Saturday, October 26, 2019
POLITICAL TURMOIL IN AMERICA: 2013 TO 2019, YEARS OF DISORDER, DECAY, AND DECLINE IN AMERICA
INTRODUCTION TO COMMENTARIES
The 21st Century began with a great deal of optimism in the United States. The nation was alone as the sole superpower in the world, the Soviet Union had collapsed a decade earlier, and no other country now rivaled its overwhelming military and economic strength. The nation had survived an extremely close, contentious election that was essentially decided by the Supreme Court, and a new administration assumed office without further dissention. The optimism and clear sailing was not to last long, however. The al Qaeda attacks of 9-11 woke the nation up fully to the viciousness of the long-smoldering resentment and hatred that had been breeding in the Middle East for decades, in fact for centuries, as a result of foreign domination, leading to gross inequality and sectarian rivalries that had escalated and often been reinforced by foreign meddling that continued as a carryover from the earlier centuries of Western Colonialism. The US had obviously underplayed the seriousness of this resentment, and Middle Eastern terrorists unleashed the full venom of their hatred against our country, as the leader, and strongest, of the Western nations seen as so oppressive. To make matters in the Middle East worse, the new Bush-Cheney administration gravely miscalculated their power to mold Middle East realities to their desires, deciding to attack and overthrow the government of Iraq, which had not been involved in the al Qaeda attacks. This warfare further destabilized the Middle East, added to anti-Western hostility, and triggered the later creation of ISIS from disaffected Iraqis and others wanting to rid the region of Western influence.
As if our Middle East problems were not enough, the US economy collapsed in 2008, wealth creation and property values having risen excessively during the past two decades of economic boom and unpaid-for military spending in the Middle East. The US economic collapse quickly spread to consume much of the world economy, as some banks failed, jobs were lost, and businesses closed. In this context, Barack Obama was elected president, offering real change, hope, a positive vision for a better, brighter future for a nation in need of change. Almost immediately, however, his Republican opposition in Congress, led by Mitch McConnell, vowed to ensure that the optimistic endeavors of the Obama administration would fail, and a pattern of gridlock and stalemate developed in Congress that, after the passage of the Affordable Care Act, doomed many of its desires for the nation. The economy did gradually begin to recover, limited however by the harsh reality that most of the recovery benefits were effecting corporations and the more wealthy among the population, not extending down fully to help the middle and lower income groups recover. The nation stayed enmeshed in the Middle East, with Iraq and Afghanistan torn by sectarian rivalries necessitating continued US presence, ISIS developing into an even more potent anti-western terrorist organization, Iran's desire to join its rival Israel in possessing nuclear power, and the Palestinians need for a viable homeland on the West Bank all problems remaining unresolved.
In this context, Obama was reelected president in 2012, setting the stage for the writing of these commentaries. They were written by Bill Hessell, PhD, a retired clinical psychologist with a life-long interest in politics, world history,and international relations, with a special interest in conflict resolution as applied to interpersonal relationships and to foreign affairs. The commentaries were written between 2013 and 2019 for posting on the political blogsite, fortheleft.blogspot.com, managed by a friend, Keith Shirey. They remain available on that site, and are reprinted here for ready accessibility as a collection. They give, then, one person's perception of some of the very key events and developments during this very seminal, critical period of time in our nation's political history.
Friday, October 25, 2019
POLITICAL TURMOIL IN AMERICA: 2013 TO 2019, YEARS OF DISORDER, DECAY, DECLINE IN AMERICA
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Post # Page #
1. The Plague of Corporate Political Sponsorship
2. America's Lingering Wild West Mentality
3. Political Gridlock: A Sign of a Nation In Distress
4. America's Wild West Past is Part of Our Foreign Policy
5. Reagan's Betrayal of the Middle Class Comes to Full Fruition
6. Obama -- From Audacity to Acquiescence
7. America's Changing World Image: Some do Hate Us
8. Who Speaks for America's Youth?
9. The High Cost of Excessive Income Inequity
10. The Greatest Threats Facing the US Are Not External Enemies, Not ISIS,
but Major Internal Dysfunctions
11. US Fails in Roll as World Diplomatic Leader
12. A Nation In Search of Its Moral Compass
13. Consumed by Fear and Dysfunction: A Great Nation Losing Influence
and Credibility
14. Netanyahu's Speech Arrogant, Insulting, Full of Lies
15. The Ukrainian Conundrum
16. Wake Up America: A Complacent Nation Sleepwalks Into Danger
17. Charlie Wilson's War Revisited: When the US Supported Jihadists and
the Precursors to Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and ISIS
18. The Neocons Reemerge: Endless Warfare Threatened by Their Illusions
of World Domination
19. Punished for Extraordinary Courage: America's "Reward" For Four
Exceptional Citizens
20. Political Game-Playing and Hypocrisy: Our Middle Class and Foreign
Policy Suffer
21. The Shameless, Unmitigated Gall of Dick Cheney
22. The Obama Enigma: Moments of Enlightened Leadership, Months of
Less Impressive Posturing
23. Our Nation's Failing Mental Health System: Do Our Politicians Really Care?
24. The Iran Nuclear Treaty: Our Best Chance 1) to Begin a True Middle East
Peace Process and 2) to Finally Reject the Policies and People Who
Brought Us the Disastrous Iraqi War
25. The GOP's Top Ten To Do List: No Wonder Congress is So Unpopular
26. America's Obsession with Trump: A Rude Wake Up Call for Us All
27. Combatting ISIS: Is the US Losing An Opportunity to Foster A Broad
Coalition In This Common Cause?
28. America's Angry: The Voting Public is Letting the Establishment Know
Their Anger Is For Real
30. The Nation's Political Divide Becomes a Huge Chasm: No Relief in Sight
31. Threat and Reality of Foreign Wars and Domestic Violence Grow: Does
Anyone Really Care?
32. It's The Party of Trump Versus the Rest of Us: The Self-Destruction of
the Republican Party
33. An Election Like No Other: There Will Be No Real Winners This Time
34. How Long, Oh How Long, Will This Trump Nightmare Last?
35. An Eclipse Falls Over America: The Long, Dark Shadow of Donald Trump
36. America is Standing At The Crossroads: Which Way USA?
37. Deviant Donald and the Destruction of the American Dream
38. The Reign and Rage of Trump: Our Nation and the World At Great Risk
39. Trump is Hellbent for Conflict and War: Time for the Public to Say
"You're Fired!"
40. The GOP's Lost Soul: Sold Out to the Highest Donor and the Lowest Instincts
41. Trump, the NRA, and Our Escalation Into a Violent-Prone Society
42. The Trump Presidency: A Monstrous Moral and Political Mistake
43. Trumpland: Doesn't Integrity Matter Anymore?
44. A Dark Cloud Descends Over America: The 21st Century Decline of a
Great Nation
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
A DARK CLOUD DESCENDS OVER AMERICA: THE 21ST CENTURY DECLINE OF A GREAT NATION
An unusually dark storm cloud began to descend on the United States two years ago, with the bizarre election of Donald J. Trump as President of our nation. Many observers anticipated his presidency would be highly problematic, that he was in fact unfit and totally unprepared for the office, others hoped for the best, that he would rise to meet the responsibilities of the office with some grace, integrity, and stature. After two years in office, it is fair to say that the worst fears have been realized, and any optimistic hopes were dead on arrival. But it would be very unfair to say that the dark clouds began with the arrival of Donald Trump onto the political scene, or that blue skies will reemerge with his departure. The storm has been brewing for decades, and the component factors in the turmoil that now exist are numerous, some deep-seeded. Let's look for a moment at the recent history of the United States as an optimally strong nation, both in its domestic strength and in its role as a major world leader.
In reviewing our nation's political, economic, and international strength over the last 70 years, we were at the height of our strength in the 1950's and 1960's. The nation was functioning as a relatively united community of citizens, recovering from the trauma of World War 2, Industry was booming with defense mobilization converting to domestic peacetime production, and federal support was being giving generously to veterans for their education, public school improvement was emphasized, and infrastructure upgrading and expansion was underway. Jobs were plentiful and our middle class was growing rapidly in numbers and economic well-being. We were the clearly recognized leaders of the free world, the Marshall Plan to help war-depleted allies recover from the ruins of the recent war solidified our world leadership, and the Cold War with the Soviet Union made our involvement in world affairs indispensable. The nation began to fracture domestically in the late 1960's over the continuation and expansion of the Vietnamese War, which was mistakenly seen by our policy makers as a domino theory example of the Soviet Union fostering a civil war to put another nation under their Communist rule, rather than as primarily a homegrown rebellion of Vietnamese struggling to establish their own independence after centuries of colonial domination by Western nations.
