Category Archives: Voting

Woe To Those Innocents and The Damage They Bring

Posted on by
12

That ‘fellow’ who was voted in as president of the USA said this did he not?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cvg4zwwez9et

Did anyone who did not vote because of this issue think for one moment that he would not play court to the ultra nationalist crew in Israel? Play at the behest of his fundamentalist allegedly Christian supporters?  Did they for one moment truly understand just what they were culpable in by being a part of allowing him back into the Whitehouse?

Yes, some are soothing themselves with a balm upon their consciences, they are trying to equate Harris /Biden with Trump’s stance.  

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/uncommitted-leaders-stand-2024-strategy-trump-floats-gaza-takeover-rcna190782 

In the harsh bloodied world of Reality, they have gone into Denial and will hide there. For no doubt their will tell themselves they were correct and this was the ‘moral stance’.

Pray what help is that to the surviving ordinary Palestinians trying to repair or scrabble through the wrecks that were once their homes? How do these pious words act as comfort to those folk who now have to face not just the IDF, but a possibility of being a place where the USA could once again militarily confront any number of fundamentalist groups – who by the way will also conduct their own turf wars in a dystopian landscape? Will these sanctimonious stances and maybe another set of marches stem the tears of one Palestinian child?   

Understand this, and understand it well. Out there is a harsh, violent, cruel world, one which millions upon millions upon of USA citizens have been gifted not to day by day, physically live in. Out there, whether they like it or not there are other millions upon millions of folk, these living in misery and fear where violent Death is a fact. Where the least, worst choice is hoped for, because they have no option. The protest wing’s duty was to try and minimise the misery inflicted upon them. Because they chose to protest, it was indeed a duty, a moral one. They knew full well what a Trump Administration was capable of, They knew he has no concept of the necessary interplays of international politics on the ground. They knew full well who he would favour. And they did nothing to stop his march to the Whitehouse?

No, they do not get to insist upon a morally clean and principled stance. If they wanted to help they had to take a less than perfect option. Maybe not be totally comfy with the choice. Going in there hoping their choice did not screw things up. But it is a great deal better than leaving the door open to the Worst Alternative. And that is the bitter, harsh, uncomfortable Reality to be faced with in this world. Palestine, Ukraine, Sudan, Myanmar, Kashmir, Northern Nigeria, DRC, Hatti, Horn of Africa, Drug Lord regions of South American states, the Sahel region (look it up), those are samples of what is going on out there. And they who did not vote Democrat because of Palestine I accuse were culpable in letting Trump and his court take a second shot at.

And consider Canada, Panama, Greenland, as well, now that, that fellow is lose, with his Court.

I stress. There are, in this world, in this time, No Perfect Solutions. There are.

Least.

Worst.

Options.

Bleak isn’t? Yes, that’s The Real World. And the only way out is NOT to let folk like Trump into government. 

Bottom Line.

My only comfort is that they are and were truly tragic Innocents if they thought their stance was going to be of any help to anyone. Oh most regrettable people.

And there is worse than that.

Now those most regrettable folk also have to answer to:
Immigrants within the USA worried about their futures.
Women who will be fearful of getting pregnant.
Folk in the LGBT+ community.
Minorities, never mind how deep their roots within the USA .
US public service workers

Yes, they, along with a few million other US non-voters have to answer to their own fellow citizens. 

As a senior manager I served under and looked up to, used to say, with a large sigh:

‘Oh protect us from the inexperienced person in authority with Well Meaning Intentions’ 

A Spectre to be Exorcised (Communal Violence)- A Repeated from 2022

Posted on by
9

Uncle Sam

I Am Looking To You To Do Your Patriotic Duty

Precursor: I originally wrote this post on the 8th May 2022. It featured in another blog of mine where I deal with grim subjects – The World As It Is. Not As It Should Be. Now it seems that WP’s response to my posting a recent link to this post has result in WP saying it cannot find it….. Ah well, let us not get diverted in the various whimsies that are WP’s speciality.

Thus here is a Copy & Paste of that post is here for your consideration. It may be too late to do anything about what might happen in the USA on and after the 5th of November 2024, and the subsequent ramifications across the world- for you are one of three largest and most globally influential nation states. Instead think of this as either a warning to keep to the legal and civil side of resistance against the tide of Ignorance, Hate and Falsehoods, or worst case a preparation for Discord.

Foreword

This post has to be long. Histories have to be considered. Social tides and trends examined. That most troublesome of all factors Human Nature faced. It is hoped you find this grim reading, but not sensationalist. This is a precursor for you to discuss in your homes, your blogs, your meeting places. These words are based on histories of communal violence throughout the world. Including the USA. I have tried to be apolitical, most of the time. It is not always possible. Blame has to be laid in places.

Introduction

The present view that so politically polarised the USA has become, a civil war could take place has moved from blog site discussion onto the mainstream where more sober assessments are. For example:

Brookings in the following assessment of September 2021 concluded there was a sizeable proportion of the USA population who were of this mindset:

Is the US headed for another Civil War? (brookings.edu)

In January of 2022 an article in the UK Guardian raised this possibility along the lines of the UK’s own experience in Ulster

Is the US really heading for a second civil war? | US politics | The Guardian

Overview

It should be borne in mind that Racism, Intolerance, Profiling and Subjugation  are regrettably part of the Human Construct. No race, people, community, grouping, belief system have been free of it. So it is within the USA.

Although legislation and more constructive outlooks made moves to minimise the effects of these corrosions it requires a mammoth task of social engineering to purge them. Something which would challenge even the most efficient and established of authoritarian states.

Thus not the passing phase of the 1960s counter-culture whose short tenure could reduce it to arguably a fashion. Instead it was in the deep-rooted places of a Human Insecurity in sections of The White Community fed by the fear of loss of position in society where the nascent rebellions would grow.

The US involvement in Vietnam with a cost of wasted blood and treasure, left on one side a sense of worthless loss, on the other an anger at some sort of betrayal at home; possibly the first cultural fracture line in The White Community; the dominant group within the USA. These would be played out in the Culture Wars. Not enough attention being given to the mindset which gave rise to the Oklahoma City Bombing of 19th April 1995; this was the warning.

Then in the opening years of the 21st Century came two tipping points:

9/11 and the election of an African American into the Whitehouse, twice with majorities. The former had shaken America and set loose more of those toxic fantasies Conspiracy Theories, for the long term trust in government of the USA as dangerous as any handgun. In the case of the latter, the fact he was a Democrat made the backlash easier for one element of the White Community. Had Colin Powell or Condoleezza Rice accepted a Eisenhower type draft and won, the Republican Party and Fundamentalist Right would have suffered a truly existential crisis. But they had a black democrat. This made everything much easier.

Civil Discord (The Path to Communal Violence)

It is now necessary to move from the historical to consider the dynamics of civil discord  which lead to a break down in the common currency of discourse, bargaining, and the tacit, sometimes humorous acceptance of tribal lines.

Firstly the notion that ‘There is no Democracy’ has to be put aside, for people are able within the USA take to  the streets, the airwaves, the internet to give voice to their feelings. Thus there is freedom of speech and action, however in an atmosphere of heightened feeling this freedom comes with  tensions and reactions. The first tension arises when people feel their views are not being listened to, or being stifled. The second tension arises when those frustrations are inflamed by the feeling ‘The Other Side’ are not just ignoring, but are seen to be imposing. At this point there occurs a fault line when a shared perception results in ‘The Other Side’ being seen as a threat and there can be no discourse, the only facet shared by both sides being this mindset. At this stage both sides will feel the need to demonstrate, one will feel it is defending, the other will perceive this as aggression, engendered through the fault line affect. Initially it will be seen one side is more aggressive and assertive thus encourage within them a certain sense of triumphalism. This adds to the danger as in playing to its own support it fails to take into account that the very forces which placed it in this position will also work within the opposition. There is made a fundamental error that the triumphant side  can use Democracy and the Other Side will adhere to that rule. In addition some of its more strident supporters will feel the leaders are not strong enough and perceive the need to be ready to defend or if necessary attack with unconstitutional force. The stance sets within The Other Side the feeling they had better prepare. You need only scroll the internet to see that the ridiculously named ‘Snowflakes’ have been starting to own guns.

