Are some of these new political positions held by influential people hairbrained and goofy? In my opinion, they most certainly are. Plato said democracies pass into despotism. Are these folks attempting to find the means to finish off our U.S. Constitution and the rule of law? You betcha! I hope that those with vison and imagination will defend our U.S. Constitution and the rule of law. Let’s hold off those determined to divide and conquer, those who cast hate instead of love, those who are indifferent to the future of their children’s well-being, and especially those who are indifferent to truth.
George Washington said in 1792, “The name of American, which belongs to you in your nation's capacity, must always exult the just pride of Patriotism”.
Is patriotism on the move in America, perhaps looking for a new jolt for rebirth? A little-known fact about our Founding Fathers came out in 1786 and 1787 when there was a search for a replacement of the Articles of Confederation which were failing, and they needed a new political direction. This construct, after the victory over George III of England, had no central government theme, no common currency, no military, and too few binding threads to make it a sound political plan. So as George Washington became more and more concerned and many others were seeking redress over the Articles of Confederation, they began exploring a political redo. Oddly, one of the original holdups of going toward a new plan was the oath they had taken to the Articles of Confederation. Imagine that! They were conscious of the weight of oaths and thought it over carefully before searching for a replacement. They wanted a new turn toward something that was good for the people. 55 Founding Fathers agreed to meet in the Summer of 1787 in Philadelphia to create a new life in American politics. The outcome was the U.S. Constitution which they accomplished in the hot summer, three months later. What's my point? Well, if we are to find hope again for patriotism in the United States, maybe we should consider reviewing oaths and pledges. This must include a constant search for the truth. Now politically, truth can just be put aside by a new concept called “alternative facts”. Fake facts that serve the disinformation specialists; the inuendo types, the exaggeration-sayers, and of course the outright political liars who top off their deceit with half truths.
Let's look at three cases of men who have taken oaths to the U.S. Constitution and of course the Pledge of Allegiance to their flag, as well.
Ex-President Donald Trump has been fact checked by the Washington Post and the Toronto Star. They found 30,000 lies in the four years of Trump's Presidency. Yes, that is not a typo, it is 30,000 fact checked lies. But many commentators say “oh they all lie, all politicians lie”. Is that correct? Well, President Barack Obama in eight years as President was accused of lying 13 times. So, does 30,000 to 13 make President Obama a “lying politician” or can it be a matter of degree? Can Obama perhaps explain away these 13 accusations? On the other hand, ex-President Donald Trump could care less about his credibility, so the voter will have to decide. He speaks of his version of what is true and states that all the rest is “fake news”. How’s that working out? Well, he has a great following, many of which are very important people in the political arena.
Ex-President Donald Trump speaks well of Viktor Orban of Hungary and Vladimir Putin of Russia. He has expressed envy of their power. He now suggests, time and again, that America is in a steep decline and is a “failing nation”, despite proof that the U.S. is the envy of the free world. What about the millions of immigrants that want to come to America? Is he saying that they want to come to a failing nation? The fact is, he's talking of winning the election in November and he will stop the immigrants because they are all rapists, criminals, insane, and being dumped out of their mother countries to come to the United States. So what did Trump do about a recent bipartisan remedy that was offered in May to clear up the process at the border? In fact, Donald Trump mustered all his Republican partisans and said “do not sign the bipartisan agreement”. He torpedoed the whole damn thing out of sheer political opportunism. He wanted to retain the mess at hand and use it as a wedge against President Joe Biden. Several Republican Senators have admitted, that is what happened to the Bill over the boarder crisis.
Secondly, Elon Musk. He is a brilliant engineer, and naturalized citizen of the United States. He took an oath to the U.S. Constitution and a Pledge of Allegiance to our flag.
He is a great engineer, there is no doubt, and his handling of electric car production has made him one of the richest men in the world. He had the audacity and the courage to go electric as a futuristic invention and to help reduce CO2 in the atmosphere. That CO2 is now at 420 PPM, the highest it has been in five million years according to 90% of climate specialists. These scientists agree that CO2 began increasing in 1850 as the industrial revolution was getting underway. Since then and especially in the past decade, we have witnessed many peculiarities in nature. It rains in Greenland, the Arctic Ocean is open for shipping travel in August, we have seen temperatures in Antarctica over 75°F, we have recently seen in Las Vegas, NV July heat record broken for the second straight July, and a record-breaking high temperature of 120°F. Meanwhile, California is working through the earliest major forest fire in the past fifty years or more ,which has already destroyed 400,000 acres. What is my point in all this? Well, it seems to me that remedies for climate change will now be curtailed if ex-President Donald Trump returns to the White House. He will also expand our nation's carbon footprint. He claims that his anti-science followers assert that climate change is all a hoax. Bunk and untrue! They say a little bit of CO2 could not drive all of these atmospheric changes. Well, OK, I admire the engineering mind of Elon Musk and since he is now backing Donald Trump ,who discounts climate change as a threat, then we must decide or inquire what is his position here? We need explanations from Elon Musk, a talented engineer. Is he suggesting that electric cars are no longer going to be needed if Donald Trumps wins the Presidency? All the children and grandchildren of the world are entitled to know their future and to be protected from the continuous record breaking heat events year in and year out as a result of climate change. Aren't we duty-bound to leave our children a better future than we might have? So, if Miami, FL and Norfolk, VA will be even more underwater, excuse me, but is that not a big deal? Right now in these two cities at high tide, and when you have wind and rain from the east, you are likely to get wet feet more often than not!
