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After 28 years of service in Arlington County’s local government, first on the School Board and then the County Board, I have stepped into a new role and life chapter: Private Citizen. My career has equipped me with extensive experience, valuable connections, and an unwavering passion for fostering good local government in Arlington and in the D.C., Maryland and Virginia (DMV) region, an area I call home.

August 5 Blog: Trojan Horses, the Golden Rule & Getting Ready

Dear Friends:

No, I haven’t seen the “Odyssey” movie yet. But I think I’ve read more about it than any movie ever and the reviews and opinions keep coming. Mostly they are rave reviews, with the notable

exception of Emily Wilson (whom I admire as a classics scholar, from what I’ve read about her work over the years) and, of course, Elon Musk and his ilk (whom, needless to say, I don’t admire). The movie seems to be a bit of a Rorschach test…like Homer’s Odysseus has been through the ages. It seems this movie – derived from an over 2,500 year old poem – has a lot to say about us today.

I really like Ezra Klein’s take on it, that the movie is faithful to the original because it is an Odyssey for our time. He sees the movie as a cultural Trojan Horse bringing the Judeo-Christian ethics of the Golden Rule into the pre Judeo-Christian ethics of the Odyssey, which valued treating guests well. That is not the same as the Golden Rule: to treat all other people as you would like to be treated (as purists point out). But the movie adapts the Odyssey to the ethics of our time. It portrays what happens when you desecrate values. Or as another reviewer, Peter Swallow put it in “The Guardian:” it “makes clear that a commitment to the international rules-based order isn’t a nice-to-have — it’s a prerequisite to civilization.

Klein also discusses the classic character of the trickster whose role is to upend societies and keep them from becoming static and rigid. Societies that cannot manage the challenges of the trickster, die. Societies that can adapt to those challenges and can be remade, survive. The movie itself plays a trick on us by making our Judeo-Christian ethics seem new to us. It shows their value, that violating those ethics can bring short-term victory, but it soon turns to destruction and misery. And thereby, shows us a way out of the destruction created by our modern day tricksters of Trump and company.

So, meanwhile, we modern mortals are caught up in the chaos of the MAGA movement and all its trickster leaders who desecrate our values and constantly try to trick and deceive us. The midterms are shaping up to be a major battle in the fight for democracy and the human decency of the Golden Rule. I continue to be heartened and impressed with the ongoing grassroots efforts to build resistance and prepare us for this upcoming battle to defend the November election results. Indivisible and other groups have put together a 3-part training webinar that I recommended in my last blog and recommend again. The first training was helpful. Here are a couple of main points:

There is a role for each and every one of us to protect our democracy;
Remember the other side wants us fearful, divided, and disheartened;
Tyrants fear joy and community;
Early voting will be crucial and there will be a big push to get as many people as possible to vote early. A large early vote makes it harder to deny the results of the election.

I encourage my readers to sign up for the training series. The recording of the first is available HERE. The next two are August 19 and 26. It is clear that trusted communications will be very important this Fall when misinformation will be rampant.

There is a continuing effort to build an information system of trusted local messengers. Visibility Brigades is part of this effort. And…so is this blog. When and if the need arises, Townley, Austin and I will try to get out information we think you need quickly and in shorter blogs. (We assume and hope you trust us!) We all need to be thinking about what we will do if mass mobilization is needed to stop election interference, particularly after the election.

If you haven’t checked out WOFA, I recommend it. They are a great resource for numerous actions in Arlington and I assume they will be part of any rapid response efforts as will our bridge team.

Because I expect our I-395 bridge actions to become more frequent and need to adapt messages quickly, part of getting ready for me means taking a break from the bridge for a week or two. We’ve been regularly there for about 18 months now. A little break to allow my core team to gather energy for the fall seemed a wise thing to do.

As always, I hope this information has been helpful and enjoy hearing from my readers.

Yours in peaceful and patriotic resistance,

Libby