As I watched TV today and heard that more than half who were asked a poll question agree with Trump’s take on the National Anthem/NFL situation. I was stunned, at first, but then thought: How can I convey to those folks who put the pageantry taking place in the playing of the national anthem ahead of the true foundation of our country – free speech, especially by passive behavior? Let’s amble down the path.
Here’s the deal. No music came into play in the creation of the Constitution. Also, the Constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation, which failed to work and provided an 5 year reflection on what didn’t work and what might work. The Star Spangled Banner celebrates a flag flying during a battle of the war of 1812 against the British. The SSB was written by a lawyer and I am sure if he were alive he would celebrate that his poem provides a scene for a protest that gets vision by a big part of the country.
The flag was not the purpose of the battle. A KING was being rejected, again. In so doing, the people who crafted the government via the Constitution created a new way of behaving relative to the entire world. Key to that was central government, but right behind that was the enumeration and protection for certain personal liberties. Liberties that up until then could be eliminated at the waive of the hand of the king, or even a person who “owned” a fiefdom at the pleasure of the king.
The complaint of those kneeling, doing the “Smith Carlos” salute (my name for it), holding hands or staying in the locker room are making the statement that the treatment of black and brown people by the police is not applied any where close to “equal” to the treatment of Euro Americans. Here’s the thing, 150 years ago, or so, Italians and Irishmen (who happened to be Catholic) were put upon to the extent of physical harm as well. Unfortunately, Jews have been put upon in so many locales that the citing would go on and on. The protesting of the behavior of the government, especially passive protesting is, perhaps, the NUMBER ONE personal freedom that could be conceived under the circumstances of shifting away from a king like government to a representative central government. That is why it is in the 1st Amendment.
So, those of you who presently support the Trump view that protesting disrespects the military, please be advised that just the opposite is true. They are not attacking the country. They are not attacking the flag. They do not want the Pageant to end. They merely want people to understand that when a black or brown person leaves his/her house in the morning, it can generate the feeling that you are walking down the street naked. That is how different it is for black and brown people in comparison to Euro American people. If you are a Euro American person, try to understand that. Please appreciate that it can be just terrifying to hear a siren, or a voice commanding you to do something. For Euro Americans, you face that less, IF AT ALL, and you are aware that you will be able to discuss the matter with the person of authority. If you are Brown/Black you can’t help but doubt that even if you comply, you will not be hurt or killed.
Think about that the next time a guy merely takes a knee and bows his head. If you would, maybe see the move as a celebration of all who have sacrificed, and who currently sacrifice, for the right to so do. NOWHERE else in the world would such freedom of behavior exist to the extent it exists here!
Sorry, but this old Euro American just couldn’t hold it in.
I am old, so bear with me.
When I grew up, the kids hung out in the neighborhood while dad was at work and mom was taking care of your siblings and/or the house. Yes, it was pretty cliché, but that is what I experienced. I grew up in a rhythm that was not out of sync with the rich white folks that controlled how America was run, but not in the rich white folks’ neighborhood. Oh, I visited there, but I did not live there, but that is an aside.
In the neighborhood there was no adult involvement in what was taking place. The age of the kids involved on a daily basis varied by as much as 5 years. Mostly, in those days, we segregated ourselves by gender, not because of any conscious thought, but we just gravitated to it. I played sports with some kids that were younger than me, but mostly I played with older kids. I did not think about it at the time, but upon reflection, I was more adept than others in the neighborhood who were older and, on the playground, it was a complete meritocracy. No coaches dictated, and we didn’t suffer for balls, bats, etc. such that we avoided giving one of the kids a position for which he was not best suited. The kids shorted everything out and only skills mattered, not money or position in society.