2016 to Today

To support my views in the previous section it is necessary to consider the last two presidential elections. In 2016 the victory went not to the candidate with the most votes but the electoral college votes. Thus from Day One the losing side felt robbed. A more astute winner in 2016 would have sensed the issue and navigated. By 2016 this was not wanted by the winning side and the other side were willing to take up the fight. By 2020 the lack of discourse had reached such a pitch that the losers of that election believed they had the right to seize back power because of a fraudulent election. This theme continues even now as a backdrop in the 2024 election.

The Republican Reaction as seen from The Other Side

Although cast out of the Whitehouse and seeming to fail in the courts of law, aside from the Supreme Court, the political machines now holding control of the Republican Party have been working at a pace to unravel the social, legal and communal trends of the past 50 years as they seek to defend their own ground. Instead of the usual slow, methodical  approach in this heightened tension they have sought to dismantle the processes of The History of Race Relations, Sexual Orientation and Abortion with no effort in trying to convince the opposition of their causes, they pass a simple edict. As they see it, this was done to them, it is now time to undo it. This is against the wishes of the Executive branch, the Whitehouse. Another layer of  confrontation therefore plays into the dynamic of continuing Civil Discord. In both cases ‘The Other Side’ are a threat.

Update: As it will have been noted in the schools, against the Abortion Clinics, the LGBT+ community and the refugees, the Right has seen fit not to use the politics of reasoned argument but of extreme language. Which is turn has resulted in similar response. Thus rather than try to calm down the situation, the temperature has increased so by this year 2024 the polarisation is wider.

The Acceleration of Civil Discord

In this frenetic atmosphere attention must be given to the structure of the USA at federal level. In use of the three office system: Executive (The Whitehouse). The Legislature (Congress/Senate) and Judiciary (Supreme Court) mirrored at State Level it was believed enough checks and balances had been built in. However with Conspiracy as deadly to the body politic as Covid to the population; dismay raised to horror by one group or another at the result of the last four presidential elections, the legislature abrogating its traditional and beneficial wheeler-dealing to consensus and the Supreme Court no longer perceived as a body above The Common Brawl another layer of toxicity has arisen. Belief that the system is no longer working. Either dread for the future, anger at The Other Side,  grim preparation to defend the home becomes a norm, or violent intention to impose The Will of Our Side(s).

The Tipping Point into Communal Violence

One action leading to a sudden call to or inexorable slide to fully conventionally armed groups is not how this will start. In a nation nearly inured to gun crime you might even miss the start; another shooting, unless of course it is between two groups. The next tranche of violent confrontations, would be by the bombs,  IEDs, the murder of prominent activists or journalists, politicians and any combination. These will be the signals the Tipping Point has been reached. This will lead to the ‘No Go Areas’, the latter being underscored by some very unwise incursion by one group into another and the subsequent ambush. It would appear police are already experiencing these; the next step in this will be the targeting of individual officers. From here will come the targeting of official buildings of government, of one party or another, and then for some twisted thought process a hospital, parents might well start to keep children away from school, seeing the history of school killings this would hardly be surprising.

In this atmosphere although groups will be surveyed, there will be the under the radar individuals for each person has their own tipping point. In recent years I have read the remarks of avid anti-war believers and pro-gun control supporters intimating or outright suggest a violent response is a feasible solution. You will never know when the normally placid person will take a gun with the specific purpose of solving a problem, or the group who decided to investigate how to make bombs, because they’ve been pushed too far. Of course each of these actions will bring the reaction.

The Institutionalisation of Violence

One fatalistic view is, considering the level of gun crime, this state is already in place. However the level can become more intense, once armed groups with names and agenda become seen by one community or another as legitimate alternative police or local guard. There is another level though, this being when the group imposes upon the community a code of behaviour and underground tax to support them, the tax does not have a right of appeal either. With this comes disputes within the group and rivalries with other groups. Hardened now by violence and fuelled by suspicion the violent solution is seen as the norm. And of course wherever there is chaos and violence goes crime, gangs would quite naturally seek to impose their own will either to take over a group or keep a group out of their activities. Those who felt it was only necessary to parade in paramilitary style in a threatening way will find themselves quite out of their depths as a fearful natural selection takes place.

The Official Response.

This is where matters are not so predictable. The National Guard would of course be called in to areas where the police are losing control. Being in a local part-time force with local affiliation it has to be assumed that members or groups within the guard will have sympathies, or feel a certain intimidation. Direct and open large scale mutinies would be very unlikely but expecting all The Guard to be a faceless, emotionless unified body acting only for the defence of Stability and safety of all is naïve, there will be fractures.

The Security Services be they Police, FBI, NSA etc would face the same pressures from within. Also they being closer to the body politic and the civil viewpoint would be in the position of doing deals or reaching accords with whichever group or groups they feel they can work with. In all civil discord this is an ugly fact. Whether in a federal system such as the USA this would be a uniform approach is again highly unlikely.

Whether or not the Armed Forces become involved would depend on whether the nation is still governable as a working state comparable with the pre-violent situation:

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”  Is open to interpretations, if some decide ‘The President’ is not legally ‘The President’. One thing would be certain, the element of internal security and supervision of members of the armed forces would be increased. Forget Conspiracies. Think of Factionalism.

The Resulting Political Overview

In this area prediction is near impossible, as a great deal would depend on the strength of character of individuals around which groups marshal. There are many possibilities. One of the least worst outcomes would be the fragmentation of the current USA into states which have autonomy. Washington, The Whitehouse and Capitol Hill being reduced to places of symbolism and the possible headquarters of Americanised versions of The EU and NATO, in an attempt to shore up America from outside influences while making workable the large armed forces and corporation based trading systems onto the world stage. How workable this would be is beyond the scope of this post.

Conclusion

Whereas The Ulster Conflict was conducted under a higher level of government the situation in the USA has the potential to reach up to the highest levels as already demonstrated and this is a most distressing situation. Thus what can a US citizen fearful for this scenario do? My suggestion is to voice your concerns, not in a partisan way from your own standpoint but as an appeal to stop this slide. Raise this spectre which everyday seems to draw an inch nearer. Demand of your representatives a return to consensus. Warn them, that they in the final analysis in any failure to bring discourse and consensus to the issues; that they in pandering to, or failing to confront the extremist levels will be complicit in the deaths of their fellow citizens. Raise this in conversation. Not as a warning to prepare, but as a concern as to what might come. The concern must become a talking point in the run up to the next elections. The violent minorities must be marginalised and the conspiracies put back in the toy box.

An Update in Late October 2024

A Formulaic View of The Acceleration of Civic Discord

Regrettably what passes as rhetoric by the republican candidate and his running mate suggests that neither have much concern about what effect they are having on any opposition, in that they are playing only to their own and on the fears of the undecided. They are therefore playing with matches in a forest in a high summer’s drought. And the groups feeling the subject of hate and discrimination I will repeat this formulae for you based on a possibility of the result of the presidential election, itself based on current polls:

160 million votes cast
Trump wins by 82 millions to 78 million. That’s 78,000,000 folk upset about the result.
10% are very, very angry . That’s 7,800,000 angry folk.
10% of that 7,800,000 are so angry they feel their way of Life and Democracy is seriously threatened, the feeling parallel to if the nation was invaded. That’s 780,000.
1% of the 780,000 feel the new administration and its supporters in the states are now viable targets. That’s 7,800. A very small number, but how many of the others tucked away the previous number have a sympathy that ‘does not yet speak it’s name,’ .
The 7,800 start to go public and as stated above with it make those inflammatory statements and acts. A similar reaction arises within the ranks of the supporters of Trump.

