I Went To Tax-Assessor Inauguration & Then Left-Wing Organizing Fair-Let's Keep Every Door Open

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​Yesterday I attended a ceremonial inauguration celebration for new Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector & Voter Registrar Annette Ramirez. 

Above you see Ms. Ramirez speaking yesterday. She spoke strongly about her belief in democracy and about using her office for fairness for all. Ms. Ramirez discussed these themes in her campaign which is good. 

Later in the afternoon, I went to an organizing  fair at the Axelrad beer garden for a bunch of left and left-leaning groups. There were groups discussing labor issues, education, Palestine, socialism and so on. 

Below is some literature from the Houston Tenants Union I got in exchange for a donation to the outfit. They've done some good work. I'd have taken a picture of the big crowd at the organizing fair, but some left-types are wary of having their picture taken by a 57 year old white guy. Who can blame them in this political climate and in general?

As we face Trump/Musk and the hemispheric Christian white male reich they are working to create, I need a foot in as many camps as possible. We need to find our way to one another as soon as possible. These people in charge want to take our rights and would be fine to kill us. We must be strong and connected for the fight. 

One of the speakers at the ceremony yesterday was County Commissioner Leslie Briones. Commissioner Briones used the term "In the arena." It's a term describing a person holding office who knows the weight of office and decision making far better than the ordinary citizen can. 

I don't like the term. I find it elitist. The original term was "The man in the arena" & was spoken by Theodore Roosevelt. His definition of the idea was extremely masculine. In The Arena was later the title of a political memoir by Richard Nixon. (You can order it for $14.95 from the Richard Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, California. I've been to the Nixon library and it's pretty good.) And the phrase in the arena references gladiators and most gladiators were slaves. 

Commissioner Briones put a good spin on the term. She said it applied to anybody taking on the challenges of public life and public affairs no matter if they are in office, or at a community or neighborhood level. I was open to an egalitarian definition of the expression rather than whatever from Teddy Roosevelt or Richard Nixon. The way Commissioner Briones put it gave everybody a chance to use their abilities and to be acknowledged.  

There is a lot of trouble ahead. I have to believe we will win. But I can't tell you I'm certain how we will win. I'm going to keep at and you can decide how you'll proceed. I know we won't win just with elected officials. We'll need each other, we'll need to be intellectually flexible & we'll need to be as brave as we can muster. 

I'm on the Egberto Willies Politics Done Right Show every Thursday from 6 AM to 7 AM for the Houston Democracy Project segment. You can hear the show on the radio, stream it on KPFT or watch later Egberto's YouTube channel.​​

Here is a fundraising pitch for the Houston Democracy Project. I'm doing the work and showing up in many different ways.  Please help the effort. ​​​​​

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