First, some facts about the current state of our country in terms of the factions that are battling for its soul.
1. The Media: There are 2 factions of mainstream media. The first faction performs like American State Television. Their objective is to legitimize the current government at the cost of critical thinking. I recently came across an article that compared the consumers of this type of media as political "fans." Akin to sports fans who are incapable of seeing their favorite team's wrong doings, consumers of pro-government media can watch our current Commander in Chief poison the minds of young adults with political rhetoric and react with excitement rather than revulsion. Ironically, they see themselves as freedom fighters and rebels, standing up to the Washington establishment and in some of the more extreme circles, even higher education. Many see "liberal education" as the cause of their ills, forcing themselves into a an cocoon of willful ignorance fed by a network of information that passes itself off as news but in reality is a multi-million dollar exercise in confirmation bias.
The second faction also presents itself as news and until the 2016 election was actually the closest you could get to pure journalism. Since the election, however, their objective has been to trigger something that has only happened three times in the country's history...force the impeachment/resignation/removal of a sitting President. Andrew Johnson was saved by one vote at his impeachment trial, Nixon resigned after the details of the Watergate break in became public, and Bill Clinton became the first President since Andrew Johnson to be formally impeached. Clinton, like Johnson, was acquitted. It's not likely they will succeed but the consumers of this type of media also believe themselves to be freedom fighters, battling against the Trump-complicit Washington establishment, deriding the pro government supporters as uneducated racists who are willing to sell the country out to the Russians to support a man who fits their vision of America.
2. Congress: There are also 2 factions in our legislative body that are fighting for dominance and they aren't the ones you think. The GOP is split between the extreme right wing of the party, who are largely holding on to their seats because their state legislatures have gerrymandered the districts they "represent" and the long time entrenched Washington establishment Republicans who find themselves more often than not having to hold their noses to defend the President. I've decided not to count the Democrats because their political power is non-existent and are behaving like a united anti-Trump front. The "House Freedom Caucus" as they're called, are the intractable, immovable, and uncompromising right wing of the party. They reside in the House of Representatives and they don't care about negotiation. They care, unrealistically, only about their agenda and couldn't care less about the consequences. It shouldn't be overlooked that a political cabal that has "freedom" in its name more often than not holds the House hostage with their tactics. The political machine that has kept the country running since the end of WWII is now being challenged daily by neophytes, zealots, and complicit Washington veterans. The GOP is doing everything it can to avoid having to draft Articles of Impeachment for 45 but it becomes a less and less tenable position with every tweet, Russian leak, and abuse of executive power.
3. The American People: We've always been a country of differing opinions. That massive swath of diversity in thought is supposed to be our greatest strength as a country. We're supposed to take the best of everyone's gifts, no matter their origin, and come up with solutions that work for the vast majority of us. However, since turn of the century, it seems that the ideological pendulum keeps swinging further and further away from the center with each election. W was the "compassionate conservative," pulling at the religious heartstrings of America's heartland in the wake of the morally repugnant Clinton/Lewinsky scandal. What he actually did was not only pull the country further to the right than his father and Reagan ever did, but launched two of the bloodiest wars in American history, one we're still fighting as of this post. Then came the President no one thought possible, Barack Obama. A black man occupying the highest office in the land for 8 years is as liberal as it gets no matter what his party affiliation. It was a phenomenon we may not see again if his successor is any indication. The customization of our news, entertainment, and living spaces has robbed us of much of any shared experiences we once had. We retreat to our own little safe corners where we never have to hear an opposing opinion or an uncomfortable truth if we don't want to. Questioning a narrative has become an act of literal bravery since an unpopular opinion these days can literally ruin your life. 45 ran a campaign of fear and us vs them rhetoric, appealing to our worst natures. His supporters became more openly racist and his detractors turned violent after he won (much like he threatened to instruct his supporters to do had he lost.)
Of the 3 factions outlined above, the last one worries me the most. The constant deluge of news from Washington that feels like all the progress we've made as a society over the last 30 years is being disregarded for a return to toxic machismo. Has education's increasing inaccessibility has created a class of American who are unable to spot bullshit? It seems so. This may sound insulting, but it's like trying to discuss physics to someone who doesn't understand algebra. Street smarts are wonderful but without the book smart component, 45 can continue to spin his ballads of bullshit and
appeal to your emotions instead of your logic. Having you believe that none of the hundreds of lies he's been caught in are true or his fault. Indeed, the majority of the people who hate him tend to be higher educated. 45s cult of personality is so appealing that his supporters can't even entertain the real possibility, bordering on likely thanks to Don Jr., that their President is engaged in a morally questionable relationship with the Kremlin. The complicity of the Republican congress, not challenging him on the emoluments clause, not rebuking his remarks about women, not requiring him to live up to the standards that every other president (even Nixon) met is a worse than a deal with the devil. At least the devil promised to give you something in return.
