A Nation Divided

We are a nation divided. Like members of a large family unit, we have our differences. As is the case in most families, in times of crisis, we stand together and put those differences behind us; or at least to one side. Ours is a rather large family, about 330 million. We have nice people, kind people, and just enough scoundrels to keep us off-balance. You know, just like your extended family. I know I have had all sorts in mine. Some you really like and some you don’t want to sit next to at Thanksgiving dinner.

I saw a recent talk show that went to a small town in Texas that had voted 98% for Donald Trump. The interviewer asked several people about how they felt about Biden being president. All but one stated they were willing to give him a chance. That was hopeful. These were not the screaming flag waving hateful rally folks who stormed our nation’s Capitol, these were down-to-earth reasonable people. The kind you might want to have as neighbors. Not all Trump fans are mouth-breathing Neanderthals. These are good people who happen to have a particular point of view.

Those of us on the left side of this giant teeter-totter now feel hopeful. Those on the right feel the same trepidation we felt when Donald Trump moved into the White House. Hopefully, Joe Biden can act, talk, and function like the American presidents we remember. We might have liked or not liked leaders like Reagan, Bush 1 or 2, Clinton, Carter, or Obama, but we called them Mr. President and uttered the words with the respect which the office deserves. I was taught in the military that, you might not like the person wearing the uniform, but you saluted the uniform out of respect for it.

For those on the right who now say they want to move on, I’m willing to move on. For those who want to continue to debate last year’s election, or Hillary’s emails, or some other distraction, I will ignore you and move on to listen and debate the more rational and reasonable among you. I can understand the frustration felt on both sides of this division. We have long suffered a fully damaged congressional system that is barely functioning. They are like a car that is needed for a long journey that has four bald tires, a bent rim, and an engine long overdue for an oil change. We might make it and we might not. Most would agree that a bit of preventative maintenance would improve our chances.

Not quite ready for that road trip.

We need to move forward. If an investigation into certain folks associated with the last administration shows that crimes were committed, so be it. Let the chips fall where they may. That, however, is not the primary crisis facing this nation. We have a disease that is killing us by the tens of thousands. We have vaccines that can make a difference but a broken delivery system. We have people unemployed, threatened with eviction who are food insecure. While Wall Street is raking in the cash, nothing seems to be “trickling down” to the people in dire straits.

There are solutions that should be simple to implement but we are facing these problems with a dysfunctional government. Hopefully this new administration can use science, a bit of tolerance, and some very bright people motivated to make a difference in something other than their own bank accounts, to make the necessary moves. We’ve changed the oil in our metaphorical car, now let’s fix the rim, change the tires, and get this show on the road.

You Can’t Handle the Truth

 "You Can’t Handle the Truth."

The quote above was uttered in the 1992 movie, A Few Good Men.  When Col. Nathan R. Jessup, played by Jack Nicholson, was caught in a courtroom lie, he used those words to defend his actions because he had deemed the real truth to be too sensitive.  Yes, the truth is sometimes painful and hard to come by, but the truth is still the truth.  In our modern era we are besieged with information, some truthful, some false, and sometimes a clever mixture of the two.  Filtering truth from fiction can be a difficult task, particularly when that information comes from someone with a platform.

 

Historically, we had limited sources of information.  We had the old standards of the press and radio.  Then, sometime in the 50s, television entered the scene.  At that point there were but three networks, ABC, CBS, and NBC.  Sometime in the early evening hours we tuned to our favorites.  We had Douglas Edwards, Walter Cronkite, Edward R. Murrow, John Cameron Swayze, Chet Huntley, David Brinkley, and Mike Wallace.   

 

Douglas Edwards 1952

These reporters reported the facts based on their research and with the integrity of their profession.  We trusted them to deliver facts and not misinformation.  When they provided opinions in editorials, they were generally made separately from “the news.”  A local South Florida broadcaster, Ralph Renick, used to conclude each news broadcast with the intro, “and now for tonight’s editorial.”  He would then provide his nightly opinion piece.

Ralph Renick, Miami News Broadcaster, WTVJ

 

Those were the “good old days” where the lines between fact and fiction, news and opinion, were made clear.  Today we are not so lucky.  We are inundated with news from hundreds, perhaps thousands of sources.  We have 24/7 television news channels commingled with social media via the Internet.  We still have newspapers, magazines, and radio.  More recently, we have seen our president use his bully pulpit, in keeping with its name, to become the loudest bully in the nation.  It is a cacophony of information with an inordinate emphasis on phony.  It is the First Amendment on steroids and Adderall.

