Category: Editorial

Trump Pre-Hospitalization Timeline

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EDITORIAL: Trump Pre-Hospitalization Timeline

By D. S. Mitchell

 

In The Early Morning Hours

I had gone to bed late Thursday (10/01/20) night and was sort of watching TV while sort of dozing. It was early a.m. Friday (10/02/20) on the west coast, when Kaisie Hunt, on her show “Way Too Early,”  made a dramatic announcement.  Close advisor to the president, Hope Hicks had tested positive for Coronavirus. The name of Hope Hicks caused me to sit up and take notice. Over the next couple hours information  dribbled in; and eventually we got word that Donald J. Trump, president of the United States had tested positive for COVID-19. Yikes and oh, my! I got up and made a cup of coffee. I knew I had to hit Twitter.  Where the prevailing sentiment seemed to be, “Wouldn’t it be funny if Trump died from COVID-19?” and “big surprise, he doesn’t even wear a mask or social distance.”

Prayers And Best Wishes

Okay, I have to admit I have a greater than normal share of cynicism. I nearly barfed when I heard all the TV hosts wishing the president “health and happiness” and the proverbial “thoughts and prayers.” I know, I know. Be nice.  But, really… here is a man holding super spreader rallies, Rose Garden COVID-19 parties, insulting Biden and others for mask wearing, undermining the postal service, threatening our very democracy, refused to admit he would give up power if he loses the election, has in my view at least, encouraged armed insurrection, and I am now supposed to say, “oh, poor Donnie.” To be blunt, fuck that shit! I will not.

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OPINION: Trump Embraces Fascism

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OPINION: Trump Embraces Fascism

(In Plain Sight)

By Trevor K. McNeil

The Vital Importance of Language

Words matter. Talk can be both cheap or expensive depending on the context. All words are arbitrary in their invention but also vital in terms of their function which is to help understand existence. Which is why people can get quite irritable about words being used correctly. Misuse of words quickly leads to miscommunication. Something the last four years of Trump has shown us.

The Definition Is This

A favorite word tossed at Trump is fascism. A much used and seldom understood word. This is at least a linguistic issue, the original word being the Italian fascismo, roughly translated as fastening or togetherness. The main symbolism of the time being a bundle of sticks. One stick can be broken, a bundle of sticks cannot. A nice idea undercut by the fact that by fastening together, the members of a fascist society also close others out.

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OPINION: 2020 Election Observations

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OPINION: 2020 Election Observations

By Trevor K. McNeil

How Did This Happen?

It is a question that has been asked before. Though as we get closer to Election Day and things might still go either way, it is still a productive exercise to try and figure out how we got to where we are today. Particularly with so many Trump Voters, particularly in swing states, suffering industrial strength buyers guilt.

No Easy Answers

The answer seems obvious. All the Trump voters are backward, racist, sexist, idiots who don’t know what’s best for them. A ‘basket of deplorables’ as Madam Clinton once put it. This is a mistake. Not only is it reductionist and prejudiced, the very things most accuse Trump of being, it is also wrong. I don’t mean wrong in the modern sense of things that make people feel icky. I mean it in the far more basic, Aspie way of false as according to the evidence. There are simply too many people of various groups, including those whom Trump has attacked, supporting him for this to be the whole story.

Ears Plug, Eyes Closed

If anything, the less savory things Trump has said or done are incidental to his support. Not that what he did doesn’t matter. It does in terms of general morality but a lot of things are a matter of priorities and he has other aspects that outweighed his misconduct. At least in the minds of those who prioritize such things. One of the things a lot of critics overlook is his focus on jobs. Particularly in places like Michigan. A state in which things have been so bad for so long, the condition of cities like Flint have been referred to as ‘economic terrorism.’ A situation which makes it easier to understand Trump’s support despite his desire for a border wall or his opinions on where it is okay to touch female strangers. Even if they ‘let’ you.

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Editorial: Rules Of Engagement

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EDITORIAL: Rules of Engagement

By Trevor K. McNeil

The Social Contract

In every society there is a basic order. The notion of an ‘anarchist society’ largely paradoxical. The primary manner in which societies are organized is through a set of norms and protocols agreed to by the members of that society. It is what Rousseau referred to as ‘the social contract.’ Anyone who takes part in the organized society is assumed to have agreed to the social contract. Which Ted Yoho presumably did when joining congress.