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Monday, June 5, 2017
The Many Faces of Fear
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| 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.
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| 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.
We need to be smart, vigilant and tough. We need the courts to give us back our rights. We need the Travel Ban as an extra level of safety!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 3, 2017
Whatever the United States can do to help out in London and the U. K., we will be there - WE ARE WITH YOU. GOD BLESS!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 3, 2017
We must stop being politically correct and get down to the business of security for our people. If we don't get smart it will only get worse— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 4, 2017
At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is "no reason to be alarmed!"— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 4, 2017
Do you notice we are not having a gun debate right now? That's because they used knives and a truck!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 4, 2017
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.
Sunday, May 28, 2017
Europe Is Already Tired of Trump
Welcome to the Wanders's Voice Podcast.
The Op-Ed for Americans Who Don't Fit in Boxes
This Commentary is for The Week ending May 26, 2017
The Op-Ed for Americans Who Don't Fit in Boxes
This Commentary is for The Week ending May 26, 2017
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| Angela Merkel looks on as Trump makes a bad wiretapping joke at their joint press conference in Washington on 3/17/17 (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) |
So here we are. 70 years of an alliance that has kept the world from spinning into another global conflict may be irreparably broken. It only took two meetings for Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany and the most powerful woman in Europe to publicly write off the United States and Britain as reliable partners in international affairs, saying Europe can no longer "completely depend" on them. She also opened the door to more cooperation with Vladimir Putin despite his clear meddling in global elections. This is the most dangerous development in the 4 months (I know it feels more like years) this administration of ignorance has been in power.
I'm not going go into some boring lecture of why populism is dangerous or the exhaustive list of the POTUS's missteps that brought us to this point. I'll simply point out the last time that the United States and Germany were at odds was World War II and the last time the United States adopted an isolationist "America First" style policy was World War I. In fact, in the last century, every time the United States has pulled back from its role as an international leader, chaos has followed. Note that I said leader, not interventionist. Not colonizer. Not meddler. Not agent of regime change.
Leader. Diplomatic Leader to be precise.
Leader. Diplomatic Leader to be precise.
Despite the xenophobic beliefs of 45 and his legion of misinformed misanthropes, international leadership has been the biggest reason the United States and by extension, the United Nations, has been able to keep the peace since the rise of the atomic age. Despite the endless parade of would-be dictators in Russia, North Korea, China, and the Middle East, the closest we've come to WWIII has only been the Cuban Missile Crisis 1962. Why? Bullies aren't so quick to throw punches when they know backup is just a phone call away. Free trade agreements like TPP and NAFTA and T-TIP(EU free trade), strengthen economic ties and provide an incentive for less developed nations to provide intelligence, military support, and economic advantages that hold countries like Russia and China in check. It's a delicate balance that worked well before being abused by war profiteers like Halliburton and Blackwater and big businesses that continually make staffing decisions based on profit instead of patriotism. Translation: Outsourcing. Profit isn't evil but at what cost? The current administration, aided by almost 30 years of racist misinformation like the notional that non-whites, immigrants, and the poor are the root of all of America's problems, seems to have abandoned not only the status quo but all sense of reason. Withdrawing from the world stage while simultaneously lecturing our allies like misbehaving children have now created a power vacuum. Trump's antics aren't just the musings of a cranky old man who's "draining the swamp." His impulsiveness, lack of diplomacy (some would say even decency) and unpredictability have made America at best a laughing stock and at worst, untrustworthy. The proof is the people we've depended on as an extension of our policies and power for almost a century just told us to diplomatically fuck off and opened the door for Putin to have even greater influence in Europe.
The implications of Merkel's stance are probably more than I'm aware of since I'm merely an observer but even with my limited access there are 3 things that worry me.
- Trade war. As I've said before, free trade agreements allow countries to flourish. A return to old style tit for tat taxes on imported goods only hurts consumers.
- Emboldening our enemies. I said before bullies prey on the weak. "America First" ignores the security strength in numbers provides for all nations.
- Global war. I also said nature abhors a vacuum. An isolationist America takes the largest bully on the block off the chessboard opening the door for Russia to fulfill Putin's plan to return his country to its USSR roots.
If you somehow ignore all of this and still think 45 is some sort of mad genius you need to ask yourself two very important questions.
First, are you loyal to your country or you loyal to Trump?
Second, What would Reagan do?