Without infringing on our cherished right of free speech, what can we do to discern fact from fiction?  What information can we trust?  How can we curb the type of misinformation that brought about the recent attempt to overthrow our elected government?  In the short term, we must rely on research using historically trusted sources.  Trust but verify, then verify again.  This solves the problem for those who want to hear the facts and not a reinforcement of deeply held beliefs.  For others who lack the intelligence or motivation to discover the truth, there will always be those who would exploit that weakness.  Freedom means many things and one of those is that we must allow all to participate in our national discussion.

Perhaps there is a long-term solution that would improve matters.  We eat steaks that are inspected and graded by a government agency.  We have truth in lending for our mortgages.  We drink water that is tested and delivered by trusted sources.  We also have Underwriters Laboratories that tests the latest products and technologies for safety before they are marketed around the world.  This latter entity is a US based global safety science company which happens to be the largest and oldest independent testing lab in the United States.  It was founded in 1894.  While there are no laws mandating UL approval of a product, many municipalities have codes that require a product be tested by such a company before it can be sold in their area.  We could use such an approval rating agency for our major networks and critical news sources.

Underwriters Laboratories certificate for a fire door

 

I would propose that a singular US based agency, similar in function to UL, be established to provide a “seal of approval” for news sources.  This private entity would regularly test the validity of a wide variety of news sources and provide those who meet their standards with their approval.  This would not be mandatory but perhaps desirable enough to have news sources seek that approval.  News media would be required to classify their programming or other output as either news or opinion.  Misinformation and dissemination of falsehoods and conspiracy theories could not be made or promoted as fact.  In such an environment a broadcaster like Chris Wallace might get a high rating where Sean Hannity or Laura Ingraham would have no approval from the agency.  This would be in spite of the fact that they all work for the same broadcaster.  If Chris Wallace begins to spread rumors and innuendo, he might lose his approval rating.

Fact or Fake

 

In actuality, we already have such an agency as suggested here.  They would just need to move a bit further into the mainstream to improve their effectiveness.  That “agency” is the Poynter Institute for Media Studies.  Established in 1975, as a school of journalism called the Modern Media Institute by Nelson Poynter, they supported fact-checking technology, impact tracking, and financial awards.  In 2018, they began a cooperative effort with Revcontent, to stop misinformation and fake news articles.  They launched IFCN, the International Fact Checking Network with a code of ethics for fact-checking organizations and they issue certifications to publishers who must pass an audit of their content.  Certification lasts one year, and fact-checkers must be certified annually.  They regularly use Annenberg Public Policy Center, Merrimack College, PolitiFact, and Snopes to identify unreliable news sources.

PolitiFacts. Truth-O-Meter

 

We have a long way to go before Poynter or some other agency becomes a universally accepted approval center for truth and reliable information.  In the meantime, we will all need to use those tools at our disposal to verify our information.  My personal policy is to fact-check everything before I post a statement as fact, clearly mark opinions as such, and refrain from re-posting anything before sourcing is verified.  This solves my problem but does nothing for the lazy.  We CAN handle the truth; in fact we must demand it.

We can only hope that, with a new president in office, who is not known for spreading lies, we can at least return to a pre-Trump era where facts take precedence over lies.  We should never again hear Rudy Giuliani claim that, “the truth is not the truth.”  In what sort of Alice in Wonderland universe does that man reside?  I want the name of his hookah smoking caterpillar. 

Hookah Smoking Caterpillar

 

Times That Try Men's Souls

 “These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated.”  Written by Thomas Paine on December the 23^rd of 1776.

 

The quote above was written about another tyranny, that of a king.  Those words have renewed meaning in a time of a despot who would, in a desperate attempt to illegally cling to power, inspire a mob to bring down our democracy.  Donald Trump will be remembered for many things, and patriotism will not be among his credits.  He did, as a salve for his bruised ego, try to overthrow the government of the United States of America.  In so doing, he brought lasting shame on his name.  His revered “brand” will be forever tarnished and its’ sale for prestige will carry the stigma of his wanton disregard for our American ideals.  As is the case in most cowards and bullies, he rallied his mob of supporters, promised to lead them to victory, and apparently had another flair-up of bone spurs that prevented him from providing that support.  Donald Trump will be remembered for his cowardice and his contempt for the democracy he swore to protect.  Like most words that proceed from that foul mouth, his oath of office was another lie in furtherance of more sinister goals.

Team Trump; Insurrection in Progress; Scene from Capitol mayem

 

Since the traitorous debacle of January 6^th, I have seen two friends who were once loyal supporters of Donald J. Trump, acknowledge his misdeeds.  This is not to say they have abandoned their previous ideals and sometime twisted logic, but those events on that infamous Wednesday were beyond the pale for two of Trump’s most loyal fans.  I have also seen that two of my neighbors, whom I do not know personally, have just brought down their Trump/Pence yard signs that stood long after the election.