The 1970's were highly contentious, not only because of the often violent protests to end the Vietnamese War but also as society itself was experiencing major changes, with the younger people who matured with the free expression which was rampant in the 1960's actively reacting against many of the ways of older, more established factions of society. Not only in domestic politics, and especially in the participation in a war they felt was poorly conceived and deceitfully begun and conducted, but also in regard to music and many social mores, such as those dealing with sex and language. Added to the societal dissension and the reality of the US being involved, for the first time, in a foreign war that it was losing, was the downfall of the Nixon administration, due to the illegal activities that Nixon was found to be directly responsible for, in his striving to remain in power in spite of his growing unpopularity. Ethics and honesty still did matter to the nation, and to their credit, many members of Nixon's own party were ready to vote against him, necessitating that he resign to avoid the travails of an Impeachment trial. In spite of the battling between parties and the fractionating of the country on some issues, a degree of integrity was, during this episode, seen as essential for a government to remain functional. When the nation arrives into the 2000's, integrity may not have as significant a role in the nation's political life, as the value of winning, through any means, often came to outweigh the role of integrity.
The election of Ronald Reagan allowed a temporary respite in some of the open domestic division, as he was a relatively popular president. His tax reductions were well-received, but ultimately significantly damaged the economic well-being of the middle class, the people that comprised his major voting base, as the tax reductions primarily helped the more wealthy classes, and the percentage of the nation's wealth in the hands of the middle class began to decline, as did their numbers. More people slipped into impoverished circumstances, as less money became available for the nation's social service and safety net, with public school funding and welfare needs becoming under-funded. The Cold War began to wind down, a very positive development, as the Soviet Union weakened itself economically through its attempt to impose its own government upon Afghanistan and defeat some rebellious movements within is own borders, and its new leader, Gorbachev, was able to negotiate an end to the Cold War and a breakup of the Soviet Union into separate independent nations. There was a chance for a more peaceful world, but would it materialize?
The 1990's began with guarded optimism. There was a chance of a "peace dividend" due to the end of the Cold War, but there were major trouble signs in the Middle East. There was fighting between Iraq and Kuwait, which involved our intervention. The long-standing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians over the creation of the state of Israel and the need to establish a homeland for the Palestinians begged for resolution. Shia and Sunni Arab nations have never found a solution to their differences, and anti-colonial anger still enraged the region over the many decades of Western domination and continuing interference. In short, the region was a smoldering hotbed, waiting for the next outbreak of violence. Clinton tried to make a difference, but his attempts to ease tensions had little success. He also worked with Yeltsin to create a free enterprise economic society in Russia, but Yeltsin was a weak, ineffective leader, Russia reverted to a more autocratic leader when Putin became president there. And Clinton greatly weakened his own domestic agenda with his Lewinski affair. He also allowed the financial regulations stipulated by the long-standing Glass-Steagall act to lapse, playing a role in the economic collapse that later occurred in 2008, and Clinton's difficulties served to strengthen the Republican party's likelihood of winning the 2000 election.
The contentious events of the 2000's needn't be fully itemized. A highly contested election, decided in essence by the Supreme Court, the 9-11 al Qaeda attacks on our nation, war against al Qaeda in Afghanistan leading to a misguided, deceitfully-initiated war against Iraq by the Bush-Cheney administration, remnants of Iraq's defeated Sunni population became world-wide terrorists, known as ISIS, becoming active in Western aligned nations as well as establishing major footholds within Iraq and also increasingly in Syria. The economic collapse of 2008 added to the turmoil. The election of Barack Obama brought a note of positive promise to the scene, but it was not to be fulfilled, as his presidency was met with a solid wall of opposition by Republicans in congress, and his attempts to ameliorate Middle East initiated well-intended Arab Spring activities, which however initially well-received, fell upon a region not yet at all ready for such optimistic changes. An attempted reset with Russia also never really got off the ground. A basic suspiciousness of Russia was deep-seated, many in the State Department were still Neocons, believing the US should, and could, retain sole world power and leadership, and with the US still taking actions which threatened Russia, Putin responded in kind. Domestically the US was essentially in a state of gridlock during the Obama years. After the passage of Obama's Affordable Care Act, Republicans tightened their defenses against the passage of any other major legislation. The middle and lower classes never recovered economically from the fall of 2008, their wages remained stagnant although the wealth of more wealthy people recovered rapidly from the sharp 2008 decline. While the Dow-Jones average rose to all-time heights, middle class well-being still suffered. The trickle down theory was clearly not at all working.
Such was the situation when the dark cloud, in the person of Donald Trump, was elected. His personal abrasive nature, his political biases, typically self-serving and uninformed, greatly magnified the divisiveness, the anger, and the political polarization that already existed in the country. He has antagonized our Western allies, seemingly acted like a buddy cohort with the dictators and oligarchs of the world, and has filled his cabinet and administration only with those who do his bidding, and fires those who don't. He rejects science, and his own FBI, CIA, and State Department reports. He has a terrible relationship with the mainstream media, with the exception of the one network and a few right-wing pundits who support and parrot his views. He holds firm to this nationalistic "Make America Great Again" views, which translate into a take America way back to how it used to be, racist, white supremacist, intolerant of forward progress, desiring to reverse all the positive changes that have been fought for and won over the past decades. In short, he is breaking down the very things that have served to make America great. His anti-immigrant obsession forgets, of course, that from its outset our nation has been a nation of immigrants. He does, unfortunately have a base of apparently like-minded people, and, opportunist that he is, caters to their views. Establishment Republicans have typically been reluctant to risk his wrath by opposing him. His ever-increasing opposition suggests many of his actions and policies are anathema to a majority of American citizens, but under our system, removing a damaging and dangerously unfit president takes time, through impeachment, 25th amendment, election loss, or other legal means. Such is the situation our nation now faces.
There is hope, certainly, that the dark cloud will lift in the not unforeseeable future. Democratic congressional gains in the recent election are a positive indication of things to come. Women, and younger voters are more engaged in politics than ever before, and are strongly opposed to many of Trump's actions and policies. Environmental threats are ignored by the Trump administration, as are the threats of renewed nuclear proliferation and international hostilities. People interested in the well-being of future generations are especially incensed by Trump's many biases, including his ignoring these major threats. His total lack of integrity, demonstrated in his daily erratic, contradictory pronouncements, models a direction which would be peril for our society to follow, not to mention his volatile anger, and impulsive, self-serving, egotistical behaviors. If the current investigations by Mueller and/or congressional committees don't bear fruit, and lead to a lifting of the dark cloud of Trump, increased voter turnout in 2020, especially by women and young people, may well provide the ray of sunshine that will break through the dark cloud, and remove the disaster that has resulted from the election of Trump. Only then can steps again be taken towards realizing the great potential that our founding fathers had for our nation, but knew that it could be reached only through a prolonged work-in-progress. For all of our well-being, that progress must be resumed.
In reviewing our nation's political, economic, and international strength over the last 70 years, we were at the height of our strength in the 1950's and 1960's. The nation was functioning as a relatively united community of citizens, recovering from the trauma of World War 2, Industry was booming with defense mobilization converting to domestic peacetime production, and federal support was being giving generously to veterans for their education, public school improvement was emphasized, and infrastructure upgrading and expansion was underway. Jobs were plentiful and our middle class was growing rapidly in numbers and economic well-being. We were the clearly recognized leaders of the free world, the Marshall Plan to help war-depleted allies recover from the ruins of the recent war solidified our world leadership, and the Cold War with the Soviet Union made our involvement in world affairs indispensable. The nation began to fracture domestically in the late 1960's over the continuation and expansion of the Vietnamese War, which was mistakenly seen by our policy makers as a domino theory example of the Soviet Union fostering a civil war to put another nation under their Communist rule, rather than as primarily a homegrown rebellion of Vietnamese struggling to establish their own independence after centuries of colonial domination by Western nations.
The 1970's were highly contentious, not only because of the often violent protests to end the Vietnamese War but also as society itself was experiencing major changes, with the younger people who matured with the free expression which was rampant in the 1960's actively reacting against many of the ways of older, more established factions of society. Not only in domestic politics, and especially in the participation in a war they felt was poorly conceived and deceitfully begun and conducted, but also in regard to music and many social mores, such as those dealing with sex and language. Added to the societal dissension and the reality of the US being involved, for the first time, in a foreign war that it was losing, was the downfall of the Nixon administration, due to the illegal activities that Nixon was found to be directly responsible for, in his striving to remain in power in spite of his growing unpopularity. Ethics and honesty still did matter to the nation, and to their credit, many members of Nixon's own party were ready to vote against him, necessitating that he resign to avoid the travails of an Impeachment trial. In spite of the battling between parties and the fractionating of the country on some issues, a degree of integrity was, during this episode, seen as essential for a government to remain functional. When the nation arrives into the 2000's, integrity may not have as significant a role in the nation's political life, as the value of winning, through any means, often came to outweigh the role of integrity.
