Fiddling While Rome Burns

Well, another Black Friday has come and gone. We have seen the usual stampeding crowds.

But something else happened during the start of this holiday shopping season. A report was issued by the federal government, yes, the same federal government led by President Donald Trump.

There is some speculation that the timing was deliberate. You know, everyone distracted by the annual holiday shopping frenzy and partying for Thanksgiving that somehow they wouldn't notice. Ahhh, but those nasty press types were quick to make note of this rather dire report.

Now we see the talking heads that have denied climate change basically saying, yes, there is climate change, but there is no real proof that man is at fault or that we could actually make a difference if we tried. Our climate is always changing. Basically parroting what Donald Trump has come up with for his new position. I say new, because in the past he was of the belief that climate change was a hoax.

I hate to throw multiple things out there all at once, but I feel I really need to make mention of something that goes hand in hand with climate change, and that is species extinction. While we have focused so much of our attention on climate change we may have overlooked something that has just as great an impact on the health of this planet, at least with respect for human life. If you have a moment please listen to Elizabeth Kolbert, the author of “The Sixth Extinction”, on her book and this critical topic.

I would remind people that Donald Trump is 72 years old. Unless there is a sudden snapping of the Earth's climate, which is something that has been speculated on because there is nothing to say this will be gradual, Donald Trump will not live to see the extreme's that the recent report enumerate. His children may, but he will not. And yet, he is having an inordinate amount of influence on what the Untied States does to deal with this very serious issue. An issue that will affect all of humanity in the coming decades.

Perhaps it is time for us, “we the people”, to try to stop and take a moment in our busy lives to look a little more closely at climate change and species extinction. Because while we may blame Donald Trump, he is only the expression of what so many people out there believe. Because he and his followers are what WE have allowed to be elected to run our government.

Give me your tired...

This is the start of a famous poem by Emma Lazarus, a nineteenth century Jewish poet. Most Americans, I know, are familiar with it. But, I wonder, do they really understand how important it was for so many people who have looked for a refuge? We have seen the ceremonies commemorating Armistice Day, the day that marks the armistice of World War I. But it is a day that has come to mean more to so many who have fought in all of our wars, as well as those who we have fought for.

I have for you today another book recommendation. The book is “Sons and Soldiers” by Bruce Henderson. It is the story of the sons of desperate Jewish families who managed to escape to America prior to WWII, and subsequently went back with the U.S Army to fight Hitler.

It was a time in history where America and her allies stood up against a tyrant that threatened the lives of so many innocent people. People who had endured suffering the likes of which we do not ever want to see again. This was a time when a state's endorsed racism, bigotry, and persecution of it's own citizens in the name of some kind of national purity led to the killing of those who Hitler and his minions deemed inferior or a threat to the Nazi party's existence.

While Nazi indoctrination of the population had been occurring for some time, people tended to brush it off assuming that Hitler wouldn't last, that people would not go along with what he preached. Those people were wrong. On Nov. 9 – 10, 1938 the Nazis turned what had been political, physical, in an event that would be called Kristallnacht or the Night of Broken Glass.

For many in the Jewish community it was the last straw. On this Armistice Day weekend I would post this in remembrance of those who endured the events unleashed by Hitler and who fought back. “Sons and Soldiers” is their story. It should be heard, lest we forget.

Fool me once...

...shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.  You've heard the saying, I'm sure.  Some of you have probably even lived it.  If you've read this blog you all have a pretty good idea of where I stand politically.  So I won't belabor that point.  What I want to say is simply this.  When our country was formed, it was formed with some basic ideals in mind.  The biggest one being that our government was going to be "by the people, for the people".  I know that for many that hasn't always proved to be the case.  But that is by no means a reason to give up on that ideal.  It was, and still is, a good one.