I think most of us are realists and recognize that the idealism depicted in the movie classic, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, has to be seen as fiction.  The politics represented in the 1939 Capra film starring Jimmy Stewart, show greed and corruption for what they truly are, but the movie also provides hope for a brighter future as embodied in Senator Jefferson Smith.  We can aspire to a political future that has less corruption, but we are still closer to the election of another despot than the rise of a government where the will and needs of the people are prioritized.

The ideology of what government should stand for; Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

It is said that an alcoholic or a drug addict needs to hit rock bottom before they can begin to rebuild their lives.  For me, the entire presidency of Donald John Trump that culminated in the events of January 6, 2021, represent the depths of political depravity from which we can hopefully recover.  We have long suffered the ill-winds of political corruption.  We have turned a blind-eye to the political depravity embodied in our elected leaders.  It had to come to a head at some point, and perhaps that, as much as anything else, explains the election of Donald Trump.  For those who were looking a breath of fresh air to clear the stench of corruption, you got played.  You got, not the garden variety of misdeeds that come with an established professional politician, but the blatant debasement of a grifter who knows how to “work a room.”

The storming of the capitol by pseudo patriots

 

Donald Trump played to the weakness and insecurity of the masses, stoked their latent racism, pandered to their need of self-worth, and promised them whatever made them happy to see his gross corruption as mere peccadilloes.  False patriotism and religiosity were used to disguise and excuse all manner of corrupt intent.  Like any good magician, he forces you to look at his pompous flash and never behind his curtain of deception.  He used his years of experience of hiding behind bluster and expensive lawyers to continue his grift of America.

The introduction to this piece was from Thomas Paine, a self-described, “corset maker by trade, journalist by profession, and a propagandist by inclination.”  He was an American patriot who championed revolution against the tyranny of a king.  Those who recently stormed the Capitol perhaps saw themselves to be patriots with a justifiable cause.  Their cause however was in support of anarchy and the tyranny of an immoral authoritarian despot.  Just because you wave an American flag does not make your cause just, patriotic, or beyond reproach.  Just because you can quote scripture, doesn’t make you righteous.

A true patriot

Thomas Paine was the Bernie Sanders of the 18^th century.  He abhorred slavery.  He proposed a guaranteed minimum income, old-age pensions, and promoted universal suffrage.  That latter term describes the right to vote for all, without regard to wealth, gender, race, or ethnicity.  When Tomas Paine noted Napoleon's progress towards dictatorship, he condemned him as "the completest charlatan that ever existed.  You can only imagine what he would have thought of our newly minted Napoleon-wannabe, Donald J. Trump.

 

A Boise, Idaho man, Josiah Colt, claimed to have gotten “caught up in the moment” as he clung to a ledge bearing the inscription, Annuit Coeptis.  This is Latin for “Providence favors our undertakings.”  If the quote looks familiar, it should.   These words represent one of two mottos that are part of The Great Seal.  You see it regularly on the back of the one dollar bill.  The juxtaposition of an anarchist hanging below these words is ironic.  His undertakings will not be favored by Providence

A Date That Will Live in Infamy

Yesterday, January 6, 2021—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by ground forces of the Empire of Trump. That paraphrasing of FDR’s famous address to the nation seemed appropriate to describe the attempted armed insurrection called for by a sitting United States President. Donald J. Trump, his son, and his lawyer in recent days, called for the overthrow of our democracy by the very armed seditionists who showed up on the very date specified by the president and his gang.

 

 

It has been 209 years since something like this happened and that was during the War of 1812, when British forces burned the capital. Hundreds of Trump’s supporters broke windows, scaled walls, planted pipe bombs, and destroyed property within our capital. They had responded to Trump’s call for this very type of activity. Only the Capitol Police were initially on hand to hold back this mob and they were ill-prepared to respond even though they had been warned for weeks that this might happen. Now, compare this to Donald Trump and William Barr’s response to legal peaceful protestors who were attacked, beaten and maced by unidentified military personnel to allow this president to hold up a Bible for a photo op.

 

Donald Trump rallies his Thug-publicans to action, Jan. 6, 2021

 

Trump’s takeover of his Thug-publican Party was complete. His anarchists were running amok through the halls of our Capitol and he relished the thought. He refused to send in the National Guard and they were not dispatched until senior Whitehouse officials intervened. Four people died during this riot. One was a woman who was shot by Capitol Police and three died as a result of “medical emergencies.” Fourteen Capitol Police were injured and two were hospitalized. It was only after a pipe bomb was discovered at the Republican National Committee headquarters that Trump told the mob, “You have to go home now.”

 

 

Donald Trump took to social media to openly condone this attempted coup which prompted Facebook and Twitter to remove his seditious posts and lock his accounts. It looks like Trump will be serving some time in Facebook jail and Twitter lockup. He ended one of his tweets with “Remember this day forever.” I think we can all assure him that we will.