(Editor's note: the author of this post has been socially isolated in his home for 12 days, and has already had 2 quarantinis. Just saying.)
I can't help reading and watching the news, here in the age of pandemic. Things are not good in the world. People are sick; people are dying. Businesses are closed and many will not survive. Governments at every level are working hard to contain the outbreaks and flatten the typical exponential infection curve.
And then there is the United States of America. Donald Trump, the man I call the Dick in the Oval, is doing everything he can, every day, to contradict the experts. The U.S. government response to the pandemic is, to be kind, very screwed up. Trump and his minions, since taking power, have decimated the agencies and departments and working groups that would/should be dealing with this global crisis. Trump, in his typical me-me-me narcissistic way, holds a daily press briefing, surrounded by cabinet members and agency experts who are required to praise Mr. President on the Great Job He Is Doing, and then try to - gently - correct his lies. Trump is an unhinged madman. He rules over a country that is the wealthiest in the world, and yet doctors and nurses treating COVID-19 patients have to reuse PPE (personal protection equipment) as often as possible - things such as masks, gowns, gloves that truly should only be used once. Starting with his "Oh gee, this will be over in a few days; we have 15 cases today, tomorrow it will be 5, then it will be zero - like a miracle, and besides, this is a huge hoax by the Chinese that the Fake News and the Democrats are using to try to get me, but too bad for them, I'm building a big, beautiful WALL and LOCK HER UP!!!"
Anyone...ANYONE...who votes for this ignoranus, narcissistic, mean, evil.....oh hell, there aren't enough words to describe the a**hole; any person who votes for this man is a total...f-ing...idiot. Full Stop.
---
Whatever is on my mind: politics, the news, philosophy, poetry and satire. VISIT MY WEBSITE (click on The Some Times button, below) PRIVACY NOTICE/GDPR: SEE JAN. 4, 2019
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Friday, March 20, 2020
THE TOILET PAPER SHORTAGE
First of all...why? There is no valid reason for people to be buying and hoarding toilet paper during the coronavirus pandemic. TP does not kill virus, and does not cure COVID-19. This is simply bizarre.
What will happen if this TP crisis is not abated in the very near future? There could be mass rioting, burning and looting by wipe-deprived mobs seeking out the secret stashes of TP kept in dark caverns by the Deep State. People will be hurt by bands of TP zombies roaming the streets.
Why hasn't Donald Trump done anything about this? Why has he not opened the Federal Toilet Paper Reserve rumored to be deep below ground in the mountains of Utah? What is he keeping it for, after all? Perhaps he plans to TP the homes of liberals, Democrats and Sanctuary City residents!
Do we have alternatives? What about DIY toilet paper alternatives? How about:
I'm not sure which will wipe us out first, the virus or The DOTUS!
----
What will happen if this TP crisis is not abated in the very near future? There could be mass rioting, burning and looting by wipe-deprived mobs seeking out the secret stashes of TP kept in dark caverns by the Deep State. People will be hurt by bands of TP zombies roaming the streets.
Why hasn't Donald Trump done anything about this? Why has he not opened the Federal Toilet Paper Reserve rumored to be deep below ground in the mountains of Utah? What is he keeping it for, after all? Perhaps he plans to TP the homes of liberals, Democrats and Sanctuary City residents!
Do we have alternatives? What about DIY toilet paper alternatives? How about:
- Sears catalogues (oh, they went out of business)
- photos of Trump clipped out of newspapers
- political lawn signs from last year that still have not been picked up for recycling
- miracle cloths (hey....it's a miracle)
- the carpet where your dog drags it's rear when it itches
- photos of Trump clipped out of newspapers (I know I already used this one, but I like it)
- a DIY bidet using the garden hose
- all the U.S. currency that will soon be worthless
- just let it dry in place
- _________________ (you fill in the blank)
I'm not sure which will wipe us out first, the virus or The DOTUS!
----
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
WHAT BERNIE AND HIS SUPPORTERS NEED TO DO NOW, IMHO
I think it is game over for Bernie in the primaries; Joe Biden's delegate lead is insurmountable in the real world. What he needs to do now is drop out of the race, put his full support behind Joe Biden, something he has repeatedly said he will do, and urge - no, command - his supporters to do the same.
This is not what die-hard Bernie supporters want to hear. I am a Bernie supporter, but will easily slide over to the Biden camp for a number of reasons. What bothers me a lot is hearing that some young voters will choose to not vote at all rather than vote for Joe Biden in the general election (déjà vu 2016?). This is absolutely the wrong thing to do! Let me explain why.
I understand the passion of young Bernie-supporting voters (and, actually, all Bernie supporters) for a political revolution. I have written about that in this blog. I was young and radical a half century ago (now I'm old and radical). In my younger years, the existential threat to human and other life on Earth was nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union. It didn't happen; we're still here. My wife and I were co-chairs of the first Earth Day teach-in in 1970 at University of California, Irvine. I look at the schedule of talks and panels from that event 50 years ago, and I wonder if much has changed since then. Some things are better, some are worse, and climate change has become the existential threat for the present and future generations.
We protested the Viet Nam war, and we felt responsible for the decision of President Lyndon Johnson not to run for re-election. We were activists for civil rights, women's rights, labor unions and other "radical" causes. More recently we supported LGBTQ rights and freedom of marriage.
The point is, I understand the passion of Bernie supporters to make fundamental changes to the American system in the name of justice and equality. But what I want to say to young people is that, because of my age and experience, I also understand politics better than I did as a young activist. Unfortunately, no young person wants to hear that from an old man!
I know now that change is usually incremental, even though it sometimes can be faster. I now know that we need to be careful what we ask for. For example, we got rid of Lyndon Johnson, but what we got was Richard Nixon. And in retrospect, most of us realized that Johnson, for all his warts, was one of the best political operators in our nations history; in other words, he knew how to get things done, and he got a lot of important things passed.
At this very moment in time in America, the man who occupies the presidency is an existential threat to American democracy. We certainly can all agree that Donald Trump needs to lose the 2020 election. If the Democratic Party, and all no-Trump voters are divided in November, if a significant number of no-Trump voters decide to not vote instead of vote for Biden, Trump has a better chance of being re-elected, and the damage to America and the world will be worse than anything we have seen since 2016 under Trump and the Trump Republicans.
Joe Biden is a good person and a very experienced politician. He has the potential to be a good President. He is not a Democratic Socialist like Bernie Sanders; however, he is a liberal who has been tugged to the left on a number of issues by Bernie and Elizabeth Warren.
Here is the best game plan for Bernie supporters after Bernie drops out of the race:
Joe Biden is not the candidate you want, I get it. But dropping out of the political system by shirking your responsibility to vote is a cop-out. How would you react if the players on your favorite sports team stopped playing in the middle of a game and walked out because they were losing?
This is not what die-hard Bernie supporters want to hear. I am a Bernie supporter, but will easily slide over to the Biden camp for a number of reasons. What bothers me a lot is hearing that some young voters will choose to not vote at all rather than vote for Joe Biden in the general election (déjà vu 2016?). This is absolutely the wrong thing to do! Let me explain why.
