Monday, June 5, 2017

The Many Faces of Fear


The girl next door.
Welcome to the Wanderers Voice Podcast.

This commentary is for the week ending June 3, 2017

Thank you for joining me. 
The Many Faces of Fear

Back in the late 90s the 24 hour news cycle was a relatively new phenomenon. The first demonstration of the power of round-the-clock news coverage was the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Then-President Bill Clinton deservedly faced relentless scrutiny for his sexually predatory behavior. It was the first time since Watergate that a sitting president had been so thoroughly disgraced and the first time in history that there was nowhere to hide from the public shame.  There was no aspect left undiscussed and no minute detail left uncovered.  In the decades that followed, the need to fill air time sacrificed that level of detail for vapid, self-serving, opinion re-inforcing tripe masquerading as news.  24 hour news channels that in 1996 only had two competitors, grew to a space that now boasts more than 10 and it has left us with information ADD.  Now, instead of getting every detail on the most important stories, each network chooses a political focus and only deep dives into stories that fit their narrative, ignoring the dangers of ignoring the whole truth.  The best examples of championing opinion over evidence came this week with the United States withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accords and the American reaction to the latest London terror attack.  
 
Graph courtesy of the World Meteorological Association (https://public.wmo.int/en/media/news/large-antarctic-ozone-hole-observed)

Whether Dolt 45 believes in climate change as Nikki Haley has suggested or not as he has said himself, is irrelevant.  Years of misinformation, alternative facts, and flat out lies have earned him support among a good portion of the country.  Climate change-denier arguments typically fall into 2 categories.  Some version of "it's not real" or "we don't know if humans are causing it."  Neither holds much weight.  Why?  Remember the hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica so many of us heard about growing up?  Well, thanks to the unprecedented level of cooperation shown by the UN in 1987, where every member nation signed something called the Montreal Protocol, its projected to close by 2080.   The Montreal Protocol, a treaty signed by all 197 member nations, banned the use of chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs and remains the only UN resolution to boast unanimous support.  Since its since its passage, levels of CFCs in the atmosphere have either leveled off or fallen, allowing the ozone to heal itself.  Like the Paris Climate Accords, it's legislation, done right, for the right reasons, and definitive proof human activity, without question, is having an impact on climate.   The Accords were on the same path to environmental achievement until our current administration decided to scrap our involvement to score political points with people who ignore facts that don't fit their world view.  We don't go around killing people because we're all going to die anyway.  Why would you take that stance on preserving our planet?  If you think the climate Accords are expensive, wait until you see the bill from the next super storm Sandy or the next Hurricane Katrina or your hospital bill for your impending case of skin cancer than Obamacare can't cover because you want that to go away too. 
Speaking of wasteful bills, Trump wasted little time exploiting Saturday night's attack on the London Bridge for political gain.  
















By the way, these are in chronological order.  He touted the need for his personal goals to be met before offering any sympathy to the victims.

Aside from the fact that on its face it's clearly unconstitutional, The Travel Ban 2.0 is also ineffective. Just like the proposed wall along the Mexican border, the effect would be more psychological than practical. The Muslim ban does not stop domestic terrorism which is largely the type of terrorism the United States has dealt with since 9/11. Also, the ban is for 90 days, after which all restrictions will be lifted again. I'm not sure how banning people for only 90 days "keeps us safe" even if you were to accept the premise that only Muslims commit terrorist acts.  Though I'm sure Ricky John Best, Micah David-Cole Fletcher, and Taliesin Myrddin Namkai Meche , 2LT Richard Collins, and the Charleston 9 would disagree with you on that premise.  And what exactly is keeping the administration from performing background checks and this "extreme vetting". while the ban is tied up in the courts?  You don't need the ban to continue background checks on refugees that have already gone through 21 different government agencies and a 2 year or longer waiting list.  It seems the fight over the ban is more of a presidential pissing contest then a national security issue.  Meanwhile, stories like a Georgia white supremacist's failed attempt to weaponize ricin get overlooked.  Ricin, by the way, is a bio-weapon that can kill hundreds with less than an ounce.  We would raise the terror alert level if this had any affiliation with radical Islam. 

America hasn't gotten more polarized solely because of reality television and worsening education standards. The people we trust to keep us informed are also complicit in the undermining of objectivity and its making us less safe.  Divisiveness and anger bring ratings. But it's also brought us quite possibly the most inept, corrupt, and willfully ignorant administration in American history. Facts matter.  Our belief or lack thereof in them doesn't change their existence, no matter how fragile our egos may be.  The day we can no longer take a walk along a pier on a cool summer evening because every day is an ozone alert day or we mourn the dead of a biological attack beause we were too busy focusing on the woman in the hijab and not the man draped in old glory will be the day we finally realize that true evil doesn't have one face.  Whether they are willing to poision our world for profit or poison people who are different for satisify someone's idea of purity, evil can wear a suit or a suicide vest.  Stay vigilant, stay objective, and make sure it isn't wearing your face the next time it strikes.
This is the Wanderers Voice.








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