Category: American Affairs

A PLEA FOR REASONED DISCOURSE FROM ANOTHER SIDE OF THE AISLE

~ Jnana Hodson ~ 4 Comments

One of the breakthroughs we’re finding in this world of blogging is the emergence of original voices that would otherwise never appear in the larger commercial-media market. Many of them are quite better than some of the nationally syndicated newspaper columnists we’re seeing these days and definitely those vacuous suits on Fox News. Or should I start with my surprise that my own postings get reactions from so many other countries rather than just the USA, as my previous training would have anticipated? That, in itself, is a revelation.

Add to that the range of perspectives that become available, especially through the WordPress Reader as we follow fellow bloggers. Each day, I tap into a world of fellow spirits, from beginner writers to the highly advanced. It’s quite a community of discourse!

My wife has her own circles of bloggers she reads more or less daily. As she says, “I’m very interested in interesting people who think differently than me,” and that ranges far beyond her thoughts of gardening, cooking, and – well, let’s leap ahead to radical education and home-schooling. It’s become a joy to sit together each morning as we peruse the Web and then read aloud to each other passages we find especially insightful.

One of her favorites is the bearing blog by a devout, conservative Roman Catholic mother in the Twin Cities who would initially appear miles apart from us in our daily lives.

But two recent posts have my utmost endorsement.

The first introduced me to the term “cultural bundling,” in which people assume if you take position X, you favor or oppose a whole stream of other issues. In this case, it was her reluctance to put a bumper sticker on her car – any bumper sticker – even if this one was Black Lives Matter. For her, such brief statements lead to stereotyping that has prejudicial consequences and that, in turn, hampers efforts to resolve issues in public. Put another way, a lot of blind intolerance can flash into play, and I know it comes from both the right and left side of the political divide. As I’ve felt all too well, my liberal circles can be embarrassingly close-minded and even nasty in some of their assumptions. It’s not all “them,” after all.

E.G. Arlinghaus presents her rational in her post, “A Little Knowledge.”

A more recent post tears into a subtle flaw in the argument of “voting for the lesser of two evils.” To my surprise, her deft and conscientious examination takes its stand from a nuanced argument in Roman Catholic ethical and political thinking. Take a look at what she has to say about “Intrinsic” matters.

Her own observations on the importance of nuanced thinking resonate with me. Throughout my career as a newspaper editor I fought for longer articles, whenever possible and deserving, even if that meant cutting many other dispatches into briefs. For me, the “why” and “how” could be more important than the who-what-when-and-where specifics or posturing.

For example, from my side, pro-life does not necessarily mean pro-abortion but rather an acknowledgement that back-alley abortions lead to the deaths and mutilation of desperate pregnant women without any similar consequences for the men who put them in this condition.

It’s a huge difference, one that looks at the consequences of policy.

Arlinghaus’ detailing, based on a piece by Bishop Flores of Brownsville, Texas, admits the nitty-gritty realities of politics and conflicts of conscience but turns the argument in new ways.

Hope this helps.

SO MUCH FOR THE BIG-MONEY PIPELINE

~ Jnana Hodson ~ 1 Comment

Wait! The billionaire Koch Bros. are rebuffing Trump’s overtures for campaign donations?

That in itself is shocking!

  • Could it be his Russian connections? Or his Russian lenders?
  • Could it be they know a bad investment when they see one?
  • Could it be they have no desire to see their largess prop up Trump’s businesses and private wealth rather than his run for the White House?
  • Could it be he’s not right-wing enough for them? Or that they have no idea where he really stands, much less what he might deliver?
  • Could it be they’re going to give heavily to Gary Johnson and the Libertarians instead?
  • Just what do they know that we don’t?
  • How soon before Trump starts smearing them with nasty nicknames? As if he hasn’t already?

As if our heads weren’t spinning already, just trying to keep up with the surreal news developments.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A WEEK MAKES

~ Jnana Hodson ~ 3 Comments

If you play chess, you probably know the importance of capturing the center of the board early in the game. In doing so, you push your opponent back into the corners, where the pieces can no longer support each other effectively.

