2023

Democracy and Free Press

On May 3, Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, raised the alarm and called for action in order to address the Crisis of Loneliness and Isolation pervading our country. It is a serious problem that the Virus which invaded the world augmented! Sad! Mercifully, I do not suffer from this syndrome as I live with my daughter and grandchildren, which is a Blessing and a Joy for which I am very grateful.

Other than our multi-generational arrangement, part of my pastimes are from appreciating certain aspects of the Idiot Box, and so on April 29th. I watched The White House Correspondents’ Dinner, an event that I have enjoyed for many years despite my gradually losing respect for most of our Media Platforms and Personalities – more so these past few years than ever before. Nevertheless, President Biden and Roy Wood Junior amused me and made me laugh. They both seem to have good speech writers! Aside from joking about his age, the President said: “Elon Musk tweeted that NPR should be defunded. Well, the best way to make NPR go away is for Elon Musk to buy it.” Ouch! Good one, Mr. President! Another Ouch was his jabbing Fox News, the defamation suit against them from Dominion Voting Systems and their mantra of Fair and Balanced: “I’d call Fox ‘Honest, fair and truthful.’ But then I’d be sued for defamation.” Bingo!

The main theme, though, was Democracy and a Free Press, and how America’s “democracy remains at risk.” I agree that it is! After the show, I went to bed thinking deeply about Democracy: what does it really mean? Do average people really understand what it’s all about? Refresher: According to Merriam-Webster, Democracy is: “a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.” And according to Brittanica, I extracted this: “ . . . It is a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections . . . The absence of hereditary or arbitrary class distinctions or privileges.” And, from UShistory.org: . . . “And although it is not mentioned in the Declaration of Independence nor the Constitution, Democracy clearly links to ‘rule of law’ to form a basic principle that profoundly shapes American government.” All good, except when Corporations are considered to be people by our Extreme Right Supreme Court thus skewing and buying every election; when voting rights are being restricted so as to exclude “the whole population” as the Radical Republicans are doggedly trying to do; when toting and firing a lethal weapon is deemed a Right and on and on, then we do not really have a Democracy, do we? Nevertheless, it is definitely a Work In Progress, and we have come a long way during the past several decades! Therefore, it is a concept to be celebrated. It also means different things to different people. For instance, to a College Freshman it might mean: living in the dorms, partying, and as my Granddaughter’s’ T-shirt says: “I am currently unsupervised . . . but the possibilities are endless!” Naughty! To Bernie Sanders, my hero, and amongst other things, it means Health Care for Everyone and a Decent Minimum Wage that allows for a Dignified Existence. To the Trumpists it means: taking our country back? and generally just creating disruption galore! And, there is a whole range of other interpretations. What is the reality however, and should be applicable to Any political ideology is that All Human Beings strive for Dignity and Respect, as well as the Right to expect their government to address their basic needs of healthcare, education, food and shelter; the Right to expect Any Person with Authority be they Politicians or Bosses to be Honest, Fair and Un-corruptible – that last one being Vital! Does Everyone agree? Doubtful these chaotic days when every issue seems to be interpreted and misinterpreted, and when Unbelievable Lies are, in many cases, accepted as Truth!!

As for Free Press? Well, let’s see how our so-called journalists and talk show hosts address that: For example: During the World Cup Football games that took place in Qatar in November of 2022 about which I posted (Are You Getting Uppity . . . or What) they were breathlessly excoriating Qatar for its Human Rights record, especially regarding imported labour; LGBTQ Rights and on and on . . . every day and every chance they had. However, those Whistleblowers whom I love, unveiled how right here in our country, in the United States Bastion of Freedom and Democracy we have a Crisis of Child Labour that the Mainstream Media does Not address sufficiently, nor do some Politicians consider it a priority, especially that it serves certain “corporations!” Moreover, there are now some Republican states that are reducing the age of child laborers down to around fourteen or so. Really?

Free Press seems like it is Free Only When We Are Disparaging Other Nations, doesn’t it? And, we are so good at that while touting our Exceptionalism! Tsk! Tsk!

Another Example is how our Free Press twist their knickers chiding China endlessly for its awful treatment of the Uyghurs, but, with very few exceptions, hardly Ever Israel for its wicked treatment of the Palestinian People, and its ongoing carnage on Young Oppressed Freedom Fighters and not “terrorists” or “militants” as they choose to unfairly label them! As for the numerous number of Palestinian Journalists who have been Incarcerated, Maimed, or Killed by the Israeli Government? On this one year remembrance of Palestinian-American Shireen Abou Akhleh’s murder, here is a terrific article that portrays just how much of a Wicked and Malicious policy Israel exerts while our State Department continues to speak of “shared values,” and Bibi touts his support for a “Free Press!” Indeed we are living in a dystopian world!

Bigotry? Racism? Discrimination? Ignorance? Free Press, or, the Press that Cherry Picks its issues?

There are many more examples that I am certain you can think of.

Mr. President: Whistle Blowing Investigative Journalists can rightfully claim the title of Free Press being that they are Honest, but not most of those bought and paid for who attended the Correspondents Dinner!

