Tag Archives: POTUS

A Blood Red Carpet

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The most shocking thing about the meeting in Alaska between President Trump and President Putin was that there was not an arrest.

A war criminal arrives in a country bound by UN obligations to enforce the warrants the International Criminal Court and he is greeting with hand clapping by President Trump and a red carpet role out by kneeling American soldiers. WTF!

Yes, Donald, it was a red carpet all right, stained with the blood of 1,000,000 Ukrainians.You have revealed yourself to not only be a complete buffoon on the international stage, but a traitor to all the values of the American dream.

The Statue of Liberty hangs her head in shame. The way I see it.

Life out of Balance

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The Hopi had a word for it – Koyaanisqatsi – Life out of Balance. We know it intuitively in our gut when it’s happening. Supermarkets loaded with stores of food – chronic hunger and starvation in countries around the world. World “leaders” preaching peace – then dropping bombs. Politicians promising to respect rights – and passing Bills to overstep those rights. City Mayors hosting community fundraisers – with their own private event organizers.

It reminds me of the lyrics in the Crosby, Stills and Nash song “Long Time Gone”  “There’s somethingThere’s something goin’ on around hereSurely, you know it surely won’t stand the light of day.”

We know something is horribly out of balance, but how do we respond? It really depends on how comfortable we are. Or how informed we are. Here in Canada many of us live in a fairy tale. Home, food and water, shelter, sex, and a little time for arts and entertainment. For many it is a daily search for sustenance. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. If you don’t have the basics met, you don’t get to pass Go and collect your (in 1950’s Monopoly terms) $200.00.

To put life into balance you have to tighten your locus of control. For example, I can’t stop Donald Trump or Benjamin Netanyahu from dropping bombs. But I can treat my spouse and my children and my neighbours with love and respect. I can’t stop Doug Ford or Mark Carney from passing Bills that erode democracy and basic environmental safeguards. But I can ensure that I honour those rights and safeguards in my personal dealings with my community.

I may not be able to prevent local politicians from abusing their powers and selling out their community to the highest bidder, But I can speak truth to power and carefully cast my vote in the next election. It may not restore balance to the world, but it will keep balance in my world.

The way I see it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Propaganda 101

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The other day my wife sent me an Instagram clip of the Press Secretary for the President of the United States, a person named Karoline Leavitt, stating that the White House was demanding that President Trump receive the Nobel Peace Prize. In the clip she appears to enter a dream state, uttering all sorts of fantastical claims about the President’s prowess as a peacemaker.

The problem is, none of her proclamations fact-check. They may exist in Trump’s mind, made more believable for MAGATS through Ms. Leavitt’s eloquence, but they are simply half truths or mistruths. In the media world, this is known as propaganda. Adolph Hitler had Joseph Goebbels; Donald Trump has Karoline Leavitt. The Supreme Leader’s Propagandist has one purpose: to build up the leader to a point of almost divine superiority, one whose edicts and accomplishments must be elevated to levels inspiring awe and blind loyalty in their followers.

When I first saw the clip, I though it was an AI satire. No one could possibly make all of those outrageous and gag worthy claims and keep a straight face. But then I saw the official White House press release – it was all real. Ms. Leavitt seems to believe that everything she says about President Trump is the white evangelistic gospel truth.

Fortunately, the same clip showed a second section, with another person providing some truth serum to the press briefing. That was the Indian journalist Palki Sharma Upadhyay whose video rebuttal was a refreshing appeal to intelligent discourse. It was a full and frequently humorous assault on Trump’s arrogance. In it she outlined Trump’s addiction to “big bombs” asking if this was indicative of a man of peace. “In just five months, Trump has overseen nearly as many US airstrikes (529) as were recorded across the entire four years of the previous administration (555).” That quote quote came from ACLED President Clionadh Raleigh as reported in Turkey’s Anadolu Anjasi.

She then went on to detail the horrendous impacts of Trump’s cuts to foreign aid. That’s the loss of $60,000,000 for nutrition programs, vaccination campaigns, public health centres, and maternal health programs. The medical journal The Lancet predicts that Trump’s cuts could lead to 14,000,000 deaths by 2030. She concluded with, “Does this sound like a Peace laureate to you?”

And by the way Karoline Leavitt, it’s pronounced the Nobel Peace Prize, not the Noble Peace Prize. There’s nothing noble about this president’s actions. The way I see it.