The election of Ronald Reagan allowed a temporary respite in some of the open domestic division, as he was a relatively popular president. His tax reductions were well-received, but ultimately significantly damaged the economic well-being of the middle class, the people that comprised his major voting base, as the tax reductions primarily helped the more wealthy classes, and the percentage of the nation's wealth in the hands of the middle class began to decline, as did their numbers. More people slipped into impoverished circumstances, as less money became available for the nation's social service and safety net, with public school funding and welfare needs becoming under-funded. The Cold War began to wind down, a very positive development, as the Soviet Union weakened itself economically through its attempt to impose its own government upon Afghanistan and defeat some rebellious movements within is own borders, and its new leader, Gorbachev, was able to negotiate an end to the Cold War and a breakup of the Soviet Union into separate independent nations. There was a chance for a more peaceful world, but would it materialize?
The 1990's began with guarded optimism. There was a chance of a "peace dividend" due to the end of the Cold War, but there were major trouble signs in the Middle East. There was fighting between Iraq and Kuwait, which involved our intervention. The long-standing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians over the creation of the state of Israel and the need to establish a homeland for the Palestinians begged for resolution. Shia and Sunni Arab nations have never found a solution to their differences, and anti-colonial anger still enraged the region over the many decades of Western domination and continuing interference. In short, the region was a smoldering hotbed, waiting for the next outbreak of violence. Clinton tried to make a difference, but his attempts to ease tensions had little success. He also worked with Yeltsin to create a free enterprise economic society in Russia, but Yeltsin was a weak, ineffective leader, Russia reverted to a more autocratic leader when Putin became president there. And Clinton greatly weakened his own domestic agenda with his Lewinski affair. He also allowed the financial regulations stipulated by the long-standing Glass-Steagall act to lapse, playing a role in the economic collapse that later occurred in 2008, and Clinton's difficulties served to strengthen the Republican party's likelihood of winning the 2000 election.
The contentious events of the 2000's needn't be fully itemized. A highly contested election, decided in essence by the Supreme Court, the 9-11 al Qaeda attacks on our nation, war against al Qaeda in Afghanistan leading to a misguided, deceitfully-initiated war against Iraq by the Bush-Cheney administration, remnants of Iraq's defeated Sunni population became world-wide terrorists, known as ISIS, becoming active in Western aligned nations as well as establishing major footholds within Iraq and also increasingly in Syria. The economic collapse of 2008 added to the turmoil. The election of Barack Obama brought a note of positive promise to the scene, but it was not to be fulfilled, as his presidency was met with a solid wall of opposition by Republicans in congress, and his attempts to ameliorate Middle East initiated well-intended Arab Spring activities, which however initially well-received, fell upon a region not yet at all ready for such optimistic changes. An attempted reset with Russia also never really got off the ground. A basic suspiciousness of Russia was deep-seated, many in the State Department were still Neocons, believing the US should, and could, retain sole world power and leadership, and with the US still taking actions which threatened Russia, Putin responded in kind. Domestically the US was essentially in a state of gridlock during the Obama years. After the passage of Obama's Affordable Care Act, Republicans tightened their defenses against the passage of any other major legislation. The middle and lower classes never recovered economically from the fall of 2008, their wages remained stagnant although the wealth of more wealthy people recovered rapidly from the sharp 2008 decline. While the Dow-Jones average rose to all-time heights, middle class well-being still suffered. The trickle down theory was clearly not at all working.
Such was the situation when the dark cloud, in the person of Donald Trump, was elected. His personal abrasive nature, his political biases, typically self-serving and uninformed, greatly magnified the divisiveness, the anger, and the political polarization that already existed in the country. He has antagonized our Western allies, seemingly acted like a buddy cohort with the dictators and oligarchs of the world, and has filled his cabinet and administration only with those who do his bidding, and fires those who don't. He rejects science, and his own FBI, CIA, and State Department reports. He has a terrible relationship with the mainstream media, with the exception of the one network and a few right-wing pundits who support and parrot his views. He holds firm to this nationalistic "Make America Great Again" views, which translate into a take America way back to how it used to be, racist, white supremacist, intolerant of forward progress, desiring to reverse all the positive changes that have been fought for and won over the past decades. In short, he is breaking down the very things that have served to make America great. His anti-immigrant obsession forgets, of course, that from its outset our nation has been a nation of immigrants. He does, unfortunately have a base of apparently like-minded people, and, opportunist that he is, caters to their views. Establishment Republicans have typically been reluctant to risk his wrath by opposing him. His ever-increasing opposition suggests many of his actions and policies are anathema to a majority of American citizens, but under our system, removing a damaging and dangerously unfit president takes time, through impeachment, 25th amendment, election loss, or other legal means. Such is the situation our nation now faces.
There is hope, certainly, that the dark cloud will lift in the not unforeseeable future. Democratic congressional gains in the recent election are a positive indication of things to come. Women, and younger voters are more engaged in politics than ever before, and are strongly opposed to many of Trump's actions and policies. Environmental threats are ignored by the Trump administration, as are the threats of renewed nuclear proliferation and international hostilities. People interested in the well-being of future generations are especially incensed by Trump's many biases, including his ignoring these major threats. His total lack of integrity, demonstrated in his daily erratic, contradictory pronouncements, models a direction which would be peril for our society to follow, not to mention his volatile anger, and impulsive, self-serving, egotistical behaviors. If the current investigations by Mueller and/or congressional committees don't bear fruit, and lead to a lifting of the dark cloud of Trump, increased voter turnout in 2020, especially by women and young people, may well provide the ray of sunshine that will break through the dark cloud, and remove the disaster that has resulted from the election of Trump. Only then can steps again be taken towards realizing the great potential that our founding fathers had for our nation, but knew that it could be reached only through a prolonged work-in-progress. For all of our well-being, that progress must be resumed.
Monday, July 23, 2018
TRUMPLAND: DOESN'T INTEGRITY MATTER ANYMORE?
Has our nation's Integrity Quotient plummeted to a previously unheard of low in recent years? With the advent of Donald Trump's presidency, it seems obvious that it has! Responsible media analysts have identified over 3000 statements that Trump has made during his first year and a half in office that were clearly contrary to fact, notwithstanding his insistence they were true. His administration rapidly and repeatedly labels real, factual news as "fake news", and media outlets which back his rule serve as a regular conduit for the announcements coming out of his office, parroting the untrue assertions which are offered in support of his policies. Recent examples are numerous, including his reasoning for separating parents from their children, among refugee seekers at the border, citing dangers which were falsely stated as occurring when the refugees status is processed as usual. Another example is repeatedly claiming that he has been much tougher on Russia than Obama ever was, overlooking the damaging sanctions that the Obama administration imposed on Russia after their Crimean incursion, and belying the fact that Trump and his advisors have made numerous overtures for better relations with Russia, including considering repeal of the sanctions. A third example involves Trump's withdrawal of the US from the Iranian Nuclear Agreement, claiming Iran was violating the terms of the agreement, an unverified charge and one negated by our Western allies denying his claim. Whether it concerns human rights, foreign affairs, the health of the nation's economy, accepting scientific fact, or facing environmental realities, the Trump administration is clearly fact-challenged! Without a respect for truth, integrity is nonexistent, and our society seems to be at serious risk of falling prey to its absence. A positive quality like integrity, especially when modeled by a respected leader, can have a contagious effect on society. So too, tragically, can a false leader serve to stimulate a profound loss of respect for integrity within society. Our nation seems to be experiencing just such a loss!
For a nation which frequently and often proudly proclaims its "Exceptionalism", and which does indeed stand for a number of qualities which are to be highly respected and set it apart from many other nations, what has contributed to its current integrity-deficit? While our founding fathers may have had the highest of intentions, they did have to make serious compromises in some of their basic values at our nations very onset, in order to get it off the ground. Voting rights, property rights, and gender equality were all extremely limited, slavery was allowed to exist as a compromise to Southern economic interests, and Native Americans were treated as less than human, as treaty after treaty with tribes were broken as their land was literally stolen from them. The fictitious concept of "Manifest Destiny" gave the newly-labeled Americans the right to eradicate those standing in their way, as though God ordained it. So those stealing land could hold their heads high, in carrying out God's will, and their own integrity, in their minds, was not being violated.