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
The Ostrich Republic
"You have immigration status?" she asked. Her English would have been perfect if we pronounced our letters the way they do in San Juan.
I looked around quickly to make sure I hadn't somehow wandered into the customs line at Newark Airport. Nope...still on line at the DMV.
"You have immigration status?" she repeated.
This time I felt fully justified looking at her as if she'd grown a second head, "What are you talking about?"
She must have seen the disgust on my face and decided against pressing the issue further. She sighed, "Never mind," and ushered me over to her window to fill out the necessary paperwork.
Wow. Now I need to clarify my immigration status to renew my license? Like I don't have enough shit to worry about? This is the type of nonsense that forces you to either lose years off your life (literally) or...do this.
Life has changed for me since Dolt 45, Tangerine Ceaser, first of his name, swore his oath to use our government as his personal piggy bank. Maybe not so much the day-to-day stuff but the edges of life, the unwritten social rules, have changed. The stuff that makes you feel like you've got a handle on how things work are not only being rewritten but the new rules seem determined to kick you back down the ladder. Mos Def, Yasiin Bey or whatever he's calling himself now was right.
"You start keeping pace they start changing up the tempo.--" Mr. Nigga, Mos Def ft. Q-Tip, Black on Both Sides (1999)
The biggest change I've noticed is for a large group of people, facts really don't mean shit anymore. If you've even been halfway paying attention I don't need to elaborate. Even among normally reasonable people, opinions and safe feelings are now more important than reality. Group think is at an all time high. We're even willing to spend money on exaggerated problems (illegal immigrant crime, bathroom laws, Abortion) and conversely we're willing to ignore real problems because they either don't affect us or we simply don't care (Domestic Terrorism, Pollution. Education) If this seems too high level or too far removed from the day to day for you to care about, read some of the things Dolt 45 is willing to cut off eliminate to build a $20 billion wall that won't do jack shit to stop immigrants who fly in, then overstay their visas.
PBS (Yeah, Sesame Street isn't more important than the wall)
Meals on Wheels (neither are the elderly)
Africa Development Foundation (African slaves built Washington, D.C. but we apparently owe them nothing.)
National Endowment for the Arts (Presumably petty because conservatives are rarely viewed favorably by artists)
Minority Business Development Agency (Self explanatory, but...the WALL!)
Whether your safe space is the belief that Barack Obama is a secret Muslim spy or that Donald Trump is the Kremlin's ultimate weapon, facts seem to matter much less than feeling secure. That, in turn, has lead to unnecessary deaths.
The people who know me offline might not believe this, but I wish I could ignore what's happening. I'm more plugged in than most because of my job but even for people who normally don't pay attention to politics, its become inescapable. Love sports? Dolt 45 is a topic in multiple facets. Like ratchet, I mean "reality" TV? He's a topic there too. Sitcoms? He's there. Even when I go to the DMV to renew my license, the Tangerine Ceasar, first of his name, he of low information, quick conclusions, high hypocrisy, and narrow vision has slithered his way in! I didn't think there was a word anyone could call me that could leave me as taken aback as the N word. I was wrong. Being a black man in America and the son of immigrants, being treated like a visitor in my own country is nothing new. What pissed me off and scares the shit out of me at the same time is that I never imagined that I would be a possible target for ICE. I was born here. Raised here. Served my country for 8 years. If a DMV worker who barely spoke English herself could think its appropriate to ask me for my immigration status, why wouldn't an ICE officer who's looking to fill a quota and having a bad day do the same? Like most people, I don't walk around with my birth certificate as proof of citizenship at all times. Why? Because that's absurd. But this government's newfound focus on their version of "identity politics" now has me questioning how safe it is NOT to? Furthermore, how safe is my country for me and my family if in addition to having to worry about police harassment I have to worry about being mistaken for an illegal because I "don't look like I belong here?"
The culture is literally changing before my eyes. Violent racists feel vindicated and are now openly looking for ways to push their agenda. While there is also an encouragingly high level of push back, I've never seen a community change so rapidly from somewhat tolerant to so blatantly bigoted. I know the you-should-have-known/can't-trust-them-white-folks crowd will scold me for my naivete but I seem to always hold out hope that eventually we can get it right. Intellectually, I suppose I always knew being straight laced wouldn't be enough to shield me from the bullshit black faces in white spaces go through (and it hasn't completely) but I've started to reach the point where not only am I seeing diminishing returns for my uptight ways (aka my public face) but my private life is also suffering. As I mentioned before, politics is wrapping its insufferable claws into every facet of American life. My life. My tolerance for being spoken to like Spicer speaks to April Ryan or watching our best and brightest, like Maxine Waters, being openly demeaned by people who aren't fit to shine their shoes intellectually is now zero. It's telling, by the way, that the only rebuttal to the arguments raised by both women is to insult their looks or try to police their behavior. Seems to be the standard response for people who don't have a real answer to why they do what they do or believe what they believe. It may feel good, no matter what side of the aisle you stand on, to deflect, discount, marginalize, and disrespect those who disagree with you but sticking your head in the sand only cuts off your air. And from what I can see, the whole country is becoming Eric Garner. No one can breathe outside of their chosen safe space.