When I was a kid I learned to shoot. First I shot BB guns and bow and arrow. Why? Because there were no adults around to monitor us and those devices were readily available. I killed a chipmunk when I was about 8. It took many shots with a bb gun and it was terrible for the victim, but I knew what it meant to kill something. It was the last time I ever killed something that I didn’t eat, and I learned the lesson that accompanies killing. I hunted later in life and killed, gutted and skinned lots of animals that I ended up eating. Eventually, I shot 22 rifle competitively, then I shot clay pigeons competitively and I shot high caliber rifles at targets, and objects, 100 yards and further away. Eventually I ended up shooting hand guns at distances of up to 100 feet. I took shooting for granted, but I have come to realize that not everyone could do that. More importantly, I learned that not everyone could deal with killing something. I learned that when I took guys hunting in their 20s and witnessed their reaction to the killing of a rabbit.
Here’s the point of this writing: Kids are enamored with “First Player” games in which they shoot to kill other actors. Maybe the dead are disguised as Zombies or some other entity, but make no mistake, even laser “tag” and paint ball event are a shoot to kill endeavor. There is no emotional price to killing when it is done on a screen, with a laser or paint. Perhaps this translates to more people being shot with real guns for what appears to be lesser reasons now a day, but that is another aside. Bottom line: video games are FAKE when it comes to shooting and killing. Sure, kids and adults are immersed in them, but it any REAL impacts are at least partially disguised and unreal.
Trump is doing the presidency in the same vein. His body language is a dead giveaway. His behavior in conjunction with Putin was so obvious that even hard core Republicans were sickened by what they saw. They did not need to consciously process what they saw because everyone reads body language on some level of intuitive reaction. Trump can dismiss lots of things in his mind because he was the kid in the neighborhood who was put at second base in whiffle ball and baseball, and last in the bating order. He would be set out of the way so he didn’t get in the way. His go to defense is to dismiss the impression he leaves on others. His “kills” are all imaginary, but the kills of Putin and Jong-un are real and his body language shows that he cannot swim in the deep end of the pool in which they float.
His money is really a house of cards and the banks that he owes have transferred his debts, likely to the Russians if not Putin and the “Oligarchs” directly. (By the way, if you have heard that word and not researched who and what they are, and how they came into being, you should. Trump would love to be an Oligarch.) He plays a video game with money in the same way as he plays diplomatic games, but they tie together in reality because of who holds security on his debts.
He is playing a game, but reality will set in just like it does for everyone once there is a power outage. When the screen goes blank, he will be seen sitting there with his armed crossed, slouching in his chair.
With a nod to a guy who grew up in a neighborhood a little more than a mile from where I sit as I write, because I believe that he might get this. To you, Hunter.
Donald Trump was never the biggest guy in his neighborhood, so he is not suited to making the decisions that “run” the biggest national influence in the history of this globe. What, you say? Just stay with me as I walk you down this path of awareness.
The biggest guy in the neighborhood, as a kid, (if he has skills) can never exercise all of his skills or he will be deemed a bully. The big kid gets this message early and it is why many of them behave in a timid manner as they go through life. Perhaps they never behaved otherwise, or perhaps they had let it all out as a kid and been chastised either by the other kids, or adults, for taking advantage of their size. And yes, this can all be particularly true for girls as well as boys. In fact, for girls the repercussions used to be more severe. Maybe he is counseled by someone who has been there before. In any event, the big kid, especially if he is smart and fast, realizes that he cannot let it all loose. By so reserving himself, he/she sees the edge of leadership as a result, because the decision he/she makes impacts not just him/her, but the whole group. The big guy/girl learns to settle for what they need, and not worry about attaining mere “wants”. The big guy can take care of little guys, but he can’t put himself first.
Like I state above, DT never learned what it was like to be the big guy. He never got the big guy paradigm. For him, fighting for all his wants was all he knew, simply because he was always fighting even for his needs, at least as unfolded as kids, and kids all learn then from what takes place. When you are not highly skilled physically, at least when growing up, you could get by in some instances, but you were measured none the less and categorized accordingly. If you were really smart, then you could avoid the worst of the lesser status given you because you don’t have size and or speed, but you still have that status in your own mind, at the least. You knew you might play second base, but you were never going to play the outfield, short stop or pitch. You knew your place on the court was on the wing waiting for a pass, and you were a guard on the line in football, always fighting for more. The big guy could take more any time he wanted, but he didn’t.
