A new definition of chutzpah! The old definition: a person, on trial for having murdered his parents, attempting to gain sympathy from the jury because he is, well, an orphan. The new definition: President Trump, whose animus against immigrants is legendary, presenting himself as an avatar of the Statue of Liberty. On the first evening of the Republican National Convention, Trump played the avuncular mentor-in-chief who welcomed five new citizens to this country. Are we supposed to forget that he has brought immigration--which has made this country great--to a standstill; that he has, with exceptional cruelty, separated children from parents at the border; that he has refused to grant immunity from deportation to adults who came to the United States as children? Stephen Miller in ballet shoes?
The RNC has been a propaganda show. Trump, the misogynist, has trouble with female voters. To counter justified criticism, many women who support Trump, some in high positions, professed their fealty to a man who invariably calls women opposed to him "nasty". Trump, the racist, has trouble with Black voters. To counter Black opposition, many African-Americans at the RNC presented a dubious case of Trump as an empathetic, fair-minded leader.
While in the real world the pandemic raged--which was hardly mentioned--and ongoing protests over police brutality continued, Mr. America's Reality Show went on--and on.
No one supports women more than Trump. The President is the least racist person in the entire world. Yeah, right.
2.
Two new images I find especially frightening. One is the picture of a white couple aiming weapons at protesters passing by their mansion. There was apparently no threats of violence; the marchers marched on, as far as I could tell, ignoring the weapons pointed at them as best they could. Yes, you guessed it, the couple was invited to speak at the convention. The racial overtones of their talk was palpable. What would have happened if the gun-toting couple had been black and the protesters all white?
The second image was that of a young man with a smirk on his face, staring down an elderly man who apparently was trying to diffuse a situation that was getting out of hand. The elderly man was a Native American who was participating in an Indigenous Peoples March--this event occurred at the Lincoln Memorial in January 2019. The young man was part of a group of young Catholic high-school students who were bused in from Kentucky to hold a simultaneous pro-life rally.
The incident was not as clear-cut as one might have first thought. The whites had been taunted by a small group of Black Israelites, a group known for its confrontational style. Mr. Nathan Phillips, an elderly veteran, convincingly has asserted that he wanted to diffuse the escalating situation and began chanting and beating a drum. This is when the white student positioned himself in front of Mr. Phillips and stared him down.
Perhaps because I'm a senior myself, I saw the situation differently from those who reported it. I was horrified by the lack of respect the young man had for an elder, not to mention a Native American elder. The smirk on the young man's face was as hideous as it was iconic. Is that how we treat elders these days? In this instance, at least, yes indeed.
Growing old, believe me, isn't easy. Shouldn't a teen show a little respect for a man who has lived and suffered and survived into old age? The elder, after the video went viral and caused a furor, wanted to meet with the young man, not to argue, but to diffuse the situation further. To my knowledge, his calls for reconciliation went unanswered.
Yes, you guessed it; the young man gave a little presentation at the RNC. He spoke against so-called "cancel culture." After what I interpret to be a disrespectful, rude stare-down, he and his family received threats, including death-threats. Matters made horribly worse!
The RNC gives the impression that the victims of cancel culture are always conservatives. The night before, Biden was portrayed as a left-wing radical. Trump family members called him "Beijing Biden," and, equally ridiculously, "The Loch Ness Monster of the Swamp." Joe Biden? Aren't these examples of cancel culture as well?
3.
On Sunday, August 23rd, 2020, a 29-year-old Black man was shot seven times in the back by a white police officer as the former attempted to get into his car. His three young children were in the back seat. It doesn't matter what he did or didn't do, the white officer's actions were completely unjustified. How many shocks can a person receive before he falls down dead?
The next day a white vigilante was driven from a neighboring state to Kenosha, Wisconsin, the site of the Black man's attempted murder. The seventeen year old vigilante, armed with an AR-15, shot into Black Lives Matter protesters and killed two, seriously injuring another. He can be seen in the video, running with his hands up with the weapon strapped to his chest, while witnesses screamed to the police that he had just shot people. The police let him pass; he was arrested the next day. What would they have done if the vigilante had been Black?
4.