Yes, our Democracy is A Work In Progress, and the Loneliness and Isolation Crisis is just One of Many that we have to deal with sensibly. Will the majority of American Voters opt for upholding our Democracy ailing as it is, or will they choose an Authoritarian Regime that will truly stifle all our Freedoms?

2023

Wicked Disruption

Since I wrote my last blog I have been focusing on what subject I should pick to write about this time. There is so very much going on in our World that I couldn’t seem to settle on any one subject, which is unlike my usual habit of publishing one post and forming an outline for the next one almost immediately. But then, on Monday, April 24th. the news that Tucker Carlson (and, yes, I did think that he was cute many moons ago and until he lost every ounce of Integrity that he ever had) was fired by the Evil Rupert Murdoch’s FOX News. The reasons remain murky, dirty and disgusting, however, it was quite a stunning firing! Some were saying that it was because of his incendiary opinions and foul language? Maybe due to his continuing to spread lies such as what FOX News and many of its so-called journalists continue to blare out regarding our “rigged” Presidential Elections when there is no proof of that whatsoever??!! Tsk! Tsk!

And, yes, Don Lemon was also fired from CNN. I’m not quite sure as to the true reasons for his firing either, however, time will tell. Nevertheless, Tucker was just one of the brigades of Disruptive People of all kinds and sorts swirling around in our country. They are attempting in any and every way that they are able to manifest at creating as much havoc as possible everywhere that they can. One of their Wicked Disruptions is to malign and taint the FBI, the Police and any Law Enforcement Organization, and I should mention that both Parties have done that for their different reasons. That is unfortunate and distressing. Yes, there are Bad Apples who commit Bad Actions amongst Law Enforcement People as there are in Every Sector, Profession, Community and even Family. When we hear of the few Bad Apples we might sometimes tend to sweep all Law Enforcement with one stroke and condemn them all. We do this at our own peril, because no civilized society can function in an environment of Lawlessness. None! One has only to look at Haiti and Sudan, for example? I have personally lived in circumstances of Lawlessness, which is why such events reenforce my respect for The Law and those that execute it, while not being so naive as to forget the thousands of Innocent people who have been beaten, jailed and, sometimes, executed by Law Enforcement. We certainly need to correct this Criminality by those that purport to punish Criminals. That’s why I have the greatest Respect for The Innocence Project, and its Lawyers who are working hard to correct this egregious behavior.

So, while, yes, there are Bad Apples at the FBI and elsewhere amongst Law Enforcement, what is absolutely true is that the Vast Majority of Humans working at all these agencies are working hard every day at nabbing Criminals and at Disrupting their Wicked Doings, often at the risk of their own lives. So go ahead and call me a Pollyanna if you wish. That’s okay!

In mentioning Wicked Doings, I heard a great interview on C-Span with Kelly Richmond Pope who has written a book titled: Fool Me Once: Scams, Stories and Secrets from the Trillion-Dollar Fraud Industry. Here are a few sentences about her book that I excerpted from The Harvard Business Review

“. . . Have you ever wondered why Bernie Madoff thought he could brazenly steal his clients’ money? Or why investors were so easily duped by Elizabeth Holmes? Or how courageous people like Jeffrey Wigand are willing to become whistleblowers and put their careers on the line? Fraud is everywhere, from Nigerian “princes,” embezzlers, and Ponzi schemers to corporate giants like Enron and Volkswagen. And fraud is costly. Each year, consumers, small businesses, governments, and corporations lose trillions of dollars to financial crime. We’re so accustomed to hearing about fraud that our abilities to identify it and speak about it are limited . . . It will inspire you to question your own preconceived notions about fraud. It will challenge your beliefs about yourself and other people. And it will help you understand a phenomenon that most of us fail to grasp until it’s too late.” Click here to read the full review.

Fascinating stuff! I love Whistleblowers! I also love the aspect of our modern technology that has opened the doors for the unmasking of so much Criminality, Fraud and Outright Lies (such as Tucker Carlson’s unending stream of them). On the flip side, it has also allowed for much Libel and Slandering.

Do you remember the post in which I wrote of my fraudulent dentist? Check it out if you wish. This is why I am always delighted when I hear that Anyone in the Medical Profession is caught in Criminal Activity. The “Do No Harm Motto” that they swear to is a sham for some of them! Here are two shameful examples:

  1. Two Doctors Sentenced for Stealing $31M From Medicare
  2. Local Dentist & Hygienist Charged With Offenses Related to Healthcare Fraud

Wicked Disruptions are phenomenon that we should all be indignant about whether they are from hard core criminals, medical professionals, media personalities, politicians or otherwise. Our country despite all its Positives and Negatives (and I rave and rant about those Negatives constantly!) is polarized and angry and lost at this point. Therefore, I hope that I can always rise up against obnoxious behavior of this kind, and call it out. Moreover, I try my best to be discerning and reasonable any time I come across Wicked People and Disruptions and their Perpetrators. Lastly, our Shameless Media, on All Platforms and Outlets should be extinguishing the flames and not stoking them with their vapid blah-blah-blah simply to garner more Clicks and Revenue! Enough of that! Enough!

Finally, I am very thankful for my wonderful son who draws my attention to the FBI Press Releases and other important information about which I would otherwise not be aware! I hope that all of you reading this will be careful also!