Elephants All the Way Down

Sadly, we all know what happens when you assume. Despite the presumption of agreement, there are always those who operate outside the social contract yet still remain within society. Banishment and execution of dissidents having rather gone out of style in many nations. So the disaffected and dismissive not only remain in society but in some cases rise to the very top of it. Such as the current leaders of Brazil, Turkey, Russia and the United States of America. Being an ‘outlier’ becoming something of an advantage in terms of gaining power in the 21st century. The most ready explanation for how a reality show host so monumentally stupid that he thinks the Spanish Flu happened in 1917 and Thomas Jefferson fought in the Civil War,  became president.

No Core Meaning

The primary issue with the social contract is that it was devised by humans and is only as good as the humans involved in any society. There seems to be no core meaning to things or the manner in which things are supposed to be done. That is not to say they have no meaning, just that the meanings people have are fictional rather than inherent. Rather than the way things ought to be done, the social contract lays out how things are assumed to be done. The structure of society being humans all the way down, to borrow a phrase from Bertrand Russell. Sadly, Ted Yoho is one such human.

The Unexpected

The main reason that everyone was so shocked by what happened between Yoho and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was not actually the words he used to describe her. Both expletives used on a daily basis in all sorts of context. The main cause of the shock was hearing a congressman direct the slurs at a professional colleague. The presumption that men like Yoho “are better than that” because they hold elected office should be an expectation. At least while they are at work. Yoho was not only being rude and misogynist, but he was also shattering the expected protocol.

A Reality Problem

Yoho said other things, both during the confrontation and after. His tacit denials and defenses hung mostly on the notion that he can’t be sexist because he has daughters is laughable and absurd.  A kin to trying to claim that Hitler wasn’t really anti-Semitic  because he was half Jewish. Or a racist white person refereeing to their one ‘black friend.’ The fact that they feel the need to point this out speaking volumes about their true thoughts on the subject.

The Age Of Trump

Yoho allegedly asked Ocasio-Cortez “do you really think people are shooting and killing each other because they’re hungry?” Yes Ted, that is exactly what I think. Mostly because food insecurity and the desire to get it even by illegal or violent means has been a factor in human society dating back to the cave era. It is obvious that we have a man elected to office that is ignorant of basic history and sociology.  Though no surprise in the age of Trump.

A Peek Into Our Culture

Representative Yoho has used sexual vulgarities in an attempt to marginalize AOC. Yoho revealed himself a misogynist whose view is that of a man who feels comfortable disrespecting  and degrading women. In a country where domestic abuse is on the rise and there is no place for public disrespect for women, certainly not in the halls of Congress.

EDITORIAL: The Ugly Face Of RACISM

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The Ugly Face Of RACISM 

By Trevor K. McNeil

Dark History

America has an ugly history of racism, on both the systemic and individual level. Even the Irish, who are known to crackle audibly in the sun, were not considered “White” in the capital W social-economic sense in America until the late 19th century. One of the most diverse places in American cities during the Victorian era were the ghettos. Irish, Scots, Pols, Blacks and Asians all lived side by side, often in close quarters with little animosity between them.   A grouping galvanized by their common enemy. The White Anglo-Saxon Protestant elites who thought they owned the land because their families fended off the British after stealing it from the natives. It wasn’t until after the Civil War and enforcement of Jim Crow Laws that black and white separation was solidified.

Not Exceptional

This situation is not, of course unique to America. There have been many instances of the intentional segregation of “othered” minority groups throughout the history of the world.  Two groups often targeted for exclusion are the Jews and the Roma. The oppression of Africans, while mostly limited to nations involved in the trans-Atlantic slave trade, primarily Britain (who abolished it in 1833), the United States of America, and the islands of the Caribbean, have been among some of the longest lasting and most brutal.

Shockingly Similar

An example of colonialism on Africans in Africa, is South Africa. Despite constituting roughly 8% of the overall population, the Dutch and British settlers in the southern tip of Africa managed to dominate the entire area. At least that is the simplest description of what happened.  The white colonialists created the segregated state that the Republic of South Africa was to become. A long history of separation of the races in South Africa was perpetuated after the Boar War which ended in 1902.  The National Party election in 1948 led to enforcing policies of formalized segregation.  Control allowed them to push through the notorious Apartheid doctrine.