I understand the passion of young Bernie-supporting voters (and, actually, all Bernie supporters) for a political revolution. I have written about that in this blog. I was young and radical a half century ago (now I'm old and radical). In my younger years, the existential threat to human and other life on Earth was nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union. It didn't happen; we're still here. My wife and I were co-chairs of the first Earth Day teach-in in 1970 at University of California, Irvine. I look at the schedule of talks and panels from that event 50 years ago, and I wonder if much has changed since then. Some things are better, some are worse, and climate change has become the existential threat for the present and future generations.
We protested the Viet Nam war, and we felt responsible for the decision of President Lyndon Johnson not to run for re-election. We were activists for civil rights, women's rights, labor unions and other "radical" causes. More recently we supported LGBTQ rights and freedom of marriage.
The point is, I understand the passion of Bernie supporters to make fundamental changes to the American system in the name of justice and equality. But what I want to say to young people is that, because of my age and experience, I also understand politics better than I did as a young activist. Unfortunately, no young person wants to hear that from an old man!
I know now that change is usually incremental, even though it sometimes can be faster. I now know that we need to be careful what we ask for. For example, we got rid of Lyndon Johnson, but what we got was Richard Nixon. And in retrospect, most of us realized that Johnson, for all his warts, was one of the best political operators in our nations history; in other words, he knew how to get things done, and he got a lot of important things passed.
At this very moment in time in America, the man who occupies the presidency is an existential threat to American democracy. We certainly can all agree that Donald Trump needs to lose the 2020 election. If the Democratic Party, and all no-Trump voters are divided in November, if a significant number of no-Trump voters decide to not vote instead of vote for Biden, Trump has a better chance of being re-elected, and the damage to America and the world will be worse than anything we have seen since 2016 under Trump and the Trump Republicans.
Joe Biden is a good person and a very experienced politician. He has the potential to be a good President. He is not a Democratic Socialist like Bernie Sanders; however, he is a liberal who has been tugged to the left on a number of issues by Bernie and Elizabeth Warren.
Here is the best game plan for Bernie supporters after Bernie drops out of the race:
- Actively support the campaign of Joe Biden in ways that are comfortable for you.
- Vote in the 2020 election, and vote for Joe Biden.
- Encourage everyone you know to vote, for Biden.
- (This is critical) Don't stop being politically active. The advance of Democratic Socialist ideas and policies has never been as recognized and popular in America as they are right now, thanks to Bernie and all of you. Don't squander that progress; build on it. Put pressure on a Biden administration to do the right things. Elect more progressives and socialists to Congress. Continue to build the movement - don't turn your backs on it.
Joe Biden is not the candidate you want, I get it. But dropping out of the political system by shirking your responsibility to vote is a cop-out. How would you react if the players on your favorite sports team stopped playing in the middle of a game and walked out because they were losing?
Bernie Sanders has accomplished amazing things as a candidate in 2016 and 2020. He has set a very critical policy agenda for the political revolution that is desperately needed in this country. I hope he stays in the game of politics as a leader in the progressive, Democratic Socialist movement. I think President Joe Biden will have to pay attention to Bernie and his base. His voice will be your voice in the Senate and party politics for awhile; however, at some point in the near future, Bernie will retire. Who will pick up his mantle? Your voice needs to be heard. The power of your vote is needed.
Don't give up. Don't lose the gains made by the Bernie-led movement. Keep your head, and your vote, in the game. You can do this (and you don't have to tell anyone that you heard it from an old man!).
---
Sunday, March 15, 2020
THINGS WE COULD - SHOULD - LEARN FROM THIS PANDEMIC
This post is not about the things we should learn regarding how to respond to and deal with the novel coronavirus pandemic in terms of the medical system and staying healthy; there is already a lot of that in the media.
I have been thinking about lessons we could, and IMHO should learn from this experience. My wife and I are "social distancing;" in other words, we are staying home and laying low until the worst part is over. There are many benefits to this, and we are seeing examples from around the world. Cities are less noisy, less congested, and the pace of life is slower. People in Chinese cities have written about how they are suddenly aware that they can hear birds singing instead of traffic noise, the air is cleaner and, therefore, the sky more blue. People everywhere are paying more attention to those around them, their neighbors, and finding ways to help those who need it. We seem to be more tuned in to community.
Large numbers of people are working from home. Many large events have been cancelled. Fewer people are going out to eat and recreate. There is a serious downside to this regarding the economy and the ability of people to make a living. On the other hand, people are spending more family time and having to find ways to entertain themselves and their children at home. There are numerous benefits from this.
We have had a few virtual happy hours and nightcaps (OK, alcohol involved) with friends and family using video call services like Skype, Facetime and Zoom. I think many people are rediscovering the telephone part of smartphone. In other words, people might be communicating more face-to-face (online) and voice-to-voice, instead of texting and emailing and facebooking. I find this type of communication more satisfying that writing and reading back and forth.
So what I am feeling and writing about is, in a sense, a return to what some might call the old-fashioned ways of life. By this I mean more personal interactions, more time to think and read and create and discuss.
The down side to this, of course, is that many people will get ill, and some people will die. And for too many people in our society, staying home from work, or having your kids out of school raises a whole set of serious issues.
There are major political lessons we could and should learn from this pandemic. Because America is the only wealthy nation that does not provide health care for everyone, not everyone will get health care. People who are ill and have no insurance, or are undocumented, will not seek the health care they need. This will not only be bad for them, it will be bad for all of us. Yes, this underscores the great need for something like Medicare for All.
Very many working people, especially those in low wage jobs and those in the gig economy, do not get paid sick leave, and will have no income if they are too ill to work, or are laid off or furloughed because businesses are slowing or closing. Once again, the United States, unlike most wealthy nations, does not mandate paid sick leave. Some states have recently mandated paid sick leave, but there is no over-arching law or standard. Recent research has shown that paid sick leave costs employers very little, increases productivity, and actually reduces the spread of flu outbreaks.
I could go on and talk about education, poverty, transportation and many other aspects of our society that are impacted by the pandemic in ways that they would not if we had different systems in place. And these different systems are what detractors would call socialism!
I hope huge numbers of people in America think about these lessons and also think about how we can move forward after the pandemic, and not just go back to business as usual. Certainly during this election season we will hopefully also think about politics, how we are governed, and how we can make the changes that are very much needed. If this were a political post, I would now say "Vote for Bernie," but it isn't, so I won't say it. (Oh, I did....)
---
I have been thinking about lessons we could, and IMHO should learn from this experience. My wife and I are "social distancing;" in other words, we are staying home and laying low until the worst part is over. There are many benefits to this, and we are seeing examples from around the world. Cities are less noisy, less congested, and the pace of life is slower. People in Chinese cities have written about how they are suddenly aware that they can hear birds singing instead of traffic noise, the air is cleaner and, therefore, the sky more blue. People everywhere are paying more attention to those around them, their neighbors, and finding ways to help those who need it. We seem to be more tuned in to community.
