Benghazi in Crisis

I was planning on doing a lighter post as we've been so serious of late, but I ran across this interesting piece on the PBS Frontline website about Benghazi and thought you all might be interested.  It appears that another front has opened up in the fight against Daesh that may prove just as challenging as that of Syria and Iraq.

The video isn't very long, just shy of 20 minutes or so.

Benghazi in Crisis  

Who We Are

Like so many Americans out there in an election year I normally would have shut out all of the hoopla, rhetoric, and posturing by our political establishment, until the very last moment. But this year I have actually tuned into parts of the Republican and Democratic conventions. As of this writing you will know that the nominees for both parties have been chosen, Donald Trump for the Republicans and Hillary Clinton for the Democrats.

More so than any other election that I can remember this one seems to be a pivotal point in our history. It is the first time in history that a woman has been nominated for president of the United States by a major political party. At the same time it is an election that has exposed deep divisions within our society, not just of race and economics, but of how we view our country and its potential, and how we treat each other. I have listened with sadness.

But on the first night of the Democratic convention, among the very good speakers there was one, Cory Booker, who made me smile. Obviously a partisan speech, but it embodied the hopeful spirit that I have always felt lay at the heart of who we, as Americans, are.

That is the America I want to live in. That is the America that can face its problems and prevail.  

Voices

I have been busy with real life tasks so haven't had the opportunity to consider a new post, until now. But, oh my, does there seem to be a plethora of topics to discuss. We have the multiple police shootings in the United States, which led to protests, and more violence. We have the aftermath of the Brexit vote starting to ripple through economic activity and the political spectrum. We have had a truck attack in France, resulting in mass casualties. We have had a coup attempt in Turkey. I simply could not pick. But as I considered my topic I realized that some of those events do actually have something in common. Except, perhaps, for the terror attack in France all of the other events seem to be symptoms of divisions within various countries. I qualify the terror attack with that “perhaps” because it too seems in a way to be a symptom of divisions between peoples. The division in that case being between moderates and extremists.

People are not all alike, they have different beliefs, different dreams, different problems. So how do we deal with the differences? I think if a country has a wise government it listens to the people. While we can't please all of the people all of the time it is expected that all of the people should be given the respect and due process that is necessary for a country to continue to function successfully. So I have listened to a couple videos that I wanted to share with you.

The first is a Sky News Special on the aftermath of the Brexit vote. (Yes, you know who, I wrote “the” before Brexit. Lol!). I thought it a decently balanced report with voices from both sides of the issue weighing in. It runs about 26 minutes.

The next is a Town Hall discussion that President Obama engaged in recently regarding race relations here in the States. It too was a nicely balanced event allowing all voices to be heard. It's about an hour long, but there are some very interesting viewpoints expressed that are worth hearing.

We will always struggle with differences. It is how we respond to those differences, and resolve the problems that arise, that will differentiate a peaceful, prosperous country from one that slides into chaos and anarchy, or a dictatorship.

July 4, 2016

Another July 4^th is just around the corner and we are still here, despite those out there who wish us ill. This year I decided to dedicate a post to the people who have worked so hard to make this country, its laws, its economy, its coat of many colors social fabric. Despite people, who in the past, or currently, have decided the best thing would be to close the door on certain groups of people, we have persevered in maintaining a society that allows newcomers a place. It may be a slow, grinding process, but it does eventually create new Americans, and they are the people who contribute to a vibrant, flexible, country.

What amazes me is that while we have focused on certain immigrant groups, such as those from Syria, people are still coming from around the world. I took a peak at various citizenship ceremonies. I liked this one because it was a nice snapshot of where people came from. I don't know the lady who was the reason for the video being made, but I hope she won't mind my letting my readers watch.

I don't know why any of those people in that citizenship ceremony decided to come to this country, but they have all taken an oath to follow the laws of this country, support and defend her. Because the United States is now their country. It is their home. It is now their responsibility. And it is the responsibility of those here who came before to make room for them, to give them, within the protection of our laws, the freedom to grow to be valuable citizens.

While I do not know the hardships our new Americans have experienced on their journey here I did look at the last step they needed to take to become American, the citizenship test, or at least part of it. Here is a link to a few of the questions. You may want to see how you do. I was relieved to realize that I would pass it. Lol! I was also rather amused that in the two tests I looked at the question of when your taxes are due was included in both.  

U.S. citizenship test

So to all of our new Americans out there I just want to say congratulations and I hope you find the happiness in this country that you deserve.  

   

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.