And so it begins. Not ranks as in the Civil War, but the covert groups as we in the UK saw in Northern Ireland, no central control, agendas within agendas and legal access to so many guns.

Violence be it is war or communal discord contains its own grim logic and thus inevitability.

Take heed. But look not to the gun. Look to Democracy while it still gasps for breath. Look to the Law. Look to the Passive Civil Disobedience. Cling to and nurture Hope. Never give up. Support the Persecuted. Speak with those who are only broadly conservative. Defy The Hate-Mongers. Convince or Warn the Uncertain. Keep on.

Prove my unhappy words to be just written out of Fear and not out of Histories.

Elections Beckon. A Series. Part II The U.K – We Shall See, We Shall See.

Posted on by
24

Featured Image -- 1671

The day after tomorrow all of the official campaigning should stop. The British convention being that all candidates and parties to their relevant locations or headquarters return and wait firstly for the exit polls, fret over those and then once the polling stations close at 10.00pm attention will be on those places where ballot boxes will be opened and candidates will prowl nervously or if they are new and with little chance just sit back and drink in the experience while awaiting the results. There is always a bit of a competition as to which constituency announces the first result at which point the pundits, journalists and academics will spring into action reading the runes; charts will be activated and the long night begins. There is a bit of a difference of opinion in our house, we do not wait up twitching over each result but should my dear wife wake up at night she does tend to check something while I prefer to try and sleep through and wait till a more conventional time to see what has taken place.

The results eh? Some innocents may be assuming the Big Result is a given and the only interest is in the minor details of which big names went down and how the minor and nationalist parties faired. Some might say it doesn’t matter, but it always matters, UK General Elections bring change even if the governing party wins, for there will be a shuffling in and out of ministers and some manoeuvring on how to turn election pledges into workable policies. Anyway, that Big Result. 12% or one in eight voters have not yet made up their minds yet, that of course is open to demographics and in turn exactly where those numbers are, concentrated in regions or parts of urban centres. Whatever; it gives hope to some and a valid reason for others to wag fingers at complacent or euphoric party workers. That said, in what can be seen as mere hours (at time of writing 30-ish) of campaigning let us look at the parties.

Conservatives – Firstly there is the hope of undecided and the unknowns; Rishi Sunak places some credence or desperation in that quarter as he is on record thinking he can still win; although leader ‘thinking’ they can win might not be the most inspiring rallying call.  What will have given the Conservatives some comfort is the arrival of the hoped for tribulations of Reform and the attendant defection of some candidates to their ranks. Other than that all the Conservatives left in their campaign ammunition chest is ‘Give Us Another Chance’ and the grimly fatalistic  of ‘It Would Worse Under Labour Y’know’ . Conservative loyalists would naturally rally to those, but again hardly vote winners amongst the majority. One issue has caused a lot of recent damage and that is the scandal of some MPs either betting on the date of the election, or even less amusing candidates placing bets that they would lose the campaign in their own seats.  Still UK General Elections like football (soccer) can be a ‘funny old game’ (older Brits will recall the origin and value of that remark).

Labour- Have still not produced their traditional list of expected or at least potential fratricidal / sororicidal issues which might derail a campaign, and such is the apparent devaluation of the Conservatives none of their campaign promises seem to be have been a big issue of debate amongst the public. They even seem to be able to field the ‘Immigrant Question’ off despite some searching questions by both sides of the debate, which should have been a weak and divisive spot. The hard question might be, in American parlance the fair enough ‘You can Talk the Talk, but can you Walk the Walk?‘ They have also managed to make other senior figures appear to be invisible and the main image being all about Keir Stammer, whose mostly serious or determined image sometime cracking a mature restrained smile is seen everywhere. That said, anyone showing a sign of anything more than a low key calculated IF instead of WHEN We Win will be seriously admonished and the year 1992 intoned at them. The press seem to be reduced to a  ‘Where’s Wally’ hunt for potential damaging issues. This makes the writer feel if anyone is trying hard enough, or are they so fed up the current government they would like to see Labour win. Such back-handed confidence in Labour must be keeping the Campaign teams very sleepless. Sporting metaphors of your choice maybe applied. 

It is likely Labour’s nightmares will start should they win an election. The major problems arguably could run to double figures.  

Liberal Democrats – There seems to be a possible ‘What The Heck’ freewheeling attitude. Ed Davy carried out a bungee jump backing up a ‘take a leap’ appeal to the voters. This is unlikely to appeal to a lot of undecided voters, aside from that rare breed in this election – the cheerful ones. They continue to hack away at likely Conservative seats. Ironically damage might be done by the trouble in Reform’s ‘paradise’ as solidly right-wing voters rally back to the Conservatives.

 SNP – Are continuing to battle on two fronts. Attack the Conservatives in Central Government; defend on their home ground as governing party. It is a curious situation as outlined in the previous post. The SNP may well have to rely on a nationwide dislike of the current Government to maintain their bloc in Westminster, since the Scots Conservatives are left with the ‘SNP / Labour will take away jobs’ tactic, The SNP will have to give their attention to Labour.

Plaid Cymru- There is a wide spread concern across Wales about social issues. Drug-taking; anti-social behaviour in urban areas or small out-lying communities.  The perceived crisis within the NHS does not go away, and the Labour grouping in the Senydd has not recently inspired. Whereas there is not a great surge towards Plaid, they will be looking to their 3 seats and maybe snatch one. Plaid are always looking to play The Long Game and this time recovery from that outbreak of voter myopia in the last election.

Reform – Aside from the occasional tentative dabbling with a slight pat on the back the Right-Wing press have kept their distance. This was a wise move. The predictable racist and attendant inflammatory comments by some members of the Party on the back of Farage’s inane pro-Putin remark have been gifts to the Conservatives which may solidify their vote. Labour can of course fold their arms and looking to those of the Islamic community unhappy with the Gaza stance say ‘Told You’. Over the past week Reform have been certainly on the backfoot. Their ‘Conspiracy’ / ‘Agent Provocateur’ comments do not play well in the UK; this is not a frantic, neurotic Right-Wing USA vote they are playing for. Aside from the knuckle-draggers semi-literate the far-right, the UK right-wingers are wiser. All Reform have left is ‘The Waves of Immigrants’ ploy which The Conservatives have managed to package and hold up as The Party who can deliver. At this stage Reform look to hope the defector seat will be retained and a few marginally held conservative seats can be snatched, with a large bloc of votes in the second and third placed candidates, so they can campaign for PR, which will place them with The Greens, and the Lib-Dems; not a happy combination. And Reform will be the best argument against PR, ever.

The Green Party – Continues to plod on. An investigation that big companies and local authorities are using recent government legislation to keep environmental protestors away from controversial sites and arguably try to stifle the movements could well gift them sympathy votes and damage Conservative votes in some seats. Again a party with a Long Game Perspective.

Summary – Immigration, Taxation and for some The War in Gaza / Israel should have been issues to have dominated the headlines and yet the main themes appear to have been. 

A. How badly the Conservatives have been doing.
B. Labour’s continued impassive stance.
C. Reform’s dirty little secrets made public.
D. What about those non-committed voters? 

I maintain. We will have to wait and see. All indications are for a Labour victory and a big one. And yet there is this nagging feeling we are all missing something. Will there be a Labour Victory but not big enough to win an overall majority? Or maybe the votes will not fall Labour’s way in our First Past The Post system in the revised constituency boundary revision. (That by the way is not a parallel to the Gerrymandering as beloved by the US Republican Party. This is a bit of arcane British Parliamentary procedure where voter population and distributions are reviewed and everything is jiggled about- our constituency has had this and I can’t help but wonder if the Conservative MP might hang on).