Later generations of leaders have tried to rectify some of the early lapses of integrity, and the moral and political shortcomings implicit in our founding documents and institutions have often been points of contention. While the wrongs perpetuated on Native Americans have never been adequately addressed, and undoubtedly never will be, a Civil War was fought to end the inhuman practice of slavery, voting rights were gradually increased, greater economic opportunity and equality have been fervently sought, with varying results over time. An ebb and flow battle has existed between property rights and the accumulation of wealth, a central feature of capitalism, on one hand, and human rights and the striving for greater equality and justice to be shared by all people, on the other. True integrity is often sacrificed in this battle, ends seen as justifying the means, as compromises are often made to reach one's ends, regardless of the effect they may have on one's sense of integrity. Still, up until the last two decades, our political leaders have always been expected to act with some degree of integrity, and were rapidly removed from office when it became obvious that they were falling far short in this expectation. One example from recent history was when Richard Nixon, clearly caught lying and engaging in deceitful practices through the Watergate Inquiry, was forced to resign from the presidency. A second was Bill Clinton, found to have lied over an illicit affair he conducted with a White House intern, was impeached by Congress, not found guilty by the Senate, but his presidency still severely reprimanded. Since then, integrity has been in short supply in Washington DC, and Trump's presidency brings the degree and intensity of its absence to a new level.
As the preceding all reveals, our nation's problems with integrity at high levels in no way began with Trump, undoubtedly won't end with him, but have reached a level which must be openly addressed and corrected, before the damage is totally irreparable. His presidency is the third major blow which our nation's credibility and integrity have experienced already this century. The first was the overt lying and false statements that came from the George W Bush-Dick Cheney administration, leading us to start a war against Iraq, one the administration clearly desired, based on falsified evidence. The second was the Republican-led Congress's absolute refusal to cooperate with the Obama administration on any key issues, even defeating programs and policies they had previously supported and proposed themselves, as their sole intent, openly admitted, was to ensure that Obama's presidency would be a failure. Clearly a case of partisanship over patriotism, and revealing an abject absence of integrity in violating their stated values of acting in the nation's best interest. Not surprisingly, voters were sick of the existing political establishment--it had failed them--and neither party offered a clear change from that establishment in the 2016 election, except for Donald Trump. The Republican establishment candidates had failed them, and the Clinton candidacy was the epitome of establishment, and had its own integrity issues. Hence, Trump's nomination and election, and our current political realities.
Trump is the ultimate in a chaos-driven, ego-centric, ethically-challenged, opportunistic individual. Impulsive and erratic in his emotions and actions, he has been called by some mental health professionals a "malignant narcissist", with his irresponsible and obsessive self-serving behaviors tending to spread to the people he is having greatest contact with, and from them to others in their contact. This seems to be happening in Trump's administration, spreading to Republicans in Congress, and to media outlets aligned with the GOP. They are becoming integrity-challenged themselves, spreading most of his untruths without qualification. In the latest polls, even Republican voters, historically the most conservative, religious, and likely to insist on the personal and political integrity of leaders, offer him their support, the number supporting him currently being over 80%. Its clearly short-term party bias and perceived political gain "trumping" all other considerations, integrity, truth, overall national well-being be damned! The dark power that resides in the White House is considerable, and having a marked influence on the nation. But so too is an ameliorative power that resides in the public, citizens who respect our nation's primary stated values, principles, and purposes. They are marshaling their forces for the battles that lie ahead, whether they be in the courts, in upcoming elections, hopefully, certainly, not in the streets. And hopefully not fought on foreign lands in an ego-driven or diversionary war Trump pursues to shift attention from his domestic failings. But the battle, one for our nation's integrity, well-being, and respectability needs to be fought. Many have fought for it in the past, and they have more frequently than not, won. Our history is replete with such instances. The united, informed energy and efforts of those who care can produce another such instance. Our future can't lie in Trump's hands, it must lie in ours. It is up to us!
For a nation which frequently and often proudly proclaims its "Exceptionalism", and which does indeed stand for a number of qualities which are to be highly respected and set it apart from many other nations, what has contributed to its current integrity-deficit? While our founding fathers may have had the highest of intentions, they did have to make serious compromises in some of their basic values at our nations very onset, in order to get it off the ground. Voting rights, property rights, and gender equality were all extremely limited, slavery was allowed to exist as a compromise to Southern economic interests, and Native Americans were treated as less than human, as treaty after treaty with tribes were broken as their land was literally stolen from them. The fictitious concept of "Manifest Destiny" gave the newly-labeled Americans the right to eradicate those standing in their way, as though God ordained it. So those stealing land could hold their heads high, in carrying out God's will, and their own integrity, in their minds, was not being violated.
Later generations of leaders have tried to rectify some of the early lapses of integrity, and the moral and political shortcomings implicit in our founding documents and institutions have often been points of contention. While the wrongs perpetuated on Native Americans have never been adequately addressed, and undoubtedly never will be, a Civil War was fought to end the inhuman practice of slavery, voting rights were gradually increased, greater economic opportunity and equality have been fervently sought, with varying results over time. An ebb and flow battle has existed between property rights and the accumulation of wealth, a central feature of capitalism, on one hand, and human rights and the striving for greater equality and justice to be shared by all people, on the other. True integrity is often sacrificed in this battle, ends seen as justifying the means, as compromises are often made to reach one's ends, regardless of the effect they may have on one's sense of integrity. Still, up until the last two decades, our political leaders have always been expected to act with some degree of integrity, and were rapidly removed from office when it became obvious that they were falling far short in this expectation. One example from recent history was when Richard Nixon, clearly caught lying and engaging in deceitful practices through the Watergate Inquiry, was forced to resign from the presidency. A second was Bill Clinton, found to have lied over an illicit affair he conducted with a White House intern, was impeached by Congress, not found guilty by the Senate, but his presidency still severely reprimanded. Since then, integrity has been in short supply in Washington DC, and Trump's presidency brings the degree and intensity of its absence to a new level.
As the preceding all reveals, our nation's problems with integrity at high levels in no way began with Trump, undoubtedly won't end with him, but have reached a level which must be openly addressed and corrected, before the damage is totally irreparable. His presidency is the third major blow which our nation's credibility and integrity have experienced already this century. The first was the overt lying and false statements that came from the George W Bush-Dick Cheney administration, leading us to start a war against Iraq, one the administration clearly desired, based on falsified evidence. The second was the Republican-led Congress's absolute refusal to cooperate with the Obama administration on any key issues, even defeating programs and policies they had previously supported and proposed themselves, as their sole intent, openly admitted, was to ensure that Obama's presidency would be a failure. Clearly a case of partisanship over patriotism, and revealing an abject absence of integrity in violating their stated values of acting in the nation's best interest. Not surprisingly, voters were sick of the existing political establishment--it had failed them--and neither party offered a clear change from that establishment in the 2016 election, except for Donald Trump. The Republican establishment candidates had failed them, and the Clinton candidacy was the epitome of establishment, and had its own integrity issues. Hence, Trump's nomination and election, and our current political realities.
Trump is the ultimate in a chaos-driven, ego-centric, ethically-challenged, opportunistic individual. Impulsive and erratic in his emotions and actions, he has been called by some mental health professionals a "malignant narcissist", with his irresponsible and obsessive self-serving behaviors tending to spread to the people he is having greatest contact with, and from them to others in their contact. This seems to be happening in Trump's administration, spreading to Republicans in Congress, and to media outlets aligned with the GOP. They are becoming integrity-challenged themselves, spreading most of his untruths without qualification. In the latest polls, even Republican voters, historically the most conservative, religious, and likely to insist on the personal and political integrity of leaders, offer him their support, the number supporting him currently being over 80%. Its clearly short-term party bias and perceived political gain "trumping" all other considerations, integrity, truth, overall national well-being be damned! The dark power that resides in the White House is considerable, and having a marked influence on the nation. But so too is an ameliorative power that resides in the public, citizens who respect our nation's primary stated values, principles, and purposes. They are marshaling their forces for the battles that lie ahead, whether they be in the courts, in upcoming elections, hopefully, certainly, not in the streets. And hopefully not fought on foreign lands in an ego-driven or diversionary war Trump pursues to shift attention from his domestic failings. But the battle, one for our nation's integrity, well-being, and respectability needs to be fought. Many have fought for it in the past, and they have more frequently than not, won. Our history is replete with such instances. The united, informed energy and efforts of those who care can produce another such instance. Our future can't lie in Trump's hands, it must lie in ours. It is up to us!