I looked around quickly to make sure I hadn't somehow wandered into the customs line at Newark Airport. Nope...still on line at the DMV.
"You have immigration status?" she repeated.
This time I felt fully justified looking at her as if she'd grown a second head, "What are you talking about?"
She must have seen the disgust on my face and decided against pressing the issue further. She sighed, "Never mind," and ushered me over to her window to fill out the necessary paperwork.
Wow. Now I need to clarify my immigration status to renew my license? Like I don't have enough shit to worry about? This is the type of nonsense that forces you to either lose years off your life (literally) or...do this.
Life has changed for me since Dolt 45, Tangerine Ceaser, first of his name, swore his oath to use our government as his personal piggy bank. Maybe not so much the day-to-day stuff but the edges of life, the unwritten social rules, have changed. The stuff that makes you feel like you've got a handle on how things work are not only being rewritten but the new rules seem determined to kick you back down the ladder. Mos Def, Yasiin Bey or whatever he's calling himself now was right.
"You start keeping pace they start changing up the tempo.--" Mr. Nigga, Mos Def ft. Q-Tip, Black on Both Sides (1999)
The biggest change I've noticed is for a large group of people, facts really don't mean shit anymore. If you've even been halfway paying attention I don't need to elaborate. Even among normally reasonable people, opinions and safe feelings are now more important than reality. Group think is at an all time high. We're even willing to spend money on exaggerated problems (illegal immigrant crime, bathroom laws, Abortion) and conversely we're willing to ignore real problems because they either don't affect us or we simply don't care (Domestic Terrorism, Pollution. Education) If this seems too high level or too far removed from the day to day for you to care about, read some of the things Dolt 45 is willing to cut off eliminate to build a $20 billion wall that won't do jack shit to stop immigrants who fly in, then overstay their visas.
PBS (Yeah, Sesame Street isn't more important than the wall)
Meals on Wheels (neither are the elderly)
Africa Development Foundation (African slaves built Washington, D.C. but we apparently owe them nothing.)
National Endowment for the Arts (Presumably petty because conservatives are rarely viewed favorably by artists)
Minority Business Development Agency (Self explanatory, but...the WALL!)
Whether your safe space is the belief that Barack Obama is a secret Muslim spy or that Donald Trump is the Kremlin's ultimate weapon, facts seem to matter much less than feeling secure. That, in turn, has lead to unnecessary deaths.
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| This...is a SIKH. Not a Muslim...and it STILL shouldn't matter. |
The people who know me offline might not believe this, but I wish I could ignore what's happening. I'm more plugged in than most because of my job but even for people who normally don't pay attention to politics, its become inescapable. Love sports? Dolt 45 is a topic in multiple facets. Like ratchet, I mean "reality" TV? He's a topic there too. Sitcoms? He's there. Even when I go to the DMV to renew my license, the Tangerine Ceasar, first of his name, he of low information, quick conclusions, high hypocrisy, and narrow vision has slithered his way in! I didn't think there was a word anyone could call me that could leave me as taken aback as the N word. I was wrong. Being a black man in America and the son of immigrants, being treated like a visitor in my own country is nothing new. What pissed me off and scares the shit out of me at the same time is that I never imagined that I would be a possible target for ICE. I was born here. Raised here. Served my country for 8 years. If a DMV worker who barely spoke English herself could think its appropriate to ask me for my immigration status, why wouldn't an ICE officer who's looking to fill a quota and having a bad day do the same? Like most people, I don't walk around with my birth certificate as proof of citizenship at all times. Why? Because that's absurd. But this government's newfound focus on their version of "identity politics" now has me questioning how safe it is NOT to? Furthermore, how safe is my country for me and my family if in addition to having to worry about police harassment I have to worry about being mistaken for an illegal because I "don't look like I belong here?"
