I have to pause to consider what the rest of the world might be thinking about the United States today. I can't help but believe that many people, even MILLIONS of people, around the world must be thinking that we here in the United States must really have a STRANGE set of priorities of late.
Here is what is happening both in the United States and abroad, at the hands of either American military action, or American corporate action. The American military has been fighting non-stop at least since 1990 with no end in sight. Even now, President Trump is gearing up to send even more troops to Afghanistan. Americans are fighting in Iraq, Libya, and Syria overtly. Drones and clandestine operations are taking place in many other places around the world. And this is only ONE issue.
American corporations are polluting and exploiting resources both here and abroad. Further, American corporations are paying nearly slave wages in various countries around the world. Big defense contractors are doing their part to keep the United States in a permanent state of war. No matter how many innocent people are killed, no matter how much "collateral" damage is done, the defense suppliers lobby for contracts and keep the arms coming. Their colleagues in government and the military also do their part to keep war supplies "in demand."
Relations between the United States, China, and the Koreas are at all time levels of high tension. North Korea has now or will soon develop the capacity to lob their new atomic weapons to the very front steps of the United States, but if the United States did the smart thing and pre-emptively struck the North Korean nuclear facilities, China would step in to protect the North Koreans. The chances of less than nuclear devastation, should the United States and China go to war, are practically zero.
Yet, with all of these things going on at home and abroad, what is it that Americans are focusing on? Apparently it is suddenly an extreme necessity to remove statues of Confederate heroes, force the renaming of schools, institutions, and businesses, and to disown any ties to the 'hateful and racist" America of the past. By the past, I mean two or three years ago. Coincidentally this strange need so many Americans feel to distance themselves from "the old America" seems to have arisen about the time that Black Lives Matter appeared on the national stage, but that is another blog.
The world looks on as Americans and the American mainstream media are hysterically screaming for statues to be pulled down, buildings to be renamed, and even books to be burned. Ignoring any real relevant issues, this very small but very loud minority, with the media's most eager assistance, has succeeded in robbing so many responsible people of all sense of rationality. Not only that, but this small group of people, with media support, has managed to cause otherwise sensible people to suddenly feel guilty about statues, heroes, even of their very national heritage.
Mayors of towns, so eager to please this small, vocal minority, and yet to avoid angering the majority of their constituents, have secretly spirited away monuments of Confederate heroes out of city parks and college campuses literally under the cover of darkness. How ludicrous! "Leaders" including mayors, councilmen, county commissioners, and state and national politicians are going out of their way to pander to the "protesters" and the media. I hope that their constituents will remember each and every one of these cowardly politicians at the next election.
While the United States Constitution protects us from government censor, the loud minority, their numbers and power being inflated by the news media, are limiting Americans' freedom of speech and assembly so much more effectively than any totalitarian government has ever been able to do. Literally, if anyone so much as DARES to publicly state that a statue in a park is not necessarily offensive to the majority of people, that person is immediately branded a neo-Nazi racist. And anyone who might support such a person is terrified to do so, fearing the same branding at the hands of loudmouths and the media.
What does the world think of this great nation right now, a nation where such a loud few has been able to overcome the calmness and rationality of the vast majority of Americans? What does the world think of this once proud nation that now appears to be unable to look back at its own history without whimpering and without denying what took place, but what is now a hundred years behind us? I think they are wondering "What in the HELL has happened to America?" What are the Americans DOING to themselves?"
The hysteria displayed in the news from across this great nation has now filtered its way into my city, and true to form, many Midlanders are suddenly either ashamed of the past or afraid to stand up for the institutions of this city for fear of being branded racist. I am sick of it!! Many of the people screaming about racism have no idea what that really means! Are they forced into "ghettos" because of their race, as happened in the Third Reich? Are they made to enter stores and restaurants through the back door? Are they denied entrance to any public facility because of their skin color? Have they ever been attacked by the "Klan?" Have they ever even been denied a job because of their race? For most people the answer is no. The truth is that many of the "protesters" that sparked all of this hysteria were PAID ACTORS who had no interest whatever in Black Lives Matter, some injustice at the hands of the police, or some other fill-in-the-blank "protest." Their numbers and actions were multiplied and magnified by the media.
