I recently had a message from my friend Dandelion (Hat tip) that included a quote with the meaning that when politics is not being fueled by hope, there is a vacuum left for fear to fill.  That seems so apt just now.

Not long after a pastor mentioned that for the first time he can recall, a local newspaper had a story about simple acts of kindness, caring, giving on the front page…in the bottom corner as the headlines blared the tragedy in Paris.  The article was about the Facebook post from one of the victims which had been viewed 600,000 times in 24 hrs. describing the person who protected her head in the midst of it, the injured person who held her while she thought she’d lost the love of her life, the people that carried her to safety, the woman who opened her home to victims for safety and shelter, the friends who brought her clean clothes to replace her bloodied ones…how much we need such inspiration. 

Where do we draw our inspiration for our hope to turn the tide? Artists over the centuries have spoken of drawing their inspiration from the muses.  Some speak of three, others of nine: Wiki provides this table at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muse:

In a different form from http://www.greekmyths-greekmythology.com/nine-muses-in-greek-mythology/

“Analytically the Nine Muses are:

1. Clio: The Muse Clio discovered history and guitar. History was named Clio in the ancient years, because it refers to “kleos” the Greek word for the heroic acts. Clio was always represented with a clarion in the right arm and a book in the left hand.

2. Euterpe: Muse Euterpe discovered several musical instruments, courses and dialectic. She was always depicted holding a flute, while many instruments were always around her.

3. Thalia: Muse Thalia was the protector of comedy; she discovered comedy, geometry, architectural science and agriculture. She was also protector of Symposiums. She was always depicted holding a theatrical – comedy mask.

4. Melpomene: Opposite from Thalia, Muse Melpomene was the protector of Tragedy; she invented tragedy, rhetoric speech and Melos. She was depicted holding a tragedy mask and usually bearing a bat.

5. Terpsichore: Terpsichore was the protector of dance; she invented dances, the harp and education. She was called Terpsichore because she was enjoying and having fun with dancing ( “Terpo” in Greek refers to be amused). She was depicted wearing laurels on her head, holding a harp and dancing.

6. Erato: Muse Erato was the protector of Love and Love Poetry – as well as wedding. Her name comes from the Greek word “Eros” that refers to the feeling of falling in love. She was depicted holding a lyre and love arrows and bows.

7. Polymnia: Muse Polymnia was the protector of the divine hymns and mimic art; she invented geometry and grammar. She was depicted looking up to the Sky, holding a lyre.

8. Ourania: Muse Ourania was the protector of the celestial objects and stars; she invented astronomy. She was always depicted bearing stars, a celestial sphere and a bow compass.

9. Calliope: Muse Calliope was the superior Muse. She was accompanying kings and princes in order to impose justice and serenity. She was the protector of heroic poems and rhetoric art. According to the myth, Homer asks from Calliope to inspire him while writing Iliad and Odyssey, and, thus, Calliope is depicted holding laurels in one hand and the two Homeric poems in the other hand.”

How can we draw on them now to turn the tide? 

Melpomene was clearly in Paris (tragedy)…

To understand, we might choose Clio for relevant history brought to us by The Nation:

Muslims Have Been Living in America Since Before the Revolutionary War

Donald Trump’s proposals to shutter mosques and surveil Muslims are not about public safety—they’re about heinous stereotyping rooted in ignorance and cruelty.

http://www.thenation.com/article/trump-is-so-very-wrong-to-target-mosques-they-are-part-of-the-fabric-of-america/

Sometimes the problem may be we trust our senses too much and thus miss the truth so let us turn to Thalia and her gift of science as blended with Polymnia  (mimic) (video):

http://www.videobash.com/video_show/the-incredible-mimic-octopus-399991

To help us think out of the box and be inspired, we’ll end with a combined effort from E Erato (wedding) and Terpsichore (dance) (video):

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

Inspired?

Here is the seventy-eigth article in our Republicans on Parade series, featuring individuals who personify what the Republican Party has become. Today’s honoree is retired firefighter Justin Tucker. He is so honored for his Republican suggestion on firefighting technique.

On Friday morning, part of the Quba Islamic Institute in Houston went up in flames, and local firefighters spent over an hour battling the blaze before extinguishing it, saving the institute's school and mosque. The building set ablaze, which stored religious books, was completely destroyed, and came after the center's staff chased off a masked man from the premises earlier this week.

Houston officials believe the fire was set intentionally, and many are calling for this to be investigated as a hate crime. Unfortunately, the hate which likely ignited this fire wasn't just contained to the blaze, for as news of the fire spread, a retired Houston-area firefighter who still (update: no longer) volunteers for Crystal Beach Fire & Rescue posted the following:

This arson attack happened in the wake of the execution of three Muslim-Americans in Chapel Hill, a likely hate crime which has shaken a Muslim-American community already reeling from an uptick in anti-Muslim hate crimes and speech since the premier of American Sniper…

Inserted from <Daily Kos>

Speaking as a former volunteer firefighter, politics ends at the fire line.  We save lives and protect property without regarding identity or ownership.  For a firefighter to suggest letting a property burn out of bigotry, let alone preventing other  firefighters from doing their duty maligns every firefighter everywhere.  If is so heinous that only one  word is vile  enough to describe it: Republican.

Almost every week, Republicans join a competition to see who can say the most outlandish things, and in the process, they push the envelope on just how nutty InsaniTEA can become.  As TC would say, I trust that you will believe it, when I tell you that last week was no exception.

Republican politicians and presidential aspirants fell all over each other this week, trying to be as offensive, spiteful and Islamophobic as possible. Let’s review some of the lowest of the legion of low-lights.

1. Ben Carson’s truly offensive and clearly intentional metaphor.

Reports of Ben Carson’s stupidity and inability to grasp foreign policy may (or may not) have been greatly exaggerated. But reports that he is an evil mother*cker have not. In his usual semi-somnambulant state, Carson compared Syrian refugees to “rabid dogs” this week in a piece of rhetoric that really does, no exaggeration, rival Hitler.

"If there is a rabid dog running around your neighborhood, you're probably not going to assume something good about that dog. And you're probably going to put your children out of the way," Carson said at a campaign event in Mobile, Alabama. "Doesn't mean that you hate all dogs, by any stretch of the imagination. But you're putting your intellect into motion and you're thinking, how do I protect my children?

Hmmm, let’s see, how many dog whistles can he blow at one time?

"By the same token, we have to have in place screening mechanisms that allow us to determine who the mad dogs are, quite frankly," Carson continued obviously pleased as punch with his metaphor. "Who are the people who want to come in here and hurt us and want to destroy us? Until we know how to do that, just like it would be foolish to put your child out into the neighborhood knowing that that was going on, it is foolish for us to accept people if we cannot have the appropriate type of screening." 

The fact that these horrifyingly inflammatory remarks are uttered in Carson’s soft cadence, and by a doctor no less, somehow compounds their vileness. He’s fully capable of generating lots of metaphors, but he chooses this one. In what way exactly is that not evil?

Click through the rest of the Alternet article.  It defies logic how some Americans can become so enthralled by these idiots.  But then that is playing on fears, and they are masters of fear.