Tuesday, June 19, 2018
THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY: A MONSTROUS MORAL AND POLITICAL MISTAKE
Many US voters anticipated and feared that a Trump presidency would be a disaster, and could readily sense, from it's very beginning, that his reign would be a very troubled one for the nation. When he began forming his Administration with Cabinet Secretaries and other top officials chosen with the express intent of dismantling everything the Obama Administration had set in motion, not just revise specific things that experience showed needed some adjustment, it was obvious to many that the nation was in for a rough ride. Few, however, anticipated just how bad it would become. With the current moral and human atrocities now taking place on our southern border, with children being separated from their parents in callous disregard for their well-being, in Trump's hastily announced "zero tolerance" approach to dealing with asylum seekers crossing the border without papers, it is abundantly clear that the Trump administration has irrevocably crossed the line. His Administration is morally bankrupt, his election a monstrous mistake, one that it may take the nation decades, if ever, to recover from. For Trump, the month of June 2018, may well live on, in painful, lingering infamy, for our nation and for the world.
Trump has shown an amazing ability to survive through multiple misdeeds and outrageous behaviors during both his election campaigning and the first year and a half of his presidency. His insulting attacks on rivals, his demeaning, sexist behaviors towards women, his appointment of administration officials that have turned the White House into a veritable Den of Vipers, Liars, and Thieves (making other historical references to such terminology seem like minor offenses in comparison), his embrace of racists and white supremists as if that kind of ideation is still officially acceptable in the United States, his rejecting and insulting our primary, longstanding international allies one day, then showing a willingness to embrace dictators who have been threatening destruction on our nation and our allies on the next day. The list of his offensive behaviors could go on, his disparaging of the Never Again movement, ignoring the pleas of high school students to do something about the easy accessibility of assault weapons that has turned too many schools into shooting grounds, an incident occurring at a rate of approximately one per week during his presidency. His mocking of the Me Too movement, not taking seriously that many women have a serious issue with having been violated by males in our society, whether in the form of sexual abuse, harassment, or disadvantageous employment or financial opportunity. Trump has somehow survived all of his outrageous offenses, through deflection, counterattacks, or distracting the attention of the nation to his next outrage, which will consume media attention for a period of time, allow the energy and momentum of previous protest movements to dissipate, and soon yet another outrage will be emitted by the White House, media attention again shifts, and on the process goes. Its been that way for a year and half, that's life with Trump, the guy who believes, and I quote, that "conflict is good".
Its a tough call to judge what is worse, what Trump has done so far, or what he hasn't done, the nation's myriad problems that are laying dormant, that he's not dealing with. What he has done is given the nation an absolutely terrible role model as a leader, one who vents anger freely, attacks, divides, is unthinking and heartless in considering the consequences of his actions. Our nation's political divisions are greater than ever, with no middle ground, no end in sight. Our position as a reliable leader of nations in the free world has been uprooted, we still have the power, but have seriously compromised our working relationship with our allies, and Trump is not one to make amends, only to cajole and attempt to exert power.
Trump has destroyed numerous domestic programs that served real needs, what he hasn't done is provide any creative problem solving on how to replace what he has dismantled. The major tax cut bill he signed will lead to massive deficits in future budgets, that only voodoo economics believes will be offset by revenue gains. The government's ability to fund needed infrastructure repair and development is at risk, as are the funds for both mandated and other needed social service spending. Environmental Protection regulations are being eliminated, as are consumer financial protection regulations. The ravages of climate change are not being addressed, not even being acknowledged as real. In financial matters, its "let the buyer beware", and "let corporations, and those with wealth, make all the money they can, by hook or by crook". That's how Trump made his money, why shouldn't it work for the government? Its not really America First that Trump proclaims, its Me First. Forget the greater good, the consideration of All, the truth of real fact, and of Science. Trump has been labeled by some as a malignant narcissist, and he is governing like one. He is the law, he determines fact and truth, and his narcissism spreads and effects those around him, and threatens to infect the nation.
Will Trump survive the current uproar of June 2018, as he has survived his past misdeeds? Or will the outcome this time somehow be different? Will enough Republicans in Congress be offended by the obvious heartless child abuse that is involved in the child-family separation that is going on at our borders that they will rise up and demand change? Holding children hostage as leverage to obtain funding for his stupid Wall! Come on! A majority of the nation is outraged, ashamed to see our nation violate accepted humane standards so cruelly, but will their offense last, or again blow over with the passage of time? Trump has been able to rely on the support of "His People", the 25 to 35% of Americans who seem to have a cult-like capacity to support whatever he does. Will some of this group begin to fall away from their omnipotent one? For the children, and for the nation, for all of us, let's hope this particular policy is changed by the time this commentary is read. But our nation is severely at risk with a man like Donald J. Trump as President. What will his next induced crisis be, his next power play, his next outburst of anger or retaliation for a perceived political slight or failure? Let's hope its not North Korea, if his bromance with Kim fails, or China, or Iran. His list of targets is extensive, and they won't all be children. He does hold the power, the Button is in his hands. Our nation spent decades containing a foreign enemy. Now a policy of containment is again necessary, this time unfortunately for a power that resides in the White House.
Trump has shown an amazing ability to survive through multiple misdeeds and outrageous behaviors during both his election campaigning and the first year and a half of his presidency. His insulting attacks on rivals, his demeaning, sexist behaviors towards women, his appointment of administration officials that have turned the White House into a veritable Den of Vipers, Liars, and Thieves (making other historical references to such terminology seem like minor offenses in comparison), his embrace of racists and white supremists as if that kind of ideation is still officially acceptable in the United States, his rejecting and insulting our primary, longstanding international allies one day, then showing a willingness to embrace dictators who have been threatening destruction on our nation and our allies on the next day. The list of his offensive behaviors could go on, his disparaging of the Never Again movement, ignoring the pleas of high school students to do something about the easy accessibility of assault weapons that has turned too many schools into shooting grounds, an incident occurring at a rate of approximately one per week during his presidency. His mocking of the Me Too movement, not taking seriously that many women have a serious issue with having been violated by males in our society, whether in the form of sexual abuse, harassment, or disadvantageous employment or financial opportunity. Trump has somehow survived all of his outrageous offenses, through deflection, counterattacks, or distracting the attention of the nation to his next outrage, which will consume media attention for a period of time, allow the energy and momentum of previous protest movements to dissipate, and soon yet another outrage will be emitted by the White House, media attention again shifts, and on the process goes. Its been that way for a year and half, that's life with Trump, the guy who believes, and I quote, that "conflict is good".
Its a tough call to judge what is worse, what Trump has done so far, or what he hasn't done, the nation's myriad problems that are laying dormant, that he's not dealing with. What he has done is given the nation an absolutely terrible role model as a leader, one who vents anger freely, attacks, divides, is unthinking and heartless in considering the consequences of his actions. Our nation's political divisions are greater than ever, with no middle ground, no end in sight. Our position as a reliable leader of nations in the free world has been uprooted, we still have the power, but have seriously compromised our working relationship with our allies, and Trump is not one to make amends, only to cajole and attempt to exert power.
Trump has destroyed numerous domestic programs that served real needs, what he hasn't done is provide any creative problem solving on how to replace what he has dismantled. The major tax cut bill he signed will lead to massive deficits in future budgets, that only voodoo economics believes will be offset by revenue gains. The government's ability to fund needed infrastructure repair and development is at risk, as are the funds for both mandated and other needed social service spending. Environmental Protection regulations are being eliminated, as are consumer financial protection regulations. The ravages of climate change are not being addressed, not even being acknowledged as real. In financial matters, its "let the buyer beware", and "let corporations, and those with wealth, make all the money they can, by hook or by crook". That's how Trump made his money, why shouldn't it work for the government? Its not really America First that Trump proclaims, its Me First. Forget the greater good, the consideration of All, the truth of real fact, and of Science. Trump has been labeled by some as a malignant narcissist, and he is governing like one. He is the law, he determines fact and truth, and his narcissism spreads and effects those around him, and threatens to infect the nation.
Will Trump survive the current uproar of June 2018, as he has survived his past misdeeds? Or will the outcome this time somehow be different? Will enough Republicans in Congress be offended by the obvious heartless child abuse that is involved in the child-family separation that is going on at our borders that they will rise up and demand change? Holding children hostage as leverage to obtain funding for his stupid Wall! Come on! A majority of the nation is outraged, ashamed to see our nation violate accepted humane standards so cruelly, but will their offense last, or again blow over with the passage of time? Trump has been able to rely on the support of "His People", the 25 to 35% of Americans who seem to have a cult-like capacity to support whatever he does. Will some of this group begin to fall away from their omnipotent one? For the children, and for the nation, for all of us, let's hope this particular policy is changed by the time this commentary is read. But our nation is severely at risk with a man like Donald J. Trump as President. What will his next induced crisis be, his next power play, his next outburst of anger or retaliation for a perceived political slight or failure? Let's hope its not North Korea, if his bromance with Kim fails, or China, or Iran. His list of targets is extensive, and they won't all be children. He does hold the power, the Button is in his hands. Our nation spent decades containing a foreign enemy. Now a policy of containment is again necessary, this time unfortunately for a power that resides in the White House.