When buying a car it is always a good idea to look under the hood, kick the tires, and take it for a drive.  When choosing our elected officials we should do no less.  It is imperative that we look beyond the sounds bites, and the outright lies, to get to the real truth of how those elected officials will govern.  That means look beyond Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat (if anyone on there actually talks politics) and all of those negative political ads and partisan talking heads we see on television.   Because while those elected officials have a duty to uphold our Constitution, we the people also have the same duty.  It is our duty to do our due diligence and elect the best out of the bunch we can find.  We have had two years of Donald Trump and a Republican controlled Congress.  Do you like what you see happening in our country?

If the answer to that question is no, then maybe you want to listen to Willie.

Beyond MAGA

We are now at the halfway point of Donald Trump's term as President of the United States. This fall America will vote again. With the mid-term election we are given a chance to make our views known. There have been any number of books on what has been happening behind the scenes in Trump's administration. One released recently is “The Fifth Risk” by Michael Lewis. I hear so many people complain about the lack of talent or bureaucratic inaction in our government. What this book does is look behind the curtain, revealing that there are some very amazing people, or were, behind it.    

If you really want to be an informed voter, one who carefully weighs their selection, one who is able to look beyond the hype of those MAGA hats, listen for a moment to Mr. Lewis when he talks about the subject matter of his book. Because this isn't about sound bites, it's about the nuts and bolts of running a country. It's about our putting in place people who really do have the ability to make our country great, not again, but still.

Before you vote in November take a little time and pick up this book and read it with an open mind.

 It's important.

The 2018 Nobel Peace Prize

This year the Nobel Peace prize is being shared between two people who have worked to bring to the attention of the world the sexual violence that is being used as a weapon of war. The first is a doctor who has worked to treat those who have been subjected to sexual violence and the second is a young woman who was held as a sex slave by ISIS.

Nobel Peace Prize 2018

In this video Dr. Mukwege asks a pointed question. What are we, ourselves, doing to change this situation?

While we are not all living in situations of war where sexual violence is systemic we can not know when we will find ourselves in a situation where we can stand up and make a difference in the lives around us. It starts at home and it takes courage. It means listening and believing someone when they finally have the courage themselves to stand up and try to be heard.

Sometimes that courage is sadly lacking, even in those in the highest positions of power.  In fact, sometimes they are part of the problem.

Tenting in America

Was it five years ago? Three years? Sadly, I don't recall now. But whenever it was it was the first time I really came across homelessness. Sure, there was always a problem in the Cities. But never had we seen it to the extent we do now in the suburbs. In my neighborhood there used to be a wooded area which I drove by every day. What I didn't realize, until I was speaking to a neighbor, was that in that area was a different world. A world of struggle, a tent camp for those who had nowhere else to go. Well, that area is gone now, stripped of its concealing trees and bushes to make room for a townhouse development. But the issue has not gone away. It has only moved. In my city we have more shelters for those who need help. But those are only a band aid to a wound that goes deeper.

Those who are living on the streets aren't just addicts or the mentally ill. They are also those who have become unemployed through downsizing or are trying to improve their circumstances by going to school. They are struggling with medical health issues or struggling to find affordable housing on a minimum wage salary.

In Anaheim CA low wages and little affordable housing:

In Minneapolis MN addiction:

Trying to find a better road in CA:

So far, other than a few local efforts, I have seen little on a federal level that would address this growing issue. In fact, most of Washington's policies seem set to exacerbate the problem. A truly great nation takes care of its own.

What Happens in Idlib...

Syria is back in the news with the combined Russian and Syrian actions in Idlib.  Idlib is the last bastion of rebel territory within Syria.  It has acted as the repository for many of the people fleeing other areas of Syria that have come under attack by the Assad regime.

What happens in Idlib will have long lasting consequences for millions of people, the region, and the world.

A report by the special envoy on Syria to the United Nations.

While Russia has warned the United States of a planned attack on Idlib it is apparently the Trump administration's decision to continue a military presence in Syria.

A warning, perhaps?

An analysis of the recent meeting between the most prominent players in the Syrian conflict, Russia, Iran and Turkey.  And an interesting take on what the aftermath of the civil war in Syria holds for, in particular, the EU.