The Riot is Now in Progress: Progressives as Pirates

The child in me never died when I grew up. So when I heard the phrase "...we'll board their ship..." in this Young Turks video, the image of progressives as pirates immediately leapt into my thoughts.

This isn't mockery, it's praise.

On my list of things to do:

Buy a parrot and teach it to say "We want universal health care now!" It'll sit on my shoulder.

Get a tattoo that reads "$15 or death!"

Make plans to march establishment Dems off a plank, preferably in the deep ocean.

Buy cutlasses at discount.

Start wearing an eye patch...oh, wait, I did that when the cancer was behind my left eye. Stopped it when the tumor was killed. I'll go back to that look.

The pirate nation is born!! Dear corporations, remember this line from The Black Pearl? "Take it all and give none of it back!"

Progressives as pirates. Works for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOTsK_WGNAc

Myths of the Oligarchs: Charity is Bad

I can only counter that with a subjective story of what I did yesterday. I gave all my cash away. I had a twenty stashed in my billfold for weeks. I broke it the other day at the copy store, paying for a few copies of forms I had to send in. I was out running yet more small errands - when you're poor, all your errands are small - when I began to meet homeless people. A lot of them. I gave each a dollar. I wish I made enough to give each a twenty, but that's not possible. These are mostly old people out begging on the streets. Old people begging in the USA. Also several vets, two with missing limbs. Disabled vets begging.

Long story short: I ended up with five dollars in cash at the end of the day. I stopped off at Dollar General to pick up a few canned goods. Some sweet little girls were in line in front of me, buying Elmer's Glue, construction paper, and snacks. School project, most likely. Their little minds hadn't quite grasped math yet, they were three dollars short. Their little faces were saddened and embarrassed. They asked if they could put some stuff back. I pulled out the five and gave it to the clerk. The little ones thanked me on the way out. The oldest one, the one in charge, came up to me, very solemn, and gave me their change. So I guess I have two dollars left. Their sweet, stunned little faces, surprised that a stranger would help them, it would have made me smile...but the left side of my face was aching as usual. The lymphedema acting up again. I couldn't smile, on the outside at least.

I'm happy that I did it. Overjoyed. Charity, good works, helping others, they bind the community together. The oligarchs will put you in jail for feeding the poor, helping strangers. For real. All over the USA, cities are passing ordinances banning charitable works. Why? To fragment us, to keep us fragmented. If people give to me, I am obligated to give to others. By my actions, in a very small way, I unite the community.

Go give. It feels so damned good. Give it all away and it will come back to you in unexpected and joyous ways.