Only on Friday morning UK time will we have a true idea as to how things have gone. Keep watching,     

 Previous posts on the same subject:

More Than ‘Just an American Holiday’ This Year

And We’re Into The Final Quarter (UK General Election 2024)

Elections Beckon. A Series. Part I. The USA – Stark Reality

Posted on by
17

Statue of Liberty

Foreword: Although the US and the UK elections are the main attractions on both sides of the Atlantic, it bears reminding that France is, this day, involved in the first part of a parliamentary election, the next taking place next Sunday. The style and nature of French politics does not lend itself to established parties of long histories; more a question of Right, Centre and Left forming groupings- and that I fear is an anglicised over-simplification. Suffice it to say, at the time of writing this UK morning time there is an indication that the Far Right under the name of Rassemblement National (National Rally) has a strong lead in the polls. French politics are a quite different matter from those you and I are used to so I elect to say no more on the subject. Just bear in mind as a backdrop what is going on on Europe’s mainland.

Oh and by the way, this will not be analytical. This is an unashamedly partisan post. I will not stand by and let my adopted nation be dragged into ruin.

My attention should be focused on the 4th July because there is a UK General Election, and yet there is the constant worry that whatever result comes to pass in the UK our stability and overall well being will be conditional on the result of the US Presidential Election. For to understand how this world works it is essential to be realistic, and the fact is that whatever comfort and stability we have grown used to has been because of the overall world stature of the USA. We are fortunate, us in the UK that through a combination of factors we are been able to indulge in our way of life, thanks to those dynamics.

At least that was how it was. US governments of various shades and intentions rose, stayed, declined and took their place in history, and yet the USA with its own myriad particular collection of flaws and abuses carried on while adhering to a set of conventions. Some seemed to outsiders a given. There might be odd laws in some states but they stayed in those states and anyway someone was always challenging them in either the state’s supreme court or the country’s version. There politicians who caused eyebrows to be raised, but if they were found out to be going too far, with their hand in the cookie jar, or ending up in court, their colleagues and public shied away from them, leaving them lost or humbled to re-invent. There were dangerous extremists, but like most they had a self-destruct button and the majority of the media could be guaranteed to take a condemnatory stance. And on the whole The USA was making it own stumbling, far from shortest route towards a more open and flexible society. The danger there was, those forces opposed to progress and flexibility never rest. Humanity’s flaws of Intolerance, Suspicions, Conflict, Greed and Ignorance never rest, these offer excuses for a person’s own shortcomings, inadequacies and guilty sectarianism and how many gratefully accept those toxic gifts.

The route and advancement taken by these corrosive factors ran parallel with those of progress and tolerance but since most folk prefer Sunny Stories with Happy Endings the grim alternatives were in general not noticed, or thought of as a minority or treated as a source of entertainment. All was well, you could see it in the media, in entertainment; after all there were plenty of folk of different races and different sexual identities in major roles and look at all those action-type women. Yes, the nation was getting better.

Except it wasn’t. The warnings had been there in the Culture Wars. The hysterical outrage at ‘one of those people’ winning the Presidential Election not just once but twice, with unarguable majorities, and all the Right could do was quibble over where he was born and his name. Then ferment conspiracies about the national army holding manoeuvres in various Republican strongholds.

And then came the direst warning, although most of us including professional shrugged it off at first. Trump had decided to play at politics. Despite the sight of mocking the disabled, Vietnam War veterans and encouraging his followers to attack demonstrators his progress continued, despite the fact that more voted for Clinton that him, he reached the Whitehouse. Despite the chaotic 4 years, the vote was still close. Despite his tantrum and incitement to a mob attack, despite a guilty verdict in an open court, he is still here, with a following urging him on the greater excesses.

And he should not. By all the conventions of politics his campaign should have floundered at the first attempt. Only by the fervour and fanatical urges of his followers to see all that has been accomplished swept away does he endure. He dances to their tunes. This is bad enough. But his presence has encouraged and emboldened those with more focused minds and agendas. The loss of Women’s Rights to Abortion and the attendant respectability of misogyny. The banning of books in schools and public libraries. The campaigns against LGBT+ communities. The complete halt of any progress on Race Equality. An unpromising imposition of Christian teachings up in public again in a stark intimidating way.  And all of these conducted against a backdrop of physical intimidation by mob or by gun, by hate mail on social media, by stalking and threats. What these folk who revel in all of this do not seems to realise is that for their actions there will be reactions, by folk who embrace the same mindset as them, who will decided that they can intimidate, attack and level their own guns as justifiable responses. Those who take away Rights, who would endeavour to limit or indoctrinate somehow expect the opposition to meek and servile to knuckle down because they say so. This situation is the principal concern. Trump one day will be gone, but the force that put him there unless challenged and exposed will not, and worse unless challenged by civil and legal means, consistently will in turn encourage that worse alternative.

This the fundamental issue. There is a movement stalking the USA which will demand more than attention, it will require adherence to a Right-Wing doctrine into the every aspect of Life. It will not be content to live alongside a freedom of movement or expression. It will expect acceptance, submission and dutiful obedience. It will withdraw in upon itself and enclose everyone into an isolationist mentality. It will try an achieve the impossible, complete domination over a five time zone 300,000,000+ population. It will face opposition and then will be frustrated and will seek more intimidation. And there will be conflict on many levels.

All the above have been discussed and written about. You all know what the alternatives are if this Extreme Right-Wing Agenda is allowed to continue. Not just you personally, but those you will hold dear by family or friendship will be under threat. Folk who are moderate conservatives, who are true to a solid but quiet Christian faith will feel the pressure too, for they will be expected to join ‘the ranks’. No one will be secure.

Now, in the past days there has been disruption in the ranks of the Democrats, the fear that Biden is not up to the task of dealing with the fury of the Republican Dis-Information Machine has brought into question confidence in him. There will be a debate, which I can understand. But

Let the debate be short, and precise

Once the decision is made, stand by it and without a second thought turn all your energies upon discrediting the Republican Machine. The time for the discussions on the niceties of Economics, Overseas, Health Care, to name but a few have passed. You know full well how The Red Machine currently works. It will lie and it will distort. Let that be your target. They are vulnerable. Go for their weaknesses. Highlight the hypocrisies, the inconsistencies, the downright law breaking, the danger to the Constitution, the threat to The Individual. Those are the issues of this campaign. There is no hope for a delicate and reasoned debate. This is a brutal contest. You will be fighting for the heart and soul of America. The true America which grows on variety, which is  not afraid of the Future, which rejects the failures of the Past.

Shake out those who feel there is no point in voting, alert those who say ‘it will all blow over’, demand of those who think not voting for Biden will save the life of one Palestinian. And once the decision has been made on who will be the Democrat Candidate, be loyal, be united and insist upon it with others who oppose Trump. Only in that Unity will there be strength.

The USA requires, you the true patriots to rescue the nation.

USA Flag

And We’re Into The Final Quarter (UK General Election 2024)

Posted on by
19

UK General Election 2024

Foreword: With twelve days of campaigning and one of voting to go I could not resist this tile. Just for my American and Canadian friends.

Some carrying on from the last post on this subject:

More Than ‘Just an American Holiday’ This Year

Firstly let us remember that aside from The ‘Big Two’ there are arguably six other parties and maybe some ‘independents’ who could have a say in the final composition of a new government either by seats won or votes taken away from Conservatives and Labour. That said, aside from inevitable stories about who might affect the vote, the majority of stories are always going to be about Conservative and Labour. The possible dire straights of the former and considering the 2019 result the maybe greatest comeback of the latter. There again…Who can say for certain? I remain in the ‘We Shall See’ camp. Although at this stage my vote is firmly for Labour because aside from anything else I do not care for the current Conservative MP and wish to see them gone.