That is what the US has done since World War II. We accepted our role as the big guy after we were forced into the war that many (See Henry Ford for example) wanted us to avoid. Many in America thought Germany was not that bad, just as many supporting Trump think that the US exercising nationalistic tendencies is not that bad.
I was in Israel about a decade ago, negotiating a contract of some significance, and once we reached a point at which the Israelis I was dealing with accepted that I was honest, they placed trust in me. After the trust developed, over several months, one of them asked me why doesn’t the US just kick North Korea’s ass. I told him that Israel, a small country surrounded by potential enemies, had to have an aggressive attitude to keep another country from making a bad step. However, the US was the biggest and “baddest” nation, we could not pick on little guys. We had to wait for them to do something overtly wrong, even if it meant injury to some, before we could exercise our power. He seemed to understand the paradigm I described and smiled in acknowledgement.
It is time for the people on the bus to tell the bus driver that he is headed for a cliff. Never in history has there been such a level of communication available by which the general public can be advised of the situation. Heck, when the Greeks and Romans were rising, then falling, hardly anyone could read and there was no printing press. During the Chinese Dynasties I have no idea what the literacy level might have been, or the level of unbiased publication that could have taken place, but I guess that illiteracy and lack of access kept the masses uninformed. Same thing is likely true through the Ottoman Empire. The Germans and Italians had radio as an influence, but they may well have controlled it all in the ‘30s. Certainly, Idi Amin, controlled communication in his land just as is controlled in North Korea right now.
In the US, we can stay informed while riding on the bus and we need to either get the bus turned, or make sure it cannot be fueled at some point, with us, perhaps, jumping and rolling out of the emergency door at the back of the bus. Trump is a bully and he is being at least encouraged by other bullies to keep it up. Heck, they would all (Russia, China, Turkey) like the US to step down and join them in the bully gutter. Europe has seen this all many times before and they have their fingers crossed. They hope that we learn from England’s past and accept that we cannot control the world by being a bully. (See, Freedom at Midnight regarding the “release” of India and Pakistan from their direct control.)
Here’s the thing, many of Trump’s biggest fans/supporter/groupies grew up as the little people in the neighborhood. Look at Steven Miller and Sessions, clearly both were put upon as kids and reflect that mind set now. The US government is set up to avoid the behavior they are promoting, and it will eventually take care of them. However, the damage that can occur in the meantime, especially if those that support Trump are the kind that don’t make decisions based upon reasonable consideration of facts. Those people will never jump off the bus. We have to hope that the thinking parts of society are greater than the feeling parts of society. Recognizing the enhanced obligation of the US to the rhythm of the world such that we have to ignore wants in order to preserve our needs is key. At some point, the bully cannot be allowed to prevail in the world: Something will stop him.
Here is a last point for consideration, based upon real life circumstances in sport, which has become the best teacher across socioeconomic lines of our society.
Lebron James was the biggest and baddest dude in his neighborhood. He was also raised by a single mom and had a different skin color than the people that held the reins to most of the obvious power in his neighborhood. He learned on an intuitive level, if not expressly taught so by others in his neighborhood, that he could not insist on having his way all the time or he would alienate others. He never made the mistakes that some others have made, and he has a group of others from his neighborhood who “get” the rhythm of those in control of our society and he and they can work within that rhythm.
As illustrated by the progress of his game, he was reluctant to let all of his talents loose until he had played a couple of years in the league. He learned that it was OK to let it all out when both Bosh and Wade were hurt in the first series that Miami had with Indiana in the playoffs. Miami was down a game, either 3-2 or 2-1 and playing in Indiana. LeBron let it all out and it was noticeable that he had changed. From that point forward, he began to flex his muscles at will and he is as dominant as anyone has been on the court as a result. He had the chip of the big guy released, but he still has reserves holding him, except when he punched the wall after the game one situation this year. He will learn from that incident, having paid the tuition of a broken hand for the education.