Thursday, February 22, 2018
TRUMP, THE NRA, AND OUR ESCALATION INTO A VIOLENCE-PRONE SOCIETY
It took less than a year for the election of Donald Trump to lead to some of the most grim, horrifying results imaginable. He is a master at sewing discord, division, and hatred-inflaming rhetoric, and leaving a trail of chaos and violence in his wake. From his early campaign rallies in 2016, when he encouraged his supporters to "slug" those raising their voices in opposition to him "for him", and he would pay any resulting legal fines for them, he has, and is continuing to, demonstrate that he is the worst possible role model the nation could possibly have, certainly by far the worst that has ever occupied the White House. He intentionally baits his opposition, insults allied nations while at the same time having no compunctions against praising the most dictatorial of world leaders, whether they are friend or foe. Trump's political agenda is one thing, as confusing, convoluted, and self-serving as it seems to be. His personal style, breeding division, animosity, and violence among those observing his actions, may be even more insidious in its effects on the nation.
Its dangerous enough having such a man in the nation's top leadership role, appointing like-minded people to sensitive governmental positions. Our nation does have some controls on presidential powers by our system of checks and balances, including the legislatures, the judiciary, the upcoming elections, and powers reserved for the individual states. These, however, have yet to exert significant influence, if any at all, on Trump. He seemingly has no internal system of checks and balances on his own dynamics and behavior, and the Republicans who control power in Congress act like his willing servants, beholden to his desires and whims, regardless of whatever personal sense of morality and ethics they may otherwise claim. The resulting picture creates a virtual "perfect storm" in the White House, spreading its ripples throughout the nation and into the rest of the world. We are all intensely watching the drama play out, and love it or hate it, we are all under its influence, and effected by it, in negative, divisive, potentially violence-prone ways.
It is impossible not to be aware of the dramatic increase in irrational, unprovoked outbursts of violence and assaultive behavior in our society. The school shootings are one especially tragic and heart-breaking example of the deplorable uptick in violence, and one that everyone is rightly raising their cries demanding something be done to prevent. Yet, we have heard these cries before, and little to nothing has changed to offset the tragic occurrences. In fact, they have become more frequent, some school-related gun incidence reported on an average of one every 2 to 3 days so far this year. Students themselves are now raising their voices, louder than any others this time. Maybe that will make a difference, get their parents and other responsible adults behind them, and shame the politicians, the established powers, and the gun lobby into allowing some vitally needed changes.
While the gun issue is the key stumbling block preventing effective action being taken to reduce and ultimately eliminate the occurrence of mass shootings, those defending gun possession, like the NRA, do have some arguments in their favor. Mental health is a major issue, our system of preventing mentally disturbed individuals from being able to buy guns needs to be massively improved, and some ways of converting weapons into rapid-firing guns should be banned, and has NRA approval. Their position fails to resolve the problem, though. Mental health problems will always exist, and trying to squeeze money out of Congress to create any mental health detection and prevention program that would be even partially more effective than what now exists is virtually impossible. The NRA also consistently fights against waiting periods for purchases, so that effective background checks can be accomplished. It also allows all kinds of private sales and gun show loopholes to occur, so that control of who has weapons can never really take place.
Trump's proposal to arm school teachers, paying them a bonus for carrying a weapon and being trained to use it, is, of course, no solution at all. The public is against it, school administrators and teachers are against it, and students are against it. It would only be a step towards accepting being in a society which has adapted to violence occurring at any moment, and a step towards an open-carry society which in reality makes none of us more safe. The only people favoring such a proposal are those who for their own reasons believe that there should be no limitations placed on the right of citizens to buy and possess armed weapons, including even AR-15's and other types of rapid-firing assault weapons.
The kicker, of course, is that the NRA, and the politicians who court its favor, fully support military-style, assault weapons being legitimately sold, no registration, no control, apparently believing it's a basic right granted by the Constitution several centuries ago. The types of guns then existing were allowed to be in the hands of regulated civilian militias in those days. This is a far cry from the types of guns now readily available to be in the hands of civilians and the bands of unregulated militias currently active in many states. The NRA and its supporters fail to make a distinction between guns for use in hunting, marksmanship practice, and domestic self-defense, and those that are for use in the military at times of war, otherwise their only use is for wanton random killing of numerous people at once. In defending assault rifles and other rapid-firing weapons being in civilian hands, the NRA and the politicians who support them are complicit in every mass shooting involving such weapons since the ban on them was overturned, and are further complicit in every subsequent attempt to reinstitute the ban which has failed to be approved by Congress.
Two major thrusts are necessary. The first, focusing opposition to the NRA, and the backing of anti-gun legislation, should be limited to the immediate need to restrict assault-style weapon availability to the public, and branding a "badge of shame" characterization on those who resist these obvious efforts to allow our school children, and the rest of the civilian population as well, to live more freely from the danger of assault weapons being in the wrong hands. The second thrust of the drive for a much safer, more civil society for all of us, is to label the role model that enters our living rooms daily, emanating from Donald Trump himself, needs to be clearly labeled for what it is, a highly divisive, destructive, and dangerous model for our society, adding to the conflict and violence that is becoming all too prevalent in our nation. When Trump rants, insults, and threatens "fire and fury", is that the model we want our children, ourselves, and other people to follow. If not, we need to speak up loudly and clearly, and vote with real conviction. Our values, and our nation's future, is at stake. We could go in either direction, Trump's, or those deserving of much more respect. The direction we take is up to us. It could not be more important!
Its dangerous enough having such a man in the nation's top leadership role, appointing like-minded people to sensitive governmental positions. Our nation does have some controls on presidential powers by our system of checks and balances, including the legislatures, the judiciary, the upcoming elections, and powers reserved for the individual states. These, however, have yet to exert significant influence, if any at all, on Trump. He seemingly has no internal system of checks and balances on his own dynamics and behavior, and the Republicans who control power in Congress act like his willing servants, beholden to his desires and whims, regardless of whatever personal sense of morality and ethics they may otherwise claim. The resulting picture creates a virtual "perfect storm" in the White House, spreading its ripples throughout the nation and into the rest of the world. We are all intensely watching the drama play out, and love it or hate it, we are all under its influence, and effected by it, in negative, divisive, potentially violence-prone ways.
It is impossible not to be aware of the dramatic increase in irrational, unprovoked outbursts of violence and assaultive behavior in our society. The school shootings are one especially tragic and heart-breaking example of the deplorable uptick in violence, and one that everyone is rightly raising their cries demanding something be done to prevent. Yet, we have heard these cries before, and little to nothing has changed to offset the tragic occurrences. In fact, they have become more frequent, some school-related gun incidence reported on an average of one every 2 to 3 days so far this year. Students themselves are now raising their voices, louder than any others this time. Maybe that will make a difference, get their parents and other responsible adults behind them, and shame the politicians, the established powers, and the gun lobby into allowing some vitally needed changes.
While the gun issue is the key stumbling block preventing effective action being taken to reduce and ultimately eliminate the occurrence of mass shootings, those defending gun possession, like the NRA, do have some arguments in their favor. Mental health is a major issue, our system of preventing mentally disturbed individuals from being able to buy guns needs to be massively improved, and some ways of converting weapons into rapid-firing guns should be banned, and has NRA approval. Their position fails to resolve the problem, though. Mental health problems will always exist, and trying to squeeze money out of Congress to create any mental health detection and prevention program that would be even partially more effective than what now exists is virtually impossible. The NRA also consistently fights against waiting periods for purchases, so that effective background checks can be accomplished. It also allows all kinds of private sales and gun show loopholes to occur, so that control of who has weapons can never really take place.
Trump's proposal to arm school teachers, paying them a bonus for carrying a weapon and being trained to use it, is, of course, no solution at all. The public is against it, school administrators and teachers are against it, and students are against it. It would only be a step towards accepting being in a society which has adapted to violence occurring at any moment, and a step towards an open-carry society which in reality makes none of us more safe. The only people favoring such a proposal are those who for their own reasons believe that there should be no limitations placed on the right of citizens to buy and possess armed weapons, including even AR-15's and other types of rapid-firing assault weapons.