None of these disturbances was mentioned during the convention. A police chief, however, gave thanks for Trump's unyielding support.
A picture came to mind; I remember it from my New York days. It depicts a Native American with a tear in his eye.
I weep for America. If subsequent events--beginning with a Biden victory--prove that I've been overreacting like a sentimental ass, I will be the first to admit it--and smile.
The RNC has been a propaganda show. Trump, the misogynist, has trouble with female voters. To counter justified criticism, many women who support Trump, some in high positions, professed their fealty to a man who invariably calls women opposed to him "nasty". Trump, the racist, has trouble with Black voters. To counter Black opposition, many African-Americans at the RNC presented a dubious case of Trump as an empathetic, fair-minded leader.
While in the real world the pandemic raged--which was hardly mentioned--and ongoing protests over police brutality continued, Mr. America's Reality Show went on--and on.
No one supports women more than Trump. The President is the least racist person in the entire world. Yeah, right.
2.
Two new images I find especially frightening. One is the picture of a white couple aiming weapons at protesters passing by their mansion. There was apparently no threats of violence; the marchers marched on, as far as I could tell, ignoring the weapons pointed at them as best they could. Yes, you guessed it, the couple was invited to speak at the convention. The racial overtones of their talk was palpable. What would have happened if the gun-toting couple had been black and the protesters all white?
The second image was that of a young man with a smirk on his face, staring down an elderly man who apparently was trying to diffuse a situation that was getting out of hand. The elderly man was a Native American who was participating in an Indigenous Peoples March--this event occurred at the Lincoln Memorial in January 2019. The young man was part of a group of young Catholic high-school students who were bused in from Kentucky to hold a simultaneous pro-life rally.
The incident was not as clear-cut as one might have first thought. The whites had been taunted by a small group of Black Israelites, a group known for its confrontational style. Mr. Nathan Phillips, an elderly veteran, convincingly has asserted that he wanted to diffuse the escalating situation and began chanting and beating a drum. This is when the white student positioned himself in front of Mr. Phillips and stared him down.
Perhaps because I'm a senior myself, I saw the situation differently from those who reported it. I was horrified by the lack of respect the young man had for an elder, not to mention a Native American elder. The smirk on the young man's face was as hideous as it was iconic. Is that how we treat elders these days? In this instance, at least, yes indeed.
Growing old, believe me, isn't easy. Shouldn't a teen show a little respect for a man who has lived and suffered and survived into old age? The elder, after the video went viral and caused a furor, wanted to meet with the young man, not to argue, but to diffuse the situation further. To my knowledge, his calls for reconciliation went unanswered.
Yes, you guessed it; the young man gave a little presentation at the RNC. He spoke against so-called "cancel culture." After what I interpret to be a disrespectful, rude stare-down, he and his family received threats, including death-threats. Matters made horribly worse!
The RNC gives the impression that the victims of cancel culture are always conservatives. The night before, Biden was portrayed as a left-wing radical. Trump family members called him "Beijing Biden," and, equally ridiculously, "The Loch Ness Monster of the Swamp." Joe Biden? Aren't these examples of cancel culture as well?
3.
On Sunday, August 23rd, 2020, a 29-year-old Black man was shot seven times in the back by a white police officer as the former attempted to get into his car. His three young children were in the back seat. It doesn't matter what he did or didn't do, the white officer's actions were completely unjustified. How many shocks can a person receive before he falls down dead?
The next day a white vigilante was driven from a neighboring state to Kenosha, Wisconsin, the site of the Black man's attempted murder. The seventeen year old vigilante, armed with an AR-15, shot into Black Lives Matter protesters and killed two, seriously injuring another. He can be seen in the video, running with his hands up with the weapon strapped to his chest, while witnesses screamed to the police that he had just shot people. The police let him pass; he was arrested the next day. What would they have done if the vigilante had been Black?
4.
None of these disturbances was mentioned during the convention. A police chief, however, gave thanks for Trump's unyielding support.
A picture came to mind; I remember it from my New York days. It depicts a Native American with a tear in his eye.
I weep for America. If subsequent events--beginning with a Biden victory--prove that I've been overreacting like a sentimental ass, I will be the first to admit it--and smile.
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