Phoenix14---December 14

One of Three .... Perot

    Three powerful individuals left the Planet this year. I will attempt to keep their ‘vibrations’, the echoes, ripples of their lives alive in this moment of writing and perchance at this moment when a

visitor comes across this writing they might get some inspiration, find some kindred vibe, maybe discover something new, refreshing or maybe interesting.  if you are young it’s brand new if you are old it still might be new. Something new in looking back on the past.

   Tomorrow people, where is your past?

   Tomorrow people, how long will you last? Ten years!

   Tomorrow people, where is your past?

   Tomorrow people, tomorrow people, come on

   Don't know your past, don't know your future everyone

   Don't know your past, you won't know your future, every man

   Don't know your past, you don't know your future, come on

   Don't know your past, you don't know your future, hey

   …. the words of Ziggy Marley’s song suggest that both the past and the future

  have great importance to today.

    To  H. Ross Perot

          Robert Hunter

          Ram Dass

    H. Ross Perot ran for President of this here USA back in 1992….

    ‘He ran an independent presidential campaign in 1992 and a third-party campaign in 1996, establishing the Reform Party in the latter election. Both campaigns were among the strongest presidential showings by a third party or independent candidate in US history. ‘

     I voted for him both in 1992 and in 1996. At his reform party inauguration ball he had the band lead off with Willie Nelson’s (and Patsy Cline’s) hit ‘Crazy’ as he and his wife danced alone on the floor. By the time 1996’s election rolled around he might have seemed indeed almost certifiable, but there was no way I could bring myself to vote for Bill Clinton. If that seems hard to understand I can understand that .. 

   ‘Perot did not support President George H. W. Bush, and vigorously opposed the United States' involvement in the 1990–1991 Persian Gulf War. He unsuccessfully urged Senators to vote against the war resolution, and began to consider a presidential run.^{[26][27] ‘}

     H. Ross Perot for me was exasperating, flawed (as we all are) honest and courageous human and he offered an alternative to the slick approach of Clinton, (who would send the Democratic Party on it’s current tilt towards Globalization and over Immigration) the Bush alternative was the worst ….

   ‘At one point in June, Perot led the polls with 39% (versus 31% for Bush and 25% for Clinton). Just prior to the debates, Perot received 7–9% support in nationwide polls.^[40] The debates likely played a significant role in his ultimate receipt of 19% of the popular vote. Although his answers during the debates were often general, Frank Newport of Gallup concluded that Perot "convincingly won the first debate, coming in significantly ahead of both the Democratic challenger Clinton and incumbent President George H.W. Bush".^[41] In the debate, he remarked:

Keep in mind our Constitution predates the Industrial Revolution. Our founders did not know about electricity, the train, telephones, radio, television, automobiles, airplanes, rockets, nuclear weapons, satellites, or space exploration. There's a lot they didn't know about. It would be interesting to see what kind of document they'd draft today. Just keeping it frozen in time won't hack it.^[42]

Perot denounced Congress for its inaction in his speech at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on March 18, 1992; he said:

This city has become a town filled with sound bites, shell games, handlers, media stuntmen who posture, create images, talk, shoot off Roman candles, but don't ever accomplish anything. We need deeds, not words, in this city.^{[43] ‘}

 Perot in many ways was an early leader of the Tea Party. The infamous ‘movement’ that emerged in 2008 that was quashed quickly by both Republicans and Democrats. The Republicans saw the threat to their established Monetary Empire and the Koch Brothers rode in with something called ‘the Tea Party Express’ to attempt to control the ungovernable leaderless opposition to Federal bailouts, American Empire and the Destruction of the American Middle Class… Which they did in their way managing to wrap the ’T Party in the Red Shirts of staunch Republicanism while ignoring it’s roots as a Red White and Blue rebellion. The Democrats did their part to staunch Americans from believing in themselves as an Independent force, vilifying the movement as a bunch of ‘know-nothings’ and then having the Republicans do their own dirty work as it became just an angry sub-set of Republicanism. (Modern Republicanism …. Damn the isms and full speed ahead!)

  So it goes…

  ‘A detailed analysis of voting demographics revealed that Perot's support drew heavily from across the political spectrum, with 20% of his votes coming from self-described liberals, 27% from self-described conservatives, and 53% coming from self-described moderates. Economically, however, the majority of Perot voters (57%) were middle class, earning between $15,000 and $49,000 annually, with the bulk of the remainder drawing from the upper-middle class (29% earning more than $50,000 annually).^[47] Exit polls also showed that Ross Perot drew 38% of his vote from Bush, and 38% of his vote from Clinton.^[48] Despite widespread claims that Perot acted as a "spoiler," there is little reason to think he affected the outcome of the 1992 Presidential election.^{[49] ‘}

  So it goes…

  Is it hard to imagine that self-described Liberals and Conservatives could find some

 acceptable common ground. Very hard to believe for today but I have to admit I 

 believe it is entirely possible, acceptable and needed. 

   The quotes are drawn from wikipedia. 

   Now I will have to hold off my tribute to Robert Hunter and Ram Dass for another post. I see these three individuals as all part of some flow of unfolding human history that we all are all part of and that Perot though he might not seem to have much in 

common with Hunter or Ram Dass, for me they did, all three impacting my life, bring some distinct elements of inspiration and direction. 

   Thanks to Ziggy Marley son of Bob Marley for his 1988 hit song….

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM8M-HHSbp0

   That I am grateful for to remind me it’s not only OK, maybe even important to know your past in order to know the future. To have a future.