That’s what Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party did this week in Philadelphia against Donald Trump and his remaining Republican campers.

It’s hardly the scenario I had expected at the beginning of the week, especially after seeing the rising poll numbers favoring Trump in the wake of Cleveland. But then Trump’s never faced tough competition in his run through the primary season, where he was more intent in upsetting the board than in playing by the rules, where his abilities might be measured. Not like this, and it’s just beginning.

Yes, now all that’s changed. It’s a new game, and he’s getting clobbered in the full glare of public attention. He’s no longer accepted as an entertaining oddity but as a full-blown election figure. The easy ride’s over. The gloves are off.

~*~

Having already confessed my apprehension before the convention – Democrats have, after all, too often shown themselves to be a party with an uncanny ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory – what we just witnessed was a masterful display of seasoned discipline, rational persuasion, and deep passion. Unlike some recent debacles, this time the party stirred the heart more often than the head alone. Emotions flowed, often eliciting tears of wonder, relief, and compassion. There was little that was superficial or manipulative in all this – what I experienced was authentic resonance. These were not lectures, but open lessons in the deep meaning and responsibilities of democracy and respect for individuals who have sacrificed much, if not all, for our greater good. The Republican contempt for public service was forcefully countered by examples of common citizens who have made significant differences for the benefit of others. For four nights, a parade of speaker after speaker, from celebrities and famous leaders to everyday Americans, capitalized on Trump’s insults to the military, minorities, women, and allies, and how their side and nominee stood in stark contrast. Shall we say stark relief? What emerged was defiant prophesy, pride, and patriotism. As many veteran Republicans admitted, this was the convention they should have had, but didn’t. To their surprise, many discovered that the usually softhearted liberals have been exercising at the gym and with trainers. Look at those muscles! The consequences will be telling.

The biggest threat to the left, as expected, came from the fringe supporters of Bernie Sanders who had gone on a binge of demonizing his primary rival. Quite frankly, they could have been working for the billionaire Trump in the weeks leading up to the convention, and we’ll have to see how lingering their damage will be.

Sanders, to his credit, rallied the more reasonable majority among them to the greater cause and pledged his support for the nominee and the party. He knows the dangers Trump presents in addition to the One Percent already targeted. Bernie’s real work now will be in campaigning for Democrats in races across the nation, to assure a favorable Congress next January. We can’t afford more obstructionism and gridlock.

By the end of the convention, the few dozen remaining Bernie-or-Bust diehards had gone bust. I suspect the Democratic Party has gained much more in its wider appeal to the center this week than it would have by capitulating to the fringe in their demands Hillary capitulate and hand the nomination to Bernie. Get real! That’s not how things get done in the public arena, and as a Bernie supporter, I doubt he’d be able to carry the campaign to the finish line from here. He’s a theoretician and organizer, not an administrator and bridge-builder. Besides, if Trump wins, the Revolution itself will be toast. Don’t be that suicidal!

From the point of view of the chess game, Hillary understands you’ll likely lose some pieces in capturing the center of the board. Which ones can be a strategic decision in determining the outcome. Keep trying to get in the way, and the Bernie-or-bust spoilers make themselves expendable. Better to have earned themselves a place at the table come November than be shut out in a growing cold.

~*~

On the Trump side, meanwhile, the news gets more and more bizarre.

We have his invitation to Russian intelligence to interfere with American politics – a statement he now tries to brush off as a “joke,” even as more damning details emerge. John Hutson, former U.S. Navy Adjutant General and former dean of the University of New Hampshire Law School, bluntly declared Trump’s statement fit criminal intent. Meanwhile, across the Net, you’ll find “treason” being attached to Trump’s name, hardly something you’d expect to see in regard to a Republican nominee. Anyone else see the Trump-Putin campaign signs appearing or the murals of the two of them kissing? (Add to that the motto, “Make Russia Great Again”?)

And now Trump’s trying to backpedal, saying his comments are merely “sarcasm,” which is essentially a bid to claim he hasn’t meant anything he’s said. It’s all a joke? No, as the quotations add up, it’s all too clear what a clear and present danger he presents to the nation and world. This is serious business. Sometimes “you’re fired” is exactly that.