That I bring up LeBron was not accidental. He calls out Trump, not because he feels he must, but because he reacts honestly to what he sees in the man. He could have to make a choice not to call out Trump, but he has too much character and conscientious support to avoid what he is called to do. I celebrate LeBron continuing his open pointing out of the character flaws of Trump. Sports has become the teacher of society and everyone that can learn about the character of the honest big man needs to see how our country needs to be run. Many on the bus will never change their position (Cognitive Dissonance in action), but some of them can learn from circumstance and the righteous people in the country need to reach those people. (The recent turn by the “religious right” supporters once the impact of splitting families at the border shows how some can leap off the bus at a stop.)
The Constitution allows for control by the elected members Senate and House and they need their voters to tell them not to lay down for a bully, because we are not a bully country. (Otherwise, get ready for the war of dictators.) Trump will deliver us to the gutter of bullies if not stopped, and those around him are not only drinking the cool aide, but they keep stirring the mix.
I have no facts to back up any of what follows, but I don’t think this is fake news because I am presenting a possible scenario, hoping that someone younger than me, and with more energy, will pick up the thread, as I believe following the money in this case would be fairly direct.
Here is my prediction. (Based upon litigating Commercial Dispute and Bankruptcy cases, as the result of which I became familiar with the modus operandi of developers.)
Developers are always beholden to one or more lenders, with the promise, to themselves and to the lenders, of payment resulting from the completion of the project and the generation of revenue therefrom. Guess what, not every project delivers. The banks know this, as they have been in the business for centuries, at least the big ones have. There are a lot of newer banks springing up to get in this business, but do you ever see any news on the number of start up banks? Why banks? Well, there are very specific laws that govern banks. These laws protect the banks, and Dodd Frank sought to limit some of the assumption of risks by the banks that was a loop hole in the laws that protect the banks. In other words, if you are going to be protected by laws, then you need to not stretch the rules that limit the risk you are allowed to take in support of the protections provided.
Anyway, the banks know that a certain percentage of projects fail, and that is part of their calculation. They also know that by being the lender they have a favorable place in the creditor line when things go wrong. I had to learn, with my client, the contractor, that when things fell apart, the bank would have first grab at any money not yet spent, and they could take it and leave with it. The contractor, and others, might well have a lien against any real property upon which they placed their work, but that value is not the same as revenue from a completed project. What happens then is that a new developer, with new lenders, comes in and pays off the creditors at a much lower amount than earned by them, but they get loose of the vice they are in. In fact, some are paid to finish and if they have been down this path before such that they learned the leverage lesson, they assure that they stand in front of the line for payment out of the “new” funds. Shaping the loan as a construction loan by which the contractors have direct periodic payment rights can serve their purpose. Most have to pay tuition for this lesson by being stung at least once.
I gave you all of that so you can see the path upon which the Trump Card has trod for his career.
He acknowledges that he is a developer. As such, those in the business know that he is always chasing the next revenue in order to cover the debt that is constantly in his portfolio. Here’s the thing, as he walks the path, he goes through lenders who learn about his ability to deliver the promised revenue such that the revenue will profit them. At worst, they have to be sure that even if there is not profit, there is at least break even from the level of security they hold on the property in question.
The Card made his first imprint in NY. It is LIKELY that he borrowed from banks with headquarters in NY, since it is one of the top three bank cities in the world. (I am postulating that NY, London and Shanghai are the top three bank towns, maybe someone who knows could correct any error in such postulation.) As outlined above, the banks would insist upon security of the first in line in exchange for the loans to enable the project. The Card would accept as he is sure that he will do the project, and off they go. Set aside for now the Card’s behavior with his contractors, as that is just a consequence of the development. There is a good record of the failures of Card projects, from litigation. The lending NY banks would eventually get their security, at a cost of time and lawyers, and they may end up having some negative impact. As such, they would establish higher criteria for any future loaning to the Card, if they would do it at all. In general, any bank would likely stop after a 2nd or 3rd failure, unless they just kept raising the rate and accepted the cost. One way or the other, they would work the numbers up to either assure no loss in the worst case, or they would allow for the “loss” at the recognition of a higher interest that would ameliorate the net impact.