South Africa

Change would eventually come to both America and South Africa, though it would come in very different ways at different times. Both nations have gone through years of unrest. Many black groups including the African National Congress battled against the government of South Africa and the apartheid model.  The world took notice and placed paralyzing sanctions on South Africa.

Facing the Truth

The Apartheid era in South Africa was deeply and openly racist. No one denied it, least of all white South Africans. Though it is easy to forget that the end of the Afrikaans Party was spelled by the party itself. First came the release of Nelson Mandela form prison in 1990 and then the opening of the 1994 general election to the native population for the first time since colonization in 1652. The election ended in a historic moment of poetic justice, when Nelson Mandela became the nation’s first black president. There is still a long way to go to repair the damage of hundreds of years of colonialism but they are at least aware of this and taking the first steps.

Denial

The general belief by white Americans has been that systemic racism ended with the Emancipation Proclamation and went away entirely, including on the personal level, some time in the late 1960s. The names changed but the situation hasn’t. The policy of segregation turned to red-lining, voter suppression, mass incarceration and veiled police brutality.

Civil Rights

In America the Civil Rights movement fought for change with aggressive activities in the 1960’s. Two factions evolved. One militant and one peaceable, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King occupying opposite ends of the spectrum. MLK and Malcolm bravely stood  up against government oppression, most clearly represented by the segregation doctrine of Jim Crow.  This era of activism peaked with the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

 Devils In the Details

Recent events have shown racism is alive and well in America.  Numerous high profile murders of African Americans by the police or individuals claiming to be making citizen’s arrests on the behalf of the police have inflamed activists. George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and Rayshard Brooks have spotlighted police brutality. These murders have slapped complacent white America in the face. Nearly nine minutes with a police officer’s knee on a black man’s neck caught on video shook up the American psyche. White America for the first time has been shaken to its core. Black Lives Matter activists have filled the streets with protesters. For the first time, protesters are as much white as black.  Hopefully, America is finally looking racism in the eye and is willing and ready to do something about it. The demand for a multi-racial democracy is louder in the United States than ever before.

 

NOTE FROM CALAMITY

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NOTE FROM CALAMITY

Dear Readers.

I have been busy writing a book. I know. Everybody is writing a book. I’m not done yet but I have finished the first draft and I have a friend taking a look at it.  So, I have temporarily  come up for air and will be posting again.  I want to thank  Trevor K. McNeil for supplying some great articles for Calamity News and Politics while I have been busy with my project.

D. S. Mitchell

 

EDITORIAL: American Empire & COVID-19

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EDITORIAL: AMERICAN EMPIRE & COVID-19

By Trevor K. McNeil

Divided We Stand

In most things the states stand united. Particularly in times of crisis. The current confusion and diverging policies between the states is more proof of the damage caused by the Trump administration.  Donald Trump has made saving American lives a political issue. COVID-19 does not recognize state-lines and neither should we. The crass and opportunistic among us are trying to turn a public health emergency into the latest front in the culture war. Some states have taken serious action to combat COVID-19 while  others  apparently have decided it will just disappear. The result has become a mismatch of response tactics ranging from mandatory masks to COVID-19 parties. The bizarre approach has led to 147,000 U.S. citizens dying from the virus. And that number is growing everyday.  Alarmed nations, including allies and trading partners such as Britain, Australia and France, have decided to ban U.S travelers.

The Spaces Between Us

While initially shocking, especially in light of the united front put up against other threats such as Swine Flu, SARS and Ebola, not to mention the many, many war efforts, the gaps in response when it comes to COVID-19 are easily explained. It all comes down to the Trump administration choosing division over unification. Trump has decided instead of drawing the states together to present a united government supported policy to defeat COVID-19 he would rather dump reaction and response to the individual state governors. His lack of leadership has created one of the most lame responses to a national emergency in the  history of the country.

Using Federalism To Fail

The Founding Fathers drew up a Constitution that granted state’s and their officials dramatic powers of self governance. Governors have unprecedented powers within their own states. The caveat being that the states can be encouraged through both legal and appeals to nationalism to work together to follow the initiatives of the federal government. Trump is using federalism as his excuse for a pathetic national response to COVID-19. Trump due to his personality disorders and his weak character has intentionally abdicated leadership.