And he doesn’t even see his failure to release his income-tax returns is a public concern? Obviously, he didn’t listen to former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg’s take down of a “con man” New Yorkers intuitively see through. This, I’m sensing, will be the nail in Trump’s campaign, especially as the Democrats kept hammering away at the vacuity of his greasy “trust me” wheedling. Give us the proof to support your bragging or face the mounting details to the contrary. Trump’s looking more and more the blustery phony.

His apologists, meanwhile, are losing their own credibility. Just look at Bill O’Reilly’s attempted defense of racial slavery regarding the construction of the White House. If he thinks his long-discredited argument’s not racist, he needs to read Abraham Lincoln or Harriet Beecher Stowe. Real history. While many are hailing the First Lady’s speech as a masterpiece, the contempt Reilly and his brand engender positions themselves as spittoons. Well, it is so outrageous, why not sputter?

Truly blatant was the Fox News decision to preempt Khizr Khan’s remarks Thursday night. The father of Muslim-American U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, who died in Iraq, Khizr issued a stinging rebuke to Trump that pulled the rug out from under the GOP nominee and his convention. If you haven’t seen it, you must. And if you see it and your eyes are still dry, considering questioning your values. For all of the Republican appeals to the Constitution the previous week, nothing in Cleveland was as mighty as Khizr’s challenge to Trump to read the document, especially to find its words “liberty” and “justice for all.” So Fox failed to report what may be the most potent moment in the 2016 campaign. So much for its “live” coverage. Amazing! No wonder the network’s in trouble, even without taking Roger Ailes’ downfall into account.

And now Mike Pence is whining about President Obama’s description of Trump as a “demagogue,” saying such words shouldn’t be used in public discourse? Where’s Pence been? Listen up! Trump’s smeared all of his opponents with similar labels. If it fits, as they say, or, for that matter, turnabout’s fair game. If you think it’s bad, set a better example if you can, before it gets worse.

~*~

That’s the brief account. No way to go into all the details, and besides, they’re easily found online and in print. Here I’d planned on keeping my focus on historical perspectives rather than something more like these “live” commentaries. As you can see, it’s hard enough keeping up with the headlines, even before considering how the grassroots online action is taking off, too. Anyone else chuckling at the “America’s Dad” definitions of Tim Kaine that are going viral? They’re some of the best good-natured humor we’ve seen in ages, and it’s all in support of Hillary’s running mate. Or how about the celebrities’ a cappella “Fight Song” for Hillary, now available on YouTube? That, in addition to the lineup of musical stars performing live? Anyone think the Trump camp can catch up?

This much, for sure: the Democrats have enough excellent “sound bites” from the week to keep hammering away effectively at Trump-Pence to November. The shock waves are just starting.

Now, it looks like the chess match is over and we’re on the way to something that looks more like baseball with each team facing a game a day. Anyone still betting on Trump?

SO HERE WE GO CHARGING TOWARD NOVEMBER

~ Jnana Hodson ~ 3 Comments

For perspective, remember that the infamous Chicago convention of ’68 took place nearly a month later, in late August. This is going to be a long and brutal battle.

The national government’s been gridlocked, thanks to a Republican vow to oppose and undercut anything President Obama has desired.  They have no basis for blaming him or his administration for anything, then. The failures really fall back on their own shoulders.

The challenge now is to elect officials who will work together to solve problems on behalf of all Americans.

Trump and his party have, in practice, already excluded all but older white males of a nominally Christian persuasion. As a white male, and as a radical Christian, I’m deeply offended by their arrogance and presumption.

The alternative of either the nation’s first woman president or first Jewish president has been far more welcoming in the primary season. Now, if Democrats and Independent voters stay united, the reality of an inclusive White House that serves all Americans is in reach.

So here we go.

NO MATTER WHAT, IT’S NOT PALIN

~ Jnana Hodson ~ 1 Comment

With all of the hoopla surrounding vice presidential picks, I can’t help but wonder where the scrutiny was when John McCain pulled Sarah Palin out of the hat.

His lapse in judgment there may well have cost him the White House.

Quite simply, we dodged the bullet.