 |
| This is what America looks like. Doesn't matter how may Trumps you elect. |
The culture is literally changing before my eyes. Violent racists feel vindicated and are now openly looking for ways to push their agenda. While there is also an encouragingly high level of push back, I've never seen a community change so rapidly from somewhat tolerant to so blatantly bigoted. I know the you-should-have-known/can't-trust-them-white-folks crowd will scold me for my naivete but I seem to always hold out hope that eventually we can get it right. Intellectually, I suppose I always knew being straight laced wouldn't be enough to shield me from the bullshit black faces in white spaces go through (and it hasn't completely) but I've started to reach the point where not only am I seeing diminishing returns for my uptight ways (aka my public face) but my private life is also suffering. As I mentioned before, politics is wrapping its insufferable claws into every facet of American life. My life. My tolerance for being spoken to like Spicer speaks to April Ryan or watching our best and brightest, like Maxine Waters, being openly demeaned by people who aren't fit to shine their shoes intellectually is now zero. It's telling, by the way, that the only rebuttal to the arguments raised by both women is to insult their looks or try to police their behavior. Seems to be the standard response for people who don't have a real answer to why they do what they do or believe what they believe. It may feel good, no matter what side of the aisle you stand on, to deflect, discount, marginalize, and disrespect those who disagree with you but sticking your head in the sand only cuts off your air. And from what I can see, the whole country is becoming Eric Garner. No one can breathe outside of their chosen safe space.
Sunday, February 26, 2017
This is What Democracy Looks Like (Observations from Leonard Lance's First Town Hall)
Almost by rule, town halls are usually boring affairs. The local empty suit that goes to Washington, D.C. to "represent" us comes back to his/her home district, rents out some library, auditorium, or college theatre to, presumably, listen to what we have to say. Its tends to be a cover for the people who have nothing better to do than go to town halls to tell the guy/gal they voted for how great he/she is. Like most things these days, however, the Tangerine Ceasar has changed all that. During the congressional recess, republicans from both chambers of Congress have been met with open hostility and protests promising that this term will be their last if they continue the new, chaotic, borderline inhumane status quo. Times are even tougher if you wear the magic (R) in a deeply blue state like New Jersey. In fact, of the 5 districts represented by republicans in Washington, only the 7th, the one Leonard Lance (R-NJ) calls home, got a chance to speak its mind. No other New Jersey republican had the balls to face their voters. It's low hanging fruit to characterize this as the latest in the long line of GOP lawmakers being lambasted at home because of the President because it's only part of the story.
From what I saw at Raritan Valley Community College, the protesters calling for the removal of Leonard Lance had to be the most unprofessional, disorganized, rag tag group of individuals I've ever seen on a campus. It was a gathering of mostly women lofting a sea of carboard, magic marker, glitter, and righteous indignation fenced off behind an orange construction fence. Despite the dampness, low temperatures, and accusations of being on the George Soros payroll, they persisted. They wanted to dump Trump, welcome refugees, make america think again, insist that it's her body/her choice, and investigate all things Russian. I saw no buses. If these were the best paid protesters you can buy then Soros should be screaming for a refund. The police, were actually polite and helpful, something I'm frankly not used to. Maybe the man purse, sharp diction, and lighter than threatening skin threw them off. At first there was confusion as to who would be allowed to attend. There was apparently a call to RSVP your seat which differed from the previous "first come first serve" seating I was accustomed to. I wasn't the only one thrown off because the chief of security was getting loudly berated by an older woman who was recording him...just in case. Ironically, the tension this woman was trying to generate felt dangerously familiar. I knew she was trying to create a viral moment for social media to prove her politics were right. In any other scenario, we might have had a synergistic conversation, feeding on our mutual distaste for what's happening in Washington. At that moment, though, I didn't care. In that moment we couldn't have been anymore different. I suppose that's the difference between people who've lost their souls one moment of chaos and the people who can never lose the benefit of the doubt. I stepped toward the protesters until she either got what she wanted or was escorted out. Didn't care which. Even as I type this its crazy to me that I actually felt safer with the protesters than near Lance's security.
After about 20 mins of streaming the protesters I tried to re-enter the auditorium. The shit starter was gone and so was the line so I got a chance to speak with a now much more relaxed security chief. He, like the police, was unusually cordial, as were the volunteers that guided me to the over flow room where the Town Hall was streaming on 3 large cinema screens. The transcripts of the acutal back and forth between Rep. Lance and the crowd are documented already. The parts that stood out to me, besides the usual skill of political double speak, were his willingness to take the tough questions. He didn't cower or make excuses for his positions. When he expressed his gratitude for Paul Ryan's leadership, a name that drew vociferous boos, he didn't cower, flinch, or try to explain himself. He was consistent in his answers, The Crimean annexation was wrong and proved that Russia was no friend to America. The Border Wall needn't be as ambitious as the President claims since sections of the terrain are already an effective barrier and the costs would be absurd. Public schools should remain funded and shifting money from them to charter schools exclusively would be a grave mistake. Immigrants should be vetted but the ban shouldn't affect dual citizens nor Green Card holders. Trump should release his taxes but the current bill being pushed in the House goes too far. The feed cut out on answers regarding Dodd-Frank, concealed firearms, and a few other questions I didn't hear. The only time he looked truly unable to verbally navigate his position were on the bombshell questions on his inconsistent opinion on oil pipelines and Obamacare. He supports Keystone XL and the DAPL because he "believes they're safer than land transportation", a fact disputed by the questioner, but opposes pipelines running through his district. If they're safe, why oppose one here? One woman detailed with righteous anger why Obamacare saved her life and drove home the point that no one would take lawmakers seriously as long as they didn't have the live by the rules they made for everyone else. In response, Rep. Lance dropped a bombshell on all of us.