Large numbers of people are working from home. Many large events have been cancelled. Fewer people are going out to eat and recreate. There is a serious downside to this regarding the economy and the ability of people to make a living. On the other hand, people are spending more family time and having to find ways to entertain themselves and their children at home. There are numerous benefits from this.
We have had a few virtual happy hours and nightcaps (OK, alcohol involved) with friends and family using video call services like Skype, Facetime and Zoom. I think many people are rediscovering the telephone part of smartphone. In other words, people might be communicating more face-to-face (online) and voice-to-voice, instead of texting and emailing and facebooking. I find this type of communication more satisfying that writing and reading back and forth.
So what I am feeling and writing about is, in a sense, a return to what some might call the old-fashioned ways of life. By this I mean more personal interactions, more time to think and read and create and discuss.
The down side to this, of course, is that many people will get ill, and some people will die. And for too many people in our society, staying home from work, or having your kids out of school raises a whole set of serious issues.
There are major political lessons we could and should learn from this pandemic. Because America is the only wealthy nation that does not provide health care for everyone, not everyone will get health care. People who are ill and have no insurance, or are undocumented, will not seek the health care they need. This will not only be bad for them, it will be bad for all of us. Yes, this underscores the great need for something like Medicare for All.
Very many working people, especially those in low wage jobs and those in the gig economy, do not get paid sick leave, and will have no income if they are too ill to work, or are laid off or furloughed because businesses are slowing or closing. Once again, the United States, unlike most wealthy nations, does not mandate paid sick leave. Some states have recently mandated paid sick leave, but there is no over-arching law or standard. Recent research has shown that paid sick leave costs employers very little, increases productivity, and actually reduces the spread of flu outbreaks.
I could go on and talk about education, poverty, transportation and many other aspects of our society that are impacted by the pandemic in ways that they would not if we had different systems in place. And these different systems are what detractors would call socialism!
I hope huge numbers of people in America think about these lessons and also think about how we can move forward after the pandemic, and not just go back to business as usual. Certainly during this election season we will hopefully also think about politics, how we are governed, and how we can make the changes that are very much needed. If this were a political post, I would now say "Vote for Bernie," but it isn't, so I won't say it. (Oh, I did....)
---
Saturday, March 14, 2020
BERNIE - BIDEN: TRYING TO RECONCILE MY GLAD AND MY SAD
I couldn't understand why I had an overwhelming sense of sadness recently as the results of the latest primary voting came in, and Joe Biden was the big winner. As I plumbed this feeling, I realized that it was mixed with gladness, and so I need to write about that.
I jotted some notes - yes, pencil on paper:
Glad -
I jotted some notes - yes, pencil on paper:
Glad -
- the Democrats are coalescing around one candidate
- Joe Biden would be a good President
- Biden is day to the Trump night, light to dark, hope to despair
- Democratic Socialism is out of the shadows and discussed openly, even if to attempt to repudiate it
Sad:
- a Biden presidency means that the Sanders agenda (Democratic Socialism) has no chance of being implemented
- the "revolution" America desperately needs will have to wait
- going back to the way things were before Trump (the Biden agenda) is going in the wrong direction
- at age 76, I might never see another Democratic Socialist candidate for President.
The remarkable ascendency of Joe Biden from a runner-up to the leading candidate is easily explained: Bernie Sanders scares the poop out of moderates and establishment Democrats. Revolution - really?
In 2005 I wrote a post here asking if it was time for a revolution, and I used this definition: "a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving." At that time, I was reacting to the G. W. Bush administration, and the effect it was having on what America is. Too many people forget the damage the Cheney/Bush folks did to this country and the world. And here we are, the age of Trump, and dealing with the Trump/Republican Party revolution.
If Bernie Sanders scares you, find and watch the March 4 interview by Rachel Maddow, MSNBC. It's too bad that, based on the so-called debates, Bernie is often seen as a red-faced, shouting and pointing old man. In the interview, Bernie is seen as he is, a thoughtful, intelligent, experienced politician who has spent his career trying to move a progressive agenda forward in a world of complacency and corruption. Everything in Bernie's menu of policies is common sense and, quite frankly, desperately needed in this country and the world.
So what is it that scares the establishment and moderates? We don't need a revolution, and just the thought is too scary? That opinion demonstrates the immaturity of Americans. Most people understand and can articulate the very large, serious issues we have in America, and yet doing what needs to be done about them (revolution of thought and behavior) is way too scary to think about.
What does the future of America look like? If the Trump Republicans stay in control, it will be very grim, indeed. If Joe Biden becomes President, the Trump agenda will be dismantled and we will be...where? Back to the future? The same old same old? America needs to move forward, not backwards, and not treading water. We have major institutional problems that can be solved, but not by incremental moderation. The power of corporations and their associations - military/industrial, drug companies, financial firms, insurance companies, big tech/internet, and others is too much for incrementalism to overcome. Only revolution, the kind defined above, by a majority of citizens, has a chance to change the system, and it's not a certainty by any stretch of the imagination.
Can Bernie, or a Bernie-like President make the needed changes? Not easily, and very likely not. But we will never know if someone doesn't try. And given the state of the nation and the world, the time to try is now.
The sad and the glad. I was not happy that Bernie Sanders ran for President again; I would have rather seen someone like Elizabeth Warren carry the Democratic Socialism (or similar) banner forward. I was also not happy that Joe Biden jumped in. But here we are, and it's down to Bernie - Biden. So let's get on with it and see what we can do. On a "glad" note, Bernie has dragged the Democratic Party a long way to the left, and his ideas have been aired and debated. I truly hope that progressive Democrats continue to build a movement and continue to fight for the revolutionary changes desperately needed in America.
Hope springs eternal.
---
Saturday, March 07, 2020
THE STOCK MARKET AND THE DONALD
It is no surprise that Donald Trump is more concerned about his re-election than he is about the people of the United States. One reason he has acted so cavalierly about the coronavirus epidemic is that he wants to minimize it’s effect on the stock market. He sees his re-election tied to the condition of the U.S. economy. It is an historic fact that incumbent POTUS’ in a strong economy get re-elected. And so The Donald cannot admit, in public at least, that the epidemic is serious and we should all be concerned about it.
The point of this is that the market was amazing over the past year, and so far, the decline is relatively small compared to the 12-month gain. Yes, this kind of rapid decline is not good, but I feel no need to panic or be too concerned. Put another way, I’m OK losing paper value if it keeps Trump from being re-elected. (By the way, changes in the stock market are generally not easy to tie to the actions, or inactions, of a President. The market was gaining value for a number of years before Trump was in office, yes, under Obama.)
How bad is the market slump over the past week or so? Well, it is a serious decline, and it has the potential to get worse. Some analysts are saying that the market was in trouble before the epidemic, and this has simply hastened the inevitable.
