Those Were The Days

My early television viewing involved popular sitcoms. In the 50s, The Honeymooners featured blue-collar bus driver Ralph Kramden whose neighbor, Ed Norton, worked in a sewer. Ralph was the sad sack and Ed provided comic relief. Most of their antics were staged in the Kramden apartment. Years later, (1989-1998) in another similar sitcom, Jerry Seinfeld lived in a small apartment and had Kramer as his crazy neighbor.

Sandwiched between these two comic gems was All in the Family whose eight-year run started in 1971. The two main characters who played against one another were Archie Bunker and Michael Stivic, aka Meathead. Archie was a right-wing bigot and Meathead was a Polish-American hippie. The show was inspired by the successful British sitcom, Till Death Do Us Part, featuring a white working-class racist with anti-socialist views.

Archie and Edith

Oddly, all three of these American classics were set in New York. While all of these comedies are ranked at the top of their genre, All in the Family is regarded as one of the greatest television comedy series of all time. Archie Bunker represented the conservative “Greatest Generation” and Meathead was from the liberal “Baby Boomers.” Archie was the loveable bigot whose racism and various prejudices were less hateful and more his reaction to societal changes that made him uncomfortable.

All in the Family made its television debut on CBS which was trying to diversify its rural comedy programming featuring Mayberry RFD (Andy Griffith), The Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, and Green Acres. All in the Family was the first major American series to be videotaped in front of a live studio audience as most sitcoms prior to AITF were single-camera shows with a laugh track and no live audience. Often compared to The Honeymooners filmed before a live television audience, AITF had a similar look and feel. Ralph Kramden and Archie Bunker were both loveable flawed characters.

While most of us couldn’t fathom anyone other than Carroll O’Conner in the role of Archie, the first offer to play Archie went to Mickey Rooney who turned it down as too controversial. A Black family, the Jeffersons, moves in next door and we meet George Jefferson who is a Black version of Archie.

All in the Family seems like a lifetime ago. It was popular back when we could still find humor in the absurdity of bigotry. Today such bigotry is very much mainstream, and I fear too few would find the humor in any similar updated offering. Hateful rhetoric now dominates the news. Who could have foreseen back then that we would elect a slightly more educated but certainly no more intelligent person to lead our country. For those of you now picturing Joe Biden in that position, that is your right. For those of you who correctly realize that we are talking about Donald J. Trump, consider yourselves lucky to be functioning on a higher plane than our former president.

For those of you longing for a time when we could comfortably laugh at a bigoted racist who was in the minority, just realize,

Those Were The Days.

Boy, the way Glenn Miller played

songs that made the hit parade

Guys like me we had it made

Those were the days

Didn't need no welfare state

ev'rybody pulled his weight

gee our old LaSalle ran great

Those were the days

And you knew who you were then

girls were girls and men were men

Mister we could use a man

like Herbert Hoover again

People seemed to be content

fifty dollars paid the rent

freaks were in a circus tent

Those were the days

Take a little Sunday spin

go to watch the Dodgers win

Have yourself a dandy day

that cost you under a fin

Hair was short and skirts were long

Kate Smith really sold a song

I don't know just what went wrong

those were the days

Hero to Zero

In the Kingdom of Trump, a mythical nation-state governed by a maniacal potentate of continual ill will, the distance between being a Grand Duke and a pariah can only be measured with a micrometer.  The time it takes to go from hero to zero is measured in nanoseconds.  One perceived slight and it's off with his head.  One day you are a favorite son and the next you're a decoration on a pike near the drawbridge entrance to Mar a Lago serving as a warning to others.

The MAGA World lives in fear.  They cower, deflect, and stammer when asked if their emperor knows he isn’t wearing clothes.  If truly forced to respond they will swear that their pompous leader is wearing the finest garments ever made and that no one owns anything more elegant.  Like the brainwashed American troops who had been POWs in the movie classic, The Manchurian Candidate, “Donald Trump (Raymond Shaw) is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life.”

Getting voted off MAGA island is easy.  Just hint at the fact that Trump lost the 2020 election.  Vote to impeach Trump for the insurrection.  Challenge a draft-dodging Trump military decision even though you are a former four-star general with over 50 years of military experience.  Respond truthfully to a question about the appropriateness of a president soliciting a foreign government to interfere in a US political process.  Yes, there are any number of ways to piss off the pope.