The Card, though, even if he could pay a bigger rate for a NY bank, would naturally move to other banks. Perhaps, banks that had not yet experienced a project with the Card and therefor about to pay their own tuition for the lessons he teaches. By the way, he teaches that lesson up and down the chain of privity.
That is why the Card had such an adverse reaction to the false claim that Mueller was looking into the Card’s financial profile vis a vis Deutsche Bank. Here is the path that jumps out to me, for consideration of those who may be interested.
The Card gradually moved from the NY banks, because they were tired of the dance he did with them. He moved to banks in Europe, not just Deutsche, but also banks in Paris and in London. Remember, he was always promoting a new development, he had name recognition, and some of his projects probably worked out close to what was promised. With the number of loses he has claimed, and which were made public, as limited as that public record is, shows that his tax bill is very low because of claimed accumulated losses. This is a common scenario for developers, claiming all these great successes, but paying little in taxes because of losses from other investments all tied to the same “entity” for tax purposes.
Eventually, the Euro banks would get hip to the Card, make the same numerical conclusions as did the NY banks. The Card then moves to banks in other parts of the world. And trust that they are there, anxious to try their hand. Obvious choices are the banks in Shanghai, a port city that has an entire waterfront street with bank buildings sitting side to side for at least a quarter mile, if not longer. This banking arrangement goes back so far that the city of Shanghai has a great “Western” feel to it, even in comparison to Tokyo. So, maybe the Card owes banks in China. Some would believe that it is likely, but I am not aware. Likewise, I am not aware if the Card is in bed with Russian banks. However, if you look at the public “ownership” of interests of Putin and his Oligarchs who were just penalized by the US, the link to banks is there. What if the Card owes them a shit load?
Well, there you have it. A question that can be answered by following the money.
That is what makes the hair on the back of the Card’s neck stand up. That debt would explain a lot of Card behavior and a lot of Russian interference behavior. What if the goal of the play has nothing to do with the limited money invested with the Card, but the belief that destroying the US is a good economic move for Putin and the Oligarchs. (To the extent that the Chinese are consulted, or merely passive, they could accede to the play with their own moves.) Perhaps the history of the world is about to be greatly impacted. Alternatively, the US Constitution may once again prove its beauty in application.
The rich whores who supported Trump (“Card”) are finding out that whoring out always brings a price. They supported the Card because they would make money, call it found money now, because of reduction in regulation. All that they spent in defense of, resisting implementation of or otherwise giving attention to regulation compliance/avoidance, is greatly reduced now. Focus of certain people can be altered to a different issue, or the people let go completely. Certainly, third party consultation will shrink. The tax act was their real bonus on top of the ease of business regulatory give and take.
Each of the Card’s segments of interest (the split of his base along idealogical lines) has to whore out something in order to have the Card promote (they think) their particular issue. The right wing religious, for instance, give up a lot of moral ground.
The rich whores probably like the idea of appointment of conservative minded judges, or at least would think, “Why not?”, so they have another smile. The impact on the trading of stock, though, does not make them happy. How long can they sustain that price to them? They probably have objection to his womanizing, undercurrent of racism and anti antisemitism, or other particulars individually, but, well, you can’t have everything.
Now a lesson about the Card, just so everyone will know that he thinks his behavior succeeds. This is the real story.
The Card negotiates by means of the flopping his “argument” on the table. It is an obvious move and there are very few subtleties to it. The choice of responsive move is thought to be limited to two choices: Either you eat shit and give up (unlikely in the current pool in which the Card floats, but sometimes can intimidate a much less financed down stream party on the contract chain); or, The other choice idealized by those that actually promote this tactic is a like response from the other side. The result of this expected move is that both parties enter the “argument” arena. Here’s the problem, the argument arena rarely creates a good solution, and certainly not a timely solution since it will immediately suspend any efforts at discussion of the situation, shifting to a discussion of the adversarial effort now underway. Energy is not allocated to look for a solution, but is expended, instead, on the distraction of building the best city to defend, if you will. The Card lives by distraction. (Boy would he be fun to cross exam under oath.)