American Empire

The U.S. Constitution is a hybrid of ideas and ideals.  The governmental structure of the United States was an evolution of many factors. Many of those influences are directly related to the institution of slavery, the impact of British law, and historical empires, on the thinking of the fathers of the constitution. Without a doubt British tradition was a primary influence. The U.S. judicial system certainly is  a reflection of British Common Law.  The idea of  a constitutional republic where representatives are elected to represent a segment of the population as with the House of Commons is an example of British tradition.

The Powers Of Governors

An aspect of the American system that often goes unmentioned is the government structure. The United States of America in many ways has a political structure that resembles that of the Roman Empire. A decentralized union of district geopolitical entities held together by a central seat of power. In most instances there is a hands-off approach to regional governance. The term governor for a regional ruler dates back to the Romans.

National History

Hold on now. I know it sounds crazy. Empires are made up of nations after all. Except that the massive political and cultural differences between individual states makes the United States functionally similar to a continent of micro-nations as opposed to a single nation. Maybe a good analogy would be the European Union.

A Country, Or A State

The original 13 colonies were each unique and different with their own history and geopolitical characteristics. The country as it expanded purchased large land tracks from the French and the Russians  and stole and annexed land from the indigenous peoples. Each of those regions as they were divided into states brought their histories and cultures to the map of the United States

Mixing It Up

There is a deep French influence in Louisiana. Including the Cajun population who originated from a group of Métis (a mix of white French-Canadians and Native North Americans) known as Acadians who were driven out of Canada’s East coast. The name Cajun being a contraction of “Canadian Injun.” Alaska was also purchased from a foreign power, namely Russia, and also stands distinct from the rest of the American persona. Not least because of its geographical distance, proximity to Northern Canada and strong Native American influence.

Nation States

There are also states that literally started out as nations. Texas comes immediately to mind. Originally a province of Mexico, Texas fought to break free of the chains of imperial Spain, becoming a sovereign republic, before eventually becoming a state of the Confederacy and finally a state of the Union. Keeping a strong sense of what could only be called national pride. Another nation that became a state is Hawaii, which was straight up invaded and annexed a clear example of imperialists expansionism. The same kind of manifest destiny that led to the seizing of much of the mid-West from the Natives and Puerto Rico.  Some of these regions have become states others “possessions”  or “territories.”

A Crisis of Trust

The reason the United States is in the top five in terms of global infection rate, comes down to a lack of leadership from the federal government. In fact, the current administration is pushing for a state’s go it alone policy. Rather than pulling the states together Trump is highlighting the differences between the   interest and politics of each individual state.  Individual liberty trumping (pun intended) self-preservation.

 

OPINION: Memories Of Evil

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Monuments to confederates

OPINION: Memories Of Evil

By Trevor K. McNeil

Uses And Abuses of History

I love history. That is probably why I have spent eight years of my life studying the subject on a post-secondary level. Such love and enthusiasm goes a long way to explain why my hackles raise up when I see the  cynical and ignorant misuse of  history.  The twisting of history to bolster racist ideas and perpetuate such beliefs is down right infuriating, and should be constantly challenged with facts. A recent example is the dogged defense of Confederate Memorials. Whether it be the Confederate war flag, statues, or naming military bases after traitors.

Let Us Forget

I have and will continue to argue against the notation of memorials themselves. I believe there is no better way to forget the real history than commemorating it. Which is not the same thing as recording it. Museums help people connect with the past using tools such as written documents, books,  physical artifacts, and photographs.  Seeing a memorial to Jews killed during the war is one thing. Seeing photographic evidence of the gas chambers and the attic from which Anne Frank and her family were dragged is something else. A context which can also be applied to war memorials of all types.

Answering the Rhetoric

Historical-illiterates deny slavery in their defense of the American Civil War. Grabbing on to “states rights” and  “northern aggression” as their go to defense of Confederate memorials. The Civil War was a terrible and distasteful part of American history that should be remembered with sober clarity. Mythologizing, glorifying and commemorating traitors like Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee is bad for America and is a foolish rejection of history.

Long After The Civil War

These monuments went up long after the Civil War. Most were erected in the 1950’s. These memorials can be directly related to the intent to rehabilitate the image of Confederate traitors and justify separation of the races. The ugliness of racism, continued in the South long after the Civil War.  Jim Crow laws and segregation in the United States replaced slavery. Fear, abuse and lynching were typical methods used to suppress blacks who challenged the white power structure. Statues and flying the stars and bars were methods of intimidation used to reinforce the white power structure.