It works.  With a rabid cult following of GOP voters, your political career is over if you anger the “exalted one.”  Even those who may secretly loathe Trump will never denounce him in public for fear of becoming the next person to be burned at the stake.  According to one former close special assistant to Trump, he maintains an enemies list and he will throw anyone on this list under the proverbial bus given the opportunity.

The political chameleon who is Trump burned through some of his own faithful when he decided to challenge the 2020 election with violence on January 6^th.  Betsy DeVos, Elaine Chao, Mick Mulvaney, Matthey Pottinger, John Costello, Tyler Goodspeed, Stephanie Grisham, Rickie Niceta, Sarah Matthews, Elinore McCance-Katz, Eric Dreiband, and five National Security Council officials all submitted resignations.  These were all faithful Trump devotees, but January 6^th was a “bridge too far.”

You don't have to read the next paragraph, a quick scan will do.  It is included to show that Donald Trump had the highest administrative staff turnover of any president in American history.  Perhaps he longed for his years on The Apprentice where his tagline was, "You're Fired!"    In his first year, Trump had an 85% turnover rate of his A-Team of advisors and cabinet members.  For someone who claimed that he only hired the very best, his foresight reminds me of Mr. Magoo.  His entire presidency was a series of forced resignations, multiple firings, and public humiliations of staff.  His numbers could have been higher but he failed to even fill many of the vacancies left from the carnage.  He would leave "acting" heads in place whose leadership would always be hampered by their tenuous status.  He didn't seem to understand that you were not cleaning the swamp when all you were doing was dumping the alligators you brought with you.

Comparison of Presidential Cabinet Secretaries

Also among the heads on pikes outside Mar a Lago are Former Defense Secretary James Mattis, Former Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer, Former White House national security adviser John Bolton, Former White House chief of staff John Kelly, Former White House national security adviser H.R. McMaster, Former Homeland Security adviser Tom Bossert, Cliff Sims, former special assistant to the President and director of White House Message Strategy, Omarosa Manigault Newman, former director of communications for the White House Office of Public Liaison, Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, Gary Cohn, former National Economic Council director, Former White House counsel Ty Cobb, Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Former US Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker, Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Former Attorney General Bill Barr, Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, Rep. Liz Cheney, Rep. Tom Rice, Rep Dan Newhouse, Rep. Adam Kinzinger, Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, Rep. Fred Upton, Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, Rep. Peter Meijer, Rep. John Katko, Rep. David Valadao, Sydney Powell, Jenna Ellis, Kenneth Chesbro, and Scott Hall.  (the final four are included in the pike graphic)

The list above is certainly not complete but was what I could quickly find in articles.  I almost forgot National Security Advisor, Mike Flynn who only lasted a couple of weeks after the inauguration.  It seems he had lied about his collusion and associations with high-ranking Russians.  He was replaced by Lt. Gen. Joseph Kellog Jr.  Of course Kellog's position was only "acting."

Republicans live in perilous times.  A guy with no experience in politics but with a penchant for hoodwinking people has too easily taken over their party.  The right wing of the GOP has taken a hard right turn and extremism is now the norm.  Party moderates and those willing to govern through compromise and negotiation will be too afraid to speak for fear of retribution.  Donald Trump, a currently unelected leader, now controls half of our government in absentia.

Welcome the newest fast food franchise MAGA King where his motto is, “Have it my way.”

 

 

 

 

 

Religion and Politics in the Information Age

When I was getting my on-the-job training as a bartender in 1970, my mentor told me that there was one golden rule, “never discuss religion or politics.”  Talking with customers across a bar where alcohol is a likely disinhibition to caution, it was best to steer away from volatile topics.  That was sage advice from someone who once ran a speakeasy during prohibition.  Yes, outside those third rails of discussion, most of us can find common ground and agreement.

I have traveled through all 50 states on my many driving vacations and have met a great many people with varying backgrounds.  With rare exceptions, people are friendly in the United States.  We are generally good neighbors and treat each other with respect and common decency.  Our diversity of backgrounds and cultures makes for interesting conversations and experiences.  This pleasantry seems especially true in face-to-face encounters.