I generally don’t look at our retirement portfolio very often. I learned years ago that the short-term volatility of the market is normal, and being concerned about declines in portfolio value is an exercise in futility in most cases. This time, however, I had to take a look. Here is what our portfolio value looks like over the past 1 year (I cropped out the dollar values along the left side; there were no deposits and some withdrawals over this time period):
The point of this is that the market was amazing over the past year, and so far, the decline is relatively small compared to the 12-month gain. Yes, this kind of rapid decline is not good, but I feel no need to panic or be too concerned. Put another way, I’m OK losing paper value if it keeps Trump from being re-elected. (By the way, changes in the stock market are generally not easy to tie to the actions, or inactions, of a President. The market was gaining value for a number of years before Trump was in office, yes, under Obama.)As usual, Trump only thinks about his own image, brand, wealth, and re-election, and the rest of us be damned. If you have not seen it yet, find on-line the video of Trump at the CDC yesterday, a brief stop on his way to play golf at Mar-a-Lago. He not only looks like a buffoon, he acts like one, too. In fact, he is a buffoon. If the reason for his visit were not so very serious, a major viral epidemic, we would laugh ourselves to tears. Instead, we look on in horror as a maniacal clown tells lies and minimizes the seriousness of the situation.
Sometimes, clowns just aren’t funny.
—-
Tuesday, March 03, 2020
COVID-19: BLAME TRUMP (and for everything else, too!)
OK, the title is misleading; The DOTUS (The Donald of the United States) did not cause the COVID-19 coronavirus. The blame does fall on him, however, for lack of preparedness of the federal government to have a coherent plan for an epidemic or pandemic.
To understand this, we need to look at the Donald Trump playbook, "The Art of the Con." Fortunately for you, dear readers, I have secured photos of every page in the book, and have compiled them below:
You might think this is a joke, but it isn't. Since taking office, The DOTUS has systematically cancelled, revoked, reversed and otherwise nullified almost everything accomplished by the Obama Administration in the areas of environment, education, public land conservation, public health, worker health and safety, food safety, drug safety and prices, housing, and more.
And now we have the coronavirus, COVID-19. It turns out that in February, 2018, the CDCP (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) announced that it was cutting back by 80% on a program established under Obama to prevent global disease outbreaks. The funding for the program was initially authorized during the Ebola crisis, and the Trump administration, in early 2018, appeared not to continue the program.
Also in 2018, the Trump administration axed the executive branch team responsible for coordinating a response to a pandemic, the health security team within the National Security Council, and did not replace it (Snopes).
If it has seemed that the federal government has been scrambling to deal with the coronavirus epidemic, it has been, because of the cuts made by Trump and his team in the White House.
So much for national security concerns by The DOTUS regarding epidemics/pandemics. The only epidemic Trump is concerned with is all those "killers and rapists" streaming north from Mexico. We don't need a pandemic response team, all we need is a big, beautiful WALL!!
Should I hope The DOTUS doesn't wash his hands and touches his face?
----
To understand this, we need to look at the Donald Trump playbook, "The Art of the Con." Fortunately for you, dear readers, I have secured photos of every page in the book, and have compiled them below:
You might think this is a joke, but it isn't. Since taking office, The DOTUS has systematically cancelled, revoked, reversed and otherwise nullified almost everything accomplished by the Obama Administration in the areas of environment, education, public land conservation, public health, worker health and safety, food safety, drug safety and prices, housing, and more.
And now we have the coronavirus, COVID-19. It turns out that in February, 2018, the CDCP (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) announced that it was cutting back by 80% on a program established under Obama to prevent global disease outbreaks. The funding for the program was initially authorized during the Ebola crisis, and the Trump administration, in early 2018, appeared not to continue the program.
Also in 2018, the Trump administration axed the executive branch team responsible for coordinating a response to a pandemic, the health security team within the National Security Council, and did not replace it (Snopes).
If it has seemed that the federal government has been scrambling to deal with the coronavirus epidemic, it has been, because of the cuts made by Trump and his team in the White House.
So much for national security concerns by The DOTUS regarding epidemics/pandemics. The only epidemic Trump is concerned with is all those "killers and rapists" streaming north from Mexico. We don't need a pandemic response team, all we need is a big, beautiful WALL!!
Should I hope The DOTUS doesn't wash his hands and touches his face?
----
Thursday, February 27, 2020
THE UNITED STATES OF OMG
Why do I let this crap bother me so much? Maybe it's because it stinks so bad? OK, here we go.
God - a christian one - is alive and well in the Trump administration. The White House Bible Study Group includes numerous members of the Trump Cabinet, including Betsy DeVoss, Mike Pompeo, Mike Pence and others. Donald Trump does not attend; however, he does scribble some "atta boy" comments with his black Sharpie on some of the weekly bible study papers that are sent his way (he certainly doesn't read them).
I don't have a problem with bible study groups in general, but I am leery of one in the White House with this particular cast of characters. A BBC article about the group from 2018 is worth reading. A few choice statements from the guy in charge, Ralph Drollinger, pastor of Capitol Ministries:
On why no women can lead the bible study group: "But there is a prohibition of female leadership in marriage, and female leadership in the church. And those are clear in scripture… it doesn't mean, in an egalitarian sense, that a woman is of lesser importance. It's just that they have different roles."
On same-sex marriage, he writes: "Homosexuality and same-sex ceremonies are illegitimate in God's eyes. His word is repetitive, perspicuous [clearly expressed], and staid on the subject."
And speaking of Mike Pence, as the coronavirus COVID-19 spreads across the world (reported in 45 countries as of today), our Dear Leader has put the Vice-Dear Leader, the pale zombie always seen standing motionless and emotionless behind the Dear Leader, in charge of the US response to the COVID-19 epidemic. That's right, Mike Pence, devout christian, science-denier and homophobe will protect us! All I can say is that LGBTQ folks and women should be very afraid of any epidemic response plan overseen by this jerk.
And then there's this. William Barr, U.S. Attorney General, and Betsy DeVoss, U.S. Secretary of Education, both spoke at the National Religious Broadcasters convention. As reported by the AP, Barr said that without religious morality, a country needs tyranny to control people. His speech appears to have pointed to a conclusion that secularism, and the liberal courts, are taking religion out of American lives, and this is not a good thing. (He did not say it, but there seems to be a direct line from his reasoning to his unflagging support of Donald Trump's tyranny.)
From the AP: Barr also asserted that progressives want to use public benefits to create a permanent and dependent political constituency. "The tacit goal of this project [progressivism] is to convert all of us into 25-year-olds living in the government's basement, focusing our energies on obtaining a larger allowance rather than getting a job, and moving out and taking responsibility for ourselves." (And BTW, what is it with the Trumpsters and people living in basements?)
Barr's speech was sponsored by Save the Persecuted Christians (really), a non-profit group. The leader of the group, Frank Gaffney, claims that the Muslim Brotherhood is infiltrating the U.S. government so they can overthrow it and institute Islamic law. (!!!) And oh, btw, Gaffney was a foreign policy advisor to Trump.
In her remarks, DeVoss expressed her belief that private religious schools should receive government funding like public schools and other non-religious institutions. The audience cheered when she claimed that too many children were not being allowed to express their religious faith in school.
