Here’s what I noticed:
Trump didn’t seem to be reading his speech, but rather, actually speaking from the heart. True? Extemporaneity would be true to form, if so.
In contrast to his usual baldly arrogant, swashbuckling, narcissistic tone, this entire speech contained the word “I” in only two widely separated sentences.
“The oath of office I take today is an allegiance to all Americans.”
and
“I will fight for you, with every breath in my body — and I will never, ever, let you down.”
Otherwise, this decidedly populist address felt both impersonal and full of pronouns addressing Americans: we, you, us, our. Rather astonishing, the consistency.
And though I laud this seeming embrace of all “Americans,” his apparent focus on the welfare of all Americans as of overriding value for this nation’s government, I do wish he had spoken at least in passing about corporations — not only that they have taken on the rights of “personhood,” but that they are increasingly transnational, and thus beyond the reach of any nation. Which makes his focus on “America” and “Americans” a joke, unless and until that Supreme Court decision is reversed and corporations sharply downsized.
By insisting on the sovereignty of the U.S. as one nation among other sovereign nations, Trump echoes Vladimir Putin’s approach to the leadership of Russia in the context of geopolitics. I’ve spoken before —
Post-Election, day one: Astrology of Trump and the U.S.A.
Trump’s Full Moon: Possible Implications
Astrological Notes on the 2017 Inauguration
— of what does seem to be the case: That Putin is now Trump’s mentor. If spiritual geopolitical analyst Lada Ray is right in her assessment of Putin’s unusually high “quantum callibration,” then as the older, wiser soul, this relationship feels appropriate.
If you recall, according to vedic (Indian) astrology, within days of the election Trump moved into a new long-lasting “dasha” — from self-centered, belligerent, competitive Mars, to generous, inclusive, big-picture, philosophical Jupiter. YES! This shift showed up in his inaugural speech. I await an even larger perspective from him — one that moves beyond the American people to include the Earth beneath our feet: her needs, her suffering, how she has been ravaged — by humans. And furthermore, that endless material growth is impossible on a finite planet with finite resources. Until that much larger shift has been made, the idea of bringing industry back to the U.S. makes me shudder, given its historically poisonous “externalities.”
Paul Craig Roberts noticed and seems astonished by the fact that Trump seemed utterly fearless in taking on the entire Washington establishment, despite the history of asassinations by various elements of the Deep State. To me, this is not surprising, given that in his natal chart, Trump’s courageous Mars in Leo conjuncts the royal star Regulus, both astride his Ascendant.
(On the other hand, what will today’s scheduled visit with the CIA bring? Will he be read the riot act? And will that change his attitude?)
Commenting on the inaugural speech, Paul Craig Roberts seems to be in an ecstatic mood (rare for him):
Trump’s Declaration of War
Looking ahead, here’s an interesting analysis (no, synthesis, says author John Robb) of Trump’s possible reversal of what he calls the historical relationship between foreign policy and trade policy.
Will the world be safer or more dangerous under a Trump presidency?
And oh wow, Gerald Celente has now reversed his original pessimistic prediction for 2017.
And one more: Here’s peace activist David Swanson speaking from the bowels of occupied D.C.
Six Things We Should Do Better As Everything Gets Worse
And of course, one of them is local. Get active locally! Trump’s speech emphasized that this is a time for action. Which reminds me:
We held our day-long Inaugurate the Revolution yesterday, and the nearly 40 workshops were full.
I attended one on Local Food Policy, another on Starting Local Businesses (as B-corps, non-profits, and/or worker co-ops), and one more on Capitalism vs. Marxism (wherein I commented that I wondered if any “ism” can resolve the money conundrum). Friend Daniel noticed that starting at noon, two workshops were being held right above one another, in the library. On the first floor, “Give Democracy A Chance” was full of grey heads, and on the second floor, “Zones to Defend: Anarchist Territories,” loaded with young people. “These two groups need to get together!” Daniel laughed. How true. It’s at the “intersections,” as we say these days, that frisson happens. Though I didn’t stay for the entirety, my housemate Dan tells me that at 5:30 p.m. around 200 people were marching on the streets around Courthouse Square, annoying those trying to drive home from work. “Cops?” I asked. “No cops.”
Even at 9 p.m., there were still about 50 people hanging out in People’s Park, where our Occupy Bloomington encampment was held, over five years ago. How time flies.