While the “third rail” analogy of politics and religion may be appropriate, touching that third rail in real life will normally do nothing beyond a possible tingling sensation.  Electrocution only comes if you complete the circuit by touching both the third rail and another rail to complete the circuit.  Put religion and politics together in a conversation and you have that potentially lethal combination.  While our laws would seem to prohibit the intentional blending of the two in governmental policy, far too many people are content with doing so.

We now add a technical societal change that shifts us away from person-to-person contact to favor an electronic intermediary.  That anonymity often brings out the worst in some people.  Hiding behind keyboards and screens we find that relatively few individuals can have an inordinate influence on a far greater audience than was possible just a few decades ago.  Social media platforms also seem to have an algorithm that elevates inflammatory content to gather more eyeballs and generate more “clicks” just to increase ad revenue.  Those platforms are inherently geared to promote controversy to make money.

Oddly, while most (57%) of the world views social media as a positive influence on democratic society, a Pew Research survey found that, in the US, 64% said it was a bad thing.  The spread of false information through social media was most often cited where people had a negative view.  There was worldwide agreement (84%) that social media made people easier to manipulate with false information and rumors.

The potential volatility of both religion and politics comes from the fervent and deeply held beliefs that are seemingly cast like DNA in some people and are just as difficult to alter.  Challenge that belief system and explosive reactions are probable.  The top four world religions are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism with over 6 billion followers.  While they all outwardly promote peace, tranquility, and kindness toward your fellow man, they also seem to tolerate some level of violence to promote their brand.  Politics too will outwardly speak of peace but will resort to violence when it promotes a desired outcome.

When religion is used merely as a moral guideline in the establishment of laws, that is not inherently a bad thing.  When religious morality is used with nefarious intent by politicians and others who may have a convoluted interpretation of some religious doctrine, that is when problems arise.  We have all seen extreme manifestations of this where individuals use the pretext of religion or some spiritual calling to claim dominance over gullible people looking for answers.  Enter Charles Manson, David Koresh, Marshall Applewhite, L. Ron Hubbard, and Yahweh ben Yahweh to fill that void, often with disastrous consequences.  It is then not much of a stretch to see those same gullible sheep fall for a political messiah like Donald J. Trump.  His cult-like following has believers who will go to great lengths to protect and exalt him even when faced with examples of his bad behavior.

Now, put religion and politics in the social media blender, toss in lies and misinformation, and hit the on switch.  We have all seen the result.  In America, we saw the January 6, 2020, attack on our capital and its democratic foundation.  There were political flags, religious flags, QAnon flags, Confederate flags, and other symbols of fringe extremist groups (KEK, Pepe the Frog, III Percenters, Proud Boys).  Without social media and the mixing of religion and politics, none of this would have been likely.

The Information Age is here, and we need to embrace it for good and condemn its’ dark side.  The side that promotes evil.  Social media is a good thing when it brings people together.  It also can be used to spread lies and misinformation to the detriment of our democracy.  With politicians intent on meddling with school curriculums to promote political agendas or their brand of religious morality, perhaps it is time for us to accept our new technical reality. 

The “3-R’s” are in serious need of an update.  First, can we all acknowledge that the proper spelling of Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic would mean there never were three “R’s.”  I would suggest the new emphasis should be RWAI where the “I” stands for Information.  It would be the study of gathering information, validating information, and using that information to make informed decisions.  You can’t expect to flood future generations with more information than any human could absorb where that “information” includes facts, lies, opinions, misinformation, and deception, and not expect to see more of what we currently find happening to our adults.

We need to teach our children to think.  We have plenty of followers.  What we need are good leaders who know how to use sound reasoning to make good decisions.  If a “greater America” is truly our goal, perhaps it is time to begin grooming our future leaders and provide them with the tools that will benefit our democracy.  Democracies are hard work, allowing authoritarians to take over is just plain being lazy.

Speech, Free At What Price?

One of our most cherished freedoms is speech, the right to speak our minds without censorship. Americans will rightly abhor almost any limit on that right. But, in reality, there are limits to speech. Just as we have the Marquess of Queensberry rules in boxing, there must be some limits to speech.

