This year I considered doing a post like the past, but I didn't have the drive. Something was wrong. Is America still our ally? Sure, and we are theirs. Do I feel like I can go to visit as easily as before? No, I don't anymore, in fact the idea scares me, and simultaneously makes me angry, because there are people very dear to me there I want to visit. See link at bottom, for my previous post on the issue.
The reason I can't write a happy piece on America anymore, is how I see it tragically broken into warring factions, my US friends fighting with my other US friends. Sometimes I see both sides. Issues of morality have that effect, every individual needs to take their own stand, either for, or against an outcome based on their own consciences.
Yesterday, while researching for another post, I came across this cover by Lily Allen, that is just so sad. She's not American. The song and the clip illustrates so mournfully, how watching things there affects the rest of us. I'm not tired of America itself, but of the terrible hurt I see going on there.
My friends could be friends with each other if it were not for Donald Trump. That I know for sure, I saw it happening, the anger they were expressing to me privately, the divisions gradually widening. There were people who wouldn't speak to me much, because I was friends with one or the other. They are people I respect and want to know.
We around the world are seeing it happen online and on our TV screens, and newspapers. Hate. Americans hating each other. Do we have similar issues and divisions? Sure, but we don't have Donald Trump. I don't see him trying to extinguish the hate.
Where does hate end up? Rwanda. Serbia/Kosovo. Nazi occupied Poland.
I think some Republicans need to grow compassion, and understand that according to Jesus' teaching, the different, poor and disabled are our brothers and sisters. You can't take it with you when you die. Prosperity theology is a load of bunk, made up by telly evangelists who got very rich, as Jesus representatives should never be, and were embarrassed about it. Trickle down economics doesnt work without a decent minimum wage. Mostly it stays at the top. You won't get better law and order if starving people and sick peoples' relatives are stealing TVs from your living rooms. If someone has been living in your country for many years and isn't a criminal, then leave them be.
Also, bombing someone overseas might make them bomb you back, drop toxins in your dams, or hack into your electricity supply. If you poison the air, water, and earth, you will end up with an uninhabitable wasteland, duh.
I think some Democrats need to understand that it's fine to preach tolerance for religious, racial and s@xual diversity, as long as you include the rights of Christians , white people and heterosexuals in that mix. Unlimited immigration is unsustainable. Old white men are feeling pretty insulted now, and a whole class of people have been called deplorable. Would you like that if that were you? If someone doesn't want to do something for religious reasons, get someone else, duh, don't sue them, and put them out of business, starving their dependents. Suing wasn't invented for wedding cakes. It was invented for lifelong injuries and similar. You can't change people's religious views by force. Hearts change when they are loved. Lastly, you can't have peace in war torn countries without imposing law and order first. Someone has to do that, and someone has to pay for it.
Extreme right, you have to share your toys, or no one will like you. Stop killing that frog. Extreme left, Mummy isn't going to give you access to the toys if you're having a temper tantrum. You burned that flag, go to your room. Children, learn to play nicely together.
I think both sides need to listen to those in the moderate middle, for example like me, who is a Catholic, and simultaneously a Green. (There are alot of us. ) We here in no man's land are saying STOP ABUSING EACH OTHER!!!!
Hopefully I can post Whitney Houston singing the Star Spangled Banner next year, because things will hopefully have settled down in the Great US of A, and my friends will all be speaking to each other again.
5 comments:
What a fantastically written blog this is Cath.
I'd go further than just include America. I saw a doc about Tony Blair the other night and was just incensed by the wanton lies and corruption that led to the Iraq war and the strangle hold of the Murdoch media that Labour had bought into in order to make Bushes dreams come true of having an illegal war. It slaughtered hundreds of thousands of people and it just astonishes me the extent of propaganda that is seemingly allowed.
All trust in Governments is now obliterated and is it any wonder.
My only hope is that because of the hideously warped dreams of those power hungry megalomaniacs that is now exposed for what it was, we can finally start to embrace truth, real democracy and politics with a conscience.
The US and Britain have behaved appallingly and Blair is a multi millionaire now when he should be behind bars.
I wish every citizen in the world could watch this doc. It's genuinely shocking.
I think the tide is starting to turn. I think through the Internet and people be less corrupted by the biased bought tabloids, we may have a chance of restoring a semblance of decency and fairness in our societies.
I just have to keep hoping.
Murdoch is old, he can't go on forever. Will be interesting to see what happens to his fox empire with his kids. He's mates with Trump.
At the time, I remember saying that although Hussein and his sons were corrupt, and terrible with Kuwait, removing them would create a terrible vacuum. The same with the Arab Spring. As usual I turned out to be right.
On the other hand, I think there were some weapons of mass destruction. There was a senior Aussie guy in charge of keeping an eye on that stuff over there, don't think he was lying. Probably got secreted over a border before the US and Brits moved in. I think they all had them over there, to some extent. Can't make war on every country with WMD, the whole world would blow up.
Peace and diplomacy is the way. Maybe Trump has the right idea with his chocolate cake at Mar a Lago. They should get the N Korean guy there. He likes his food.
I am not happy with the political direction we are going in US right now but I have confidence good will triumph. No matter what political party Americans support I think we would all we want to see America succeed. No matter how much the news highlights the sensational in US it is still a wonderful country and I am grateful to be an American.
Kathy, it just seems to be almost daily weird news coming out of US. I don't remember that before. Facelifts, pu$$ies, wedding cake, Russia, it just seems to be so crazy.
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/07/03/how-the-psychology-of-cyberbullying-explains-trumps-tweets-215333
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