That said, let me give you my opinions on the current state of the Whos, Whys, Whats and Whichways.

The Conservatives – 77 of the party’s current MPs are not seeking re-election. Folk retiring for one reason or another are not uncommon. Be honest it is  a mostly thankless task since the public opinion is mostly biased and uninformed against MPs as a group. However the media ever eager do like to find a high profile figure because it looks like ‘Jumping Ship’ particularly when it involves high profilers such as Michael Gove, associated with several governments. There have been a couple of glimmers on the economy and the Conservative faithful in the press and elsewhere claimed Rushi Sunak got the better of Kier Stammer in their first and ill-tempered debate. However the party as a whole does not seen to be gaining much traction and the stories of Conservative Apocalypse still abound. Their current main problems come from Reform and the odious Farage leeching votes, regrettably more about them later.

Labour – Apart from a few blips, the party is currently holding together, and its projected vote steady. Whereas the usual clutch of hostile folk on Right and Left can be heard, along with the fashionably cynical, over all it appears folk might be willing to let Labour have a try; bear in mind this is quite different from the public having a great degree of enthusiasm, which there does not appear to be. Overall Labour balances on a high wire of being all things to all folk in a firm but fair manner. This requires Stammer to continue with his Authoritarian-Lite grip; anyone who talks of  or who has talked of sympathy for the Kremlin gets thrown out into the cold to the wolves and just be careful what you say about the Middle East. Maybe folk are attracted to this; as they perceive it- a leader who demands party discipline. How durable this image is remains to be seen, Labour have ditched or diluted certain promises made recent years back, currently a large swathe of the public don’t seem to care though, they just want this government gone. Maybe not the most best of endorsement, but if it works, it works.

Liberal Democrats – Looking to be possible king-makers by hoping to take Conservative seats and saying there will be no, they repeat NO coalition with The Conservatives, but as for Labour their stance might be…‘Well. Hmmm……(pause for Lib-Dem horizontal hand waggle)… We’ll see,’ . Currently holding steady. Leader Ed Davy has been campaigning like a trouper with humorous photo ops; these have had some saying in a sour way ‘Uh! Supposed to be serious!’  But the papers like it. Past ghosts come to haunt him though over the UK’s Post Office Scandal, when he was responsible minister in the 2010 Coalition. (This related to the unfair prosecutions of sub-post office owners through an inaccurate computer programme accounting system and the resulting Post Office cover-up). Since feelings are high on the issue and the party relies more than others on the profile of the leader, there may be some damage and leaking of votes.

Scottish National Party–  At present seems to have patched up its own internal issues, and circled the wagons. The SNP though is facing a type dual identity problem.  In this General Election it is a large minority party in Westminster. However in Scotland it is the governing party, and with a record which of late has left it open to attack by the other parties. Thus whereas this election should be about the SNP’s stand on issues which the central UK government has responsibility, eg overseas policy, the other parties are going for local matters eg NHS, Education and Scottish Law which in theory should be for a later Scottish election. Naturally folk are going to tend to focus on local matters. And there you have the paradox. Thus the SNP will still have to rely on the ‘Do You Trust Westminster?’ theme. Which voters might lose sight of. But in this time of possible overturn of a Conservative Majority in Westminster like the Liberal Democrats the SNP will hope to be in a position to be king-makers; without that is of infuriating their own voter base or floating voters in the next Scottish election. Another high-wire act.

Plaid Cymru – Currently like the Liberal Democrats battling on in a Wales, which in 2019 in some regions voters suffered a severe case of political myopia, and thought they could place a collective trust in a Conservative Westminster. Wales has its own complications. With a Senydd (Parliament) in Cardiff run by Labour who are not doing well, there is a situation similar to that in Scotland, the biggest issue being the NHS. Plaid might benefit from this or being seen as a ‘Gosh. We wish you well, But we must get the Conservatives Out’ party might get squeezed. One issue in the borderlands of North East Wales which dare not speak its name could be the number of folk who live in Wales (cheaper) but work in Chester, Manchester, Liverpool (better pay more jobs) and might not have an emotional attachment to Wales and thus still vote Conservative. Plaid wisely stay clear of this ‘Nationalist’ question as it is a minefield. They may secretly just be content to keep their current heartland seats and be seen to increase their share of the vote in other places as a bedrock for future campaigns.

‘The Greens’ – Recently took a bit of a dent when it came out that candidates had been sharing social media messages relating to the current war in Palestine / Israel which could be seen a simply antisemitic. There was a bit of a swift purge. It may come as a surprise to some but Environmental parties are not always purely ‘liberal’ and tolerant. The German Greens in their heyday had a suspiciously loud right-wing faction. And this can still turn up in some anti-capitalism grass-roots mindsets. Even minority parties have their balancing acts to attend to. That said they may pick up one of two rural seats because the pollution issue of raw sewage into rivers and seas is another topic which unites voters. They continue to make inroads.

Reform – Is causing damage to the Conservative vote and they are getting into public spats, which suits the other parties fine. There are the usual clutch of candidates or activists who have been found at some stage to have made misogynist, racist or in one case pro-Hitler remarks, the latter sort demonstrating the extremists (be they Left or Right) usual lack of historical knowledge. Farage of course continues to be unapologetically odious, this case over being sympathetic to the Kremlin and sitting down in the ‘Russia was forced by NATO to invade’ supremely ignorant camp of international politics. Both Sunak and Stammer were only to happy to pounce of this display of foolishness.  Reform’s manifesto declares it will nationalise all public utilities, which if that gets out in the USA will cause some  general anatomical scratching. The latter and the previous pro-Moscow comment will have folk on Labour’s far Left also scratching their existentialist heads as Nationalisation and loyalty to Moscow are usually their ‘things’. Agreeing with Farage? You have to love the irony. Whether the large bloc of anti-Farage feeling will galvanise folk to vote for Anyone But remains to be seen.

Other- Last time I mentioned George Galloway’s Lawrence of Arabia cosplay. He might remain a problem in some Labour Areas where  some parts of the Asian Islamic vote  understandably feel Labour might have been taking them for granted. The problem for the cool-headed folk is that he is a divisive creature whose image and remarks play fine for the very unpleasant White Extremists looking for any excuse to attack Asian Islamic communities both verbally and physically. There is no more to be said about the fellow that I haven’t said before.

Overview – For those who do not live in the UK in the light of the opinion polls and troubles of the Conservatives there may be some puzzlement as to why Labour and its supporters are not already out waving flags and singing Hosannas. Again I refer to previous comments, basically Labour has more than once seen certain victory evaporate like Spring Showers followed by a harsh summer’s morn. There is the concern or in the Conservative’s case hope over the unknown factors of those not yet committed and those who said they would not vote suddenly deciding to do so. In this I refer you to a very incisive report by Laura Kuenssberg a clever and veteran reporter and don’t listen to any trash talk about her from any UK Left malcontents.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c722eezx9n4o

Basically, in the last quarter there is always room for a remarkable come back. At this juncture I leave sports fans to go looking for a reference in their favourite sport.

Keep watching. The 5th July will reveal the final picture.

They Have Done Their Part. Now They Look To You USA

Posted on by
14

Statue of LibertyLady Justice

Yesterday a fellow who thanks to a freak of the voting system occupied the Whitehouse between 2016 – 2020 was convicted of a number of felonies. Of course being the spoiled brat that he is he did  not conduct himself throughout the trial with any dignity and now throws a tantrum at the verdict.

He can consider himself fortunate he was not in 2021 arrested on charges which cover sedition and treason.

And yet the media show is not yet over. Nor do the ranks of those who by a communal effort elevated the fellow to a position far beyond his capabilities and certainly not his sense of maturity, if any, rest. There will be howls of protests, the social media will be filled with their vitriol and everyone who took part in the trial will be targets for them. While those whose politics thrived on this episode of American history will seek out ways to personally profit and advance.

