Canary in the Coal Mine

On Thursday June 23, 2016 the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. As you may recall I wrote a post regarding the possibility of a Grexit. I never considered for a moment that it would end up being a Brexit. I have been listening to various people, reading, and watching coverage of this event. What many are calling an historic event, which in my humble opinion I agree with. So many people who are analyzing what went wrong and what will be. While I wanted to post on this, because it is extremely important, affecting so many areas of the world, I know that I will probably not be able to add much to the analysis that has already occurred. So I will just add my thoughts.

As an American I can certainly understand people's desire to control their own destiny rather than leave that to others. But as a concerned citizen of the world I have to wonder if people have forgotten how easily it is to fall into violent conflict, even in supposedly modern states such as the countries of Europe. WWI and WWII are not that long ago. Lest people forget, that was part of the reason that the European Union was created, to bind people together in an effort to avoid those types of conflicts in the future. It was also formed as a trading block to, hopefully, bring prosperity to those who were its members. From my view from across the pond it would appear that to this date it has actually performed those two functions quite well. And perhaps that is part of the problem now, because it has been so successful it is a desirable destination for many who are in desperate need of a safe haven. The strain on the various countries of Europe to absorb mass migrations of people is putting huge stress on a system that was put in place so long ago. We in America have also had to deal with illegal immigrants, but not to the ratio of newcomers to natives that we are seeing in Europe at this time.

The world is facing so many challenges today, wars in the Middle East, economic uncertainty in many countries, a climate that may not be so desirable in the future, a general disgust with our political leaders, to the point that we would just like to replace all of them. But isolationism, the attraction of an authoritarian type of leader, are all things we have tried in the past. They didn't work then, and they won't work now. The Brexit, the attraction of a man like Donald Trump in the US, or a Putin in Russia, seem to me to be all signs of fear of a change that we probably can't avoid. Perhaps it is better to face our fear rather than run from it. Start looking beyond the sound bites that are being thrown at us and start trying to find out what the facts really are. Because in the long run it is ourselves, and our ability to judge what is or is not, that we need to rely on, not a talking head on television.

What will happen with the Brexit? No one knows for sure. I hope that it turns out well for our friends in the UK. I wish them and the rest of Europe the best. They are all important friends and allies of my country. I also hope that my fellow countrymen and women choose wisely in November, because some votes have long lasting consequences.

Update:

I have a couple of things to add to this post that you, my readers, may find of interest.  I have received an objection to my suggestion regarding the ratio of immigrants to natives in Europe compared to the ratio in the US.  My reader suggested that I was not correct and provided the following links as substantiation.

US immigrant population over time

Numbers for Europe

I do note, though, that in table number 1 in that second link there are five countries that appear to surpass the US, Austria, Ireland, Sweden, Germany and Spain.  The numbers for the European countries do include immigrants from other European countries.

I was also sent a link to a very informative talk about the consequences of a Brexit.

Do not Weep

In memory of those killed in the Orlando nightclub attack.

The Blacklist

It was rainy and cold for the first part of Memorial Day weekend so I took the opportunity to rent a few movies that were recommended to me. Yes, believe it or not we actually have a video store near where I live. I know, I know, I too thought they had gone the way of the Dodo, but this one opened up a couple of years ago and I have enjoyed browsing in the brick and mortar environment again. Anyway, as you can probably tell, this is going to be another movie post. Well, it is Saturday night after all.

I enjoyed all of the movies, but the one that stands out for me was “Trumbo”. Bryan Cranston plays Dalton Trumbo, one of the screenwriters who were subpoenaed to testify in 1947 before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). This committee was looking into those who were members of the Communist party, which included Dalton Trumbo. What Trumbo and 9 others did was refuse to testify on the basis that Congress had no right to question anyone's party affiliation. Trumbo and the others were charged with contempt of Congress and sent to prison. But perhaps just as bad was the reaction of Hollywood. The Hollywood Ten were subsequently blacklisted by the Hollywood studios and weren't allowed to work in the film industry. At least not openly. But they did eventually work with the help of various people in the industry. So this is the story of a group of people who refused to be intimidated, who, despite what people may have thought of their beliefs, stood up for something that is integral to what we believe our country to be. 

In this election year perhaps we should try to look more closely at what being an American should mean.  

One of my favorite scenes, and whoever uploaded it cut if off.  *sigh*  

 If you haven't seen the movie, do.  You won't be disappointed.