What does America First mean in 2018? It means to watch children, civilians, being slaughtered with the added use of banned chemical weapons in Syria. To watch the eradication of Rohingya Muslims and do or say nothing about it. That my friend, is what America First means in 2018… Is genocide, too strong a word, I think not, or perhaps, the phrase from the last time the world was at war…’Never Again’, may ring the bell of humanity with some sort of kinship? Not when America First is prevalent, and history books recall this, ‘do nothing nation’ of 2018…America First…

Yesterday’s episode of the PBS Newshour (02/26/2018), was noted for one thing, that thing in a moment. An interview was conducted by Lisa Desjardins, that bled into the regular segment called, Politics Monday, with Amy Walter and Tamara Keith, that was followed by an on-set interview with director, Lesli Linka Glatter, I almost forgot to include a report from Somali, in war torn Somali, by special correspondent, Jane Ferguson. Now about that thing of note, if all the above was brought forward by men, no one would have thought anything of it, no comment necessary, but since all the principals were women, I have taken note, and you should too, if only to point out that it’s still kinda unusual for women to play so many important roles in discussing and reporting the news within such a short broadcast time span. Which begs the question is it 2018, or are we still stuck in a time warp of the 1950’s…don’t answer that just yet,  do something about it, if you dare…With a ceremonial view of all the above accomplishments, one can conclude, that women have finally arrived, and you would be dead wrong, women will only arrive in media and professionally, when they have lost the cultural fear of growing and appearing in gray hair…strange but true…as with bobby socks once did, this streaking blond hair trend has got to go, its holding women back with its every appearance with its deep roots in trophyism…

The Northeast tristate area consists of parts of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, what if each spoke a different language, and after being overheard by someone speaking their native tongue, would demand that they stop and speak the language of another state in the tristate region, would be on the surface of it, quite ridiculous. The parents of any child able to speak even a little of each of the regions tongues, would be proud and please with that ability. In Europe, because of the close physical complexity lay out of some of the countries, being multilingual is considered a must, to just be able to get around and conduct personal and business communications. The height of ignorance was overheard the other day when it was demanded that someone speak English, simply because, ‘this is America’. Any kind of xenophobia, in America, one would think to be the last place on earth to find even a hint of, in a nation founded by and for the sake of immigrants. Even though USA Today has reported, “the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) anyway, which changed its official mission statement late Thursday and dropped the language to describe the country”. “America’s promise as a nation of immigrants”. Taking the nation, a hundred and one steps back from internationalism, this backbone of this nation-state, 98% pure of hyphenated Americans, except the remaining native Americas, the first so called hyphenated and those happy to remain so. And oh, don’t let me forget that Mayflower crowd, the second coming of new Americans, at least those that can still trace their heritage backed that far…then there are those that arrived in chained bondage and as indentured servants, these hyphenations, whose descendants are just as magnificent, are for another post…coming your way…

It seems to me that not long ago this American President, while the issue of illegal immigration was raging, a promised news conference was to be held, in which the First Lady of the United States, would lay out, in great detail, in documentation, before the American people, her full and complete history, story, if you will, of her immigration, or how she came to be in the U.S., legal or otherwise. Personally, if one is law abiding, able to be of little concern in engaging harm to others, are a welcome addition to these shores, however, please, don’t exploit good fortune, at the expense of the less fortunate, without friends in high societal places, just because it can be reasoned, you do. So, if there are any questionable immigration issues concerning the First Lady, then by simple extension, they must also extend to her parents, after all they were granted a green card based on her sponsorship. This American President, has suggested, proposed, ‘immigration reform’, which begs the question, does it now begin at home, in his personal household, and who is next to be granted a green card, on the road to full American citizenship, with direct or indirect family links to the First Lady, and are they now on their way to the U.S.?

Making schools an armed fortress with armed teachers to defend them, is not only the bottomless, dumbest idea, to ever come down the pike, but will provide a manufacturing windfall for the arms industry, including the ammunition, like no other effort in recent memory…in the guise of protection and defense, what’s next, a gun in every home, like, “a chicken in every pot”, from the Great Depression era, with poorer families borrowing to keep up with the payments, borrowing from Tom to pay Paul…enriching the arms dealer, soon to be established on every corner in every city block in the nation… an exaggeration, well maybe, just a little…ok, so now what? You fight with what you have, an exaggeration with an exaggeration, for the win…

It was 1960 in North Carolina, when four male students sat down at a lunch counter demanding to be served, in the segregated south U.S.A., they were not, but it lit a spark that soon other students used to be warmed with great enthusiasm, as others joined in what later would be called a, sit-in. Students, what is it about them that they just can’t wait for change, they must grab the bull by the horns, demanding change now. In my scant research, I came upon so many student organizations, that went on to become much bigger than anyone at their founding could have imagined, just to name two, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, (SNCC), and Students for a Democratic Society, (SDS), my point being, most adult movements can sometime be traced to a movement started by students, or if not, taken to a higher level by them, since at best, they don’t know any better, and or, have very little to lose, this can be recalled of most   student movements worldwide, some that even,  I’m told, were instrumental in bringing down governments. When you consider, all the current world leaders were once upon a time a student, sitting in some café, plotting, being students, that will cut their eye teeth on ideas, that became political thoughts, then on to form governments. 

