August . . .

August is over, and what a month it’s been! Most folks are back from their vacations. The kids are back in school. A certain comfortable rhythm returns to many households. However, our Planet was not on vacation . . . and Washington DC was steaming . . .

. . . Storms, fires, hurricanes, earthquakes, landslides, melting icebergs and Mother Nature agonizing and wrathful that we are ignoring her and continuing to abuse her mercilessly! Until when?

. . . the Russia Saga in our US continues on the sensational airwaves and in the corridors of power, and, with the indictment of Manafort, Cohen, Gates and all the other corrupt liars and tax-evaders, who knows if those dark clouds over the White House aren’t becoming more ominous? Judging from the CNN and MSNBC “news,” one would think that Trump should be doing his Swan Song, and that they and the Deep State (whatever and whomever that is) would have succeeded in bringing him down, even though the President himself supplied them with enough ammunition! If their scenario is correct, Mike Pence must be licking his chops before going to bed every night while saying to his wife: “hold on. It won’t be much longer until I’m in the saddle!” And, should that happen, would we be in a better place as a country? I don’t know. Does anyone? As to FOX “news,” they are celebrating Trump’s achievements with an upbeat forecast of how terrific everything is, how exceptional we are, how horrible everyone else is, and how dishonest CNN and MSNBC are! I don’t know who will get the Honesty Award, but watching them one would think that we live on two different planets!

. . . Bill Clinton’s presidency was tainted by a teenage-like affair with an intern. I can still see the Republican stalwarts marching gleefully through the halls of Congress on their way to impeach him. What a pitiful show that was as FOX News cheered them on! Will our current President, be brought down by his womanizing as the direct cause? Cherchez les femmes? While if this is indeed the most precarious it has been for Trump, the MSM should not be gloating, because they have proven beyond a doubt that they are most untrustworthy. Recently, the Boston Globe newspaper rallied the media outlets to stand up against Trump and his “fake news” tweets and tirades. The claim being bandied around is that a “free press is essential to our democracy,” which is a nice slogan, but untrue, because our media is Not Free. Not by far! Irrelevant of whether we are living Trump’s last hurrahs, or not.

. . . Monsanto lost a lawsuit, and, apparently, it is not the only one on the docket. However, it is going to take much more than several lawsuits to shut down the operations of this monster of a corporation. It will entail a political will, and that is sadly absent! The Government of the tiny island of Tonga is struggling with a huge obesity problem of its citizens. The leader of the country has banned some junk foods and is directing people to go back to an organic diet rather than relying on imported processed foods. Would that all nations did that! Tonga is just one example of how our plastic, unhealthy foods infused with poisonous pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, Monsanto-like genetic engineering and what have you are affecting people’s health everywhere. Again, though, fighting the corporate greed that is producing all these deadly foods will entail a political will more than simply raising awareness. Where is our “trustworthy” media on this issue that greatly impacts the population? Absent, of course!

. . . There are Women in this world who beg the question that feminists would do well to answer honestly: support Every, Any Woman? The criminal Ang San Suu Kyi of Myanmar and the Rohingya tragedy? The hypocritical and opportunistic Asia Argento sexually victimizing a seventeen year-old while crying: I’ve been Raped by Weinstein? History is rife with corrupt and evil women. Supporting them simply because they are “Women” does not earn us respect. Not on this, or any other issue.

. . . Internet Corporations such as Google, Facebook et al are tracking every move we make on our phones and computers; they are also censoring information and many posts. They can white-wash their activities as much as they like, the truth is that they have become over-reaching and aggressive. They will not change their insidious ways anytime soon either, so I hope that we can all be more careful and discerning.

. . . then there is the scandal of the Catholic Church proving that Power, throughout every one of our Institutions has become incorrigibly Arrogant and Corrupt while . . .

. . . the recent shooting in Jacksonville, as well as the numerous murders in Chicago, as well as the reports of such heartbreaking shootings going on every day, and every hour, prove that the proliferation of weapons is a societal sickness that the Corrupt politicians do not want to address except with flimsy bandages that cannot and will not stem the bleeding. We are just told to live with this threat every time we go to a mall, a park, a game, anywhere really, and, especially, when we send our kids to their schools and universities. How is that even acceptable? Is this the Wild West all over again? We are in a merciless and perpetual state of war within, and without, our borders . . .

. . . world leaders meet, confer, discuss, yet, none of them are coming up with real plans on how to end all those deadly wars that are causing atrocious tragedies, uprooting, orphans, migrants, disease and traumatized human beings, some of whom will become those same killers and terrorists of the future that our surveillance specialists are warning us about, and will be threatening you, me and the planet’s civilizations. The political class cannot seem to overcome a pervasive confrontational mode that is very passé and that is poisoning the world and its people. There are alternatives to our war-mongering and historically criminal and colonist system of coexisting. None of them are as profitable as war, though, and none will ensure the survival of the corrupt political class better. How sick is that?

. . . a generation, my generation, is making its exit as we hear of more and more people dying. This month we lost Uri Avnery, John McCain, Neil Simon and Aretha Franklin amongst so many others. I feel sad that despite my generation’s many achievements, inventions and ground-breaking events we have not managed to create a more peaceful, just and compassionate world. In this, we have miserably failed the future, however . . .

. . . amidst all this disheartening news, there are rays of hope as an incredible anti-corruption woman named Zephyr Teachout becomes a candidate for NY State Attorney; as Elizabeth Warren is promising to fight corruption; as Bernie Sanders and Jill Stein are calling for medical care for all, justice and equality; as there is a Prison Strike going on in 17 states to try and end the Modern Day Slavery that is happening in our for-profit corporate prison system; as more people speak up about the matters that unite us and ensure our well-being . . .

. . . another Great ray of hope came from France on August 27^th. when President Macron made a speech calling for Europe to look after it’s own defenses, without relying on the US and, including Russia!! Well! Well! Way to go, Macron! Perhaps there is hope here that some politicians will finally make a break with the belligerent Cold-War mentality as they seek more cooperation and peaceful coexistence? New reconfigurations and realignments?

Perhaps, there is hope yet?

In any event, it’s going to be an interesting September!