Not only right wing media

Comment posted at Crooks&Liars:

Stoking fear and resentment is the major source of division in the U.S. body politic. Racism, immigrant bashing, religiosity, bigotry, homophobia/transphobia, feminism/abortion/reproductive issues etc. can be seen as propaganda. They are social definitions that divide people into 'in' and 'out' groups. When you are distracted fighting your 'out' group, you don't notice when the government changes/enacts/enforces dry policy that takes from you and gives to the rich. Right wing media excels at marketing fear but the rest of the media supports divisive culture/political distinctions with its constant emphasis on conflict.

When to 'extremely vett'

Over 1200 people in the U.S. died by gun violence in 2016. Compared that to the number killed by regugees, zero.  [There may not be statistics on how many of the gun deaths are due to immigrants. At the behest of the gun lobby, the government bans funding research on gun violence.]

My critical thinking would suggest the people who most need to be vetted are gun buyers and not refugees.


Addendum - I forgot to mention the individual in greatest need of extreme vetting... I comment I left at Crooks&Liars:

Seconded! [respnse to 'I demand extreme vetting of Trump's cabinet picks!']  And I call for extreme vetting of POTUS DJT. From his health to tax records to business dealings and anything which may become a conflict of interest. If refugees fleeing with little other than what they carry are subject to extreme vetting, surely it is only just to demand the same of the 'Executive Order' signer-in-chief.

Protests sprung

DJT has been POTUS for less than ten days and he's already been the wellspring of two major protests. The first, the Women's March on Washington which spawned many sister marches in other cities and countries. Then POTUS signed an executive order banning muslims from 7 countries from entering the country and triggered another protest, this time at numerous airports.

I am wondering if this there's a pattern emerging. Is the elction of this POTUS the long needed impetus for the American version of the Arab Spring? Things would certainly be less turbulent if HRC were president.

Why Science...

A comment I posted at Crooks and Liars:

The power of science is it can accurately predict the future (within defined limits). For example, some science predictions include: vaccines will protect recipients from disease; greenhouse theory predicts climate change; Theory of Evolution predicts ever increasing drug/chemical resistant bacteria/weeds/pests; the appropriate assemblage of electronic components will function as a smart phone/laptop/tablet computer when powered up (same for any machinery)... Before science, religion taught us that a higher power controlled the future and it we behaved/believed a certain way, we might be given the future we sought.

When people don't have data/information/science, there's no way to know if a policy is actually working for the people's benefit. Anecdotal evidence can be discarded as random chance or used to 'prove' effectiveness. If Pres. DJT keeps science (USDA, EPA, NIH, etc.) away from people, he'll be the religion like 'greater power' with the ability to grant wishes; he gets to tell which anecdotes are 'real' and which are 'fake news'. He can use science to get the outcome he wants (everything to him and his cohorts). The people who voted for him will be expected to worship him and gift him with everything they own.

The critical thinking atheists will be left in a world of patronage sponsored science, seeking rich sponsors to fund science to figure out what he is actually doing.

Science is important. Objective data is important. Critical/analytical thinking is important. Compassion and humanism are important.

Whistleblowing DJT

A comment I left at The Real News Network:

"I think that it's actually whistleblowers that pose the gravest danger to Trump. Because he's going to be creating the most criminogenic environment in U.S. history -- not just himself, but the cronies that he picked. These are people that fundamentally don't believe in public service. They will be doing immense sleazy things."

We should have had universal whistleblower protection well in advance of the most recent presidential election. The entire economic and political system is corrupt beyond fiction. And one trait they share with criminal organizations is their propensity for secrecy, closed doors and sub rosa deal making. State secrets under the guise of 'security' and 'defense' allow politicians to hide embarrassing, illegal, immoral and corrupt activities and policies; patents, trademarks, proprietary information and corporate confidentiality allow corporations to profit from information - produce consumer goods from patents; suppress competition by controlling competing ideas; hide facts of public endangerment with bad consumer goods or waste dumping; willfully disregard abuse of workers, etc.

Secrecy enabled the failed system that elected DJT. Calling for whistleblowers to attack him won't fix the systemic problems in the system; electing another president still keeps the corrupt Democratic/Republican duopoly in power. We should demand universal whistleblower protection for all sectors of society and not just to target DJT.

Today, January 20, 2017...

...may mark the end of the American Empire as it currently exists. I have no particular attachment, loyalty or affection to this empire but it was familiar. It failed Americans and other people around the world in many ways so I don't anticipate grieving its lost. My concern is the uncertain future we all face. I would very much prefer a more measured and controlled change towards improvement. The fear now is a rapid negative change. The hope now is that the negatives are so egregious, the larger population will demand correction. And ideally, the correction will takes us into positive territory relative to today; it's the only way we can survive climate change.

Best wishes to all.

Any notion of American exceptionalism...

...has been destroyed by the election of DJT as President of the United States.

How far can the dots connect?

It turns out that Russia might have blackmail material on PEOTUS DTJ and there may have been communication between his campaign and Russian surrogates. This may rise to the level of treason.

I am not making any allegations. I do wonder if a Republican Congress will takes steps to impeach a Republican president if he actually commits high crimes. If Republican Congress people know about presidential high crimes and neglect to impeach, are they committing high crimes?

The legal provision exists; it's called misprision of treason - committed by someone who knows a treason is being or is about to be committed but does not report it to a proper authority. In many respects, this is the principle behind the conviction and execution of Ethel Rosenberg. If a Republican Congress commits the crime of misprision of treason, what action can be taken to impeach them?

Many of these rights are constrained by the Constitution. That being the case, it is time to convene a Constitutional Convention. In the preamble the goal of the Constitution was 'in Order to form a more perfect Union'. It's time to improve Constitution towards this greater purpose.

repeat

Two comments left at Truthout posts...

In one, William Rivers Pitt argues for continued resistance:

One correction: "The United States is a machine designed exclusively for the purpose of extracting wealth." This statement is true of all nation states, past and present, to concentrate power and wealth in a small number of elites. Recall how European royalty are all related - power concentrated in one family. At present, power is concentrated in persons controlling major business enterprises (despotic leaders like Putin and the Chinese central committee members manage this indirectly).

The real enemy isn't the other religion or race or nationality or education or sexuality or reproductive choice; these are all means to distract and divide the larger population to fight within ourselves. The real fight is for 'common people' to regain our rights of self-determination and agency against the powerful elites. Expanding rights for undocumented aliens or any other group doesn't detract the rights of other workers; if anything, it expands everyone's rights. Everyone who fights against the concentration of power is fighting for the rights of the many.

The other, describes the importance of 'open source' seeds:

Patents is how intellectual property is controlled so that only the 'owners' of information can derive profit from that information. 'Owners' oppose open source because it opens the door for more competition.

Open source is actually good for economies. In terms of seeds, greater seed diversity increases the diversity of market varieties available to consumers. It also increases consumer knowledge because greater choice necessitates being more informed as consumers.

If anything, the open source trend should expand beyond seeds and software into drug formations, other technologies and all manner of policy. It can only improve individual empowerment.

Thanks for the article.

Happy New Year to all.