Do We See What’s Happening?
Here’s the viewpoint of Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT).
For my money, Murphy is among the most compassionate and insightful of our public servants.
Tagged with: Chris Murphy
The End of American Democracy
The corporate news media has one duty above all others, and it’s not to honestly inform us; it’s to generate profits for shareholders. For that reason, it’s not rational to hope that they’ll put too much focus on American democracy’s coming to an end.
There are news organizations, e.g., “Democracy Now!” that are non-profits, for people who don’t want to see world events through a corporate lens.
Tagged with: End of American Democracy
What Happened in the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election
This all could have gone so differently. We could have had an intelligent, compassionate, and fair-minded president, yet we opted for one of the most disgusting human beings ever to have walked the planet, And of course, we knew exactly what we were buying into.
In hindsight, it’s clear that the Democrats took too much for granted. Instead of pushing the facts into the faces of lifelong Republicans, we erroneously presumed that American voters had some level of ethical sensibilities.
Had I been advising Harris’s campaign, I would have said, “We have a choice to make, principally between honesty and criminality. But it’s also a question of this: Do you want to be ruled with a small cadre of greedy billionaires who couldn’t care less about you or American democracy? You re-elect Trump, and the vision of the Founding Fathers will be crushed to smithereens.”
What Happens When …… ?
Yes, we are indeed about to find out.
If the week since the inauguration is predictive of the coming months and years, one has to expect that Trump’s agenda, whose only true beneficiary is the president himself, will soon render everything this country formerly stood for completely void–certainly anything that formerly addressed the welfare of the common person.
Needless to say, we brought this on ourselves. Through some process invisible to people like you and me, Trump managed to make the felony indictments associated with his attempting to overthrow the U.S. government, inciting an insurrection, and stealing classified documents — all simply disappear.
We want to know how precisely any of this could have happened. Merrick Garland couldn’t have done a better job? We had a justice system. How could it have simply disappeared?
Tagged with: Trump's agenda
Dr. Fauci
I can’t prove that Anthony Fauci acted honorably during the pandemic, but the allegations against him that air on Fox News seem a bit unlikely, don’t they?
Tagged with: Dr. Fauci
Scrutinizing the Truth
As previously mentioned, I subscribe to “A Word a Day,” not just for the vocab shot in the arm, but for its “Thought for Today.” Check this out:
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
I will remember that what has brought us up from savagery is a loyalty to truth, and truth cannot emerge unless it is subjected to the utmost scrutiny — will you not agree that a society which has lost sight of that, cannot survive? – Billings Learned Hand, American jurist and philosopher (27 Jan 1872-1961)
To answer the question, Yes, I will agree.
This may be the greatest insult to our society brought about by Trumpism, i.e., that the majority of American voters don’t seem to care that most of what comes out of the president’s mouth is clearly false.
Not Educated
The reader who sent me this answers the question: “I voted for Trump.”
Not a bad response, but, as we’re all aware, it’s not always true. Trump’s support base includes a small but not insignificant number of extremely well educated people who, IMO, have sets of moral principles that are deeply defective.
To my sadness and astonishment, there are highly educated people who don’t care that the environment is collapsing, that our educational system lies in ruins, that Trump’s cabinet picks are not based on merit, but on their loyalty to the president, that the nation has abandoned rule of law for the wealthy and powerful, and the U.S. government is controlled by a handful of greedy billionaires.
Tagged with: our educational system lies in ruins, the environment is collapsing, the nation has abandoned rule of law for the wealthy and powerful, the U.S. government is controlled by a handful of greedy billionaires, Trump's cabinet picks are not based on merit but on their loyalty to the president
Trump Supporters Unfazed by Their Hero’s Decision to Recklessly Endanger National (and International) Security
As I was explaining to my mom last night on the phone, Trump supporters may be happy with what they see coming out of the White House, but the rest of the world is simply horrified.
Tagged with: Trump Supporters
The New Yorker’s Andy Borowitz: Mexico Builds Wall to Keep Out Violent Jan 6 Criminals
Anyone wondering why Borowitz is considered a national treasure need only read this brief column.
Borowitz Report—The president of Mexico announced on Monday that her country was building a wall along its northern border to keep newly-pardoned January 6 insurrectionists from pouring across it. “The United States is opening its prisons and releasing its most heinous criminals,” President Claudia Sheinbaum declared. “This leaves us with no choice but to build a wall and make the United States pay for it.”
Describing the January 6 convicts, she said, “When the United States sends its people, they’re sending people who have a lot of problems. They’re sending people who riot, vandalize government property, and attack law enforcement. They’re not sending their best.”
Tagged with: Andy Borowitz
These Are Scary Times in the U.S., But Might We Get Through All This?
I’m sure Stephen King was sincere in what he said here, but mightn’t this all work out OK?
Sure, the United States has decommitted to helping the planet avoid environmental collapse, and has consolidated power in the executive branch, establishing a criminal sociopath as its absolute ruler. Yes, we’re making our educational system as ineffective as we possibly can, while violating domestic and international laws with our treatment of immigrants. Moreover, we’re doing everything we can to promote hate, marginalization and exclusion among our people.
These truly are terrible times for the U.S., and thus, indirectly, the rest of the world. Yet hope springs eternal.
Tagged with: hope springs eternal
