I’ve been sadly neglectful of my duties towards my Spells for Democracy yahoo group the last few months. I’ve been depressed ever since the 2004 elections were stolen, wondering what we had been doing wrong in our efforts to expose corruption and promote democracy through the judicious use of magic. Recently I’ve come to two conclusions: (1) We were naive to not consider the probability of actual lawbreaking by the Bush regime during the elections; and (2) Our revelation and journalistic-gonads spells have been working — just very, very, very slowly.
Watching the television day after day, with one Republican scandal after another (after another, after another), it’s hard to comprehend why the nation doesn’t rise up in a spasm of nasuea and impeach the bastards. Now I’m thinking this is all evidence of just how powerful Christian Dualism is in the American culture. Republicans, like everybody else, define themselves as Good. Unlike everybody else in the USA, however, the vast majority of politically active Republicans are also Fundamentalist/Evangelical Christians, required by their theology to define everyone different from themselves as Evil, Evil, Evil! (Demonizing the Other is only an exciting option for Democrats, Independents, Greens, or Libertarians.)
When you have spent your entire life in a black-or-white universe, it takes an avalanche of evidence to overwhelm the assumption that everyone “like you” is just as Good as you think yourself to be. The American culture, including its political and economic aspects, is saturated with these dualistic assumptions. The Republican Party has tied itself firmly to these assumptions, thanks to its unholy alliance with the Religious Reich. That’s why it polarizes every debate in terms of “You’re either with the President/the War/Haliburton/God, or else you’re with the terrorists/cowards/socialists/Satan.”
I’m seeing cracks in the facade of Republican unity, however. As more American parents lose children for a sack of lies, as more corruption inside the administration and its corporate allies gets exposed, as more truths about horrific behavior by Republican-run government agencies is broadcast, good-hearted Republicans (and I’m sure there are many) are losing faith that their party is still on “the side of the angels.” I believe we can successfully (and ethically) use magic on the White House and the most corrupt members of Congress to expose their crimes to public view. I believe we can also ethically cast spells on journalists and (more importantly) their editors and producers in the mainstream media to remind them of their youthful ideals and to give them the courage to speak truth to power — even their own corporate masters.
So I would like to encourage all magic users and liberal clergy, whether part of the official Spells for Democracy movement or not, to keep up the good work! There’s a full moon coming this Saturday night — a perfect time for revelation spells to be cast. At the new moon two weeks later, we can do spells to help honest journalism grow.
It might also be a good idea to start thinking about blessings (for luck, prosperity, and communication skills) on progressive candidates in the various party primaries going on this summer and fall. There are more than a few Demopublicans and Republicrats who could be usefully defeated. If your Senator or Congressperson is a Bush Republican or a Corporate Democrat, pick a real progressive and start doing real magical and physical volunteer work to help them. Remember, we have to win both houses of Congress before we can Impeach the Bastards!