The kicker, of course, is that the NRA, and the politicians who court its favor, fully support military-style, assault weapons being legitimately sold, no registration, no control, apparently believing it's a basic right granted by the Constitution several centuries ago. The types of guns then existing were allowed to be in the hands of regulated civilian militias in those days. This is a far cry from the types of guns now readily available to be in the hands of civilians and the bands of unregulated militias currently active in many states. The NRA and its supporters fail to make a distinction between guns for use in hunting, marksmanship practice, and domestic self-defense, and those that are for use in the military at times of war, otherwise their only use is for wanton random killing of numerous people at once. In defending assault rifles and other rapid-firing weapons being in civilian hands, the NRA and the politicians who support them are complicit in every mass shooting involving such weapons since the ban on them was overturned, and are further complicit in every subsequent attempt to reinstitute the ban which has failed to be approved by Congress.
Two major thrusts are necessary. The first, focusing opposition to the NRA, and the backing of anti-gun legislation, should be limited to the immediate need to restrict assault-style weapon availability to the public, and branding a "badge of shame" characterization on those who resist these obvious efforts to allow our school children, and the rest of the civilian population as well, to live more freely from the danger of assault weapons being in the wrong hands. The second thrust of the drive for a much safer, more civil society for all of us, is to label the role model that enters our living rooms daily, emanating from Donald Trump himself, needs to be clearly labeled for what it is, a highly divisive, destructive, and dangerous model for our society, adding to the conflict and violence that is becoming all too prevalent in our nation. When Trump rants, insults, and threatens "fire and fury", is that the model we want our children, ourselves, and other people to follow. If not, we need to speak up loudly and clearly, and vote with real conviction. Our values, and our nation's future, is at stake. We could go in either direction, Trump's, or those deserving of much more respect. The direction we take is up to us. It could not be more important!
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
GOP'S LOST SOUL: SOLD OUT TO THE HIGHEST DONORS AND LOWEST INSTINCTS
How could a political party lose its soul, its integrity, its commitment and responsibility to serve the best interests of the entire nation more dramatically than the Republican Party has in recent decades? The current plunge is into the depths of irresponsibility, as the last vestiges of its moral fiber have disappeared with the advent of the Trump presidency and the party's calculated mixture of acceptance, toleration, and silence as it encounters the accumulation of fake news (i.e., open-faced lying) and the persistent self-promotion and self-aggrandizement of the president, regardless of the cost to the nation. His numerous violations of precedence and of laws in pursuit of his self-serving ends have all been tacitly accepted by party leaders, as their only real commitment is to pursue their immediate political goals, e.g., repealing the Affordable Care Act, passing their Tax Reform act which so clearly favors the most wealthy, reducing financial and corporate regulations that previous administrations have passed to provide greater consumer safety and protection, and decimating attempts to counter the adverse effects of human-induced climate change. The list could go on. The bottom line is that the Trump Administration is intent on dismembering the very things that have made America a great nation, especially those that have been fought for and enacted during the last 50 years, starting with the Civil Rights legislation of the 1960's. This legislation was meant to further counter the greatest blight on our nation's history, that of slavery and the continuance of human rights violations and implicit white supremacy. Trump's clear desire, as a closet white supremacist, is to roll back the clock, and the GOP has been willingly complicit.
The GOP's fall into the very depths of depravity have been highlighted by its choosing to ignore the sexual harassment charges that numerous women have raised against Donald Trump, regardless of the presence of considerable evidence, including self-statements made by the violator himself. While some party leaders did draw the line and refused to support accused child sexual harasser Roy Moore in his bid for a Senate seat, their silence in regard to Trump's sexual history speaks volumes. Their agenda must move forward, in their eyes nothing is more important. It's a sorry sight for a nation that likes to proclaim itself as "exceptional", valuing itself as a worthy model for the rest of the world, and often even trying to export its way of life and governance to other parts of the world, through nation building efforts supported by assistance or by force. Leaders and populations of other nations are looking at us with bewilderment, wondering "what's going on, how could a usually reliable, level-headed nation and ally get so far off the track?" It is not just a question of how did Trump, an egotistic, volatile, self-serving narcissist, become President. The Republican Party's downfall, its loss of integrity, began much earlier, Trump is just the ultimate culmination. How that happened is a fair question, one that deserves a serious answer.
The Republican Party began its history on the moral high ground with Abraham Lincoln, and the new party with which he was elected president, taking on the monumental task of ending the grossly inhumane and unjust practice of slavery which had been accepted by our nation's founding fathers some 80 years earlier. No cost was too great for Lincoln to succeed in this endeavor, a war was fought, the fracturing of the nation was risked, his own life was lost to the hatred inbreed in the battle. It was that important! The slaves had to be freed, no human being in our nation should be sentenced to serving as a slave for life. The Republican Party also maintained much of the moral high ground during the presidency of Teddy Roosevelt, with his persistent efforts to preserve public lands, establish National Parks, and protect the interests of all Americans, not just the most wealthy, influential, and privileged among us. His battles in fighting corporations, trusts, and holding companies ultimately cost him the presidency, but he was fighting for the interests of all Americans, not just the few powerful string-pullers at the top.
The GOP also demonstrated high integrity through some of the significant programs spurred by the Eisenhower Administration of the 1950's. Taxes were high, in some cases more than double or triple what they are now, but the money was well spent on programs that served to benefit the needs of all Americans. Our public education system was greatly expanded and improved, at primary, secondary, and college levels. Our interstate highway system was developed at great cost but to the tremendous advantage of all citizens. Government was actively and effectively working to improve the quality of its citizen's daily lives. A final high note of Eisenhower's presidency was his issuing a warning, as a last presidential act, of the growing power of the military and defense industries, and the real danger of that power being misused. Tragic for the nation that the warning was not heeded in coming years, especially by two Republican presidents, Nixon in markedly escalating and expanding the Vietnamese War, and the Bush-Cheney Administration in initiating the Iraqi War.
The GOP's decline as a party that maintained some degree of moral integrity was clearly evidenced during the Nixon years, continuing a war that was dishonestly conceived and prolonged, and then, of course, his presidency ending with the Watergate debacle. It was hoped that Watergate would be a "never again" occurrence, an end to dirty, dishonest politics at that level. Unfortunately, such has not been the case. Politicians have just gotten better at concealing their underhanded tactics and dishonest ways to win. Reagan, for instance, was expert at pretending to be the friend of the middle class, to focus on serving their needs, and those in the middle class did tend to love him and to reward him with their votes. His tax cuts and policies, however, strongly favored the most wealthy, and the percentage of the nation's wealth in middle class hands began dropping steadily during his presidency, and has yet to significantly recover. No way were his policies a "friend" to the middle class. He loved proclaiming that the ten most dangerous words in the English language were "I'm from the government and I'm here to help". A perfect excuse for his Administration to end policies and programs that did serve public needs, and redirect those resources into programs that benefited his donors and wealthy friends.
The latest impetus to the GOP's descent into moral turpitude was their reaction, as a unified party endeavor, to block, resist, and defeat everything the Obama administration attempted to achieve, even if Obama was undertaking policies and programs that the GOP had previously embraced. Nothing was more important than ensuring the failure of Obama, the best interests and needs of the nation during his presidency be damned. Politics over patriotism! Once they gained control of Congress, GOP leadership used their power, not to present any proposals to counter the policies Obama was putting forward, but rather only to see that Obama's programs were defeated. Was it racism, or just short-sighted, self-serving politics? Either way, no wonder Congress's approval ratings hit all time lows, Obama's years were less successful than they otherwise may have been, and all of government was getting a terrible reputation. A perfect scenario for a totally wild card, anti-establishment, out-of-the-loop candidate to enter the scene. Too bad it had to be someone as unqualified politically and as destitute morally as Donald J. Trump.
As the opportunist par excellence that he is, Trump took ideal advantage of the situation that presented itself. The Republican Party leadership had gotten unpopular even with its own voters, he had little difficulty finding fault with, attacking, and dispelling 15 other candidates vying for the party nomination. The primary voters were angry enough to put up with his outrageous attacks, insults, slurs, etc., some even embraced and parroted them. GOP leadership dutifully stuck with their voters choice, perhaps not liking it, but readily becoming subservient to it. Mike Pence, Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, etc., may be decent men in their own personal behaviors, but they are acting disgracefully in politically becoming beholden to, supporting, and applauding the policies and actions of a man as disgusting and despicable to Trump. Trump has incorporated into his Administration the very worst of the models presented by the Nixon and the Reagan administrations. He believes and acts, as Nixon did, that the president is above the law, can not be charged with any wrongdoing, so why not use his powers as president to enhance his own wealth and financial holdings, and share it with his family and those in his inner circle. Like Reagan, he claims to be a friend of the middle class, praises his voter base, presents past governments as their enemy but he will change all that. He does, in fact, the opposite, cutting programs which serve their needs, along with those of the vast majority of citizens, while serving himself, his ego, and his chosen few. In the meantime, the real needs of the nation are floundering.