The time period in which the Chinese are willing do the dance of the argument arena is much, much longer than anything the Card has in mind. And, the Chinese are capable of maintaining their efforts for the entire period without real threat to the powers that make the decision (just won election and allowed to be lifetime). The Card is used to having some form of financial leverage over time when his technique works, but big banks have given him the lesson that it does not work in the absence of that financial leverage, and he has always been a one issue guy. (Some people have a hard time adjusting their paradigm, and the Card is the poster boy for that.) I have negotiated around the world, including China, and as I participated in the efforts, I learned a lot about what works in negotiation, and it is different every time, every time. I have seen floppers silenced by their own side, entirely by body language in the room.
So, the Card does this consistently in life. Fine, but to the extent that it affects our country it must be pointed out. I brought this up now because I saw a headline that the Card tweeted that we are not in a trade war with China. Ha, only if he removes his “argument” from the table because the Chinese put their argument out there as well and, all of a sudden, the Card’s argument did not look so big, after all it had been sitting out for a while, exposed.
Now, think of this exact situation applying to the North Korean incident. The only really big flop that can occur there is a nuclear situation, which has already been flopped by both sides. Do we really want the Card to be able to elect that flop? That is what is at stake. Smart and aware people get it, but the Card’s base either don’t get it or are wiling to whore out for that possibilit7, saying, “Naw, he’s just flopping”. The erosion of the ice flow upon which the Card floats is obvious, but not recognized by all those riding the flow.
Sorry, I had to do it. I have never seen a flopper that could stop on his own. They can be modified in the middle of a negotiation, but it takes a fine art to achieve the result of changing a paradigm and, clearly, the Card removes people from his proximity if they affect his paradigm at all. The emperor who had no clothes was always sure he was covered.
On to the other whores that comprise the Card’s 33% or so, of the opinion populace. They know that the Card behaves in one way to which they have express repulsion, but they allow it by looking the other way. Each segment of his supporter groups has one such objection to the overall Card, but they whore it out because he whispers in their respective ears enough to induce them, or they imagine that whisper.
I was tempted to call Trump’s behavior a “technique”, but it is not sophisticated enough to be considered such. He behaves in a way, and that should be clear to everyone one who can look at him without the rose colored glasses that he will (figuratively) provide to you if you care to put them on.
He negotiates with at least two very obvious behaviors: Flopping and Diversion.
For instance, he currently diverts the Russian inquiry by suggesting that Obama did nothing about Russian interference. Not to get too far in the weeds, but the interference was being investigated by the Federal Government while Obama was president. Nothing was overtly done for a number of reasons that I can see. 1. the investigation was no where near complete; and, 2. Once the investigation would be complete, the resolution should be done more quietly than is now occurring. The length and breadth of the current investigation show the first, and certainly the sense of the second bullet point seems to be just as obvious.
Now lets get to the Flopping on the “Tariff” issue.
NeighborDave has negotiated professionally for over 40 years, and really has negotiated his entire life. The Flop is the reactionary behavior first observed as a child, and is the go to move of a bully in the neighborhood. The guy that is big and strong, maybe older and less smart, the guy with no real future beyond exercising size or muscle to get what they want. It is like flopping your dick on the table and saying look how big that is. (Apparently, President Lyndon Johnson articulated this behavior once when he revoked a promise to Abe Fortus of a Supreme Court appointment.)
Here’s the thing. The move only works if you have the leverage necessary for the other side to be afraid of the leverage you have. With a bully, in the neighborhood, unless you are really slow or really stupid, you only get caught by the move once. After that you see it coming and avoid it, or just as it is about to happen, you speed away. Look at David and Goliath for an example. David could hit a flying bird with that sling shot, but Goliath had to be within swinging distance to use his weapons. David knew he could disable him without getting in the danger zone.