Let’s not underestimate the importance of this half of the ticket.

I, for one, am grateful for Joe Biden’s service the past eight years.

WAIT! DO RUSSIANS REALLY ‘OWN’ DONALD J. TRUMP?

~ Jnana Hodson ~ 2 Comments

Apart from the furor over the WikiLeaks release of hacked Democratic National Committee emails is a much bigger, more troubling, question: Exactly why were the Russians doing covert electronic snooping against the American liberal party, anyway?

(Makes me wonder about the presumed security of U.S. State Department lines, by the way – the ones Hillary Clinton avoided at times, to the consternation of her partisan attackers.)

We might begin with the fact that Russian president Vladimir Putin hates Hillary Clinton, probably because of her toughness as Secretary of State in opposition to his aggression.

But now Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo makes more serious connections as he looks at what he calls “the seeming bromance between Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.”

Quite simply, as he notes, ” There is a lot of Russian money flowing into Trump’s coffers and he is conspicuously solicitous of Russian foreign policy priorities.”

Marshall then observes, “Trump has been blackballed by all major U.S. banks with the exception of Deutschebank, which is of course a foreign bank with a major U.S. presence. He has steadied and rebuilt his financial empire with a heavy reliance on capital from Russia. At a minimum the Trump organization is receiving lots of investment capital from people close to Vladimir Putin.”

And Marshall then goes on to note the close Russian relationships with Trump’s closest advisers. That alone should be raising red flags. No pun intended.

It’s all truly frightening stuff, especially for those of us who have viewed many right-wing operatives as more dangerous to American freedoms than any of the “communist takeover” we’ve long been warned against. (Marshall, by the way, steers clear of conspiracy theories.)

How is it Trump’s Republican opponents overlooked these connections? Well, for one, they never took him seriously. He was, after all, essentially a comical TV entertainer. Or so they thought. Look at the disaster they could have prevented.

But now? Could Trump be a Manchurian Candidate?

Put the dots together, and it’s fair to guess, this is worse than we might imagine. Or, as Marshall explains:

“Trump’s tax returns would likely clarify the depth of his connections to and dependence on Russian capital aligned with Putin. And in case you’re keeping score at home: no, that’s not reassuring.”

No wonder Trump has refused to release 10 years of tax filings! On top of all the other shenanigans those documents would likely disclose, we have this reality: He’s in debt up to his eyeballs to Russians! Think about that!

Now, for more from Marshall: “To put this all into perspective, if Vladimir Putin were simply the CEO of a major American corporation and there was this much money flowing in Trump’s direction, combined with this much solicitousness of Putin’s policy agenda, it would set off alarm bells galore.”

Why hasn’t it? Go ahead, blame the mainstream media, if you must. Maybe they’ll catch up. This could be the bombshell to destroy his campaign, believe me, if additional details come to light..

Now, we can also ask: Just how crooked are Trump’s financial dealings? How shaky is his empire? Or how shady? Could it be Russians are simply trying to protect their investment?

For Marshall’s full account, I urge you to click here.

GO AHEAD, ASK

~ Jnana Hodson ~ Leave a comment

Would they live by the Golden Rule? Could they live on the minimum wage, much less raise a family? Will they even donate as much to charities serving the poor as they give to political campaigns? Especially considering how the middle-class has been impoverished?

NOW THAT WE’RE IN THE THICK OF IT

~ Jnana Hodson ~ 2 Comments

Let me confess, I hadn’t intended to blog about the political conventions, but as events unfolded, I couldn’t resist.

But I am intrigued by the unexpected counterpoint my earlier scheduled postings are providing. There’s more to life, after all, than politics, though they can make daily affairs easier or more cumbersome. So here we are, bouncing between the experiences of camping in the high Cascades or walking around town or tending the garden and the manipulated circus that’s become the new Mistake on the Lake. Maybe the real wilderness adds an essential ballast or balance or at least a breath of fresh air.

I suspect this wild ride’s going to continue quite a while. Let’s try to keep our feet on the ground as we go. And don’t forget to smell the roses or coffee. Keep our priorities straight. Maybe even with a sense of humor.