How long will the GOP leadership continue to tolerate this situation? No one, of course, knows, not even the leadership itself. They couldn't like the predicament they are in. They have already seriously compromised their integrity and whatever principles they may have. They have to know that the nation is in serious jeopardy, but they seem paralyzed to do anything but what they have already committed themselves to, to plow ahead with an erratic, unprincipled, volatile bordering on crazy leader at the helm. It's unchartered waters, for the party, for the nation, and for the world. GOP leadership could regain some of their soul and rebel against Trump, but probably won't, they are too compromised already. Voters may, and probably will, increasingly rebel against Trump, the spectacle they are observing is too odious, and their real needs are being too damaged and neglected. Much of the world finds Trump so distasteful they will reject Trump's style, some of his policies, but will find it difficult to distance themselves from what the US, with its power and wealth, does have to offer to the well-being of their own countries. Both at home and abroad, it will become obvious that Trump's reputed skill at "the Art of the Deal" is a massive hoax, he is only skilled at fighting Winner-Loser battles, and if he is winning, everyone else is likely to be the loser. Many knew this before the election, but took a chance and hoped for the best. Now the reality is undeniable. The Republican Party is clearly a loser in continuing to support his presidency. If it begins to rebel against Trump now, it will likely fracture the party, and weaken the remaining GOP most likely for decades to come. Doing so would, however, put them on a road to regaining some remnants of the soul, of the integrity, of the patriotic spirit, that once was the hallmark of the Republican Party.
The GOP's fall into the very depths of depravity have been highlighted by its choosing to ignore the sexual harassment charges that numerous women have raised against Donald Trump, regardless of the presence of considerable evidence, including self-statements made by the violator himself. While some party leaders did draw the line and refused to support accused child sexual harasser Roy Moore in his bid for a Senate seat, their silence in regard to Trump's sexual history speaks volumes. Their agenda must move forward, in their eyes nothing is more important. It's a sorry sight for a nation that likes to proclaim itself as "exceptional", valuing itself as a worthy model for the rest of the world, and often even trying to export its way of life and governance to other parts of the world, through nation building efforts supported by assistance or by force. Leaders and populations of other nations are looking at us with bewilderment, wondering "what's going on, how could a usually reliable, level-headed nation and ally get so far off the track?" It is not just a question of how did Trump, an egotistic, volatile, self-serving narcissist, become President. The Republican Party's downfall, its loss of integrity, began much earlier, Trump is just the ultimate culmination. How that happened is a fair question, one that deserves a serious answer.
The Republican Party began its history on the moral high ground with Abraham Lincoln, and the new party with which he was elected president, taking on the monumental task of ending the grossly inhumane and unjust practice of slavery which had been accepted by our nation's founding fathers some 80 years earlier. No cost was too great for Lincoln to succeed in this endeavor, a war was fought, the fracturing of the nation was risked, his own life was lost to the hatred inbreed in the battle. It was that important! The slaves had to be freed, no human being in our nation should be sentenced to serving as a slave for life. The Republican Party also maintained much of the moral high ground during the presidency of Teddy Roosevelt, with his persistent efforts to preserve public lands, establish National Parks, and protect the interests of all Americans, not just the most wealthy, influential, and privileged among us. His battles in fighting corporations, trusts, and holding companies ultimately cost him the presidency, but he was fighting for the interests of all Americans, not just the few powerful string-pullers at the top.
The GOP also demonstrated high integrity through some of the significant programs spurred by the Eisenhower Administration of the 1950's. Taxes were high, in some cases more than double or triple what they are now, but the money was well spent on programs that served to benefit the needs of all Americans. Our public education system was greatly expanded and improved, at primary, secondary, and college levels. Our interstate highway system was developed at great cost but to the tremendous advantage of all citizens. Government was actively and effectively working to improve the quality of its citizen's daily lives. A final high note of Eisenhower's presidency was his issuing a warning, as a last presidential act, of the growing power of the military and defense industries, and the real danger of that power being misused. Tragic for the nation that the warning was not heeded in coming years, especially by two Republican presidents, Nixon in markedly escalating and expanding the Vietnamese War, and the Bush-Cheney Administration in initiating the Iraqi War.
The GOP's decline as a party that maintained some degree of moral integrity was clearly evidenced during the Nixon years, continuing a war that was dishonestly conceived and prolonged, and then, of course, his presidency ending with the Watergate debacle. It was hoped that Watergate would be a "never again" occurrence, an end to dirty, dishonest politics at that level. Unfortunately, such has not been the case. Politicians have just gotten better at concealing their underhanded tactics and dishonest ways to win. Reagan, for instance, was expert at pretending to be the friend of the middle class, to focus on serving their needs, and those in the middle class did tend to love him and to reward him with their votes. His tax cuts and policies, however, strongly favored the most wealthy, and the percentage of the nation's wealth in middle class hands began dropping steadily during his presidency, and has yet to significantly recover. No way were his policies a "friend" to the middle class. He loved proclaiming that the ten most dangerous words in the English language were "I'm from the government and I'm here to help". A perfect excuse for his Administration to end policies and programs that did serve public needs, and redirect those resources into programs that benefited his donors and wealthy friends.
The latest impetus to the GOP's descent into moral turpitude was their reaction, as a unified party endeavor, to block, resist, and defeat everything the Obama administration attempted to achieve, even if Obama was undertaking policies and programs that the GOP had previously embraced. Nothing was more important than ensuring the failure of Obama, the best interests and needs of the nation during his presidency be damned. Politics over patriotism! Once they gained control of Congress, GOP leadership used their power, not to present any proposals to counter the policies Obama was putting forward, but rather only to see that Obama's programs were defeated. Was it racism, or just short-sighted, self-serving politics? Either way, no wonder Congress's approval ratings hit all time lows, Obama's years were less successful than they otherwise may have been, and all of government was getting a terrible reputation. A perfect scenario for a totally wild card, anti-establishment, out-of-the-loop candidate to enter the scene. Too bad it had to be someone as unqualified politically and as destitute morally as Donald J. Trump.
As the opportunist par excellence that he is, Trump took ideal advantage of the situation that presented itself. The Republican Party leadership had gotten unpopular even with its own voters, he had little difficulty finding fault with, attacking, and dispelling 15 other candidates vying for the party nomination. The primary voters were angry enough to put up with his outrageous attacks, insults, slurs, etc., some even embraced and parroted them. GOP leadership dutifully stuck with their voters choice, perhaps not liking it, but readily becoming subservient to it. Mike Pence, Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, etc., may be decent men in their own personal behaviors, but they are acting disgracefully in politically becoming beholden to, supporting, and applauding the policies and actions of a man as disgusting and despicable to Trump. Trump has incorporated into his Administration the very worst of the models presented by the Nixon and the Reagan administrations. He believes and acts, as Nixon did, that the president is above the law, can not be charged with any wrongdoing, so why not use his powers as president to enhance his own wealth and financial holdings, and share it with his family and those in his inner circle. Like Reagan, he claims to be a friend of the middle class, praises his voter base, presents past governments as their enemy but he will change all that. He does, in fact, the opposite, cutting programs which serve their needs, along with those of the vast majority of citizens, while serving himself, his ego, and his chosen few. In the meantime, the real needs of the nation are floundering.
How long will the GOP leadership continue to tolerate this situation? No one, of course, knows, not even the leadership itself. They couldn't like the predicament they are in. They have already seriously compromised their integrity and whatever principles they may have. They have to know that the nation is in serious jeopardy, but they seem paralyzed to do anything but what they have already committed themselves to, to plow ahead with an erratic, unprincipled, volatile bordering on crazy leader at the helm. It's unchartered waters, for the party, for the nation, and for the world. GOP leadership could regain some of their soul and rebel against Trump, but probably won't, they are too compromised already. Voters may, and probably will, increasingly rebel against Trump, the spectacle they are observing is too odious, and their real needs are being too damaged and neglected. Much of the world finds Trump so distasteful they will reject Trump's style, some of his policies, but will find it difficult to distance themselves from what the US, with its power and wealth, does have to offer to the well-being of their own countries. Both at home and abroad, it will become obvious that Trump's reputed skill at "the Art of the Deal" is a massive hoax, he is only skilled at fighting Winner-Loser battles, and if he is winning, everyone else is likely to be the loser. Many knew this before the election, but took a chance and hoped for the best. Now the reality is undeniable. The Republican Party is clearly a loser in continuing to support his presidency. If it begins to rebel against Trump now, it will likely fracture the party, and weaken the remaining GOP most likely for decades to come. Doing so would, however, put them on a road to regaining some remnants of the soul, of the integrity, of the patriotic spirit, that once was the hallmark of the Republican Party.
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