Trump revels in the concept that he is Goliath, but he doesn’t get that when you are the big dog, maybe even the alpha dog, you take care of your needs, but if you get your wants at the expense of the pack’s needs, then the pack is hurt. The US is (for now) the big dog, but if we focus on our wants to the exclusion of the worlds needs, WHERE DO WE END UP?
Sorry for the graphic example of the Flop, but that is how it is known in the world of negotiation. I have seen it many places around the world and eventually the people on the side from which it is exercised learn to discount “their” guy and he gets shunned by both sides as the negotiation continues. Trump’s disciples smile and enjoy the flop, so they will never shun him. It is up to the rest of the pack to see it though, and move on.
Simple behavior is just that, and honest behavior is just that too. Make a choice and stand behind it.
I purposely float between four different “news” programs playing from time to time during the day, usually on in the background while I do things. Right now I am ranting internally as I listen to discussion regarding the Nunes Memo. Yes, that must be the name from now on, clearly.
Anyway, so many things. First, the news programs, when I was growing up, seemed to be less focused on the add revenues that paid their wages. (I would bet the purveyors of the news were paid much less, relative to revenues received, than the current mechanism.) Anyway, they all acknowledge a bent in their pick of what they focus on and with whom, and how, they discuss various “breaking news” as they all opine.
The people that discuss the impact of the Nunes Memo discuss it with reference to the intelligence collection system and the Constitution with a predigested understanding of the “inside” of the subject. However, and that is a BIG however, the general public has no such awareness or are they ever going to acquire anything close to that level of awareness – on either side. Sure, on both sides there are some folks who will dig in and look at stuff that is available. In todays world, you can find lots of reference points. However, the reference points need not all be reliable now. Clearly, the one lesson everyone with even a bit of intelligence as applied to connecting dots, is that anyone, including Russians, can publish a “piece” on the internet that appears to be an authority upon which one might be entitled to rely.
For the most part, as recent as 100 years ago, if you were being told an outright lie, or even a small lie, the lie was coming to you face to face. Now, you might be in a crowd, being sold some magic elixir or a political line, but you were at least face to face. The only other alternative was a newspaper, and the relatively new radio. TV was coming, adding a face that was trained, to the radio voice that was trained. Now there is the internet upon which artful manipulators can photo shop, and voice shop, whatever they want. Sure, if someone with skill digs into the “bits and bytes” (my phrase for it only), they can tell if it is made up, but the time lag between publishing and such a discovery cannot be erased, just as a statement in front of a jury hangs around with them despite the granting of an Objection immediately after its utterance.
What happens today with the voting public cannot be greatly impacted by a dissection of a situation without the aid of competent cross examination, as both sides can always find a mere conclusion falling within their paradigm and accepted as a coping mechanism to cognitive dissidence. Cross examination is what makes or breaks most court cases. Why, because it is an interchange the shows the truth, if not in the words, in the body language. The Jury gets to read the witness, and the attorney(s) and the Judge, and truth usually emerges to many of the Jurors. The hope is that they the truth can be pointed out to those that missed it, when they all get in the room such that their cognitive dissidence can be resolved definitively (See, 12 Angry Men, which did not focus on this, but I bet shows it.)
Anyway, all the news channels seem to cross examine someone with a position, but they never really get them to go to the end of the path. A partial cross exam is nothing, as the witness merely cuts through the woods back to their path after the discussion ends, usually with a talking points run that is followed by a thank you for the time. The follow up to the talking points statement is never, “Don’t give me that shit, let’s go back to this…..”
Here is the issue: What can be put in front of the common man that can give them the truth, but from an angle that is not limited to that being “vertically” discussed, face to face, by those who are controlling the situation (for their own personal goals, such as re-election)?
NeighborDave could find the answer, but only face to face for the reads necessary.
