Archive for May, 2018

Suffer the children

Author: admin

Trying to write about our national political activities these days is getting much harder to do. Used to be you could take the usual issue and the politicians involved in it and opine this way and that in reasonable commentary.

No more. The amount of misogyny, cruelty, idiocy and just plain B.S. being passed of as political “discussion” these days has made it tough even to consider some of the elected cretins fit to hold the offices they do much less quote them.

The following two despicable examples appeared on “news” pages within three hours a few days ago.

Rep. Dana Rhorabacher is known for saying alarming, ignorant and quite stupid things on a regular basis. His latest? He told a convention of Realtors in D.C. last week home sellers “shouldn’t have to sell to people who offend their personal beliefs.” Meaning buyers who are Black, gay, lesbian, atheist, Muslim, etc.. Next day, to their credit, the Realtors cut him off their endorsement list and, more important, from their PAC.

Then, the always – always – moronic Rep. Louis Ghomert. His latest? He told an interviewer Special Prosecutor Mueller had “spent his entire career defending Muslim terrorists.” Even followed up with a national news release.

Of course, there’s the House “Freedom Caucus” writing the Nobel Committee to formally push for the next Peace Prize to be given to Donny Trump for his work with North Korea. Can you even imagine the reaction within the Nobel Committee when that hit the mailbox?

But, here’s one entirely sadistic political story that didn’t just reach the bottom of the barrel. It broke through to new mud and took the current GOP “administration” to a new, much lower cesspool.

This mighty nation – this “shining beacon on the hill” – this nation made up entirely of immigrants – this proud country – has begun stripping babies and children from their families at our borders. Tearing apart families whose only “crime” has been to cross our borders, seeking their own liberties in this “bastion of freedom.”

Now, we’re told, in addition to that cruellest of acts, our “government” has lost nearly 1,500 hundred of those kids – 1,500! Authorities – or what passes for “authorities”- have no idea where they went, who has them, whether some are being sold into sexual slavery or other human bondage and, if so, by whom! Trump’s hardline Chief of Staff said they’d be “placed in foster care – or whatever.” “WHATEVER?!”

John Kelly is also trying to “justify” this inhumane family destruction by saying maybe more people “will be deterred” from trying to cross our borders if they know what awaits And our Attorney General mumbled much the same thing!

What the Hell kind of people are these?

And now our “government”claims it’s “not legally responsible.” “NOT RESPONSIBLE?”

I cannot even imagine the sadistic political “minds” that ordered these crimes-against-humanity. Much less the actual government employees doing it – reaching out to grab crying children and stripping them from their parent’s hands. Whose “government?”

As I said, it’s much harder these days to even comprehend some of the political goings, much less write something cogent about them. The Rhorabacher’s and Ghomert’s and some of their Cretin kin are hard enough to deal with. Maybe – just maybe – a couple elections will send them back to their loyal “bases” and they can enjoy their full taxpayer paid retirements in well-deserved anonymity.

But, I’m sitting here, trying to comprehend what’s happening in our beloved country. My mind wonders how far we’ve strayed from being a welcoming nation with a compassionate populace. I’m trying to find the words to describe the cruelty, anger and rank idiocy so prevalent in our nation’s politics. Wondering if we’ll ever rid ourselves of the mindless, sadistic, lying and corrupt “leadership” currently driving this country further into a huge ditch.

As I search for words, the ones that repeatedly flash in my head are “…suffer the little children….” Biblically, the word “suffer” meant “let the little children…” or “do not impede the little children…”

Trump, Sessions, their minions and a Congress that stands idly by are using the word “suffer” in its worst application.

Disgusting voices

Author: admin

What the Hell is wrong with us?

A day doesn’t go by without someone, somewhere, making the national news with a racist act aimed at someone not Caucasian, and therefore, not “a real American.” Makes no difference what ethnic group you’re talking about.

Our own president, with more attention paid to his foul mutterings because of the office he temporarily holds, is the worst. Repeatedly calling immigrants – legal or otherwise – “animals” is his latest dip into the racist cesspool.

The other day, a guy in a New York restaurant told some Spanish-speaking customers to “speak English or get out” and threatened to call ICE if they didn’t. A woman in Ohio called the cops because a Black Realtor was prowling around a vacant house he wanted to buy and rehab. In Utah, a guy got out his rifle and stood on his front porch as a Black couple was shown a house for sale next door.

