The people in the State Department, in Washington DC, were once said to be working in a place called "Foggy Bottom." They felt they were brighter than the average American. Of course, there never was any evidence to support this contention. The Dulles brothers had their theory of falling dominos and why America simply had to take over from the French in Vietnam. The brothers had always been hostile to Israel and were not happy when Truman caste America's vote for Israeli statehood in the UN.
Foggy Bottom has become more overt in matters of American politics, going so far as to work actively against the President's policies. They are no longer "Foggy Bottom"; they have now become denizens of the Swamp. On Friday, 8/21/20, they ran an ad under the heading, "Statement by Former Republican National Security Officials." I won't list all their names; just three, to show the type of official signing off on this ad.
Adm Steve Abbot, Fmr Dep Homeland Securtiry Advisor . . . . Mary Catherine Andrews, Fmr Special Asst to the President . . . . . .Richard Armitage, Fmr. Deputy Secretary of State . . . . . . . .
The ad listed 10 points as follows (presented in abreviated form):
1. Donald Trump has damaged America's role as a world leader.
Really! Because he told Germany if they didn't pick up their fair share of the costs of their defense, the U.S. would reduce it's support. Or was it Trump seeking to end China's predatory trade practices. He supported the UK's Brexit. He left the ridiculous agreement our previous president had signed with Iran in concert with other European countries, but which was violated by the Iranians). What a terrible president, to bring hope for peace in the Mideast.
2. Donald Trump's failure in dealing with the coronavirus. Really? He cut off movement between the US and China before anyone took this Chinese virus seriously. He marshaled the resources of the states and of major American industries to take appropriate actions to produce needed supplies and gave full throated support for them to produce medicines faster than had ever been done before.
3. He is claimed to have solicited foreign influence to promote his election. This was a smear begun even before Trump had been sworn into office. That the swamp would try to resurrect this lie when it's been so thoroughly discredited is beyond belief.
4. They charge Trump with having aligned himself with dictators at the expense of American values. I've got to ask: Aren't the people who raise this point supposed to be experts in foreign affairs? Neither Iran nor Saudi Arabia have democratic leaders. Are we to leave them to fight this out among themselves? Shouldn't we help an ally? What does it even mean to align oneself with a nondemocratic power? Is Egypt democratic?
5. Yes, in the heat of the campaign for the presidency in 1916, Trump made some foolish statements. One example that springs to mind is him saying McCain was no war hero. Of course he was. Trump should never have said that about McCain. But in the heat of a campaign one can hear some pretty stupid stuff. Trump not knowing all the players meant he had to engage in some trial and error. He chose Tillerson from a major oil company to fill the post of Secretary of State. He soon realized it was a mistake. But, he got rid of him and ultimately appointed Pompeo, who proved to be a brilliant choice.
6. Trump is accused of undermining the rule of law. Ridiculous. I think it fair to say, most journalists lean to the left. If you work for the NYTimes you'd better lean to the left. Recently a young writer who didn't follow the party line was forced out. As for the pardons he has issued, such as, perhaps, one for Flynn, is one that was truly warranted.
7. Elections in America tend to be rough and tumble affairs. Trump didn't create the rules. Calling Elizebeth Warren "Pocahontas" was Trump's way of pointing out that Ms. Warren had once ensured her admission to a prestigious college by seeking to be seen as a minority and claiming lineage to a distant native American. I, for one, do not see Trump's remark as inappropriate. Referring to Joe Bidan as "sleepy Joe" simply underscores the lack of energy in Bidens we all see in Biden when he gets up to speak.
8. Has Trump divided Americans? No, for my money, it's been the Democrats. Generally, when a new person is elected president, he gets to enjoy a honeymoon period. With Trump, the Democrats sought to shoot him down even before he entered office. First, it was the Russian investigation. When that didn't stick they called him a racist. Americans understand the need to have secure borders. That requires appropriate fencing. The Democrats fought him on this as they've fought him on everything else. If we have a divided nation, let's put the blame where it belongs; namely, on the Democrats.
9. As regards immigrants: Trump loves immigrants, but immigrants who come in legally. It should be noted that most immigrants, including Latinos do come to America legally. They're a terrific people and a great asset to America. We also have Black immigrants who have arrived legally. But someone jumping a fence willy nilly is quite another matter. There is one other point that really deserves to be mentioned; namely, the Sharia that Islamic immigrants on occasion wish to impose on our culture. Is this a bugaboo? I think not. Take a look at Europe, where Islamists have defaced synagogues, and where Jews have been beaten and killed. Churches too have been defaced. And, local girls are expected to observe Islamic dress codes. Why?
10. Trump's dismissing and replacing members from various national security positions is really what occasioned this ad. The 73 signers of the ad, people, who at one time held nice position in the government, were found to be wanting. If not themselves the holders of such positions, then otheres who held elected positions and who now found that time had passed them by. Names I did not see listed were Clapper, Brennan and Comey. They really should have been on the ad too.
