Crowing in the New Year

Another New Year and I wonder what all the crowing is about.  My farmer has been a little depressed lately.  His feathers have turned gray and many of them have fallen out.  I guess that the experience of 68 New Years has taken its toll.

But there is something more that I've noticed over the past couple of years that has grabbed my farmer's attention.  He definitely has not been spending much time in the chicken yard of late.  When he does come by, he seems distracted. I often hear him mumbling things like:  "Can we save democracy or will it be destroyed?"  At  least his distraction seems to have lessened his appetite as there is a lot less "poultry harvesting" going on around here.  Now that is something to crow about.

I have noticed, however, there are some important things he needs to worry about.  I haven't had my head just stuck in the chicken coop, you know.  I hear all the news too. Those podcasts he is always listening to paint a depressing picture for us all.  From what I've heard, here are a few of my thoughts that humans need to consider as they enter the New Year.

It is difficult to be optimistic, even in the chicken yard, when you consider the impact for us if democracy is destroyed.  You have to admit that a lot has gone wrong over the past few years that could cause anyone's feathers to turn gray.

First, the election of Trump as President has caused a lot of unrest.  It has revealed that hatred exists in a society that is, characteristically, more of a white-supremacist society than many had realized.  I should say hatred and fear as, in my experience with the coyotes prowling around our yard, hatred is borne from fear.  I hate those coyotes and nothing will change my mind no matter what you might say.  All right, you can say that I've justified my hatred in a selfish and self-righteous manner and I guess that is what is happening in your society.  Hatred is being justified.  I've heard my farmer say that simply having White Supremacy and Fascism as viable options that are eagerly and openly embraced by 30-40% of the country illustrates how far things have gone astray.  I agree.  My world would be much better if coyotes were made to live far from my home.

Second, who is in charge of this mess, anyway?  I recognize that who ever controls the feed sack has all the power.  We can try to scratch out a living in the chicken yard, but we are very happy when the feed bucket comes around.  So why all the talk about the power elite who control all the wealth?  I've heard my farmer call them Oligarchs in a not so nice way.  Are they abusing their power?  Are they hording the feed sack, leaving everyone else to scratch out a living in an increasingly depleted yard?  I have heard him rant about a guy named Ditch or Bitch or Mitch... I'm not sure which.  Any way, apparently this guy, I'll call Rich, has decided that it is more important to control the power than to share it.  He has refused to follow the rules of governance.  (you might think a rooster would not understand the power of governance but try managing the pecking order of a flock. It is a big responsibility.  There are rules to follow, even in the chicken yard, and if you don't follow those rules things can get very ugly, very fast.)  So Rich is working with the Oligarchs to control and limit power sharing.  In my opinion this can be very dangerous.  If I stand up and crow that I'm right to justify any action, I'll have a difficult time getting the hens into the coop at night.  It does not work in any society when you can justify an action based on your own feelings of self-importance.  Remember the abortion clinic bombings and assassinations in the 80s?  (I don't because it was before I was hatched but I've heard it mentioned by my farmer and in those podcasts.) If that can happened then it is the same, in my clucking opinion, as disregarding the first three Articles of your Constitution that outlines the balance of power in democracy.  No wonder my farmer is crowing so much lately.

I have also heard a lot about a religious group who has joined forces with the Oligarchs along with Trump and Rich.  I've never heard so much crowing as I have heard from this group. Oh my God.  Do you know how problematic this can be?  Religious crowing is self-righteousness on steroids.  We had a young rooster in our yard once; one of those specialty breeds who thought the world of himself.  It was before my time, so I only heard this from the hens.  They put an end to his crowing right away.  There is no room for religious nonsense in the hen-yard or in politics.  It can destroy a society.  It has destroyed many a society in history.  I'm proud of my ladies who stood up to his crowing.  A Chicken-Me-Too movement took over and they eliminated this cocky bird in a very quick way.

The most alarming thing I have heard from my farmer is that the opposing political factions have seemingly become radicalized.  That leaves about 1/3 of the country sitting in the middle thinking they do not have a voice in what is happening.  I have to be very careful in my flock to make sure every hen is getting a turn at the feed pan.  A quiet, brooding hen can be the worse thing to have around.  They sit there quietly in the corner with nothing to say, completely isolated from the others. But, beware.  If you come too close or say the wrong thing, they will lash out with a built up anger that will cause you to swallow your crow in midstream. In your politics I would watch these brooders closely because when they lash out they are very likely to turn 180 degrees and vote the opposite way you are hoping they will because of what they consider the "insane BS you have been spewing."  If they do not lash out then they'll probably continues to sit in the corner and do nothing, leaving their voices out of the ballot box altogether since "no one is listening, anyway."

I understand that when there is a problem in the chicken yard it is usually very difficult to remain hopeful until a solution can be found.  You have difficult questions to consider going into the new year, like:  Who will turn the problems you face in Washington around?  Where is your hope that Democracy will be saved?

My farmer would like to add a few closing words so I turn the rest of this article over to him.  Have a good cluck and crowing new year. - Ollie

When a country has such extreme differences being warred in the media and in the ballet box, oftentimes democracy is the loser, no matter which side wins the day.  Feelings of self-justification will abound by the "winners" creating actions that will further alienate the "losers."

Reading current literature, both fiction and non-fiction, you will see that a very large faction of our country on both sides are willing to revolt in violent ways should their side lose.  This will not be a peaceful transition of power.  The likelihood that Trump will call a National Emergency and throw-out the election results is very high.  Who in Congress will stop him?  Can you picture the rioting in the streets that will take place if this happens?

Just as likely, if he is somehow removed from office, right-wing, neo-fascist military groups will violently react, not only creating a violent ruckus much like-my rooster Ollie sometimes faces in the chicken yard but a full-fledged civil war could result.

Like Ollie, I would like to be hopeful that a New Year will bring about positive change and restoration of hope in our country.  But, as you can tell with this posting, I really doubt it.  2020 will most likely go down in history as the year democracy died in America, unless we find a way to minimize our crowing and concentrate on the issues that will bring us together.