In Midland today it was announced that someone has started a petition on-line to garner support to force the local school district to change the name of one of its high schools. Worse, according to the petition, NOT SUPPORTING this name-change means that one is a racist who supported slavery and all the other evils of the Confederacy. I suspect that by tomorrow morning the local media, "affiliates" of the big three news channels, will be calling for the name of that particular school to be changed, possibly putting pressure on school board members to do something "now!" If the sponsor of this petition, and anyone who supports him, is truly a believer in democracy, and not himself a racist or bigot, he or she would use democratic processes first, instead of resorting to"fear pressure" to accomplish his or her ends. Instead of a rather anonymous "on-line petition" why not approach the school board at an open school board meeting, present an actual paper petition with verifiable names of supporters, and call for an open vote on the matter. Do the people of Midland truly want to change the name of that particular high school? If they do, then they will sign the petition, the school board will put it a vote, and if the vote for the name change carries, the people will have spoken and it will be indeed time for the name change. This should hold true for all of these situations across our nation.
Today we are witnessing a different kind of censorship, a different kind of thought control, a different kind of "fear pressure." In some ways this new kind of speech censorship and thought control is more fearful than any sort of control our government could clamp down onto us. When free people are compelled to act or think a certain way by other people and the media, when anyone who disagrees with whatever the "trending" thoughts and feelings may be are labeled racists, bigots, Un-American, or any other derogatory label, and have that label flashed across the nation and the world as "news," as true fact, freedom is just as dead as if Hitler and his henchmen were in charge and the Third Reich had never been blasted off the face of the earth.
It doesn't, in effect, matter whom the Totalitarians are, when the masses are afraid to think differently and to speak freely, censorship is just as complete, just as strong. The United States is headed in this direction. Do not be afraid to have a point of view and to stick with that point of view, even if others do not agree with it. It is so ironic and tragic that men and women fought and died for America over the years to ensure that no foreign power or rogue terrorist group could ever deprive us of our freedom, but today a loud and minuscule minority of Americans (more than likely bought and paid for by a behind the scenes megalomaniac) and a near-mindless and unthinking "news" media is working to shape our thoughts and beliefs, to force us to COMPLY with whatever the "new think" is. And, my friends, the NEW THINK is that we must either go along with the destruction of our history or be called racists and neo-Nazis. I choose not to go along with this NEW THINK. If someone is so stupid and ignorant as to consider me a racist and neo-Nazi, that is up to that ignorant person.
I can't help but hear that thought over and over: Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it
We must remember the past - the good, the bad, and the ugly - and by remembering, we are then positioned NEVER to make those mistakes again. Conversely, when we tear down the past, alter the truth in our text books, and deny all those things - the good AND the bad - we, as Santayana told us, are DOOMED to repeat the mistakes over and over.
The founders of this great nation made a tremendous and absolutely amazing (though obviously IMPERFECT) attempt to break the cycle of repressive authoritarianism and totalitarianism that had been REPEATED over and over throughout the history of civilization. The Union was flawed, and a great war was fought to correct those flaws. But now, a little over a hundred years after that war, we seem to have forgotten that freedom of thought, even if some of us disagreed with others, was the only way to keep the nation strong. In the past two decades schools, universities, and even corporations have spent MILLIONS of dollars to promote, protect, and emphasize our nation's diversity. Now, in just two short years Americans have become cowed into accepting ideas and ideals that the vast majority do not agree with, but to DISAGREE with this NEW THINK is be branded racists, Nazi, or even WHITE SUPREMACIST.
Forgive me, I thought disagreement, dialogue, diversity, compromise, and unity were the American way. No, I BELIEVE this to be the case. I challenge you to stand your ground on your beliefs, even if they are beliefs I might disagree with. There are worse things than government control, and one of those is control of the vast majority by a howling, rabid minority mob.