Mike Pompeo, first Trump's Director of the CIA and now Secretary of State, is tight with Frank Gaffney. Pompeo is a known Islamophobe who sees "radical Islamists" under every bed in America. He appears to view politics as "a never ending struggle...until the rapture." A 2017 piece by Michelle Goldberg is a quick, but a bit dated, read-up on Mike.
So here we are. Donald Trump, our Dear Leader, who has built a Cabinet of devout, really out there christian zealots who he has loosed on America and the world. The evangelicals in America mostly love the Dear Leader, in spite of his warts. Their god is alive and well and taking firm control of the government through these servants.
Believe it or not, there are many people who are more afraid of a Democratic Socialist than they are of the Trump God Squad. Heaven help us! (That's a joke, of course.)
---
God - a christian one - is alive and well in the Trump administration. The White House Bible Study Group includes numerous members of the Trump Cabinet, including Betsy DeVoss, Mike Pompeo, Mike Pence and others. Donald Trump does not attend; however, he does scribble some "atta boy" comments with his black Sharpie on some of the weekly bible study papers that are sent his way (he certainly doesn't read them).
I don't have a problem with bible study groups in general, but I am leery of one in the White House with this particular cast of characters. A BBC article about the group from 2018 is worth reading. A few choice statements from the guy in charge, Ralph Drollinger, pastor of Capitol Ministries:
On why no women can lead the bible study group: "But there is a prohibition of female leadership in marriage, and female leadership in the church. And those are clear in scripture… it doesn't mean, in an egalitarian sense, that a woman is of lesser importance. It's just that they have different roles."
On same-sex marriage, he writes: "Homosexuality and same-sex ceremonies are illegitimate in God's eyes. His word is repetitive, perspicuous [clearly expressed], and staid on the subject."
On capitalism, he writes: "The right to personal property, also known as free enterprise or capitalism, is the governmental economic system supported by scripture. Scripture does not support communism."
And speaking of Mike Pence, as the coronavirus COVID-19 spreads across the world (reported in 45 countries as of today), our Dear Leader has put the Vice-Dear Leader, the pale zombie always seen standing motionless and emotionless behind the Dear Leader, in charge of the US response to the COVID-19 epidemic. That's right, Mike Pence, devout christian, science-denier and homophobe will protect us! All I can say is that LGBTQ folks and women should be very afraid of any epidemic response plan overseen by this jerk.
And then there's this. William Barr, U.S. Attorney General, and Betsy DeVoss, U.S. Secretary of Education, both spoke at the National Religious Broadcasters convention. As reported by the AP, Barr said that without religious morality, a country needs tyranny to control people. His speech appears to have pointed to a conclusion that secularism, and the liberal courts, are taking religion out of American lives, and this is not a good thing. (He did not say it, but there seems to be a direct line from his reasoning to his unflagging support of Donald Trump's tyranny.)
From the AP: Barr also asserted that progressives want to use public benefits to create a permanent and dependent political constituency. "The tacit goal of this project [progressivism] is to convert all of us into 25-year-olds living in the government's basement, focusing our energies on obtaining a larger allowance rather than getting a job, and moving out and taking responsibility for ourselves." (And BTW, what is it with the Trumpsters and people living in basements?)
Barr's speech was sponsored by Save the Persecuted Christians (really), a non-profit group. The leader of the group, Frank Gaffney, claims that the Muslim Brotherhood is infiltrating the U.S. government so they can overthrow it and institute Islamic law. (!!!) And oh, btw, Gaffney was a foreign policy advisor to Trump.
In her remarks, DeVoss expressed her belief that private religious schools should receive government funding like public schools and other non-religious institutions. The audience cheered when she claimed that too many children were not being allowed to express their religious faith in school.
Mike Pompeo, first Trump's Director of the CIA and now Secretary of State, is tight with Frank Gaffney. Pompeo is a known Islamophobe who sees "radical Islamists" under every bed in America. He appears to view politics as "a never ending struggle...until the rapture." A 2017 piece by Michelle Goldberg is a quick, but a bit dated, read-up on Mike.
So here we are. Donald Trump, our Dear Leader, who has built a Cabinet of devout, really out there christian zealots who he has loosed on America and the world. The evangelicals in America mostly love the Dear Leader, in spite of his warts. Their god is alive and well and taking firm control of the government through these servants.
Believe it or not, there are many people who are more afraid of a Democratic Socialist than they are of the Trump God Squad. Heaven help us! (That's a joke, of course.)
---
Tuesday, February 18, 2020
TRUMP AND THE BANANA REPUBLICANS
Some people in the liberal media have starting calling the United States a Banana Republic, based on the actions of Donald J. Trump and his cronies. What exactly is a Banana Republic, I wondered, other than the store where I bought some shirts years ago? So I went to Wikipedia.
In political science, the term banana republic describes a politically unstable country with an economy dependent upon the exportation of a limited-resource product, such as bananas or minerals. In 1901, the American author O. Henry coined the term to describe Honduras and neighbouring countries under economic exploitation by U.S. corporations, such as the United Fruit Company.[1] Typically, a banana republic has a society of extremely stratified social classes, usually a large impoverished working class and a ruling-class plutocracy, composed of the business, political, and military elites of that society.[2] Such a ruling-class oligarchy control the primary sector of the economy by way of the exploitation of labour;[3] thus, the term banana republic is a pejorative descriptor for a servile dictatorship that abets and supports, for kickbacks, the exploitation of large-scale plantation agriculture, especially banana cultivation.[3]
In economics, a banana republic is a country with an economy of state capitalism, by which economic model the country is operated as a private commercial enterprise for the exclusive profit of the ruling class. Such exploitation is enabled by collusion between the state and favored economic monopolies, in which the profit, derived from the private exploitation of public lands, is private property, while the debts incurred thereby are the financial responsibility of the public treasury. Such an imbalanced economy remains limited by the uneven economic development of town and country, and usually reduces the national currency into devalued banknotes (paper money), rendering the country ineligible for international development credit.[4]
OK, so we are not really a Banana Republic; however, a few things in the descriptions above have a familiar ring to them. Politically, the U.S. has come more and more under the control of wealthy and corporate interests that fund political candidates and lobby government to set rules and regulations that favor them. Economically, Trump has been and will be moving the U.S. more in the direction of running the country as a “private commercial enterprise for the exclusive profit of the ruling class.” He and his Republican enablers in Congress have granted huge tax cuts to the wealthy and corporations, are cutting back important regulations in order to benefit corporations, and are opening a lot of previously off-limit public lands to private extractive industries (oil, gas, coal, mining), and in the process of all this, greatly increasing the public debt.
Donald Trump is running the United States the way he has run all of his business ventures - poorly. His goal is to burnish the Trump brand, increase his and his family’s personal wealth as much as possible, reward his friends and cronies, and punish his enemies. He would love to be Dictator for Life; many of us would love to see him get something else for life. Trump has instituted a Friends and Enemies style of justice in America, rather than the Rule of Law that has prevailed since our founding. In his own words, Trump Insists that because he is President, he can do whatever he pleases, and the other branches of government - judiciary and congress - can just get over it.