Sunday, August 23, 2020
Wednesday, August 12, 2020
American Exceptionalism
I participated in my local Socrates Cafe meeting down here in Delray Beach, FL. (These sessions are now conducted on Zoom.) Today's topic was "American Exceptionalism: Are We Indeed Exceptional?" And, oh yes, comments were to be kept non-political. It was something no participant attempted to adhere to. With a subject like this, the only way to keep it from slipping into politics would be to keep the subject strictly on a historical footing. No one made such an effort.
What I learned saddened me. The group avoided using Trump's name, but almost everyone who spoke viewed the "current administration" with disdain. There were no Trump voters here. But, if you're in the game, you try to play it as best you can. Here is what I mean:
Slavery was mentioned:
I pointed out that yes indeed America had slavery. About the same as Caribbean nations, which were mostly European colonies and that far greater numbers of slaves were sent to Brazil. I was not intending to dismiss the horror of slavery. But I pointed out that quite a few Americans died to end the practice. The Jim Crow that followed was also a horror. But men like John Lewis and white religious leaders worked together to fight for equal rights and brought an end to America's legalized discrimination against Blacks. The fight today has been 98% won.
However, there are parts of the slavery story that are rarely taught; namely, how it was black tribes in Africa that fought neighboring tribes to take them as prisoners and then sell them as prisoners to the slave ships waiting on Africa's western coast. Also, rarely mentioned is that slavery continues to this day in Africa.
America was mentioned as a colonizer:
This was an argument easily refuted. America kicked the Spanish out of the Philippines and gave the people the freedom to fashion their own country. We did the same for Puerto Rico. It was the Puerto Ricans who rejected the idea of forming their own country. They also rejected the idea of becoming another American state. Their preference was to become a commonwealth with ties to America. They can change their status anytime they wish.
Vietnam:
No one mentioned Vietnam, although this would have been the easiest sore spot to poke at had the Socrates group chosen to do so. Here was a country that we had wanted to deny freedom of choice. It was a French colony that had decided to throw the French out. The French then turned to the Americans to achieve that which they could not achieve themselves. Regrettably, we had a president with a weak spot for the French. (And it wasn't Eisenhower.) Interestingly, despite our losing struggle with the Vienamese, this communist nation has now established excellent relations with America.
Antifa:
This is another dreadful situation that received no attention from the Socrates Cafe crowd. With Antifa we have a group that wants to change the structure of American cities according Antifa's own social design. Americans seem oblivious to their actions. The arrogance of this group to want to change things through their thuggishness instead of using the time tested method of our democracy; namely, elections seems to bother few of our fellow citizens. They seem not to realize that there is no short cut to creating a better society. It surprises me that more Americans aren't outraged that these thugs are allowed to break store front windows, burn buildings and physically assault police officers. When an Antifa thug is arrested, he is promptly released by district attorneys who seems oblivious to the harm being done to their communities.
Black Lives Matter (BLM)
This group arose with a slogan coined by Rev. Al Sharpton at the time of the Ferguson riots. It didn't matter that the cop who shot Michael Brown had little choice. Its all on the record. a. Mr. Brown first struck the officer as the officer was seated in the police car. b. Mr. Brown had reached into the car's open window to get at the officer's weapon (he failed). c. When the officer got out of his car and told Mr. Brown to halt, Mr. Brown, a hulking young man well over six feet, with the physique of a linebacker, turned, lowered his head and charged at the officer. That's when the officer fired and shot him dead. The posture of Mr. Brown, as he charged the officer, was confirmed by the autopsy.
This incident launched the vandalism and the looting and mayhem that destroyed Ferguson. Those most harmed financially were the Black members of this Black community.
Today, the BLM movement has aligned itself with members of Antifa. I might add that BLM has morphed into a strongly anti-Semitic group.
Immigration
The Socrates Cafe crowd mentioned, on more than one occasion, that Trump has tried to close the doors to immigrants. They bemoaned that he seems to have abandoned the words found at the base of our Statue of Liberty that read in part, "give me your tired, your poor, . . ."
They seem to have been unaware that these poor and tired masses arriving third class had to pass through Ellis Island. If an immigrant were found to have an illness, he or she was promptly sent back to wherever he or she had come from. Today, they get medical attention. And, that's all to the good. But, it's not reasonable to provide medical care to whoever is able to reach our borders.
Also, not all immigrants are the same. I believe we are lucky to have people from the Caribbean and Latin America. These immigrants like earlier immigrants want to be productive They understand the value of living under American law and within an American culture. The same can not be said of all people seeking entry to America.
Consider Europe, which has been overwhelmed with immigrants from the middle east. These immigrants, mostly Muslims, want to share in the good things Europe has to offer. However, they want to bring their Islamic culture with them; namely, Sharia Law. It's proven to be a horrible experience for the Europeans. With these immigrants comes anti-Semitism. Jews in German, France England, Belgium and other European countries are beginning to leave in large numbers to make a new life in Israel. No, not all immigrants are the same.
Russia and China
In my opinion, Russia can be dealt with. But China is a monster. I need only mention Tibet, the Uighers, Taiwan, India and the broken promise to the citizens of Hong Kong. The nonsense of turning rocks barely visible above the waters of the China Seas and calling them Chinese islands and building airfields on them is illegal in terms of maritime law.