Twelve American citizens have displayed great courage. They did not falter, they did not try to avoid their duty. They sat with great patience and fortitude through what at times was stripped of the dignity of court procedure. (You might have to go back to the trial of the Chicago Seven to see something comparable as a media hoop-lah.). They sat then in a small room and deliberated amongst themselves and then took a unanimous decision which they knew full well would impact on their personal lives and those of their families. They and those closest to them will know always have a concern that some individual or group will be trying their heaviest to seek them out, harass, abuse or subject them to worse. They did not flinch though, they did their duty.     

Uncle Sam

 And now what shall be done for them?

If House Speaker Mike Johnson’s doublespeak hypocrisy about a shameful day for America is anything to go by then this indicates there is one wing of the Republican party which has no respect for the due process of Law. This wing will say anything to suit its purpose; what limits it has on the ‘doing’ is a grim question indeed. One thing is certain of a grouping that stands by a person who tries a clumsy coup to stay in power, who insults servicemen and refuses to display any dignity in a court process they have no great concerns for the nation has a whole.

Therefore what shall be done for that jury and court officers. How shall they be protected by the vitriol of The Right? For this grouping has proven it has no respect for the ballot box either. It is a menace to any American who simply wishes to get on with their own lives for it will demands obedience. It will now turn of those involved in the trial and will do all it can to make their lives miserable.

We owe them. Not just respect but support. 

I leave that to each and every one of you to consider how best to formulate that to your own ways and means.

We, whether we are American or not owe them.

An Open Essay To The Current Protestors of The USA On And Off Campus

Posted on by
47

US protests

Foreword: For those not familiar with my site. Just a brief introduction. British. 73 years old. Christian (slightly heretical- I’ll square it with God when the time comes) . Left Winger but not of a type you would be likely to recognise. 65 years with an interest in and an affinity to the USA. 60 years interest in politics. A possible affinity to Martin Luther of Eiseben without the vitriolic antisemitism common to his time. OK. That’s me. Let’s get down to issues.

Warning
There will be harsh statements, there will be very uncomfortable points of view, there will be a number reminders about The World, there will be questions asked of the reader, directly. And there will no simple arguments or points of view or answers 

Overview
It has to be accepted that the current one of the many outbreaks of full scale violence between Israelis and Palestinians has attracted the attention of the world. Emotions are running high as well as broadly justifiable feelings at the violence and the loss of life. Looking out from my allegorical window you must accept me thinking. ‘What a pity such demonstrations had not been expressed in other recent times for other peoples in their own sufferings through violence. The events were on accessible on the news and received sustained coverage on the Internet,’ I am not just discussing Ukraine here. Just check the word ‘Genocide’ and look back over the past twenty years. That said we must move on, for there is a future to discuss. We can learn from The Past. We may act upon The Present. But We must prepare for The Future. Your Future. The Future of Children, Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren.

Next, something about The Past and The Nature of Events.

Events, Reactions and ‘Causes’. The Shadows and Shrouds of History
Political and Social Events which make the news do not have simplistic backgrounds, they have complex histories, and History has a way of extending itself back and back and back. There is no sudden start point. Back into the deep past there will be a gradual build up of a momentum which at some juncture reaches the Deluge or Avalanche or Earthquake stage and from there on those Earlier Events will have a strong resonance in the causes of Subsequent Events, and so on. Each one causing its own set of ripples or fault lines, criss-crossing the Human Geography of Peoples and their Communities, while calling up the echoes and resonances of the Past at a pace and frequency which leaves the observer possibly embracing the notion that Time is not linear or moving in one direction.

To witness October and onwards and put these in full focus requires what some would call an unsatisfactory and arguably heartless approach. Some would in the spirit of outrage at the loss of life simply deny. Usually these opening words of mine would be a conclusion of a paragraph. In this case just take them as warning of where we are going, a place where Death and Ruination have often walked, and the participants comfort themselves with many justifications, which depending on your view can appear strong but reasonable. We start in A Place which will have a focus in History. 7th October 2023. A concerted incursion by Hamas into Israel causing a very heavy loss of Life.

Of those protesting ‘Regrettable’ some might say. Even condemnatory. However they will add, for there is often an ‘However’ in these matters ‘Just look at the way Israel has treated the Palestinians. That is terrible and has been going on for so many years’ . Well in the harsh prism of History, yes that is an understandable, even acceptable outlook. Treat a people badly and there will be a violent reaction. There is a problem though with that line. The Jewish peoples of Europe (Russia gets included whether it likes it or not) for one thousand years or more were subjected to similar treatments and killings. When they finally get back to what they call their lands they have a long history of their own justifications. They learnt from ‘Europe’ (since there still appears to be a majority of American citizens who can trace European ancestry that includes You too). Therefore the tacit acceptance argument which is used for Hamas gets comparably morphed with a bloody swiftness and ease into one of ‘understanding’ the Israeli approach. Still be horrified? By all means be so? Tell me I am distorting the position? Be outraged. Point out that the death toll in Palestine exceeds that of Israel 30 fold. That is your right. Of course.

Now dip into the bloody, wide, deep, tribute river of War, one that ever flows from the larger River History.  350,000-500,000 German civilians in the allied strategic bombing campaign of WWII. 70,000 British civilians in the German aerial campaigns by bomb or rocket. True that is ‘only’ 7 fold. At the time the governments accepted the other sides losses- ‘they started it’. Thus do not be surprised at the Israeli response. It is one that takes place with regularity throughout the world throughout the ages, and no one seems to have a solution which puts an end to it.

You may now, if you wish express more outrage, only please do not accuse me of justifying Israel’s response. I am merely pointing out to you the Horror. This is how it works. I cite a few others. Ask the Syrian’s. Ask those Chechen folk not in a warlord’s pay, ask the Tamils, ask the Uyghurs, ask The Iranian Women and the Afghan Women (although the latter two were not bombed or shelled, just beaten up and locked up, only ‘a few’ died the other thousands upon thousands only live in terror and cohesion, and being locked up ). Ask the Women where Rape is used as a weapon of war. Keep on asking. You should. Keep on asking. For if you have taken up the Palestinian Cause, it does not end there, not in this troubled turbulent dangerous world. Marching on one Embassy, up and down one street is not going to trouble the worshipers at the Triple Altars of Death and Ruin and Oppression

“We can learn from The Past. We may act upon The Present. But We must prepare for The Future.”

Into Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and Tomorrow

Now to you. You who have taken up a Cause. You who have felt the need to protest. What will you do now?
Pack up and say ‘I did my bit’, then go onto the ‘rest of your life’
Continue with the Palestinian Cause
Or sign up for the Great Struggle.-The one where the Oppressors, Merchants of Violence, Hate Mongers, and Opportunists With Guns are legion. The one where the victims are counted in their millions, be they dead, dying, sick, injured, terrorised, brutalised, violated and ever on the move or sitting in hapless squalor. All located somewhere on the inside pages of a newspaper, maybe mentioned as a filler on a news channel, or when some anniversary comes along, or to be found by following a few links on the net. Those dead and those anguished faces, along with those dulled-eyed with the whole horror, forgotten. What comfort do they have? A few dogged journalists? Charities working ever hard?

If you are truly honest, if you truly care, you will learn a lesson from this time in Palestine and in the South West of Israel. You will realise there is no respite, there is no time to congratulate and go home to Sunshine and Lollipops. Hate. Violence. They never rest. They are never cowed permanently. If you are not ever alert, keeping a weather eye, willing to challenge not just your government but the ones who gave the acquiescence to pull the triggers, then somewhere, somewhen Some Folk will be suffering. One episode of protest does not cut it. If you care, you do not get to select the Cause. The Causes will come to you and ask for at least some attention.

