.

And if these Legal Team members state that these decisions were demanded by higher ups then these higher ups should be prosecuted also. NO ONE is above the decisions of the Nuremburg Trials and Helsinki Accords.

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15. April 2009 by Da Fu.

In spite of continuing US & Gobal financial crises and ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is remarkable how calm and collective people are nowadays. Ironically, unlike G. W. Bush’s Regime’s, Obama’s leadership is so reassuring and unassuming that there is time to relax and take a deep breathe. Obama’s competence is so unexciting that it is allowing Americans a longed needed respite from the 8 years of turmoil fueled by Bush’s incompetence.

When people do their jobs with excellence it should appear as if nothing special is going on. I recall the day when I first saw Michael Jordan play in Chicago. At half time, I told my companion that Michael must be having an off game because he looked quite ordinary. My companion pointed to the scoreboard and noted that Michael had 25 points the first half. I was amazed at how Michael made a 25 point half look so routine and unexciting. That is true mastery and competence.

So, with Obama’s leadership anxiety is melting and a cautious optimism is slowly but surely arising. The sinners of Bush’s era that lead to an un-needed war in Iraq and the financial debacle will pay for their sins. They will regret their duplicity and subsequent actions.

In the meantime, the World will regain confidence in a America that is honest, forthright, willing to work hard and is not duplicitous. God bless America!

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12. April 2009 by Da Fu.

A major difference between Modern Tribes and Primeval Tribes is Modern Tribal Leader’s respect for other Tribes regardless of differences. Even though the Republican Primeval Tribal Coalition ruling days are over, they still pretend to be in charge and refuse to respect the will of the majority, i.e, a Democratic Party Modern Tribal Leader. Maybe it is time for Primeval Tribal Coalitions that comprise the Republican Party to come to an end. We can no longer tolerate their collective destructiveness.

The Primeval Tribes that comprise the Republican Party–the Conservatives, Christian Fundamentalists and Capitalists have ruled our country since 1994 and have destroyed any semblance of cooperation with other tribes. Their unilateralism and partisanship has also done a lot to destroy the American way of life for other tribes.

The Democratic Party is made up of Modern Tribes–Liberals and Trade Unions and Primeval Tribes–Minority Groups. Minority groups are in the Democratic Party because they cannot or will not assimilate into one or more of the Republican Party tribes even though they hold many of the same values.

It was not imagined that Capitalists Tribe would act against their corporation stakeholders’ interests for their personal self interests but they did. So we have the financial debacle we have now. Pure Capitalism is unethical and must be regulated and corporate governance must rein in unfettered Capitlism for the good of all stakeholders and not just the Capitalists themselves.

Some Christian Fundamentalists Tribal members are realizing that their values cannot be imposed on others and they should love others in spite of their differences. In spite of what they believe, philosophy, beliefs and faith are not based on any immutable laws of nature; therefore, adherence is a choice. They need to accept others just as they want others to accept them.

Finally, the Conservative Primeval Tribe needs to get over their law and order fixation. Laws are man-made and can be unmade. Prohibition is a good example. People with guns kill more people in the USA than the current wars in Iran and Afghanistan. Maybe guns don’t need to be regulated but who can get guns does. Conservatives must become part of the solution instead indirectly supporting the problem.

It is unlikely that the Republican Primeval Tribal Coalition will ever regain power without major modifications. The Capitalists are seen are the cause of our current financial crises, the Conservatives as supporting Presidential and other powers that went way beyond the Constitution and the Christian Fundamentalists as focused on theocracy rather than religion. In the meantime millions of spiritual Americans remain unchurch of religions’ focus on social rather than on spirituality.

The new Millennium did not start in 2000 with the start of the regime of G. W Bush, a Primeval Leader but instead in 2009 with the inauguration of President B. H. Obama, a Modern Tribe Leader. May the people of earth benefit from our nascent American enlightenment.

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8. December 2008 by Da Fu.

The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. Walden, Thoreau 1854

Today it not only the mass of men but it is the masses of men, women and children who lead lives of quiet desperation. Change is in the air and this atmosphere should provide many an opportunity to release their desperation. But, work is required.

People are desperate because they are unhappy with their lot and want desperately to change it. The inability to change it causes angst. The masses want to change themselves, their significant other, jobs, friends, churches and/or many other aspects of their lives, but the don’t. They don’t because change causes more angst then they are currently feeling. A “Catch-22″.

Without change, life stops. We constantly change internally. It actually takes more effort to stop change than to let change happen. But fear and anxiety of change prevent it. “Daring the dark” (M. Fox, Creation Spirituality) is the one easy way to allow change. It doesn’t seem easy since the dark produces fear but it is fear of the unknown. Almost universally this unknown is much less than was feared. So, to quote Winston Churchill, “there is nothing to fear but fear itself.”

The election of B. Obama to be President is a lesson. Systematic, thoughtful planning by a Modern Tribe leader (see Link: Moral Values & You) can lead to widespread change. Our fragmented country had been to the the Republican’s advantage; so, they continued to divide and instill fear. It didn’t work in 2008.

So, now is the time to look outward and work together to fixed the our inclusive Modern Tribe moral values and get rid of the Primeval Tribe’s non-inclusive moral values. We must reorganize our priorities to be enhance everyone’s good and not the good of the few. We need to know that each one of us is equal, unique and allowed to be ourselves and that the rich are not more equal than anyone else. Once we collectively support all individuals in the world, the world will again give us the respect we have lost in the last eight years. Only then will our societal desperation end.

And it is now time to look inward and work within ourselves to rid ourselves of dreams we impose on others and get imposed on us. Our reality is just that–our reality. It is unique to us and only us. Those who preach that we are wrong, bad, less human or whatever because we don’t value or believe in their dream are imposing their dreams on us. They only have the power we given them. Not believing their dreams robs them of power. Our dream is right for us as long as it is ours. Once we accept our dream and who we ares, our desperation as individuals will dissolve.

Rejoice in the impending end of Primeval Tribe hegemony. May their exclusive values be gone forever. And, may the inclusive and nurturing values of Modern Tribes finally prevail in the 21th Century.

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6. November 2008 by Da Fu.

After taking a personal hiatus to give my thinking a rest, I have decided to return with a new perspective. Obama’s election have restore a confidence in the American way.

I will have several new blogs in the next weeks that reflect the change in my thinking.

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