And so, although our country is not truly a Banana Republic, we have a President who sees himself as The Great Dictator of such a country, and the Republican Party has grabbed firm hold of his coat tails for the ride.
We might not be a Banana Republic, but we certainly have a Congress of Banana Rerpublicans to deal with.
—-
(Note: the photo image is in the public domain. Don't look too closely or you will see that it from 2009.)
Saturday, February 15, 2020
Friday, February 07, 2020
SECRET “MOON WIG” PROJECT UNCOVERED
The investigative journalists at readmyopinion have uncovered a previously secret project authorized by Donald Trump deep within the organization of NASA. Code named “Moon Wig,” the project is the real reason that Donald Trump announced, during his State of the Union address earlier this week, that Americans will return to the moon by 2024. This announcement took most Americans, including NASA officials, by surprise; however, according to readmyopinion reporters, the plan has been underway since shortly after Trump’s inauguration, and implementation will coincide with the end of Trump’s second term.
The idea behind Moon Wig is to add the Trump brand to the moon, so that it will be visible to every person on earth forever. Our reporters received a copy of the prototype drawing from an anonymous source, and we present it below for the first time in public.
The idea behind Moon Wig is to add the Trump brand to the moon, so that it will be visible to every person on earth forever. Our reporters received a copy of the prototype drawing from an anonymous source, and we present it below for the first time in public.
According to our sources, a gigantic yellow wig made of synthetic fibers will be deployed above the north pole of the moon by a U.S. moon mission space craft. Tiny jets arranged around the perimeter of the wig will open it as it descends towards the moon surface so that it settles fully deployed on the surface of the moon.
Multiple sections of the wig are being secretly manufactured in sweat shop factories used by the Ivanka brand within Third World countries. The sections will be clandestinely shipped to the space launch location where they will be assembled and compressed into a pre-deployment payload labeled “Be Best Science Project” that will then be loaded on the space craft.
The total budget for the Moon Wig itself has not been revealed; however, our reporters were told that the multi-billion dollar project budget is hidden within the First Lady’s wardrobe and makeup budget.
- - -
U.S. SPACE FORCE AND STARFLEET COMMAND LOGOS
Donald Trump announced the formation of a new branch of the United States military, the United States Space Force. A minor controversy arose when Trump tweeted the logo, or insignia, of the new Space Force because it bears similarities to the insignia of Starfleet Command from the T.V. And movie series Star Trek. OK, it seems funny, and that maybe Trump, once again, is a dufus and plagiarist.
Well, I’ll tend to give him a pass on this one. It turns out that there was already a branch of the U.S. Air Force called the Air Force Space Command, formed in 1982 (look it up on Wikipedia). And the logo for the Air Force Space Command was similar to the Starfleet Command logo. All three of these are shown below.
In the military authorization bill signed by Trump in December, 2019, the Air Force Space Command was elevated to a new sixth branch of the military, the U.S. Space Force, that will be responsible for space warfare. And the Air Force Space Command logo was updated.
Engage!
Well, I’ll tend to give him a pass on this one. It turns out that there was already a branch of the U.S. Air Force called the Air Force Space Command, formed in 1982 (look it up on Wikipedia). And the logo for the Air Force Space Command was similar to the Starfleet Command logo. All three of these are shown below.
In the military authorization bill signed by Trump in December, 2019, the Air Force Space Command was elevated to a new sixth branch of the military, the U.S. Space Force, that will be responsible for space warfare. And the Air Force Space Command logo was updated.
Engage!
Sunday, February 02, 2020
DIVERSITY?
OK, I'm getting right to the point; I've heard and read many commentaries about the lack of diversity among the Democratic candidates for president on stage at the last so-called debate. "They're all white!"
The 6 candidates on the stage were: Amy Klobuchar (woman), Elizabeth Warren (woman), Bernie Sanders (Jew; democratic socialist), Joe Biden (white man), Pete Buttigieg (gay white man), and Tom Steyer (white man (his father was Jewish)). So that's 2 women, one Jew, one gay man, and 2 white men. I call that diversity!
And if there had been 7 candidates on stage, the 7th would have been Andrew Yang (Asian-American).
Yes, the African-American and Latinx-American candidates have dropped out of the race, but they dropped out of the race. Did they drop out because the Democratic Party system is racist? This could be a factor; however, we can't forget that Barak Obama won the nomination in 2008.
As an old, pale-skinned, Jewish, atheist man (that's 5 strikes against me), maybe I'm a bit sensitive concerning identity politics. On the other hand, maybe - as usual - we on the left can't seem to get our collective poop together in one tent.
---
The 6 candidates on the stage were: Amy Klobuchar (woman), Elizabeth Warren (woman), Bernie Sanders (Jew; democratic socialist), Joe Biden (white man), Pete Buttigieg (gay white man), and Tom Steyer (white man (his father was Jewish)). So that's 2 women, one Jew, one gay man, and 2 white men. I call that diversity!
And if there had been 7 candidates on stage, the 7th would have been Andrew Yang (Asian-American).
Yes, the African-American and Latinx-American candidates have dropped out of the race, but they dropped out of the race. Did they drop out because the Democratic Party system is racist? This could be a factor; however, we can't forget that Barak Obama won the nomination in 2008.
As an old, pale-skinned, Jewish, atheist man (that's 5 strikes against me), maybe I'm a bit sensitive concerning identity politics. On the other hand, maybe - as usual - we on the left can't seem to get our collective poop together in one tent.
---
Saturday, February 01, 2020
IMPEACHMENT: DONALD J. TRUMP
It's all over except the shouting. It was over before it started. Here's my take - today:
The Republicans in the Senate voted not to call witnesses or documents. Senator Lamar Alexander stated, and a number of Republican Senators agreed, that the House Committees proved their case, Trump did what they said he did, and therefore it is not necessary to call witnesses or subpoena documents; however, it is not at the level of an impeachable offense. Furthermore, because it is so close to an election, the voters should decide.
This view is actually understandable within a certain context, and it cuts through - intentionally, I think - the fog of BS and lies presented by the Trump legal team. I can understand, again within a certain context, why removing Trump from office now would create a very dangerous situation in this country, and widen the divide between political camps. The danger, however, is that Trump decides that a not-guilty verdict in the Senate means that he can continue to do whatever he wants, the law be damned. And, in fact, he has already decided this, and preaches it every time he opens his pie hole!
There is, in my mind, another step the Senate needs to take; one that can be supported by the more moderate - or less fearful - Senators. As part of the not-guilty verdict, the Senate needs to attach the most severe rebuke of Donald Trump allowed in the Senate rules. Make it clear that the Senate agrees with the House on the Articles of Impeachment - Trump did what he was accused of doing, that these actions were wrong, that Trump should never again try to bribe a foreign country for his personal gain or obstruct the actions of Congress. It can be a very simple and clear message: "Mr. President, you did things that a president should not do, we want you to understand that you should never do these things again, and we did not remove you from office because of the very severe impact that would have during an election year." Or something like that.
