Most important lesson of US Election 2016

My column in the December Four Corners Free Press

Dec 19th is rapidly approaching and too few are questioning Trump's many foreign entanglements among other serious National Security questions. Matters that need public outcry, because no politician has the backbone to confront these real concerns without strong public support.  Where are you?

During Thanksgiving I had a fascinating discussion with a career Navy man who introduced me to an entirely new perspective I hadn't thought of before.  My take away understanding is that,  once we had a United States of America and a government that required a president, now we have a multinational corporation with a CEO in charge of marketing and PR and we (armed forces) are there to serve him.  If true, it seems to me a disastrous turn of events.

It's going to take many individual citizens proactively engaging in a rational thoughtful constructive and vocal resistance to the coming Oligarch onslaught.  If these memes resonate with your own thinking, please figure out how to make them yours and pass them along.  Help jump start the dialogue.  One way or another we've got to get out of old comfort zones and engage in the reality of today's political landscape.   

Well, ... actually, that's not true, is it?  We can allow the dogs of war to have their way with us yet again.  America, it's your move!

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Seems to me the single most important lesson of this election is that “The Lie” has become acceptable mainstream political currency. Though the Left is guilty of this, Trump and his Alt-Right champions and Republican tea-partiers have taken it to an entirely new level.

Sure politicians have always added their creative spin to the truth, but this is something different. Namely, a complete strategic rejection of ethics and honestly appraising the evidence at hand.

It manifested itself in Trump and the Alt-Right’s disregard for, plus their hideous incivility and hostility towards bona fide experts across the entire spectrum of our society. 

Well, that is, if those experts happen to bring unwelcome news about the reality of the physical world we depend on. On the other hand, any two-bit dilettante gets treated as a singularly authoritative “expert” if they spin a pleasing yarn. That is, plastering over serious down to earth facts with cynically crafted bull-poop whose sole intent is to hide from a true assessment.

Why would any forward thinking adult embrace such childish misdirection and just-so fairytales? By what manner of twisted logic do we rationalize ignoring evidence based constructive learning and the increasing understanding that has come through generations worth of dedicated capable individuals the world over?

What happened to humanity’s Intellectual Enlightenment? It suddenly seems farther away than ever and getting dimmer fast.

Profiles in Appeasement - Alden Meyer

Driving to a job the other morning I heard an interview on “Love of Earth” a NPR program with Alden Meyer a proud old environmental warrior, Directory of Strategy and Policy for the Union of Concerned Scientists.  His advice: “People should just hold their horses a little bit and wait and see what develops. Let Mr. Trump get his transition team in place, get his key nominees in place, and then see how it plays out.”

That response was like getting slapped in the face on top of everything else that’s occurring (... and that’s not occurring.).  Appeasement at it very worst in a time when Meyer and the UCS should be broadcasting and explaining how serious of a national crisis our country has been tossed into.  Nothing less than the active engagement of millions of previous sideliners into our national political dialogue will temper their future achievements.  

Don’t forget Trump and his Alt-Right and neo-Republican people have promised to dismantle huge programs and protections that our nation and its people’s wellbeing have come to rely on, given half a change.  We've f'n given them a full house.  Wake up the oligarchs are in charge now.

Democrats and traditional Republicans have proven themselves to be impotent, younger generations you better step up, lordie knows none of us older ones has your back.

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Love of Earth, interview with Alden Meyer 

Air Date: November 18, 2016  

http://www.loe.org/shows/shows.html?programID=16-P13-00047 

The Paris Climate Agreement came into force just before COP22 in Marrakech, this year’s high level UN Climate talks that ended November 18th. Alden Meyer of the Union of Concerned Scientists tells host Steve Curwood member countries at the meeting in Morocco are determined to push ahead with implementing the Paris deal and work on climate protection even though the incoming US president vowed during his campaign he would ‘rip up’ the Paris accord. (09:45)

Profiles in Malicious Deception - Myron Ebell's DeSmog Files

(Thank you DeSmogBlog for collecting and sharing this important information.)