May God Bless America
Here is what is happening both in the United States and abroad, at the hands of either American military action, or American corporate action. The American military has been fighting non-stop at least since 1990 with no end in sight. Even now, President Trump is gearing up to send even more troops to Afghanistan. Americans are fighting in Iraq, Libya, and Syria overtly. Drones and clandestine operations are taking place in many other places around the world. And this is only ONE issue.
American corporations are polluting and exploiting resources both here and abroad. Further, American corporations are paying nearly slave wages in various countries around the world. Big defense contractors are doing their part to keep the United States in a permanent state of war. No matter how many innocent people are killed, no matter how much "collateral" damage is done, the defense suppliers lobby for contracts and keep the arms coming. Their colleagues in government and the military also do their part to keep war supplies "in demand."
Relations between the United States, China, and the Koreas are at all time levels of high tension. North Korea has now or will soon develop the capacity to lob their new atomic weapons to the very front steps of the United States, but if the United States did the smart thing and pre-emptively struck the North Korean nuclear facilities, China would step in to protect the North Koreans. The chances of less than nuclear devastation, should the United States and China go to war, are practically zero.
Yet, with all of these things going on at home and abroad, what is it that Americans are focusing on? Apparently it is suddenly an extreme necessity to remove statues of Confederate heroes, force the renaming of schools, institutions, and businesses, and to disown any ties to the 'hateful and racist" America of the past. By the past, I mean two or three years ago. Coincidentally this strange need so many Americans feel to distance themselves from "the old America" seems to have arisen about the time that Black Lives Matter appeared on the national stage, but that is another blog.
The world looks on as Americans and the American mainstream media are hysterically screaming for statues to be pulled down, buildings to be renamed, and even books to be burned. Ignoring any real relevant issues, this very small but very loud minority, with the media's most eager assistance, has succeeded in robbing so many responsible people of all sense of rationality. Not only that, but this small group of people, with media support, has managed to cause otherwise sensible people to suddenly feel guilty about statues, heroes, even of their very national heritage.
Mayors of towns, so eager to please this small, vocal minority, and yet to avoid angering the majority of their constituents, have secretly spirited away monuments of Confederate heroes out of city parks and college campuses literally under the cover of darkness. How ludicrous! "Leaders" including mayors, councilmen, county commissioners, and state and national politicians are going out of their way to pander to the "protesters" and the media. I hope that their constituents will remember each and every one of these cowardly politicians at the next election.
While the United States Constitution protects us from government censor, the loud minority, their numbers and power being inflated by the news media, are limiting Americans' freedom of speech and assembly so much more effectively than any totalitarian government has ever been able to do. Literally, if anyone so much as DARES to publicly state that a statue in a park is not necessarily offensive to the majority of people, that person is immediately branded a neo-Nazi racist. And anyone who might support such a person is terrified to do so, fearing the same branding at the hands of loudmouths and the media.
What does the world think of this great nation right now, a nation where such a loud few has been able to overcome the calmness and rationality of the vast majority of Americans? What does the world think of this once proud nation that now appears to be unable to look back at its own history without whimpering and without denying what took place, but what is now a hundred years behind us? I think they are wondering "What in the HELL has happened to America?" What are the Americans DOING to themselves?"
The hysteria displayed in the news from across this great nation has now filtered its way into my city, and true to form, many Midlanders are suddenly either ashamed of the past or afraid to stand up for the institutions of this city for fear of being branded racist. I am sick of it!! Many of the people screaming about racism have no idea what that really means! Are they forced into "ghettos" because of their race, as happened in the Third Reich? Are they made to enter stores and restaurants through the back door? Are they denied entrance to any public facility because of their skin color? Have they ever been attacked by the "Klan?" Have they ever even been denied a job because of their race? For most people the answer is no. The truth is that many of the "protesters" that sparked all of this hysteria were PAID ACTORS who had no interest whatever in Black Lives Matter, some injustice at the hands of the police, or some other fill-in-the-blank "protest." Their numbers and actions were multiplied and magnified by the media.