We all need to keep in mind that this isn't over. Additional evidence will come out, in books (John Bolton's, for example), interviews (Lev Parnas, for example) and other means. The House Intelligence and perhaps Oversight Committees will continue to investigate, and will certainly uncover and make public much more damning evidence about the Trump Gang conspiracy (conspiracies). It will become more evident that many high-level players were involved in the Ukraine "drug deal" and other underhanded activities; people like Mike Pompeo, Rick Perry, Mick Mulvaney and others will be exposed. As it has been said, the truth always comes out, eventually. And the more we, the public, find out about these nefarious characters, the worse it will be for a Trump re-election.
I left phone messages for our two Senators today, asking them to work hard to get the Senate to issue the most severe rebuke of Trump it can along with the not-guilty verdict. I'm not hopeful that this will happen, not one bit actually, but it's worth making noise about.
---
The Republicans in the Senate voted not to call witnesses or documents. Senator Lamar Alexander stated, and a number of Republican Senators agreed, that the House Committees proved their case, Trump did what they said he did, and therefore it is not necessary to call witnesses or subpoena documents; however, it is not at the level of an impeachable offense. Furthermore, because it is so close to an election, the voters should decide.
This view is actually understandable within a certain context, and it cuts through - intentionally, I think - the fog of BS and lies presented by the Trump legal team. I can understand, again within a certain context, why removing Trump from office now would create a very dangerous situation in this country, and widen the divide between political camps. The danger, however, is that Trump decides that a not-guilty verdict in the Senate means that he can continue to do whatever he wants, the law be damned. And, in fact, he has already decided this, and preaches it every time he opens his pie hole!
There is, in my mind, another step the Senate needs to take; one that can be supported by the more moderate - or less fearful - Senators. As part of the not-guilty verdict, the Senate needs to attach the most severe rebuke of Donald Trump allowed in the Senate rules. Make it clear that the Senate agrees with the House on the Articles of Impeachment - Trump did what he was accused of doing, that these actions were wrong, that Trump should never again try to bribe a foreign country for his personal gain or obstruct the actions of Congress. It can be a very simple and clear message: "Mr. President, you did things that a president should not do, we want you to understand that you should never do these things again, and we did not remove you from office because of the very severe impact that would have during an election year." Or something like that.
We all need to keep in mind that this isn't over. Additional evidence will come out, in books (John Bolton's, for example), interviews (Lev Parnas, for example) and other means. The House Intelligence and perhaps Oversight Committees will continue to investigate, and will certainly uncover and make public much more damning evidence about the Trump Gang conspiracy (conspiracies). It will become more evident that many high-level players were involved in the Ukraine "drug deal" and other underhanded activities; people like Mike Pompeo, Rick Perry, Mick Mulvaney and others will be exposed. As it has been said, the truth always comes out, eventually. And the more we, the public, find out about these nefarious characters, the worse it will be for a Trump re-election.
I left phone messages for our two Senators today, asking them to work hard to get the Senate to issue the most severe rebuke of Trump it can along with the not-guilty verdict. I'm not hopeful that this will happen, not one bit actually, but it's worth making noise about.
---
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
IS (BLANK) BETTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT?
Because of my career as an ecologist, people sometimes ask my opinion about the environmental impact of one consumer product or action compared to others. Someone recently asked my opinion about dishcloths advertised as environmentally friendly compared to others, so I did a bit of research and replied. This is a good example of the conundrum in which we consumers find ourselves; the answer is usually "I don't know."
Here is the problem. As consumers, we don't have enough information (data rules!) to make these decisions. There is a growing body of evidence, for example, that plastic grocery bags are better for the environment than the cotton or recycled plastic fiber bags we carry in our cars when we go shopping. This is often true if the cradle-to-grave effects of an item are considered, not just one factor, such as plastic pollution of the ocean, in this example.
Here is an over-simplified diagram of cradle-to-grave effects analysis.
As shown above, we need to consider the inputs of energy and raw materials, as well as the emissions of contaminants to water and air from every phase in the life cycle of an item in order to understand the environmental impact associated with it. This includes, of course, the transportation of raw materials and products and recycled items.
Some analysts have suggested, based on their own research, that for many items such as plastic waste, landfilling is better for the environment than recycling. One factor in this analysis is that much of the plastic being recycled in the USA is actually shipped overseas for recycling. The environmental costs associated with shipping (fuel, emissions, etc.) are large, and the receiving countries generally are not as good as they should be about wastes from their recycling processes (there are even some reports that loads of plastic deemed by the receiving countries to be too contaminated with non-plastics and non-recyclable plastics are dumped in the ocean). The comparison includes the fuel used and emissions from transporting waste from homes to a landfill, versus the fuel used and emissions from transporting waste from homes to a transfer station to a sorting facility to a port to an overseas port to a recycling facility.
As usual, in my opinion, consumers are tasked with trying to figure all of this out and being responsible for disposal of the packaging and items we buy. Should the companies that produce, package, ship and sell the items bear some responsibility for handling the wastes associated with their products?
(Paper Snack and Sandwich Bags, manufactured in Sweden. If You Care, Ltd.)
Here is the problem. As consumers, we don't have enough information (data rules!) to make these decisions. There is a growing body of evidence, for example, that plastic grocery bags are better for the environment than the cotton or recycled plastic fiber bags we carry in our cars when we go shopping. This is often true if the cradle-to-grave effects of an item are considered, not just one factor, such as plastic pollution of the ocean, in this example.
Here is an over-simplified diagram of cradle-to-grave effects analysis.
As shown above, we need to consider the inputs of energy and raw materials, as well as the emissions of contaminants to water and air from every phase in the life cycle of an item in order to understand the environmental impact associated with it. This includes, of course, the transportation of raw materials and products and recycled items.
We also need to be aware of the fate of items we place into a recycling system. An old saying of mine is, just because an item has a recycling symbol on it does not mean that it can be recycled.
Some analysts have suggested, based on their own research, that for many items such as plastic waste, landfilling is better for the environment than recycling. One factor in this analysis is that much of the plastic being recycled in the USA is actually shipped overseas for recycling. The environmental costs associated with shipping (fuel, emissions, etc.) are large, and the receiving countries generally are not as good as they should be about wastes from their recycling processes (there are even some reports that loads of plastic deemed by the receiving countries to be too contaminated with non-plastics and non-recyclable plastics are dumped in the ocean). The comparison includes the fuel used and emissions from transporting waste from homes to a landfill, versus the fuel used and emissions from transporting waste from homes to a transfer station to a sorting facility to a port to an overseas port to a recycling facility.
As usual, in my opinion, consumers are tasked with trying to figure all of this out and being responsible for disposal of the packaging and items we buy. Should the companies that produce, package, ship and sell the items bear some responsibility for handling the wastes associated with their products?
Consumers are also responsible for trying to determine the environmental footprint of a product before purchasing it. There are some, but very few exceptions to this, such as the paper food bags sold in the box seen in the following photo.