Under the provisions of the Affordable Care Act, no member of Congress or their staff can be covered by the government's health care system. He and his wife had been paying for private insurance. The hush that took the crowd on the screens and in the overflow room revealed our collective ignorance of this fact. I'd always assumed blind racist hatred was the sole motivator for the political outrage at a program that was designed to save lives. Not that it couldn't still be the case but the personal motive fits so much better. It was 8:45 and I needed to get home so I streamed the last 15 mins from my car. As I drove off, I was relieved. I pay so much attention to this stuff that I feared that I'd started to view them like celebrities and I was only going to this Town Hall to be near it. Instead, my faith that people are willing to stand up for what they believe in and speak truth to power is as strong as ever. The energy I saw on that campus wasn't isolated if the "fake news" is to be believed. I felt something I didn't expect, a renewed respect for Rep. Lance. He wasn't delusional like Chaeffitz or a bootlicker like Ryan. Despite shift in power, Lance remained the same even keeled principled man I met several years prior at my first town hall. He could have stayed in the shadows but he chose to accept his responsibility to his voters. Maybe it's a strategy for 2018 but for one night at least, I recognized my country.
#Resist
If you want to contact Rep. Lance:
Website: https://lance.house.gov/
Twitter: @RepLanceNJ7
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CongressmanLance/
After about 20 mins of streaming the protesters I tried to re-enter the auditorium. The shit starter was gone and so was the line so I got a chance to speak with a now much more relaxed security chief. He, like the police, was unusually cordial, as were the volunteers that guided me to the over flow room where the Town Hall was streaming on 3 large cinema screens. The transcripts of the acutal back and forth between Rep. Lance and the crowd are documented already. The parts that stood out to me, besides the usual skill of political double speak, were his willingness to take the tough questions. He didn't cower or make excuses for his positions. When he expressed his gratitude for Paul Ryan's leadership, a name that drew vociferous boos, he didn't cower, flinch, or try to explain himself. He was consistent in his answers, The Crimean annexation was wrong and proved that Russia was no friend to America. The Border Wall needn't be as ambitious as the President claims since sections of the terrain are already an effective barrier and the costs would be absurd. Public schools should remain funded and shifting money from them to charter schools exclusively would be a grave mistake. Immigrants should be vetted but the ban shouldn't affect dual citizens nor Green Card holders. Trump should release his taxes but the current bill being pushed in the House goes too far. The feed cut out on answers regarding Dodd-Frank, concealed firearms, and a few other questions I didn't hear. The only time he looked truly unable to verbally navigate his position were on the bombshell questions on his inconsistent opinion on oil pipelines and Obamacare. He supports Keystone XL and the DAPL because he "believes they're safer than land transportation", a fact disputed by the questioner, but opposes pipelines running through his district. If they're safe, why oppose one here? One woman detailed with righteous anger why Obamacare saved her life and drove home the point that no one would take lawmakers seriously as long as they didn't have the live by the rules they made for everyone else. In response, Rep. Lance dropped a bombshell on all of us.
Under the provisions of the Affordable Care Act, no member of Congress or their staff can be covered by the government's health care system. He and his wife had been paying for private insurance. The hush that took the crowd on the screens and in the overflow room revealed our collective ignorance of this fact. I'd always assumed blind racist hatred was the sole motivator for the political outrage at a program that was designed to save lives. Not that it couldn't still be the case but the personal motive fits so much better. It was 8:45 and I needed to get home so I streamed the last 15 mins from my car. As I drove off, I was relieved. I pay so much attention to this stuff that I feared that I'd started to view them like celebrities and I was only going to this Town Hall to be near it. Instead, my faith that people are willing to stand up for what they believe in and speak truth to power is as strong as ever. The energy I saw on that campus wasn't isolated if the "fake news" is to be believed. I felt something I didn't expect, a renewed respect for Rep. Lance. He wasn't delusional like Chaeffitz or a bootlicker like Ryan. Despite shift in power, Lance remained the same even keeled principled man I met several years prior at my first town hall. He could have stayed in the shadows but he chose to accept his responsibility to his voters. Maybe it's a strategy for 2018 but for one night at least, I recognized my country.