Foreign Entity

For a comparatively brief and horrible period, from 1861 to 1865, there were four nations on the North American continent. British North America (now Canada) administered by the British parliament. The United States of America led by President Abraham Lincoln. The Confederate States of America led by President Jefferson Davies. And the Republic of Mexico, led by President Benito Juarez.

Geography Tells A Story

Keep in mind here that ‘America’ is a geographical designation including the continents of North, South and Central America. The modern descriptor ‘American’ refers specifically to citizens of The United States of America. The nation-state in North America which decided to make the fact it was made up of states and located within the Americas the center of its identity. While the Confederate states and their citizens were ‘Americans’ by virtue of being located in the Americas, they were no longer part of the American nation. This was by their choice. They had their own constitution, president and flag. The secessionists were ready to continue indefinitely as a distinct political, legal and social entity. The Confederates were, by any criteria, traitors to the United States and ‘enemies of the state.’

The Bad Guy

Traitors tend to be hated and executed not venerated and glorified. Even today a statue to the likes of Benedict Arnold would cause riots. Despite the Revolutionary War being “part of our history.” Arnold  was actually an American in the usual sense. The Confederates were quite simply traitors intent on destroying the union. Taking up arms in a military campaign against the United States is treasonous.

Other Examples

Using WWII as another example. There are no statues to Emperor Hirohito or Adolph Hitler. Or indeed, schools named after Erwin “The Desert Fox” Rommel. No German state would dare fly the Swastika emblazoned on a flag over government buildings. In the same way, it makes no sense to defend Confederate memorials, or any other memorabilia of the southern secessionists.

Editorial: The Tyranny Of Trump

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EDITORIAL: The Tyranny Of Trump

By Trevor K. McNeil

That Old Tyme Religion

Generally speaking, there is a difference between old gods and what could be considered new gods. The god(s) of monotheism being firmly of the new school. The God of the Judeo-Christian Bible has gone through quite a transformation. He’s gone from a flaming-sword-angel-sending, flood killing-everything-on-earth, city destroying God of the Old Testament, to a Messenger of hope. Apparently, the Father felt he needed a new approach.

Police Violence

Loud, mostly non-violent demonstrations have filled the streets of America, again.  Four police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota have murdered another handcuffed black man.  Nothing new about that either. It seems a common event in this country. A large crowd was hanging out in front of the White House. AG, Bill Barr suddenly appeared, surrounded by a cadre of secret service personnel. He appeared to be surveying the situation. Minutes later, without warning, National Guard troops using tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets alongside horse mounted riot police violently cleared peaceful protesters from Lafayette Square and surrounding streets. The brutality was fast, savage and done without warning against passively demonstrating American citizens.

Brutal Passage

We would soon see the violence was done in order to create a path for Trump and his entourage to walk from the White House to St. John’s Episcopal Church.  Once in front of the Priory House Trump awkwardly held up a Bible, turning it around, and around, in a bizarre manner, finally turning it upside down for a memorial photo. The newly proclaimed “law and order” president stood surrounded by his cabinet members posing for the media event. The self-proclaimed King-god of America now known as “Tyrannical Trump,” had used a militarized police force so he could shame the Bible, debase a church, and humiliate Christianity.  An action of sacrilege that, in the good old days, that would have gotten him a lighting bolt right between the eyes. Thor must have been off that afternoon.

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OPINION: Rules For Thee, Not For Me

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OPINION:

RULES FOR THEE, NOT FOR ME

By Trevor K. McNeil

Power Of Perception

Perception can be powerful. As Mark Twain said, give someone a reputation as “an early riser” and he can stay in bed until noon. Though, as with most things powerful, such perceptions can also be exceedingly dangerous. Like the “honest man” who turns out to be a con man or thief. Or the “quiet guy” who turns out to be a serial killer. Perceptions, especially unverified ones, make it very easy to deceive, particularly ourselves. Such is the case with American Isolationism.

Divided We Stand

The idea of American independence goes back to the beginning. Not only in terms of the country but with the individual states. At the time of founding, the United in United States was more wishful thinking on the part of the founders than expectation. The reality was less a nation than a loose collection of essentially independent British colonies, each with it’s own local government, and usually a militia group, the British being absentee landlords at best.

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