Saturday, July 8, 2017

The Fox and the Ass

Dear Vladimir (a.ka. the Fox),

Congratulations on your superb strategy of rigging the election to secure King Rump the presidency of the United States of America. First of all, his uber foxy wife Melania speaks Serbo Croatian, Russia's linguistic cousin. What more could you want than the president's pillow talker to have a genetically in-bedded tribal bond with you, not to speak of the prize of power - a beautiful woman seated next to you at a state dinner. (Maybe King Rump and his consort sleep in separate rooms, but hey, let's keep this scenario for the sake of argument.)

And let's not forget that your remarkable ability to lie straight into the face of another and have them believe you unilaterally is truly a gift. Maybe you even believe your own PR. Afterall, 25 years holding the reins of power is a feat only to be matched by Stalin, Mao, and a few other obscure dictators around the world.

Lest you think this analysis is anti-Russian, please rest assured that my perception of American Imperialism cloaked in the guise of "bringing democracy to the world" is no less cynical.

While this chess game of political-material gain plays on, and while glasnost holds great promise, your success in bringing the US and Russia together holds a bitter price for the common person in America. King Rump may hold the key to a closer relationship, but please ask the downtrodden (and yes they do exist in the vastly rich nation of the Americas) how they will fare when their access to medical care, higher education and food is denied. Please ask the people of color how they will feel when the voting patterns are rigged to prevent true equality of access. Please ask the fish, the animals and the trees how they will survive the roll-back of protection from humans and corporations, who are deemed humans by the IRS.

Success in one arena weighed against devastation in another is hardly something to gloat about. The only hope for mankind rests in actions and policies nested in a humanitarian basket of gem-like beings of good will. Alas, between the Fox and the Ass, this seems an unlikely proposition.







3 comments:

  1. Well said, however anyone's synonym name or place could be inserted and the powers that be won't change. Life and liberty ( to starve or not) and the pursuit of property, are guarantees, birth rights, for everyone, actually written for the first time we know of in the Declaration of independance. They changed it to happiness when they were drunk likely. Holding property is harder than starving, unless means are inherited to do so. . Holding back humans from over developing shorelines and waterways for profit and luxuriously indulgent lifestyles to ensue, corporatizing and controlling framland, food production and distribution, enslaving the suburbs between, convincing them they always need more new stuff, the economy of ecology, is an ongoing problem of civilization, and civil engineering, starting with water and sewage, electricity and power. . 100 years ago American values were waste not want not, and shit runs downhill. . Now they are have everything you want and your shit doesn't stink. It just gets flushed. Plumbers would make better leaders than politicians.

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    Replies
    1. Modern conveniences are a blessing but misuse of technology brought down Atlantis as well as other lost civilizations in time. If we could use technology to benefit the all wouldn't that be wonderful. Thankfully a few humanitarians still exist!

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  2. Carole, there is a parallel with Brexit and the Brexiteers of equal appaling dimensions.
    The pro-Europe pols, like Hillary Clinton ran a terrible campaign, failing to connect with the public.
    Farage, like Trump ran a brilliant populist campaign, entirely based on lies, but with empathy for ordinary folk who are hurting.
    Who are they: mainly blue-collar workers lacking the skills for our modern economy and whose jobs have disappeared. Plus, isolationist, nationalist Little Englanders.
    Tragically, in both countries they voted against their fundamental interests and will be poorer, unhealthier, less educated in a pitiless elitist society.
    Whatever interference Putin may have run, the fault is not in our Tsars, but in ourselves.
    We will regret this for a very, very long time.

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