One of those limits was laid out in Brandenburg v. Ohio in the 1969 Supreme Court decision that allows the government to forbid “incitement” speech. Such incitement speech was defined as that which is “directed at inciting or producing imminent lawless action” and “likely to incite or produce such action” (such as a speech to a mob urging it to attack a nearby building). Also, within the categories of speech not protected from government restrictions under the First Amendment are defamation, fraud, obscenity, child pornography, fighting words, and threats.

Under the Brandenburg decision, there was one loophole for speech that urges action at some unspecified future time. That was the “imminent lawless action” loophole. It all comes down to the word “imminent.” A dictionary definition states that it is something “coming or likely to happen very soon.” For a more legal definition we have from West’s Encyclopedia of American Law: “Imminent peril, for example, is danger that is certain, immediate, and impending, such as the type an individual might be in as a result of a serious illness or accident. The chance of the individual dying would be highly probable in such situation, as opposed to remote or contingent.” In Quimbee, another legal source, their definition of imminent is, “When an event will occur without a significant delay but not necessarily immediately.”

Imminent, like beauty, is therefore in the eye of the beholder. All definitions agree that there may be a period between the offending speech and the resultant criminal activity, but “soon” is not a specific period of time that all would agree upon. When imminent danger is used in cases of homicide in self-defense, we run into the judgement of a “reasonable and prudent man.” The “reasonable man” usage goes back to English common law and means that, if in the same position, what would the average person think or do.

In a time where someone can speak, type, or otherwise convey a message, and that “speech” can be anywhere in the world in a matter of seconds, “soon” may require a new interpretation. The judgement thus becomes one of determining how that speech may be interpreted by an audience that includes both reasonable and unreasonable people. A determination of whether some specific speech will place others in “imminent” physical danger will have to be made by a reasonable person who judges the content, audience, and likelihood of a harmful outcome.

There is a difference between an average person with a limited presence on social media expressing their displeasure with someone and a prominent person or celebrity with millions of zealous followers, many of whom have expressed a willingness to react with violence on behalf of that person, making a similar remark. The speech in this case, while similar in nature, may be judged by reasonable people to have drastically different anticipated outcomes. It is the potential risk of others performing the unlawful act that places others at risk.

The anonymity of social media has lifted the proverbial rock to release new vermin that would have been better left undisturbed. At this point in our history, we have opened Pandora’s Box, the legendary can of worms, and the Genie’s bottle all at the same time. The hornet’s nest has been whacked. With our newfound utility comes a new responsibility. That our judges and political leaders have failed to keep up with this new frontier is a sign that perhaps we need new people in those positions.

While we need to protect our precious freedoms, we need not abandon common sense. Lies are protected speech, but when those lies have fraud or violence as a goal, that speech is no longer a protected freedom. Likewise, when a mobster tells his henchmen that someone “should sleep with the fishes,” we all know that there is about to be one less mobster in the world. When a president uses his social media presence to direct the ire of a potentially violent following against one of his perceived enemies, that speech too should be dealt with as speech that is no longer protected.

The rhetoric of January 6th that precipitated the attack on our nation’s capital, was not protected speech. The thinly veiled threats against a judge and staff are not protected speech. Unsubstantiated lies that understandably damaged a voting tabulation company, were not protected speech. Whether it is speech from a political platform or a tweet on social media, speech that places others at risk in these violent times should not be tolerated. It’s time for sanity to prevail over lunacy.

Postscript: Predating the Brandenburg decision was Whitney v. California from 1927, where the primary holding was, “Despite the First Amendment, a state can use its police power to punish speech that undermines the public welfare by inciting criminal activity, disturbing the peace, or advocating the violent overthrow of the government.” It further stated, “The restrictions on government action under the First and Fourteenth Amendments do not extend to situations in which speech creates a clear and present danger of an evil outcome.”

Pizza and Religion

Pizza is often referred to as a comfort food. Likewise, many people find comfort in religion. With pizza, most would agree that a good crust, robust tomato sauce, and good-quality mozzarella cheese make for a delicious slice. Now, top that pizza with mushrooms, anchovies, and pineapple and you will start to find some disagreement. Oddly, you will probably get more acceptance for the fungus than the fruit or salty fish.

