Axar.az presents an article, "New Year's Resolutions" by John Samuel Tieman

Every year, I publish my New Year's Resolutions. Therefore, in 2026, I resolve:

To support thoughtful Republicans and traditional conservatism, folks in the mold of John Danforth, David Brooks, Paul Gigot, Andrew Bacevich, Jonah Goldberg, and David Gergen. True conservatism is a hopeful vision of humanity.

To oppose the cruelty of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE.

To remind folks that genuine freedom entails more than simply an absence of restraint.

To be more precise with language. “Alt. Right, and “MAGA” and such, these are vague. Say – anti-Semitism, racism, Islamophobia, xenophobia, homophobia. Sometimes “woman hater” is better than “sexist”.

To be unsparing of anyone who denies global warming.

To remember that respect for the market as the generator of wealth, this is good as long as it is combined with a wariness of the market’s corrosive impact upon humane values.

To speak, whenever and wherever, of systemic poverty.

To defend the institutions of representative democracy by attacking the prevalent nihilism. Most of what passes these days for “liberty” and “small government” is simply the elimination of restraints and responsibilities.

To fly the flag on holidays. Who wrote the rule that says the flag is a symbol of the right?

To never pass a beggar without giving that person a dollar.

On Friday, to always wish my observant Jewish neighbors “Shabbat shalom.”

To be of comfort to The Other. Treat Mexicans, Muslims, immigrants with simple dignity, “for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. “

To speak up. Stand out. Wear the peace sign. Wear the “Union – yes!” button.

To oppose the death penalty at every opportunity.

To support sweeping restrictions on guns. But, in doing so, never degrade those who are simply afraid, for there are many reasons to be afraid these days.

To support and improve public education.

To oppose the predatory plutocracy that makes possible our multi-generational poverty.

To be unsparing of those who want offensive war, especially those who make that inevitable.

To give more money to good causes. Veterans For Peace. Planned Parenthood. The Southern Poverty Law Center is no longer simply a good cause – it's self-defense.

To never lose sight of how far down we've come. We are no longer in an America that politely debates women's rights. In the 2024 election, 77,303,568 Americans voted for the candidate who likes to “grab 'em by the p - - sy.”

To remember, in the darkest hours to come, the ancient wisdom, from the Buddha to Jesus to Muhammad – that the answer to hate is compassion. That and defeating Republicans at the polls.

When I go about the business of a City Council Member, to try my best to always be polite and even formal. To remember the full humanity of the opposition – for it is no victory at all if I win the battle only to lose my soul.