In Midland today it was announced that someone has started a petition on-line to garner support to force the local school district to change the name of one of its high schools. Worse, according to the petition, NOT SUPPORTING this name-change means that one is a racist who supported slavery and all the other evils of the Confederacy. I suspect that by tomorrow morning the local media, "affiliates" of the big three news channels, will be calling for the name of that particular school to be changed, possibly putting pressure on school board members to do something "now!" If the sponsor of this petition, and anyone who supports him, is truly a believer in democracy, and not himself a racist or bigot, he or she would use democratic processes first, instead of resorting to"fear pressure" to accomplish his or her ends. Instead of a rather anonymous "on-line petition" why not approach the school board at an open school board meeting, present an actual paper petition with verifiable names of supporters, and call for an open vote on the matter. Do the people of Midland truly want to change the name of that particular high school? If they do, then they will sign the petition, the school board will put it a vote, and if the vote for the name change carries, the people will have spoken and it will be indeed time for the name change. This should hold true for all of these situations across our nation.
Today we are witnessing a different kind of censorship, a different kind of thought control, a different kind of "fear pressure." In some ways this new kind of speech censorship and thought control is more fearful than any sort of control our government could clamp down onto us. When free people are compelled to act or think a certain way by other people and the media, when anyone who disagrees with whatever the "trending" thoughts and feelings may be are labeled racists, bigots, Un-American, or any other derogatory label, and have that label flashed across the nation and the world as "news," as true fact, freedom is just as dead as if Hitler and his henchmen were in charge and the Third Reich had never been blasted off the face of the earth.
It doesn't, in effect, matter whom the Totalitarians are, when the masses are afraid to think differently and to speak freely, censorship is just as complete, just as strong. The United States is headed in this direction. Do not be afraid to have a point of view and to stick with that point of view, even if others do not agree with it. It is so ironic and tragic that men and women fought and died for America over the years to ensure that no foreign power or rogue terrorist group could ever deprive us of our freedom, but today a loud and minuscule minority of Americans (more than likely bought and paid for by a behind the scenes megalomaniac) and a near-mindless and unthinking "news" media is working to shape our thoughts and beliefs, to force us to COMPLY with whatever the "new think" is. And, my friends, the NEW THINK is that we must either go along with the destruction of our history or be called racists and neo-Nazis. I choose not to go along with this NEW THINK. If someone is so stupid and ignorant as to consider me a racist and neo-Nazi, that is up to that ignorant person.
I can't help but hear that thought over and over: Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it
We must remember the past - the good, the bad, and the ugly - and by remembering, we are then positioned NEVER to make those mistakes again. Conversely, when we tear down the past, alter the truth in our text books, and deny all those things - the good AND the bad - we, as Santayana told us, are DOOMED to repeat the mistakes over and over.
The founders of this great nation made a tremendous and absolutely amazing (though obviously IMPERFECT) attempt to break the cycle of repressive authoritarianism and totalitarianism that had been REPEATED over and over throughout the history of civilization. The Union was flawed, and a great war was fought to correct those flaws. But now, a little over a hundred years after that war, we seem to have forgotten that freedom of thought, even if some of us disagreed with others, was the only way to keep the nation strong. In the past two decades schools, universities, and even corporations have spent MILLIONS of dollars to promote, protect, and emphasize our nation's diversity. Now, in just two short years Americans have become cowed into accepting ideas and ideals that the vast majority do not agree with, but to DISAGREE with this NEW THINK is be branded racists, Nazi, or even WHITE SUPREMACIST.
Forgive me, I thought disagreement, dialogue, diversity, compromise, and unity were the American way. No, I BELIEVE this to be the case. I challenge you to stand your ground on your beliefs, even if they are beliefs I might disagree with. There are worse things than government control, and one of those is control of the vast majority by a howling, rabid minority mob.
May God Bless America
