I’ve evolved into somewhat of a somber mood this week following
my initial enthusiasm and encouragement with the overall outcome of the 2018
U.S. Midterm Elections. Hope you’re
pleased with most of the results where you live.
Initially ....
The early part of the week began with those elections
encouragingly drawing a higher percentage of voters than usual. Some results are still not tallied as the
number of mail-in and provisional ballots has increased, too. Outcomes between some candidates are so
close a winner cannot be declared until the days or weeks needed to tally those
ballots are completed. This is true even in our local City Council contest. Even then, it’s possible the results could
be so close that some candidates may require a ballot recount.
The previous political dominating party has become the
minority party in our U.S. House of Representatives. Hopefully, to most Americans this will mean
some sort of check on our current president’s relentless dictatorial actions that
many believe weaken our democracy.
They see his efforts deliberately creating chaos and divisiveness
directed toward destroying citizens trust in our government. Surreptitiously, he’s also attempting to
require personal loyalty to himself, rather than to our constitution, from leaders
he appoints and in all branches of government.
Given his attempt to alter our
form of government this comes as no surprise – except to some who naively don’t
realize this is occurring, and those still in denial who think this is just
political party differences – not a matter of preserving our freedoms and
democracy as our nation’s founders established in our constitution.
Insidious now, too, is our President’s relentless assault to
muffle, consistently denigrate, a Fourth Estate Press that reports factual
information. He condemns them for questioning or refuting
his mendacious statements and presenting other issue views as though he had no
ethical or moral responsibility for stating facts to the American people. Instead, he fluently prevaricates insultingly,
in the belief the people are either too dumb to know the difference or don’t
care and has previously said as much. He leads me to wonder if he is correct.
Most of those in the President’s political party have
acquiesced to him despite to what many of them once objected, as they have
either changed or compromised their moral and ethical values in exchange for
power – and money? Some of those who won’t
bend are simply leaving or retiring from their positions, since many of their
constituents fail to recognize preserving our democratic republic is at
stake.
***
Our President continues to favor one specific television
network news organization reflecting that owner’s agenda, documented by many as
a group that warps news content accounts. It is no coincidence that corporation’s owner,
Rupert Murdoch, has had news content control ambitions of his own, or that our
President met with him in Scotland shortly after the 2016 election.
Mr. Murdoch’s organizations have often been characterized as
promoting tabloid journalism.
His efforts to gain monopolistic control over all media
forms to influence news content, distribution, government influence, created
havoc in Great Britain years ago when he came there from Australia. Subsequently he gained U.S. citizenship to
pursue his power-seeking of news control here to influence our populace -- followers
would be wise to consider that family corporation’s agenda.
Murdoch has been known for interfering in editorial
processes contrary to what he has vowed he wouldn’t do. This gave concern following his Wall Street Journal purchase a few years ago.
This year Murdoch’s long-term consolidation efforts in Great
Britain to obtain satellite Sky News was thwarted The Guardian reported earlier HERE.
“The
Competition and Markets Authority said 21st Century Fox’s bid to take control
of the 61% of Sky it does not already own was not in the public interest due to
concerns about media plurality.”
“The CMA’s investigation into
the deal found it would give the Murdoch family trust, which controls Fox and
News Corp, the publisher of the Sun and the Times, “too much control over news
providers in the UK across all media platforms and therefore too much influence
over public opinion and the political agenda”.
Our Fourth Estate News Media seeking factual information
from our President these next two years until our 2020 elections to report to
us will likely be subjected to his increased attacks and false accusations as he
has been doing.
Considering what we
know about the modus operendi of this President and the news sources he favors,
we need to thoughtfully exercise analysis, critical thinking and our best
judgment determining the news media sources we can trust for most closely
providing unadulterated content truth. Incidentally,
social media may not be the most viable source for truth, either.
* * *
Next, with the election still fresh in my mind, my attention
was shocked in morning wee hours as I watched the ending of an old movie -- a
news bulletin interrupted. Tragedy struck in one of Southern
California’s designated safest cities, Thousand Oaks, with a mass shooter
murdering young people and a police officer.
The shooter took his own life, is thought to have been a troubled young
man, possibly suffering from PTSD following overseas war experience in the military
service.
Once again, many citizens voice outrage as to why laws are
not enacted in an effort to control the availability of certain types of
weapons, curtail how readily they can be purchased and limit those permitted to
possess them.
***
Still reeling from this surreal as yet unexplained shooting event
.....
devastating fires in Southern California, coincidentally,
struck that same city of tragedy, the next day -- devouring homes -- additional
houses continuing to be threatened.
The fire raced toward the ocean requiring the whole city of
Malibu to be evacuated with the flames ravaging, then leaving some once homeowners,
homeless.
Other residents in those cities still awaiting the fires becoming
controlled, the area safe, so they can learn if their house has survived intact, though likely smoke-damaged. Family
members of a friend of mine are in the latter group, having had to evacuate,
but fortunate to be able to stay with others in their family.
Many residents have had to seek shelter at special evacuation
centers setup for accommodations with such available even for a large menagerie
of pets reportedly not limited to just dogs and cats.
Incredibly, even more fires were reported .....
an entire community of 27,000 in Northern California, ironically
named Paradise, was forced to evacuate.
Every structure burned to the ground.
Now, loss of life has been discovered as an increasing number of
residents have been found in their vehicles -- presumed to have been stranded,
trying to escape the flames.
As I publish this .....
The strong Santa Ana winds blowing off shore have given
temporary way to slight on-shore breezes lessening these out of control fires
intensity for a day, but only temporarily.
Humidity from the Pacific Ocean increased only slightly from the
previously high of only 5%.
Predictions are that the Santa Ana high winds are returning with
more dry off-shore blowing to whip these fires today, Sunday, before on shore
winds resume, possibly by Tuesday evening to slightly lessen fire forces. The fires will likely rage on as exhausted
firefighters fight for containment. We
will see what the coming week brings us.
***
I do feel compelled to clarify the truth and express my
outrage at one more outright falsehood perpetrated by our President. He
threatens to withhold federal funding for the California wildfires due to gross
mismanagement. California Professional Firefighters President stated:
“It is the federal government that has chosen to divert
resources away from forest management, not California.”
This irresponsible U.S. President later modifies his
comments to offer some support for Americans affected by these disasters.
This is such classic contradicting rhetorical behavior exhibited
by our President -- designed to deliberately keep him in the news daily. He believes all publicity, positive or
negative, benefits him as his discredited attorney mentor taught him. Most
distressing to him is to be ignored which gives reason to avoid gratifying his
need to have his name mentioned. Would
that all the media and every other source would cease saying anything about him
for even a day, but ideally several, a week, a month – but to what antics would
he resort to get our attention?