Just take some time out and take a lot at the Amnesty site, or Medicins San Frontières’ or UNHCR, or – you just look.

Did you? Will you? When you do, be prepared for the shock and the feeling of absolute helplessness. Be ready to say without thinking ‘But I Can’t Be Everywhere!’.

No you can’t. Nor can those in the charities which work through the world. They try and they spread slender resources. I know how you feel. I challenge myself every day. As I write this the nagging thought  burrows deeper. ‘Fine Words. Now What Else Are You, Roger, Going To Do?’ and ‘Do you know you are in danger of sounding like John Bolton. An old guy demanding younger folk sacrifice themselves for your ideals?’ 

But I am not trying to stir the passive or the complacent or the apathetic. I am addressing You, those who have seen it right and just to take up a Cause, remember it is but one piece of a larger, bloodied ghastly picture where blood, tears and body parts are the paints and the canvas is human skin.

This in Palestine, as it did in Ukraine, in Syria will pass from the headlines, it already has started. At least it made the headlines. Learn then from this which will become the Past and realise there will be more of the same next year and the year after and so on. Unless we all in same way, somehow, some-constantly do whatever we can, how we can, where we can, when we can.

My generation with its flowers, face paints, gaudy clothes and music which at times was over-long and self-indulgent, we quite frankly failed. We went to a music festival or two, we might have marched, most certainly purchased the right albums, and then? We in the UK voted in Margaret Thatcher, You in the USA did likewise with Ronald Regan and two Bushes (the elder Not So Bad, The Younger in Comparison with now…?). And in our later years We welcomed Boris Johnson and Brexit and  You let Donald Trump, the Action Toy of MAGA be placed in the Whitehouse. Don’t fall into the trap of complacency or that curse of ageing which tends to set in in the 40s the ‘Huh! In My Day’ response as if what will take place will be nothing to do with us ‘We did our bit’
Yes, about that

One Final Message, Wrapped Up In Fable, A Warning And Even Admonishment

And this year. This possibly fateful year. The one which made decide whether the USA carries on, stumbling as do all nations, or slides off that time-honoured road, down the one where there are always storms and you can only just make out the sign-post ‘Warning. Rock Slides Ahead’. You have seen the intentions of the Right, you have heard the ravings of the spolied Brat who did not forgive for losing the last Presidential Election. To elaborate let me tell you that fable:

There was this guy. A man of simple Christian Faith, who prayed every morning, noon and night. He did not doubt God for a minute.
One day he hears on the radio a severe weather warning, storms are on their way, bringing heavy flooding. At once he gets down on his knees and prays to God to protect and deliver him. The rains start, the worst he has ever seen. He prays. A little later, a knock at the door, a police officer is there ‘Sir. You’re house is in danger of being hit by the flood. You best evacuate,’. The man assures the officer God will protect him, he will pray. The officer doesn’t argue, he’s got more houses, anyhow the fellow will soon change his mind when the waters come. The waters come, his house is cut off. An emergency crew in a boat turn up, hailing him. He tells them the same thing. They get a call on the radio, a woman not far off is in labour. Well she comes first. Off they go. The waters rise. The man is now on the roof, still praying. Along comes a rescue helicopter. He waves them off calling up that God will protect him. The crew have been on a long shift, the storm is getting worst. They can’t hang around, they got kids to save. So the house is swept away and he drowns.
He arrives at Heaven’s Gate, greeted by and angel with a clipboard. The man complains at sound length about how he prayed and yet still was drowned, How does that figure? Why didn’t God listen and  help? The angel consults his clipboard.
‘Well dear friend. God sent you a radio warning. God sent you a police officer. God sent you a rescue crew. In the end God sent you a helicopter. What more did you want?’

So then, I ask you, in all sincerity. What is this business about not supporting Biden? Have you not had enough warnings about what the Right has in store for you and the rest of the USA? They’ve made it very clear, give them that. They are going to roll up their sleeves and they are going to do their level best to sweep away liberal reforms. They are going to display their ignorance of socialism, squawk about this ‘woke’ word like crows with indigestion, get hysterical about what other folk do in their privacy, pick bits out of the Bible like stale crumbs and their followers are going to love it, then as a special treat they will throw minorities to the mob.

I would ask you, do you think, not just for one spasm of angry thought, but as a whole agenda that your selective punishment of Biden over Palestine is going to help those folk? Must I remind you that the alternatives are locked into an style of Christian Fundamentalism that is quite content for Israel to do this? If Trump gets back in the Whitehouse and you still stuck with your own fundamentalist agenda then you in part will be responsible for any more Palestinian deaths. Yes. Cause and Effect are terrible twins. In this ever tightening world none of us are actually free of them, but some choices can have more bitter effects than others. You do not get to try and parse your way out of this one. It is Biden or it is Trump. You cannot hide from that brutal truth. This World I have to emphasise is ever complex, nothing is easy, nothing is straightforward, nothing has but one answer. It is all hard work and dirty words like Compromise, Accommodation, Acceptance, Deals, Manoeuvre, Politics and all the rest that get the job done. You might wish for a better one, you might even be working for a better one, but in the meantime, you have this one.
There are other implications to punishing Biden and the danger of letting Trump in. Other aspects you will have to take in part-responsibility. You will have to explain to the LGBT+ community, to women living in fear of getting pregnant, to librarians, to minority groups, to teachers, to the future casualties and families of mass killings how your stance in punishing Biden was the right moral choice.

I am aware I appear cutting, but there is no other way. Implications hang heavy on the shoulders of anyone taking up a cause. They have the challenge of getting the balance right. and the challenge which turns inevitably into a responsibility. There is no way out. Nothing is simple. Ever. You might call me cynical. You are mixing that up with Realism. If I was cynical I would not have taken ten hours over four days out of my time to work on this. (That doesn’t include the thoughts running through my head while doing chores). I would have ‘let them get on with it, they’ll find out in time,’

In Conclusion
You will, I expect be holding fast to your beliefs that your opposition to Israel is the right course for you to take, that this is not a passing phase in the summer of 2024. If this is your choice may I make a plea in these points.

Remember the target is the current Intolerant Fanatical Government, whose brothers in Hate reside in Tehran, who gifted Trump the playbook on how to get The Big Seat. The target is not the Israeli people. And curses upon those who tell you it is the Jews. The target is the government, don’t forget.

Reach out across the distances to those in Israel who are angry at their government and wish to be rid of it. Support them. If they are demonstrating , then you should be in sympathy to. Have them realise there are friends out there, that they don’t have to circle the wagons with the unsavoury fanatics. Israeli politics is another complexity, one shove in the correct direction can bring change.

Research just who are the internal oppositions in Israel, the ones who for long years have tried to preach the creed of accommodation and partnership with Palestinians who also tread that dangerous road of recrimination and violence from within their own communities. For too long The Western Groups supporting Palestinians have not taken that road. When it is the blindingly obvious one.

We must prepare for The Future. Your Future. The Future of Children, Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren.

Presidential Election 2024: Why Good Intentions About Palestine Remind Me of Cuba October 1962.

Posted on by
2

Roads to Hell

The latest war between Israel and the Gaza Strip Palestine strikes us all in some way or another. I have to subsume my anger at the protestors, I wanting to know where they were when the Rohingya, Sudanese, Uyghur and Iranian Women, to name but just four examples were and still are suffering. I have to remember that tens of thousands of Palestinians are dead, dying, injured, brutalised, traumatised. homeless, starving- in short also unjustifiably in Hell.

I can see the strategy of those who mobilised the votes in Wisconsin and Rhode Island for  “uncommitted” or “uninstructed,”. The idea to put pressure on Biden to move to a stronger stance on Israel has its merits and is more useful than joining loud parades up and down the streets of America. And it can be argued that in an election years where every vote will count the strategy has played a part in Biden taking a tougher stance. So far so good then.