No, we Americans have little for which to apologize.
# # #
What I learned saddened me. The group avoided using Trump's name, but almost everyone who spoke viewed the "current administration" with disdain. There were no Trump voters here. But, if you're in the game, you try to play it as best you can. Here is what I mean:
Slavery was mentioned:
I pointed out that yes indeed America had slavery. About the same as Caribbean nations, which were mostly European colonies and that far greater numbers of slaves were sent to Brazil. I was not intending to dismiss the horror of slavery. But I pointed out that quite a few Americans died to end the practice. The Jim Crow that followed was also a horror. But men like John Lewis and white religious leaders worked together to fight for equal rights and brought an end to America's legalized discrimination against Blacks. The fight today has been 98% won.
However, there are parts of the slavery story that are rarely taught; namely, how it was black tribes in Africa that fought neighboring tribes to take them as prisoners and then sell them as prisoners to the slave ships waiting on Africa's western coast. Also, rarely mentioned is that slavery continues to this day in Africa.
America was mentioned as a colonizer:
This was an argument easily refuted. America kicked the Spanish out of the Philippines and gave the people the freedom to fashion their own country. We did the same for Puerto Rico. It was the Puerto Ricans who rejected the idea of forming their own country. They also rejected the idea of becoming another American state. Their preference was to become a commonwealth with ties to America. They can change their status anytime they wish.
Vietnam:
No one mentioned Vietnam, although this would have been the easiest sore spot to poke at had the Socrates group chosen to do so. Here was a country that we had wanted to deny freedom of choice. It was a French colony that had decided to throw the French out. The French then turned to the Americans to achieve that which they could not achieve themselves. Regrettably, we had a president with a weak spot for the French. (And it wasn't Eisenhower.) Interestingly, despite our losing struggle with the Vienamese, this communist nation has now established excellent relations with America.
Antifa:
This is another dreadful situation that received no attention from the Socrates Cafe crowd. With Antifa we have a group that wants to change the structure of American cities according Antifa's own social design. Americans seem oblivious to their actions. The arrogance of this group to want to change things through their thuggishness instead of using the time tested method of our democracy; namely, elections seems to bother few of our fellow citizens. They seem not to realize that there is no short cut to creating a better society. It surprises me that more Americans aren't outraged that these thugs are allowed to break store front windows, burn buildings and physically assault police officers. When an Antifa thug is arrested, he is promptly released by district attorneys who seems oblivious to the harm being done to their communities.
Black Lives Matter (BLM)
This group arose with a slogan coined by Rev. Al Sharpton at the time of the Ferguson riots. It didn't matter that the cop who shot Michael Brown had little choice. Its all on the record. a. Mr. Brown first struck the officer as the officer was seated in the police car. b. Mr. Brown had reached into the car's open window to get at the officer's weapon (he failed). c. When the officer got out of his car and told Mr. Brown to halt, Mr. Brown, a hulking young man well over six feet, with the physique of a linebacker, turned, lowered his head and charged at the officer. That's when the officer fired and shot him dead. The posture of Mr. Brown, as he charged the officer, was confirmed by the autopsy.
This incident launched the vandalism and the looting and mayhem that destroyed Ferguson. Those most harmed financially were the Black members of this Black community.
Today, the BLM movement has aligned itself with members of Antifa. I might add that BLM has morphed into a strongly anti-Semitic group.
Immigration
The Socrates Cafe crowd mentioned, on more than one occasion, that Trump has tried to close the doors to immigrants. They bemoaned that he seems to have abandoned the words found at the base of our Statue of Liberty that read in part, "give me your tired, your poor, . . ."
They seem to have been unaware that these poor and tired masses arriving third class had to pass through Ellis Island. If an immigrant were found to have an illness, he or she was promptly sent back to wherever he or she had come from. Today, they get medical attention. And, that's all to the good. But, it's not reasonable to provide medical care to whoever is able to reach our borders.
Also, not all immigrants are the same. I believe we are lucky to have people from the Caribbean and Latin America. These immigrants like earlier immigrants want to be productive They understand the value of living under American law and within an American culture. The same can not be said of all people seeking entry to America.
Consider Europe, which has been overwhelmed with immigrants from the middle east. These immigrants, mostly Muslims, want to share in the good things Europe has to offer. However, they want to bring their Islamic culture with them; namely, Sharia Law. It's proven to be a horrible experience for the Europeans. With these immigrants comes anti-Semitism. Jews in German, France England, Belgium and other European countries are beginning to leave in large numbers to make a new life in Israel. No, not all immigrants are the same.
Russia and China
In my opinion, Russia can be dealt with. But China is a monster. I need only mention Tibet, the Uighers, Taiwan, India and the broken promise to the citizens of Hong Kong. The nonsense of turning rocks barely visible above the waters of the China Seas and calling them Chinese islands and building airfields on them is illegal in terms of maritime law.
No, we Americans have little for which to apologize.
# # #
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