(Paper Snack and Sandwich Bags, manufactured in Sweden. If You Care, Ltd.)
This kind of informative labeling is very rare, and it helps consumers make informed choices. I buy these because they appear to be a good choice environmentally; however, because they are manufactured in Europe, I have to assume that the transportation environmental costs are outweighed by the overall low environmental cost.
So as I said at the beginning, the answer to the question “Is (blank) better for the environment?” is - I usually don’t know. The best I can do is to encourage everyone to be thoughtful consumers: think about where it is made, what it is made from, how it gets to you and what you will do with the associated wastes before you purchase an item. Most of the time it will be an educated guess, but being more aware is a good thing.
—-
Sunday, January 26, 2020
6,000,000 =
If you murdered every person in Los Angeles, Phoenix and Boise it would be equal to the number of European Jews murdered by the German Nazis during World War 2.
If you murdered 70% (7 out of every 10) people in New York City it would be equal to the number of European Jews murdered by the German Nazis during World War 2.
The Holocaust.
Genocide.
Never forget.
Friday, January 10, 2020
TRUMP CONTINUES USING THE PUTIN MIDDLE EAST PLAYBOOK
As Speaker Nancy Pelosi said about Donald Trump, "all roads lead to Putin." The on-going crisis between the U.S. and Iran, in my opinion, is right out of the Putin Playbook. Let me explain.
It seems more than coincidental to me that every action Trump has taken in the Middle East benefits Russia. When Trump pulled American troops out of northern Syria and green-lighted Turkish troops moving in, he created a vacuum that Russia immediately filled. We saw images of Russian troops hoisting their flag over military bases occupied by American troops days before. Trump's action also abandoned the Kurdish forces who had been our stalwart allies in fighting ISIS, and left them at the mercy of their Turkish enemy and Russia. Putin was certainly very pleased with this outcome.
It seems more than coincidental to me that every action Trump has taken in the Middle East benefits Russia. When Trump pulled American troops out of northern Syria and green-lighted Turkish troops moving in, he created a vacuum that Russia immediately filled. We saw images of Russian troops hoisting their flag over military bases occupied by American troops days before. Trump's action also abandoned the Kurdish forces who had been our stalwart allies in fighting ISIS, and left them at the mercy of their Turkish enemy and Russia. Putin was certainly very pleased with this outcome.
In this recent action against Iran, Trump has once again hurt the interests of the U. S. and benefited Russia. There is apparently no clear justification for the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani,¹ and the killing is likely a violation of U.S. and international law. The fact that Soleimani was a "bad actor" is not the relevant point; he was an official of the Iranian government killed by the United States in Iraq.²
Prior to the Soleimani assassination, Iranians were protesting against their own government, and Iraqis were protesting against the influence of Iran in their country. Both of these were beneficial to the interests of the United States, and not good for Iran and it's Russian ally. The assassination changed all of that. Iranians immediately took to the streets to protest the United States, and Iraqis did the same. The Iraqi Parliament passed a resolution demanding that the U. S. remove all of it's troops from Iraq. Overnight, Trump turned actions that were beneficial to America into benefits for Russia. Putin Playbook, Middle East chapter; mission accomplished!
And then there is ISIS. When Trump betrayed the Kurds in northern Syria, one result was the release of many ISIS prisoners the Kurds had been guarding. Now in Iraq, U.S. troops have been ordered to stand down in the fight with Iraqi forces against ISIS. No matter how much Trump crows that he has defeated ISIS, the facts on the ground are that he has single-handedly set the stage for a resurgence of ISIS.
I'm normally not into conspiracy theories, but I do wonder what Putin has on The Donald.
---
Notes:
1. A total of seven people were apparently killed in the drone-launched missile strike. According to the AP, among those was Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of Iran-backed militias in Iraq known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, and five others, including the PMF’s airport protocol officer, Mohammed Reda. Were any Iraqi citizens among those killed, and were they all "bad actors?"
2. For the purpose of example, think about the invasion of Iraq by the U. S. under the Cheney/Bush administration. The war with Iraq was initiated on false pretenses and the number of Iraqis killed, including large numbers of civilians, was in the tens of thousands. What would we think if Iraq today assassinated a top American General who had a leadership position in the invasion of Iraq and was therefore considered a "bad actor" by the Iraqis, and they did it in another country?
Saturday, January 04, 2020
"THIS IS A NATION OF IMMIGRANTS"
“This is a nation of immigrants.”
I read or hear this statement, or something like it, often. For example, candidates for the nomination of the Democratic Party for President of the United States use this statement to make the point that this is not a country just for white people who, somehow, are already here. And yes, I have used the phrase.
But think about it; what does this statement really mean?
The United States was founded by white, Christian, immigrant men from northern Europe and their male descendants. The Nation these men founded excluded: the native people (male and female) who were on the land before the immigrants arrived (they were actually colonizers), immigrant women, and the African slaves (male and female) owned by the immigrant men. This was all dictated by the Constitution these white, immigrant men wrote and ratified. So yes, this is a Nation of immigrants.
But, most people who use the phrase “this is a nation of immigrants” don’t mean it the way I just laid it out. What they mean is that the things we have in the USA today are the result of the ideas and aspirations and plans and businesses created by immigrants, with each generation of immigrants bringing that much more to the successes of our society.
But I’m changed by this thought exercise. Once again, I can glimpse - hopefully see fully naked - the truth of the racist core of America, the institutionalized part that we all live in and by, and that we don’t truly comprehend that by it’s very nature and history, the United States of America is a nation of 18th century white, Christian, European immigrant men. We don’t really stop and think before we say “this is a nation of immigrants,” because we don’t recognize, let alone accept, the racism inherent in that phrase.
The objective is not to blame, it is to fully understand. Only by understanding it do we have any hope of pulling it out of our communal core.
This is a Nation created on a landscape once occupied by diverse nations and tribes of people who were replaced through a prolonged genocide starting with colonialists/occupiers from Europe.
This is a Nation by white men who overthrew rule by an English monarch and established a Constitution based on representative democratic rule.
This is a Nation in which the Constitution created by white 18th century men left out native people, women, and the African slaves owned by the white men.
This is a Nation in which government and corporate rules and laws grew out of the instructions inherent in the Constitution written and ratified by white, immigrant men, and only major and prolonged efforts by excluded members of society (women and African-Americans and Native Americans and Latin Americans and all the Everything-Americans struggling alongside them) resulted in changes to the Constitution that technically include these people in the official “We.”
This is a Nation, over the course of more than 2 centuries, that has been populated by immigrants from around the world, many of whom were discriminated against and made wage slaves or outright enslaved, and those immigrants and their descendants built the society we live in today upon the foundation laid by the 18th century white, immigrant men.
If you say all of that, then I will accept it.
—-
January 4, 2020
written after reading the poem “How Easily the White Professor Forgets” by Emmett Wheatfall
(Our Scarlet Blue Wounds. 2019. Fernwood Press, Oregon).
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