However every action has its historical resonances; part of History’s construct lies within its echoes, some do not come in a straight line, they flow in from over hills and far away. For their full effect maybe you had to have been there at one point in the long path.

For me the echoes are coming in from October 1962, when as a child of eleven growing up knowing the fear of what nuclear war could bring if only in a tabloid comic book form it was a fearful few weeks. Particularly as the filtered down news was suggesting atomic weapons would be used. In later years it became apparent there were generals and officials pushing for their use. First strike, Get the hit in. Frighten the other side into backing down. And these were not the ridiculous cartoon characters of the dangerously frivolous film Doctor Strangelove. These were men trained and school in a fearful ominous world of threat, counter-threat and then the unthinkable. They were the ones who saw the use of Nuclear Weaponry as a Necessary Eventually, far better displayed in the film for grown ups Fail Safe. Cooler, more pragmatic, subtler heads prevailed. Realpolitik came into play. Everyone had puffed up their chests. Now time for the deal to salve pride. And avoid the catastrophe.

Very well. Enough background for my allegory. Just bear in mind those last words, And avoid the catastrophe 

At this stage parts of the allegory have to be separated from the current situation.

Today the principal issue is the Democrat vs the Republican candidate Biden vs Trump. One a politician of balance and traditional perspectives. The latter an egotistical insensitive fellow feeding off of the desires and beliefs of Right Wing coalition of the disaffected, fundamentalist, and outright intolerant. In effect if elected their meal ticket, their flag of approval in all matters domestic. Bear that in mind.

No, Biden’s administration is not perfect. None is particularly when it comes to foreign policy and day to day responses. In this world you can forget consistently fair minded and ethically clean. And not just governments either. Need I have remind you about a comparative public lukewarm response to the suffering of other populations in equal numbers? It is not just in the tens of thousands in Gaza where Hell has come a’ calling.  If you care about Human suffering as a principal you do not get to be selective. Selective means preference which means agendas or worse tragically naïve. But that is an argument for another day. Because we are all culpable.

So let us return to the Domestic situation and the Risk of using this for International Ends

The current polling suggests that the race between Biden and Trump is tight. This is sobering news for those who have fought long and hard for a more tolerant and forward thinking society, for those of once lived in shadows for fear of discovery, or realised from their very birth they were considered inferior and viewed with suspicion. For those who practice their religious beliefs in quiet open-mindedness.

Not only are the polls tight, but the reaction of the hysterical right in 2020-2021 should be born in mind. These folk do not subscribe to democracy, unless it is on their terms of course. Thus unless there is a mobilisation against The Republican MAGA grouping and their nominated Trump, the situation does look grim for those who seek an equal and tolerant society as the norm.

Consider what has already happened in some states. The persecution of the LGBT+ community. The limiting of education and reading matter. The effective removal of Women’s independence of their own bodies. The underlying threats to any community not White and apparently Christian. The tolerance of violent neo-nazi quasi-militias. And there are the manifold Risks. Some might say this is all hyperbole and turning to their personal matters assume someone else might do something about it. And you have seen Trump’s attitude to the judicial system, his rantings roared on by his sponsors, MAGA.

Therefore these are outlined the risks involved in not concentrating the Biden vote and the necessity of mobilising those who would normally not vote.

Now comes the very hard and some will find upsetting part.

I appreciate the sentiments of those who have read so far and are in strong disagreement with me, particularly when the matter of the Cuban Crisis Allegory is returned to.

Those who thought the Nuclear Strike was a balanced, correct option. Dare I compare those with today’s Folk who in all goodwill are looking to contribute to ways to ease the sufferings of the Palestinians? Have I any right to suggest such a strategy and its tactical deployment carries, morally similar risks?

Yes, I do.

In a time of narrow gaps in the polls, when one side in violent in its language, imagery and implied resorts to physical violence, all under a blasphemous mix of their ideas of ‘Liberty’ and ‘Christianity’ – the same basic ideals as those who would have used nuclear  weapons?

Yes, I do.

Because one false move, one minor poor calculation, one gifted gap to the Republicans. One suggestions that your actions will encourage Trump to announce he could solve the problem; he who says he will solve something, never does and throws a tantrum, yet still convinces folk he can solve the next one, and inconsequence have some folk switch to him.

All far-fetched are they? No. Sixteen years ago, Trump would have been thought an impossibility. But It happened. A discredited fellow in court still a viable presidential candidate? Could still return? Those are the possibilities. And this very dangerous strategy of tampering with the Biden vote makes the allegorical nuclear result likelier. Because you who subscribe to this strategy cannot be absolutely certain you will not play a part in Trump returning to The Whitehouse, and with his Evangelical pushing him on to their Book of Revelation scenario, how will that help any Palestinians? You cannot say for certain what will happen. Other than it will not be a sunny uplands for every American.

If you are still offended by Cuban Nuclear Allegory then I will give you another take on risks. Any responsible driver will take note of extremes of weather. Going out in such conditions does not automatically lead to an accident with fatal or near-fatal repercussions, but you take heed of the warnings. You check your speed. You are alert to dangers. You will have taken precautions. Even if you must go out you do not drive as you would on a calm, clear day. You limit the risk, the reason may be urgent, but you still take care, you do not rush along, you rein in your emotions. Getting there is the important thing.

Therefore those who are using this strategy to influence Biden or think they are taking a moral stance which is worthy. Bear in mind the risks you are taking with this. If Trump does get into the Whitehouse and the statistics reveal that your actions played a part in that, what will you think in the future when the Right runs rampant through the nation.

You have gone far enough. You have had your say you may have played a part. Think on what might happen if you persist.

All actions have consequences, and I regret to say, in this world, there are no easy options, and no option comes without a price to pay.

The Worst of All Possible Outcomes…

Posted on by
5

When a nation is Undecided, this equates with Divided, which equates with Conflict, which is waiting to lead the Willing down a long, smoke thick road, the ending of which none of those Willing ever comprehended.

Whatever the result of the 2020 Presidential Election will be, it will leave a vast number of angry, disaffected folk who in turn will voice their anger and in turn will be turned on by the victors and they in turn will turn on the victors, and so forth.

That which began in the late 1970s as a simmering background which folk could work with yet eventually flared up as the 21st Century looked upon a USA made tinder dry by the winds of division and somewhere came the spark.

Then with the spark came the fire and all things nightmarish in a Democracy became possible, and The People forgot ‘The Union There is Strength’

I give you two quotes

Matthew 12: 25  But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand”

From The Second Coming by Y B Yates: ‘Things fall apart: The centre cannot hold’

There is no joy in being right when your concerns and evaluations as to the gloomier, more worrying political possibilities come to fruition. I want to be wrong about the USA’s future, I want to be seen as the alarmist who got carried away by reading far, far too much history of the military sort. Thus I make myself a hostage to fortune by using a quote from William Pitt the Younger Prime Minister 1804-1806 when on hearing the news of Napoleon’s victory at the battle of Austerlitz in 1805 and making a comment on the possible domination by France of Mainland Europe:

‘Roll up that map it will not be wanted these ten years’ ….. only I use a different map

And who knows how long a time scale?

And if I am wrong, we can all look back and laugh……Right folks?……Laugh?……Yes?……..Please…..

Message to Those Who Still Don’t Get It

Posted on by
12

Tell their ghosts voting doesn’t matter

Civil War Cemetery

Tell their ghosts, you can’t be bothered.

Malmedy December 1944

Go and tell these folk and their ghosts there is no point in voting

Because if you don’t vote……….

YOU WILL BE NEXT! (And don’t think that being White, and financially secure makes you safe, that status is only conditional)

Elie Wiesel—- Always take side. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor never the tormented. 

Conclusion……Fear of being disappointed is no excuse