And on and on and on. Repeated public displays of outright racism. Kids of non-white families harassed and beaten on playgrounds because of their ethnicities. People in public, speaking languages other than English, being told to either “talk American” or leave with accompanying threats to call some arresting agency.

We’re destroying the old “melting pot” metaphor. And we’re doing it in the name of being “American” without regard and respect for the differences that have made us a better nation.

In many ways, the old “melting pot” claim has never seemed entirely correct to describe a nation as varied in different races and cultures as we’ve become. The fact is, from early settlers to now, people of like nationalities and cultures have pretty much kept to their own. We have Black communities, Scandinavian communities, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, etc.. Nothing wrong with that, for most purposes.

But, we’ve further divided ourselves adding exclusively Black or Hispanic or other cultures radio, TV, newspapers and other means of racial and/or ethnic communication. In some ways, we’ve created dual societies for different races and backgrounds while allowing cultural separateness. We may “melt” in the workplace – most of the time – but we’ve also encouraged divisions in the rest of our lives.

We live in an area with a very large Hispanic population. While there’s been a lot of assimilating, they still live on the fringes for the most part. But, the fact is, if they suddenly left, this area would be the poorer for it and the local economies would suffer greatly.

I get angry when I hear someone say immigrants are taking our jobs. I can tell you from personal experience that’s a lie. The value of the work most immigrants do is vastly underrated.

It’s ironic to hear loud demands for continued, unfettered immigration coming from farmers/ranchers everywhere these days. Crops are dying in the fields. Fruit is rotting on trees and vines. Work – necessary work – is not getting done. Seems American workers – “real American” workers – aren’t stepping forward to shoulder that work. The “job stealing” claim has always been a lie.

The largest current societal race issue we face is not coming from the immigrant population. It’s coming from us. It’s coming from seemingly otherwise good people being swept up in this phony “ship-‘em-back-where-they-came-from” B.S. being acted out across our nation. And much of that is being led and urged on by our racist president and those around him.

What’s being tested here is not whether can we accept and assimilate more from other nations. The test is of our national will to welcome and encourage those who’ve come to participate in a country they still see as a worthy example of freedom and opportunity. And, in some cases, at proven personal risk to their lives getting here.

The test is for those of us who see value in national diversity and acceptance to silence the bigotry and outrageous abuse that seems to have become commonplace.

Silence it – clear up to the White House.

Loud and foul

Author: admin

It’s no secret ours has become an ever increasingly crass society. Entertainment, media, politics and even ordinary conversation.

Evidence is everywhere. Spend time around an elementary school playground, for example, and you’ll pick up words you might not have heard before. Not that kids know much about what they’re saying. They’re just repeating what they’ve heard all around them.

Crude, foul language in political affairs is not new but it’s getting increasingly personal. More and more, we’re seeing direct public, personal and cruel attacks on people and character. Obama and Clinton are prime examples.

Last week’s stories of slander and lies directed at John McCain were disgusting evidence of how low some folks will go. One incident was in the workplace – the other broadcast around the world by our “friends” at Fox.

A Trump White House Special Assistant was the source at a Communications Office staff meeting. She casually dismissed McCain’s comments on an upcoming Senate vote by saying “It doesn’t matter. He’s dying anyway.”

As you read this, that woman still has her job. Why that is someone else is going to have to explain.

Adding more verbal excrement to the pile three days later, Trump Budget Director Mulvaney publically opined, while the remark was indeed tasteless, that’s not what concerned him. His ire was raised because the cruel remark was “leaked.” “Even worse,” he said.

So, I guess, if a murder is committed in the White House, it’s O.K. as long as no one talks to the media about it. DAMN!

The other outrageous and completely factless claim regarding McCain on Fox was from a retired general. Talking about torture in wartime, McCain’s name came up because of his years in a North Vietnamese prison and the extreme physical abuse he endured.

The general – who will remain nameless here – said “torture works” and pointed to what he called “Songbird John” and accused McCain of betraying his country while being tortured. A claim repeatedly proven untrue!

This “embarrassment-to-all-uniforms” has popped off with many crackpot statements and wild false claims in the past. He’s never been a POW. Why was he being used as an “expert?” Yet another “Fox Fool” with clay feet up to his knees and one of a series of “experts” used by that network that have subsequently been exposed as frauds.