We need to know from this great engineer making electric cars, are they good or not good? Will they help or not help the CO2 problem? Mr. Elon Musk, what's going on here? We're entitled to know and you have a great mind and we will listen if you are beholden to truth over the issue of climate change. Look back at great engineers that were naturalized American citizens. For example, Wernher Von Braun, a brilliant rocketeer who came to the United States after World II and among other things, began working on our military rocket program. He had a strong desire to explore outer space. So, he helped to start the John Kennedy Presidential plan to create the moon program. Also, there was a very interesting engineer, Edgar Schmued. He is the German Austrian American naturalized citizen who designed the P51 Mustang fighter plane that accelerated the end of World War II in Europe because of its superior design. So, do we need brilliant innovation? Do we need new inventions? Do we need to agree on where we're headed on climate change matters? Yes, and we want to hear quickly from Elon Musk about his proposed remedy on what to do. Without a vision, the people perish, we forget that at our own peril.
Finally, Rupert Murdoch, age 92, is the businessman still doing oversight of Fox News, the Wall Street Journal the New York Post et cetera. He's a naturalized American citizen also. He took an oath to honor the U.S. Constitution, and he accepted a Pledge of Allegiance to our flag. He has recently made it clear that he wants to stay the course, to stay the pundit comments on Fox News every evening. The general thrust of Fox news in the evening is to promote right wing Republicans, to promote CPAC positions and to renounce the Liberal progressive Democrat political position. Is Fox News in the habit of fact checking every political position or comment they make? The answer to that question is, "not even close"! Their positions are laced with innuendo, exaggeration, disinformation, conspiracy theories, whole lies and half-truths. How do we know this? Well, they have paid out almost a billion dollars (prior to trial) because of accusations that the above comments have done harm to reputations. Now he has made it clear that he wants no strategic change in broadcasting from Fox News. Fox News, in the evening, leads the cable political commentary popularity contest. Sean Hannity no doubt is the highest paid pundit on all of the cable shows. He is pure and simple in his delivery and well known for his ability to harm the reputation of any of his targets, be it Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden, Dominion corporation or many others that are constantly attacked. For example, when you turn on his show he usually starts with some crime in San Francisco or New York, committed by immigrants or minority groups. Is he always accurate? Let the viewer take a look. On the other hand, when right wing MAGA Republicans make negative news, it is either not reported on Fox News or reported late in the show. Does Sean Hannity believe civility is a sign of weakness in his punditry? There is no question about that dear reader. Fox News has no intention of being civil, but it is clear that they favor Russia and Hungary over the American system of government. Trashing America seems to pay the bills at Fox and it keeps the cash flowing. Is Rupert Murdock interested in moral certitude in all of his businesses? We will let the voter decide on November 5th perhaps.
Dear reader these three gentlemen have no fear for their future family reputation, the judgment of history or the judgement of a just God. In my opinion these three men will get a thumbs up over their American political position from countries led by dictators. And certainly they would get a thumbs down from those 55 Founding Fathers in Philadelphia in 1787. Is that any of my business? No it is only a comment and an observation. I am 87 years old and I've studied politics and climate for 65 years. I have never before seen the situation we are facing right now in the United States. The hate and the innuendo are corrosively divisive. And the proposals that are outlined in the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 are designed to seemingly purge a very successful government. They also want to purge the Administrative State, asserting it is ruining the country with too much regulation and oversight. My opinion, dear reader says its all bunk, what they're saying. Will it cause mayhem and chaos if these folks win the day? I think our children will be at risk if this Project 2025 is put in force. The reason is, its hostile, its destructive, its seeking retribution, and it seeks to replace experienced federal employees with new minions that will follow the lead of President Donald Trump if he is elected. This is not the American way! No President or ex-President of the United States should everbe immune from prosecution for wrongdoing, as SCOTUS has recently held.
Are some of these new political positions held by influential people hairbrained and goofy? In my opinion, they most certainly are. Plato said democracies pass into despotism. Are these folks attempting to find the means to finish off our U.S. Constitution and the rule of law? You betcha! They are attempting to violate our American core values and our mainstream, well-earned social positions. It seems obvious to me their ultimate aim is more power and more money.
The U.S. Constitution and the rule of law has survived for 248 years. Are we really about to unhitch the wagon of freedom and liberty for what seems to me to be a bunch of political malcontents? For God, country, and our children, I hope this is not the end of the great American political experiment.
My health is not the best, but I will keep these blogs religiously underway. I want to lend truth to the American political scene. I hope that those with vison and imagination will defend our U.S. Constitution and the rule of law. Let’s hold off those determined to divide and conquer, those who cast hate instead of love, those who are indifferent to the future of their children’s well-being, and especially those who are indifferent to truth.
George Washington and those 55 men in Philadelphia in 1787, will cheer every American patriot today that maintains a desire to protect their freedom and liberty! We must fight the good fight, and never surrender to despotism!
Opening Image: The Daily Bruin, Alexander Gardener/FineArtAmerica, ClassicPins.com
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