A Blast From the Past is the Shot of Adrenaline I Needed Today

I was reading an article about the new (old) governor of California, and his plans for the future. For all of us boomers out there, we remember Jerry Brown as being cool. He ran for the senate before and was a presidential hopeful in three campaigns, though he never quite got there.

But he was a progressive with endorsements from actors and singers and everyone we looked up to at the time. He was one of us. And it's so refreshing to have a progressive back in California, because that state has been drifting back to the stone age.

Brown has taken the unprecedented step of promising NOT TO LOWER TAXES for five years. Can you imagine? Since Reagan, just the thought of not lowering taxes has been blasphemy for politicians.

I'm still ironing out the wrinkles in my campaign of US's, but I'm encouraged by men like Brown.

Think about it Boomers. Our chance for a comeback.

We were born into a generation where women and gays and minorities had to fight for their place at the table. But we raised a generation, where so many of those things were taken for granted.

But that is no longer the case. We have a neoconservative government following through on their promises to put women back in their kitchen, gays back in the closet, and immigrants back where they came from.

Is this the country we want to leave to our children and grandchildren? One defined by guns, military hardware and prisons? The only topics being discussed it seems, while the very fabric of Canadian identity is being unravelled.

And we're even about to get our own Fox News.

We may be reaching our ... ahem ... golden years, but we can't just sit on our duffs. We need to talk to everyone about moving this country back to it's centre. It doesn't have to be a grand gesture. It can just be chatting with your grandkids and their university friends. Neighbours, co-workers. Rationally and calmly, reminding them that this country is too good to give up and our democracy too important to lose.

Canada has always been a progressive country but we're losing our way.

In Alberta a group called the Democratic Renewal Project is working to bring their province back on track. The home of the Famous Five.

The DRP -- a grassroots organization of Albertans from all parties devoted to replacing the present government with a progressive alternative -- recently hired Leger Marketing to do a public-opinion poll on Albertans' provincial party preferences. Leger found some surprising results. In a telephone survey of 891 eligible voter respondents, Albertans broke out as follows: PC 26 per cent, undecided 25 per cent, Liberal 14 per cent, Wildrose 13 per cent, New Democrats six per cent, Green party four per cent and Alberta Party one per cent. ( "Other," "Will Not Vote" and "Refuse to Answer" made up the rest.) Among decided, support levels were: PC 39 per cent, Liberals 21 per cent, Wildrose 20 per cent, NDP 10 per cent, Greens seven per cent and Alberta Party two per cent.

We should be encouraged by that. We can't judge all Albertans by the likes of Jason Kenney and Rob Anders. Obviously the citizens do not share the neoconservative viewpoint.

I thought the Tea Party would be the wake up call that progressives needed to rise to action, but it turned out be a shooting at a political rally. A place where people should feel safe. Six people died, including a nine year old girl, and fourteen were injured.

And while the argument continues, about whether or not it was politically motivated, or just the actions of a crazy person, the real story is that so many people immediately looked to the visceral politics of the last two decades or so. Fox News, the Republicans, the Tea Party, all successful by promoting hatred and fear.

We need to change that. And the good news is that we can.

Seek out progressive journalists, columnists and media. Close your ears to the ugly. Promote what's good about this country, that doesn't involve war, guns or law and order. There are many, many things.

I refer to my initiative as the Army of US's and I thought about changing the 'Army' in the title, now more sensitive to negative things. But for now I'm going to keep it, because we need to mobilize. Advocacy groups, unions, intellectuals. Everyone marginalized by this destructive force.

But we are the army of nice. We will point out what we're fighting against but emphasize what we're fighting for.

We can do it. I feel it. Thank you Jerry Brown.