Pineapple and Anchovy Pizza

With religion, the fundamentals are just that. You can start with something like the Ten Commandments or a basic set of acceptable rules and get a consensus. Most religions will define acceptable behavior within the tenets of that specific faith. According to Wikipedia and Pew Research, roughly 49% of Americans are Protestants, 23% are Catholics, 2.5% are Jews, 1.8% are Mormons, and 1.3% are Muslims. This list accounts for around 77.6% of Americans so we also have about 22% with no religious affiliation who may be atheists or agnostics.

Most of us would agree that many of those who identify with a particular faith don’t strictly adhere to all its teachings. We have so-called “cafeteria Catholics” who might take birth-control pills or only go to church on Christmas and Easter. I’m sure other religions have terms for the more casual members of their respective faiths.

All of these religions have similar guidelines of what it takes to be a member in good standing within their teachings. The Golden Rule would be at the core of all these religions which answers the basic question posed by Rodney King, “Can we all get along?”

This, however, is not about comfort food or finding comfort in religion. This is about a particular group of people who now claim that their specific brand or interpretation of Christianity is the one true faith and needs to be force-fed to the rest of the heathens. To them, separation of church and state means they can dictate to the government, but the government better stay out of their business. Just as they misinterpret or twist the written word in their Bible, they also want to mold the writings of our Constitution to their will.

As abhorrent as this sounds, it might be more acceptable if these same people at least followed their own faith or were even casual adherents to its basic tenets. If all they wanted to do was use the Ten Commandments as a guide upon which to make and enforce our laws, the majority of Americans might be acceptant at that level. The serious problem here is that this small group of people, using the shield of religion, just want to make and enforce laws that benefit them financially. Their actions reek of hypocrisy.

Savior of the Religious Right

Case in point. In a recent exchange with someone who claims to be a Christian, that person excused Donald Trump’s lying and deceitful behavior to get a more favorable business arrangement, as just the way people do business. It is OK to try to deceive the government or another business and it is the duty of that entity to understand that everyone does this. That was his justification. To him, the Golden Rule is caveat emptor. I know I am not a biblical scholar, but I don’t remember that logic being taught by the olive-skinned Jewish man who wore sandals.

More realistic version of what Jesus looked like.

To these Christian revisionists, laws are meant to be broken if you can afford to fight it out in the courts and defeat those weaker than yourself. If you steal mainly from large financial institutions, who have you hurt? Certainly, that elderly schoolteacher who gets a small income from the stock she has in that business won’t feel much of a loss. To many in this new twenty-first-century Christianity, greed is good, and he who dies with the most gold wins.

Donald Trump is the new savior who literally brags about the commandments he has broken. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” means that Trump knows what’s best for you and if you put someone else above him, he will smite you. Given that the man worships wealth above all things, curses at anyone who doesn’t bend to his will, doesn’t attend church, has committed adultery so many times he has lost count, stealing is business as usual, bearing false witness against his neighbor, his judge, the judge’s clerk, his generals, his previous lawyers, disabled veterans, political rivals, and coveting anything he doesn’t have, means he has broken all of the commandments excepting perhaps five and six. I am assuming here he honored his father and mother and hasn’t personally killed anyone, yet.

The Ten Suggestions

Yes, the religious right has cornered the market in righteous indignation, and they will not be happy until Trump’s second coming. Perhaps, instead of descending a golden escalator, he can walk the length of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool wearing a long robe and a pair of Prada brushed leather fishermen sandals. The golden escalator at Trump Tower might be unavailable while in receivership.

Trump walks on water and brings his Bounty to the faithful.

Now, choke down that anchovy and pineapple pizza and I don’t want to hear any complaints.

Through the Looking Glass With the GOP

We have finally stepped through the looking glass, traipsed down the Yellow Brick Road, jumped the shark, and explored strange new worlds to go where no man has gone before.  We have traveled through another dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind, beyond even the imagination of Rod Serling.  Welcome to the Trump Zone.