#Resist
If you want to contact Rep. Lance:
Website: https://lance.house.gov/
Twitter: @RepLanceNJ7
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CongressmanLance/
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
4 Good Things About the Reign of the Tangerine Cesar (No, Really.)
Warning: This post contains no alternative facts.
1. Access
1. Access
He's the most accessible President in history. Whether or not you believe that tweeting is appropriate for the leader of the free world is beside the point. Writing or calling your elected officials (nationally) usually gets you nothing but a nice automated e-mail or one of their staffers if you're lucky enough to get someone to pick up. Even then, the attention you're paid is usually directly proportional to the size of your contribution to their campaign. With this POTUS, the access is there. You can tell him exactly what you think without having to worry about being tackled by Secret Service, get stuck leaving a voicemail, or trying to explain to some 20 year old that they work for you and not the other way around. And that goes both ways. If you truly want the pulse of the country, his (mis)use of Twitter, Facebook, and the tone of the responses (sans the usual trolls) can give you a better pulse of the electorate than any poll. For a nation that prides itself on representative democracy, written accountability being instantly accessible to the most powerful man in the world is incredibly important. Think about it. The leader of the free world is no more than a tweet away. For the cynics that think he isn't reading them, take a look at what Sean Spicer, one of the POTUS' attack dogs (White House Press Secretary), says about "the media" during his FIRST press conference. They not only read them. They CARE. Future candidates for any national office would be foolish to ignore this.
2. Exposing Our Vulnerabilities
We have the strongest military in the world. No country would dare go toe to toe with us on the battlefield. But the Art of War says that you attack your enemy at his weakest point not his strongest and it's clear that cyber security is our achilles' heel. Every intelligence agency including the FBI believes that the Russians actively sought to erode confidence in our democracy if not control who we put in office. On the former point, mission accomplished. We have never been more divided about how fair our electoral system is. You have Americans who think of themselves as patriots defending a foreign dictator against other Americans because they disagree politically. The incoming president is picking fights with his own intelligence people.
.@FoxNews "Outgoing CIA Chief, John Brennan, blasts Pres-Elect Trump on Russia threat. Does not fully understand." Oh really, couldn't do...— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2017
Even the FBI, who many say had a much bigger impact than any Russian hack, agrees that we were the victims of foreign interference. For the record I firmly believe RT America was created specifically for this purpose. But even if you don't believe Russian interference truly influenced how people voted, the seeds of doubt have been planted. What better way to tear down your enemy by doing what we've been doing to other countries for decades? Sew division and mistrust among its people and just sit back and watch the show. It's obvious that we need to shore up cyber security. Will we? Only time will tell. A house divided cannot stand.much worse - just look at Syria (red line), Crimea, Ukraine and the build-up of Russian nukes. Not good! Was this the leaker of Fake News?— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2017
3. Civics Lessons
If you even halfway paid attention to this election you are more versed now in how our the process works than you were before. The Democrats, the media, and the Left in general analyzed every legal option they could to stop Trump from taking office to death . How many of us knew that you could lose an election even if you won the popular vote? Did you know the Electoral College didn't officially pick the next President until 12/19? How about that Electors were not always bound to vote for who won their state? I certainly was never taught that Electoral College itself was a compromise between the federal government and slave-owning states at any level of school. (My opening argument as to why the system itself is obsolete or in need of serious tweaking by the way.) The "advise and consent" clause that allows the President to pick a Supreme Court Justice is actually up to the Senate? And how much will we learn about conflict of interest laws, the actual powers of the President, and its legal limitations before/if/when Trump is impeached? The first challenge has already been filed. That doesn't even cover the the scrutiny his billionaire cabinet picks are under thanks to major ethical questions and/or questionable qualifications. You'll be a much more informed voter in 2018 (mid term congressional elections) whether you want to be or not.
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| If you didn't vote, your first chance at a mulligan comes in 2018. (Provided Voter ID Laws don't require 2 DNA samples and sub-dermal tracking chip by then.) |
4. Legal Accountability
Building on the last point, the President's questionable business income setup will test the Constitution's ethics clauses like we haven't seen since the Nixon Administration. The upcoming cases against the him will set the legal precedent for all future Commanders in Chief. Is the White House correct in its assertion that conflict of interest laws don't apply to him? We're going to definitively know in the next 4 years. We also now have clarity on what the term "natural born citizen" means in regards to Presidential eligibility. An early campaign attack Trump, and many on the left as well to be fair, used against Canadian-born Sen. Ted Cruz was to question his eligibility to be President. Similar to the way he attacked President Obama for 5 years, Trump tried to muddy the waters and claim Cruz didn't fit the definition of a "natural born citizen."