Living in the Bronx all my life, it was expected that I would one day, run head on into a comrade in arms during the days of the raging Vietnam War, not on the battle field, but on the demonstration lines against the war. Anyway, after a few courtesy sugary exchanges, she reminded me of something I once said, had long forgotten, a sentiment I still hold true, “I hope that I never grow so old that I would spend the better part of the day preparing to look younger”, well, one long look at my graying head of hair, she added, so, I see you have kept the pledge…Yes, I answered, thus, ending a promising television news contributing career before it begun…or ever hoping to be able to sell pillows on television either…  

I never gave much thought to the given name of the educational institution before attending, but a lot after enrolling, as the namesake of the institution is drummed into all the student’s heads, as a person to emulate, to strive to equal, or excel in their proven good works. A Florida high school took their namesakes spunk, and ran with it, as Wikipedia reminds us.

 

Excerpted from Wikipedia…

Marjory Stoneman Douglas (April 7, 1890 – May 14, 1998) was an American journalist, writer, feminist, and environmentalist known for her staunch defense of the Everglades against efforts to drain it and reclaim land for development. Moving to Miami as a young woman to work for The Miami Herald, she became a freelance writer, producing over a hundred short stories that were published in popular magazines. Her most influential work was the book The Everglades: River of Grass (1947), which redefined the popular conception of the Everglades as a treasured river instead of a worthless swamp. Its impact has been compared to that of Rachel Carson’s influential book Silent Spring (1962). Her books, stories, and journalism career brought her influence in Miami, enabling her to advance her causes.

“Divide and conquer”, break up the larger competent political candidates into ever smaller more manageable pieces, or adopt a new twenty-first century tactic, develop a new kind of propaganda, closely observe  all the current crop of the running political candidates, pick the most slow-witted among the lot, shower that candidate with all manners of hidden support, hoping for a win, and from that won base, working from the inside out, corrupt and elevate in that mind, a can do no wrong attitude, as that newly elected, goes about ruining a once competent government, running it effectively into the ground, eventually, collapsing it into itself by way of gross incompetence and miss management, a new winning divide and conquering formula without firing a shot in this digital age. I don’t mean to suggest that there was ever any collusion on the part of the winning candidate, only that none was necessary, only just to sit back and watch the dirty work being done on one’s behalf. The Deputy Attorney General, Rod Rosenstein called this winning effort, “information warfare against the U.S.”, “spreading” internal “distrust” in the current political system, this blogger, oh so agrees… 

A start up in the pharmaceutical industry has two ambitions, (1) to do some good, (2) to make some money. (1), is to set up a research laboratory to develop drugs to treat and cure diseases and sometimes, industrial chemicals. (2), once a commodity is fully developed, patented, with an exclusive license to sell, a salesforce is hired to make the rounds with incentives to proscribe them for use, money is made to fund the research lab for more product.

 

The same is almost true of the weapons industry, (1), arms are developed to defend the nation and local law enforcement, (2), the more weapons are sold, the more money is made to fund the research and development of more deadly weapons.

 

With the success of the two above enterprises, a third industry is rearing its ugly head, The Wall Industry, the building and maintenances of its self.

 

Marketing managers are stoking the fear of drug addiction, drugs coming across the border, entering the U.S., that the building of The Wall will end. Americans have a second amendment right to bare arms, sparking the rise of personal gun ownership and sale. Both the pharmaceutical and weapons industries employ skilled lobbyist to influence city, state and national governments not to consider any legislation, that would interfere with, would in any way harm the business of making money and the use of their products aimed at the civilian and military (population)…

 

Big bucks are being made in the distribution and manufacturing of addictive opioids and personal weapons, now add The Wall Industry, and you have a triple crown complication, three times as great as any of the others above, since its commodity is not a solid in the physical product sense, but an on-going undertaking, that will involve all the typical elements of an armed police force, uniforms, vehicles, weapons, etcetera, etcetera… 

 

And while I have your ear, I mean eyes; do people go into medicine to save lives, to just earn a living, or to make a financial killing? I invite your thoughts…

A topic to be explored in a future post…