Myron Ebell

http://www.desmogblog.com/myron-ebell

Donald Trump's EPA Transition Team

In September of 2016, Myron Ebell was selected by Donald Trump to lead his U.S. EPA transition team, two sources told Scientific American. [64], [65]

“Ebell's views appear to square with Trump’s when it comes to EPA’s agenda. Trump has called global warming 'bullshit' and he has said he would 'cancel' the Paris global warming accord and roll back President Obama’s executive actions on climate change.” [65]

In March, 2016, Trump promised to make major budget cuts to the EPA and to “get rid of [EPA] in almost every form. We are going to have little tidbits left but we are going to take a tremendous amount out.” [73]

DeSmog noted that earlier in August, climate change denier Kathleen Hartnett-White, director of the energy and environment project at the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) joined Trump's “Economic Advisory team.” A post-election chart provided to Politico confirmed that Ebell would be managing Trump's EPA transition team. [64] , [72]

The Huffington Post reported on “11 Reasons Why Trump’s Climate-Denying EPA Guy Could Spell Disaster For The Environment,” noting that a petition had been posted on the White House website calling for Ebell to be ousted from this role (the petition has since been removed). [92]

Alt-Right's dependence on lies to make their arguments. Example Mann's Hockey Stick

Please consider this typical example of the standard operating procedure of Steven Bannon and the Alt-Right political army he’s put together.

http://leftexposed.org/2016/07/michael-e-mann/

Quoting the LeftExposed.org: "Michael E. Mann is an atmospheric science professor at Penn State University, a climate catastrophe advocate, and a militant campaigner against scientists who disagree with him. He is most famous as the creator of the discredited and controversial “hockey stick graph,” which has been discredited by statisticians for distorting past climate history and offering outlandish predictions of future carbon-dioxide-induced global warming. ..."

The thing is, in no way has the "hockey stick graph” been discredited.   Click on "outlandish predictions" to see how things are shaking out.   At the end of this post I offer information specific to the "Hockey Stick" graph.

Can't get around it, ignore it maybe, but it's happening baby.  That article continues to gleefully spread complete malicious lies, about a matter of utmost importance to our children and the world we are bequeathing them.  Why does everyone seem okay with that?  Where's the moral outrage?

Repetition and willful gullibility has allowed this lie to be generally accepted by the incurious.  The author's only intent is to unjustly demonize an accomplished and respected scientist’s quality career, in order to avoid dealing with the implication of the knowledge we have at hand.  Mann has earned decades of respect from his knowledgeable peers, that’s not a conspiracy - that’s the man doing outstanding work.  None of it perfect, but nothing is perfect.  It’s all a learning process that's constantly refining what is known.  Truth matters!  

Now our new President's top advisor and one of two people (besides T's brass...) responsible for Trump's coup, this Bannon has displayed utter contempt for the truth.  As the years go by what will Trump voters think as they start waking up to those lies.  

Monbiot Examines Neoliberalism History and Trump's Rise

I realize I'm doing a little bootlegging here, but we've just elected a pathological liar, a tax cheat, a freeloader, a defrauder of employees, and way too many gullible Americans are looking to this con-artist showman expecting he's going to be their savior and turn back time and tide for them.  Thus, I'm hoping George will forgive and approve, likewise for the Guardian.   

( https://contribute.theguardian.com/us )

It would make for a ludicrous movie, but pissed off Americans, an impotent out of touch Democratic Party, along with an apathetic public who's forgotten that a healthy democracy demands an informed and engaged public - have made sure that our future will be witnessing our government get battered and who knows how badly dismantled before the Alt-Right is through steamrollering our traditional values.  The Kochs and other oligarchs will see great returns on their diligent investment in the hysterical Alt-Right PR fabrication machine which has been dedicated to dumbing down, race baiting, fear mongering and enraging our public.  While everyone is busy with those contrived distractions we continue allowing our environment, that we depend on for everything that nurtures our lives, to continue being damaged and destroyed at an ever increasing pace. The tragedy is beyond words.  Let George Monbiot give you a lesson in how we got here.

The Deep History Behind Trump’s Rise

By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 14^th November 2016

How a ruthless network of super-rich ideologues killed choice and destroyed people’s faith in politics

The events that led to Donald Trump’s election started in England in 1975. At a meeting a few months after Margaret Thatcher became leader of the Conservative party, one of her colleagues, or so the story goes, was explaining what he saw as the core beliefs of conservatism. She snapped open her handbag, pulled out a dog-eared book, and slammed it on the table. “This is what we believe,” she said. A political revolution that would sweep the world had begun.

The book was The Constitution of Liberty by Frederick Hayek. Its publication in 1960 marked the transition from an honest, if extreme, philosophy to an outright racket. The philosophy was called neoliberalism. It saw competition as the defining characteristic of human relations. The market would discover a natural hierarchy of winners and losers, creating a more efficient system than could ever be devised through planning or design. 

Anything that impeded this process, such as significant tax, regulation, trade union activity or state provision, was counter-productive. Unrestricted entrepreneurs would create the wealth that would trickle down to everyone.