Let’s face it, regardless of ideology, a very reckless situation is on the table with the Russian matter. The current release of a memo, drafted by people who read FBI reports, then wrote a memo promoting their view of HOW the reports COULD be read to support a position that they liked, is well outside the realm of any verification of the truth of the matter at issue. If subject to cross examination the truth could come out, but by the time this ends up in any court, it will be too late as the means by which the FBI investigated the charges that were originally raised, will likely be released, as that is the fear that everyone with any sense has. The Russians are laughing at this, and the rest of the world is just shaking their heads. (It may be that ISIS is smiling about it.)
John Kelly is the sole person of influence who can whisper in the ear of Trump, or even take him in a room and scream at him, that he cannot participate in this because it is dangerous to our country.
This move is designed to save the Trump administration from being embarrassed by what took place with regard to the Russian situation. Kelly was not part of that, I think, and with his history of service we have to hope that his understanding of the risk associated with the release of the memo will drive him to stand firm. Hopefully, Trump will listen to him (and not to people like Stephen Miller).
This is a big as it gets.
By the way, look at Nunes’ CV. He is a purely political person, except for his start as a “farmer”.
I don’t give a shit – about much
As I have aged I have discovered that I gave a shit about a lot of stuff. I also discovered that caring too much about things that were not critical was a waste of my time, as the caring would not have any lasting effect on the situation. For instance, reprimanding a ne’er do well about parking in a handicap parking spot was appropriate, but rarely did it change the perpetrator’s behavior. Sure, I could embarrass him, but such a perp is merely a Chihuahua – the barking never stops unless you are willing to really enforce it physically, and if you are a big dog, where does that get you?
Here’s the flip side. For the important things, I am perfectly willing to trade my life in order to spare a less able person from bad behavior of an individual who wants to pick on them. It may happen someday, and many people who know me predict that I will be shot. I now figure that a life spent exposing a bad person is that of a hero and avoids the multiple deaths of a coward. I put to rest one guy, who drove his pick up truck up to me as I got out of my sedan and asked me if it was my day to be an asshole. I answered, “No, I am an asshole every day, today I am a Mother F**ker”. What I learned that day is my next line to him should have been, “Now, here is what you are going to do. You will drive far enough away to be sure you can get away clean, then you will lean out your window, give me the finger, and tell me to go f**k myself.”
Don’t know why, but just felt like sharing that.
People generally gravitate to not making decisions – in general (let’s say 80% give or take).
A big segment of the population bought the theme that “Washington” did not make decisions, they just talked all the time. They thought that Trump would make decisions, and they liked the thought that he would make such decisions with leverage*. They would all like to have leverage, but most do not. Trump would become their Surrogate for the making of decisions.
In their current state leading up to the election a year ago, as with all of the working class, they either eat shit or die, so if someone told them that he would make America Great Again, they heard “You white folks won’t have to eat all this shit that Obama and his folks have been feeding you.” Also, we will feed a lot of shit to others such that you don’t have to eat so much, since the same amount will continue to be produced. What the story really was, and would become if Bannon had his way, is we fill feed you our shit, and you will like it more.
All those that did not buy the Trump story to begin with are now confirmed in their understanding that he is the Emperor that Bannon wanted to create, but, alas, he has no clothes. Those that bought his song, are still in tune with the rhythm they heard, and believe me they all heard a rhythm that was individual to them, but not out of sync with that hummed by Trump, et al. Soon, they will recognize the taste of the shit they are still eating, realize that it is not much different than before, and they (some) will turn (I hope). Not sure of the time frame, but…
Also, the racists will never turn as they will eat shit gladly in order to be on the top they perceive, at least to the limited, but severely nasty, extent of that status. They still believe, and their belief is not unlike any other zealot – only limited and narrow logic need apply. How far down the road must we go before all the non-believers get off the bus, because it is surely headed to the brink. The sane people need more believes in the greater good, not the individual good.
*(His business was built on the leverage of: I owe you so much that you have to listen to me, or my lawyers will cost you even more money and aggravation. The end result is that people would run from his leverage just to be loose of him. However, they also learned not to do business with him again – unless they got a Letter of Credit or other banking mechanism to assure that when the last payment became due he did not have the leverage he used before.)
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