Tweedledumb and Tweedledumber
aka McCarthy & Gaetz

Where else could you find a Republican Party, which controls our House of Representatives with 221 members, to be able to blame the Democratic Party when they couldn’t find 218 of their own members to vote to save Kevin McCarthy?  Yes, Democrats are to blame for his ouster.  Yes, the same Kevin McCarthy who was so desperate to get the job of Speaker of the House that he sat on a powder keg, rolled out the fuse, and gave a single member of a right-wing caucus a lit match to use any time he stepped out of line.  It was Kevin who was most surprised by the loud bang that followed.  Only in the Trump Zone.

Where else but in the bizarro world of the Trump Zone would a Republican congressman like Troy Nehls nominate Donald Trump for the open job of Speaker of the House?  It took just a few nanoseconds for both Marjorie Taylor Greene and Greg Steube to follow with their support for the “quadruply-indicted” ex-president who has been found liable for sexual assault, defamation, and business fraud. 

Their own House Rules would prohibit this.  Rule # 26, states that "a member of the Republican Leadership shall step aside if indicted for a felony for which a sentence of two or more years imprisonment may be imposed.”  This would not be a problem for Republicans living in the Trump Zone.  After all, if a law or rule gets in the way, just change it, ignore it, walk around it, or pretend it doesn’t matter.  The fact that this has never happened before would not be unusual here in the rarified atmosphere of the  Trump Zone.  A Speaker of the House had never been removed before in our nation’s history.  Things that have never happened only exist because Trump hasn't thought of them yet.

Yes, Donald Trump, who is regularly complaining that he has little time to be bothered by these pesky legal entanglements and trials because he is too busy campaigning to be president, has plenty of time to spare to serve as Speaker of the House.  Does he think that this job would somehow exempt him from criminal prosecution?  For someone who lives in the Trump Zone, everything is possible.

From Star Wars Episode V

I leave you with the opening from Star Wars Episode 5, 

"It is a dark time for the Rebellion. Although the Death Star has been destroyed, Imperial troops have driven the Rebel forces from their hidden base and pursued them across the galaxy."

 

 

 

 

USS Republican Party

 USS Republican Party

Dateline: Somewhere in the Sargasso Sea

The USS Republican Party was last seen sailing in circles with a broken rudder and no one at the helm. Their former captain was being towed behind in a leaky lifeboat franticly bailing with a 30 oz. cup from McDonald's to stay afloat. That lifeboat was also crammed with lawyers and was being circled by 44 Great White federal sharks and 47 Tiger state sharks eager to have anyone who fell overboard as their next meal.

This majestic three-masted schooner was once the flagship of the Republican Party. In 2016 the fearsome pirate Orangebeard attacked the Republican flagship and boarded it without firing a shot. He forced many of its officers to walk the plank or swear unwavering loyalty to him. He made outrageous promises to those who remained and broke them all.

USS Republican Party

In November 2020, Orangebeard fell overboard after tripping on his large ego. He managed to climb aboard the lifeboat and has been screaming obscenities ever since. He has since communicated with a small cadre of mutineers still aboard and they have managed to keep the ship sailing in circles ever since. They initially placed Lieutenant Junior Grade Kevin Mc Spineless in charge, and he promptly dropped his sextant along with his dignity overboard, and could no longer navigate the ship.

Former cabin boy and current powder monkey, whose job it is to run below decks to bring gunpowder to the cannon crews during battle, is called Fishface Gaetz. He has managed to lead a group of eight scurvy mutineers out of a crew of 435. His gang of eight includes Biggy Biggs, Bucky Buck, Greybeard Burchett, Redbeard Crane, Bad Good, Mace-Your-Face Mace, Rosey Rosendale, and of course old Fishface Gaetz himself.

The ship is sailing at the mercy of the weather and the occasional foul wind that breaks off the stern from the towed lifeboat with the noisy Orangebeard (aka Old Yellowstain) aboard. In fact, if it wasn't for Captain Orangebeard breaking wind, the ship wouldn't have any wind at all. The mystery of the strawberries of course continues. With Captain Yellowbeard in tow, tightly holding his little dinghy and the lifeboat, the ship's fate is uncertain as it continues to turn in wide circles to the right moving further and further away from America. In less than 45 days they may founder on the rocks of default. Sailing a ship is even more difficult when half the crew believes the world is flat.