This, at any rate, is how it was originally conceived. But by the time Hayek came to write The Constitution of Liberty, the network of lobbyists and thinkers he had founded was being lavishly funded by multimillionaires, who saw the doctrine as a means of defending themselves against democracy. Not every aspect of the neoliberal programme advanced their interests. Hayek, it seems, set out to close the gap.

Phone conversation with DNC's Donna Brazile - Dworkin Report

Sunday 11/13/16

This afternoon I received a most surprising and humbling phone call from Democratic National Committee interim chairperson Donna Brazile.  Our email exchange caught her attention because although I was heaping scorn, she noticed the thoughtful thread running through my missive, which sadly appears to have been a singular exception in the deluge of anger she’s currently receiving.

I think she reached out because of curiosity, respect for my forwardness and to voice her support and encouragement for this effort.  I suspect she also wanted to do a little venting of her own, which was alright considering what she's been going through.  She made some excellent points to ponder.  

She asked me if I’d been contacting my Senator and Representative, or how many letters to the editor I’d written before the election?  She pointed out that a couple months back while the DNC was doing its best to investigate the Russian computer hacks, where were the Democratic Senators and Representatives voicing concern and demanding that more be done by the FBI and others?

Where was the concern and attention of our news media?  Where were concerned Democratic voters and other citizens when the DNC needed their encouragement and prodding.  That’s how democracy works, only if you are putting pressure on your Representatives are you guaranteed action!  That’s the lesson the Alt-right has been perfecting under our noses for a couple decades now, will this experience help us learn?

Response to DNC's Donna Brazile - Dworkin Report

Yesterday I sent an email to DNC's Donna Brazile, it was on their webpage and I didn't think to make a copy so I can't share that note which basically introduced her to my two previous posts and asked about the Dworkin Report.  I received the following response this morning. It's message demands to be examined.  I share the email I have sent her.  I'm sharing it here because I'm really hoping maybe a few others will step up and do some letter writing and information sharing.

The DNC thinks it can ride out every set back such as losing the majority of local and state leadership positions and losing the most important and winnable election of our time.  What do you think.  We The People get the government we deserve.  What are you willing to do to help protect our way of governing against this coming Russian Obligate President?

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On Sun, Nov 13, 2016 at 9:17 AM, 

Donna Brazile <donnalbrazile@icloud.com> wrote:

I'm interim Chair and will not commit on personnel matters.

Please take out all your frustration and anger with me.

But, I am going to continue to do what anyone in my position would do: shut down the 2016 election cycle with dignity and grace.

Obstacles were put in our way to see if what we want is worth fighting for. #NeverSurrender #Onward

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Donna Brazile,

First thing you must do is understand, this isn't about taking out frustrations.

This is about recognizing gross failures thus enabling you and the DNC to learn from them. 

No obstacles were put in our way!  That's simply your way to justify repeating the same mistakes Democrats have been making in election after election (I’m still haunted by 2000’s totally unnecessary loss and its ultimate cost.).  

When are you going to stop being so causal about these profound failures that need to be fully recognized and learned from, because it’s obvious the current DNC does not grasp what’s happening out here in America.  

Now we've been forced into that unimaginable situation where the Alt-right has been handed our US government so they can really get into high gear dismantling important government agencies and various aspects of our way of life, that promises to only get uglier the more compliant you folks get.  Ms. Brazile, your response to me and others is nothing but sweeping it under the rug.  Democrats have a right to expect better from you or at least the DNC.

It's about recognizing mistakes > and learning from them!

It's about using your DNC mailing list to inform Americans and encourage them to take action and get involved because only a strong public engagement will temper the coming horrors of the Alt-right owned Trump Administration.

Which brings me back to my Dworkin Report questions, which you so deftly ignored altogether in your response to me.

Democratic National Committee's dereliction of duty

DNC Staffer Screams At Donna Brazile For Helping Elect Donald Trump

Democrats’ nerves are raw in Washington after Tuesday’s stunning loss.

11/10/2016 04:16 pm ET 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donna-brazile-democratic-national-committee_us_5824cb95e4b0ddd4fe7954e8

WASHINGTON ― On Thursday, Democratic Party officials held their first staff meeting since Hillary Clinton’s stunning loss to Donald Trump in the presidential race. It didn’t go well.

Donna Brazile, the interim leader of the Democratic National Committee, was giving what one attendee described as “a rip-roaring speech” to about 150 employees, about the need to have hope for wins going forward, when a staffer identified only as Zach stood up with a question.

“Why should we trust you as chair to lead us through this?” he asked, according to two people in the room. “You backed a flawed candidate, and your friend [former DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz] plotted through this to support your own gain and yourself.”