Sunday, June 26, 2016

SO MANY QUESTIONS!

What will be the final outcome of the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union? 

Will the petition for a second referendum on remaining or leaving the EU prevail? 

Will Scotland and/or Ireland withdraw from the UK to join the EU?

Will other countries leave the EU, too?

What will be the effect on European unity? 

These are the kind of times when individuals and groups that no majority in a country wants to assume power manage to slip in -- sometimes stealing a nation's government right out from under them.    When it's too late citizens wonder how this could be allowed to happen, but it occurred in Europe beginning in the 1920's/1930s.    This could occur in the United States -- make no mistake -- if we aren't vigilant.   We should be concerned.  Prevention of such an evolution is the answer!

Consider this, too, staunch conservative commentator and columnist George Will is reported by news media to have stated he is leaving the Republican Party and is urging others to do the same.  Better late than never --  as I believe the handwriting on this wall has been present for many years when we consider how this party has performed in our legislature with little done to correct their ineffectual governing and numerous legislators poor job performance.  Voters failed to throw them out.

Think about this too ........

Billionaires Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch met in Scotland I noticed -- just to socialize?

Remember what transpired in Great Britain with Rupert Murdoch's foray into media ownership there -- employee's activities -- accusations of questionable governmental political relationships?

The U.S. has the distinction of Mr. Murdoch having become a citizen, being allowed to acquire the right to use our airwaves, then, by some analysts criteria, lowering factual news broadcasting standards on the network his company owns.      

He purchased the Wall Street Journal....has reportedly been dedicated to preserving newspapers though his publishing history in his home country of Australia and what occurred in Great Britain caused many concern over the quality of his publications.

Huffington Post's Michael Levin interviewing author Sarah Ellison in 2015 regarding the WSJ -- "The editorial page has stayed true to itself..." which some had been concerned might not occur.  There were ongoing legal matters in Great Britain at the takeover time which some reportedly thought might have taken precedence on his time.

Former WSJ employee Ms Ellison further observed:
" It [WSJ] used to be a watchdog on the corporate world, on American business"...now "...much more interested in the geopolitical landscape and finance."
 
" It’s tilted rightward politically."   Previously the WSJ was thought by many to lean to the left.

USA Today June 2015 article describing what Mr. Murdoch owns "....Everything".  I strongly recommend you read this article listing that includes the broadcast media he owns.  

I wonder if Mr. Murdoch will provide Mr. Trump financial backing and/or what else for future campaigning? 

Would Mr. Murdoch want anything in return for his support of Mr. Trump?

Billionaires in charge will certainly have the average citizen's best interests at heart -- or will they???

Is my concern premature?  It is just conjecture presently, or maybe even unjustified?   

Pay attention to what transpires with politicians and their supporters in the U.S. as we  move toward and through the July political party presidential nominating conventions.

I think there will be little doubt after the conventions who the candidate is -- that I haven't even named here -- who we'll need to support to keep our nation stable at home and in the world.

We, the people, can make a difference to preserve this nation and move progressively forward into the future.  

10 comments:

  1. I didn't know he had been meeting with Murdoch. Scary.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The network TV coverage I viewed showed Trump, then Murdock on the Scotland golf course. Here's a link with one news story and videos.
      http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3660027/Look-s-coming-dinner-Trump-dines-Rupert-Murdoch-wife-Jerry-Hall-posh-Scottish-golf-course-meal-s-house-Donald-owns-place.html

      Delete
  2. I didn't know of the meeting either. I second the concern about it, should he decide to back Trump. So few people actually control the media that you have to wonder if we shouldn't be trying to break them up.

    Rachel Maddow did a wonderful segment about the history of the EU and after seeing it, I think the UK people are crazy to want to leave. If it was going to happen, I think we'd all feel better if the vote hadn't been so close. There is so much unrest around the world with not much hope that will change anytime soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wonder if many of the UK people who voted to leave just listened to all the hyperbole without checking to determine fact from fiction -- much as occurs, especially, from certain of our own political campaigners.

      Delete
  3. I had posted in my Facebook the question of what people thought about Brexit. Interestingly, one conversation exploded, not between two Brits, but my male friend from Norway and the other Netherlands, though she is French by birth. The Norwegian wanted Norway to enter the EU, didn't mind at all evasive regulations (one of the annoyances for those who didn't know like over vitamin supplements and medical treatment). He felt that if the EU went down, we'd have WWIII and it'd go back to one nation at war with another. She felt that the EU blocked her medical treatment because it didn't recognize her disease. She hated EU and was thrilled the UK left (for now) and hopes Netherlands and France follow as she felt Germany was dictating everything. So whatever England does, this won't be over unless the EU gets back to what it was supposed to be about-- trade and peace. Evidently, it has no real military impact as that's NATO which is mostly supported by the US and the UK. My Norwegian friend felt war was inevitable, evidently within the member nations, without the EU. I mean the real risks of war to me are Islamic extremists who fight with terrorism and want land and power in a region or maybe Russia, who is not in the EU and the EU can't really fight anyway since it does not have military might currently anyway.

    Their discussion got very very heated with insults flowing but finally I reminded them that I liked them and had known them both, considered them friends. It showed though the different way this is seen. She is younger although not youth than he is. The issue seems to me to be economic and some see their benefits one way (stock market oriented) and others (job oriented) another.

    The US is facing the same questions and often with the same division-- those who need jobs and feel they are being left behind and those who need their investments to be worth money. The haves and the have nots and my friend from Netherlands said if those without keep being ignored, it will lead to civil war.

    So this isn't just about England. It's about a division in the world where those who have been running things (and in the EU nobody votes for them or mostly knows who they are on these councils) are resented. It explains more about why Trump is doing as well as he is despite the horrible things he says. It's knowing that Hillary is the status quo and the people, who go for Brexit, Trump, or frankly Sanders, want change. The ones who don't want it have been doing quite well, thank you, and need someone to hold the line. It's not hard to see the same divisions in this country and basically around the world. Who wins will determine a lot of our future and how much chaos we go through-- now or maybe later.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Interesting perspectives from your young European FB readers. Similar divisions do seem to be occurring around the world and financial status is surely a major factor. Resolution of all the issues will be no simple matter, as it took a while to get to this point, so will take time, I think. I have to wonder how much and what kind of chaos we'll experience during the interim. Who the U.S. chooses as our next President and the Legislative Branch composure and actions will have significant bearing on the degree and type of chaos factor, I think.

      Delete
  4. It is certainly a wake up call for me. I'm not concerned particularly about Donald Trump himself taking over the country but I have greatly concerned about the younger people on the right and left and what they might do.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Based on Trump's behavior and words he seems to foster divisiveness which would do little to resolve the unrest in our country including among the young people it seems to me.

      Delete
  5. Among other things Murdoch owns FOX news Networks. Roger Ailes has supported Trump for some time. This should give us a clue. The editorial page of the WSJ has been right-wing since the 1980s. My corporation, Verizon gve each of us in the Economics area a free subscription. Stopped reading it when I retired from the private sector. Too mny of us "commoners" have been duped by Donald.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The specific information you note here has significance for all of us -- voters in the coming election need to seriously consider the implications.

      Delete