McCain is in hospice care at his home about 15 miles from where I’m writing this. One requisite for such care is a diagnosis of less than six months to live. That medical opinion was made some months ago. Yet, McCain is keeping in contact with associates and issues on Capitol Hill. It’s gotta be tough.

The McCain examples of character assassination and baseless lies are only the most recent aimed at a public figure. We hear, read and watch more every day. To our national shame. Remember Trump wildly mimicking a crippled reporter? Or, referring to McCain, saying he was no hero because he was captured? Or his giving people he doesn’t like grotesque nicknames – “Crooked Hillary” or “Lying Comey?”

I can’t lay blame entirely on our dangerous and unskilled president. But, I will say, he’s given his outright approval to such crude, foul and profane public behavior by his own conduct. He has set the example for millions of crass people who’ve joined his cacophony of slander, lies and outrageous language. Racist and anti-Semitic acts are being readily accepted by millions as “the way things are.”

Well, they aren’t!

Our nation – and much of the world – is in a huge state of flux. In nearly every way. What’s past is past and we’ll never see life as it was just a few years ago. But, what we will see and experience is entirely up to us. What we do today – what we accept today – who we’ve become today – will be our future.

As long as John McCain has breath, he’ll be interested and involved in where this country’s headed. We all could use a lot more of that to set before those kids on the playground.

Fact or factless

Author: admin

With the advent of radio and television (suitcase radio), the knock on newspapers was that everything in them was “yesterday’s news.” And it was, of course.

But, readers also became listeners and viewers as well. We adjusted to three main sources of information and most enjoyed the mix. With the advent of computerized information on the I-Net machine, most of us just added the fourth source and continued with our lives.

A lot of people, it seems, don’t necessarily pay attention to all media availability, choosing, instead, to rely on one or two which best fit their lives. Or, how they see the world. Accurate or not. Few of us utilize all four daily.

But, after some 40 years of broadcast and print employment, I’m one of those who seeks more informational input than most. After daily reading-listening-viewing-scanning, and with that background, I find it curious why most sources do some of the things they do.

For example, why are we being visually and mentally accosted by people being passed off as “newsmakers”who have long-since been discredited or are known serial liars?

The ubiquitous Kellyanne Conway is a prime example of both. Yet, day-after-day, there she is on our TV boxes, being given more expensive air time to mislead, argue and outright lie about whatever the subject may be. The woman has no credibility, spends more time challenging the interviewer than answering questions and has long-since proven the old adage “You know she’s lying ‘cause her mouth’s moving.” Yet, there she is.

Anthony Scaramucci is another. White House Director of Communications for a week before being fired for his lying ways and a big, foul and argumentative mouth. Why does the media keep resurrecting him in our living rooms? What “news value” could there possibly be? Why would anyone care about anything he has to say?

And Sean Spicer, disinformation and lying piled five-foot-four inches high. No official position for anything. What the Hell can he say that anyone with a grasp on reality wants to hear?

Throw in Carter Page, Roger Stone, Mike Mulvaney, Kanye West, any Kardashian, Papadopolis, Myers, Alex Jones, Coulter and a full quarter of Congress.

Consider this. According to Pentagon sources, this country has military in 73 locations around the world. More than a quarter are actively involved in hazardous areas where they can be – and often are – killed. What about their stories? What do we know of them? When do we hear about them?

We have American men and women in actual wars. Undeclared wars. Wars where people are dying. What about them? Dover Air Force Base receives bodies on a near-daily basis. Do we know how many? Where they died? Why they had to die? Where are the reporters?

Investors buying up media properties – like so many Monopoly pieces – have turned hard news broadcasting and many print outlets into businesses of profit and loss. Corporate “bean counters” and ratings companies determine format and content more than professional journalists or broadcasters. Focus groups are used to select “pretty people” with “likability quotients” to be “reporters” when most of them couldn’t write a lost-and-found ad.

It’s not just “fake” news to be avoided. It’s also some of the well-known outfits that have sacrificed integrity and really deep coverage of important events and people in favor of fluff and meaningless drivel. CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, Sinclair and many, many others share the blame. Thanks to them, well-researched, factual coverage of people, places and events is getting harder and harder to find.

We live in a world in which technology provides us more information than ever. But, much of it is meaningless if not outright factless. As consumers, it’s no longer “what you know” but rather “Is what you think you know accurate and factual?”

Hard to tell sometimes. Not everyone you hear from is as easy to spot as Kellyanne. A true “professional.”