I noticed the headlines describing the fact that the filibuster rule of the Senate will probably not be changed and thus that voting reform is less likely to take place at the federal level. I find this very discouraging. It feels like I am witnessing the erosion of democracy in the U.S.

I also noticed this: Florida Democrats ask Merrick Garland to intervene on state election proposals. But I am so discouraged to watch the Republican party sew up a one party system along the lines of southern Democrats after Reconstruction. I ascribe it to the Republican lock step that began with Newt Gingrich. The Republicans are better at staying on message and following party dictates. Obviously the Democrats don’t do this and while I admire the fact that Democrats are more tolerant, I am unhappy with Senators Sinema and Manchin blocking the change of filibuster rules to allow for federal protection of voting rights.

This all bums out despite the fact that I am enjoying my reading a great deal right now. I watched another Susan Howe presentation this morning on YouTube. She sent me back to a book I stopped reading: Lives Like Loaded Guns: Emily Dickinson and Her Family’s Feuds by Lyndall Gordon. I stopped reading this book after Emily Dickinson dies in it. Now I realize the remaining story of the fights between the Dickinson family and the Todd family are still reverberating in an environment of restoring access to Emily Dickinson’s many letters and manuscripts. So I read another chapter in it this morning. I remember picking it up because I have found Gordon’s work quite good in the past. Now I am motivated to learn more about Dickinson especially on the various versions of her poems and writings.

This is all a bit glum so I want to embed this wonderful video of some amazing musicians.

Inawe Mazina’igan Map Project – Ojibwe.net

Thanks to Elizabeth for sending me this link. I continue to read about Michigan Native people and also to request more of the books now available.