He was rebuffed as Cruz was deemed eligible by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court due to his mother being an American citizen. That, by extension, means Barack Obama could have been born in the middle of the Serengeti Plain attended to by 12 imams and a witch doctor and was still be eligible to run for President of the United States.
He was rebuffed as Cruz was deemed eligible by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court due to his mother being an American citizen. That, by extension, means Barack Obama could have been born in the middle of the Serengeti Plain attended to by 12 imams and a witch doctor and was still be eligible to run for President of the United States.
End. Of. Story.
Who knows? If we survive this, maybe America can progress enough not think a man or woman with those origins is something to fear but celebrated as proof that America really is for all of us. Not just "traditional Americans."
The legal challenges this President has left himself open to will definitively settle what we should expect from all future Presidents, legally and ethically for generations to come so the next demagogue can't pull the same crap this one did.
The legal challenges this President has left himself open to will definitively settle what we should expect from all future Presidents, legally and ethically for generations to come so the next demagogue can't pull the same crap this one did.
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Uncertainty Looms for 2017
...and then we saw it.
Abrams wants us to walk away happy. He just doesn't give us much to take home.
Stephanie Zacharek - "The Force Awakens is Everything is Everything You Could Hope for in a Star Wars Move -- and Less", 12/16/15, Time.com
Star Wars7: The Force Awakens is a welcome comeback movie for the franchise, and fan love will be enough to propel most viewers past its flaws.
Kofi Outlaw - "Star Wars 7: The Force Awakens Review", 12/16/2015, ScreenRant.com
Waitaminit! Blasphemy! God DAMMIT! This movie was supposed to make Star Wars great again! Don't tell me it's only good because I'm a fan! It's real to me dammit!
This equally anticipated event by an uncertain number of the vocal minority ( or is it majority? Electoral collegiate? Is that a thing?) will be no different. If you love Drumf, his Twitter feed reads like the sweetest of sonnets. Verbal ambrosia for die hard disciples of Cheeto-America, the Alt-Right (the pseudo-KKK with a hypocritically PC name), and the He-Man Hillary Haters club. You're assured that everything you saw in the campaign trailer will certainly be in the movie of governance. If, however, you chose to cast your vote for sanity with small side of Libyan dirt, his feed will have you thinking you've been transported to the Mirror Universe version of 1984. An incoming American President that praises an autocrat in direct opposition to his own American predecessor? The top elected official calling for the expansion of nuclear arms when we already have enough to destroy our planet 7 times over? A leader of the free world who displays a pettiness toward anyone that disagrees with him like you'd expect from a hormonal teenager? None of this was in the book of America we read. Who wrote this shit?
Honestly, his domestic and foreign policy tweets are consistent with a man who's supporters view nuance as synonymous with cowardice, patience as weakness, details as irrelevant, and opposing facts as lies. You could make an argument that the last point has always been the case but you can't argue that this era has taken it to an extreme. Bullying is now the preferred method of policy enforcement. Ask GM, Boeing, Ford, Taiwan, Mexico and the Chinese how much they hate Twitter now. Some will view those tweets as "wins." Except even if the actions of the aforementioned companies/countries were directly linked to the Cheeto's berating tweets, exactly how long can that practice last? He and his cadre are acting like they're literally high on his election win. Like a crack-cocaine addict taking his first hit. I fear they'll continue to behave that way even when they discover governing is very different than campaigning. Every addicts realizes too late they have to take more and more of their drug to get the same effect and the Cheeto is already a volatile character.
We have no idea what we're in for. Whether you voted for this farce or not, it looks like there are going to be several deleted scenes that were shown exclusively to buy votes. Case in point, any mention of the Mexican Wall lately? Where's that list of special prosecutor candidates that will go after Hillary after he takes the oath of office? Where's the secret plan for humane mass deportation? Expectations are a hell of a thing to live up to especially when you literally promised the world on a platter. Beyond campaigning, when you actually have to execute your policy and don't have the luxury of a scapegoat, no amount of tweets will save you from the backlash of an angry electorate. Not even Obama could escape it (Syria, Iraq, Benghazi, Guantanamo). Love the Cheeto or hate him, we all may end up disappointed in the end.
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| Inauguration Day |
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