Seldom Balanced – Usually Fair
Guilty Minds Provoked
Leaders of countries once at war were now speaking of peace.
The message of hatred replaced by partnership, of conflict yielding to compassion, seemed innocent, uncontroversial.
Then guilty minds became angry at imagined insult.
From Max’s Dad:
Muhammad Ali died. The Greatest passed away after years of being silent after the years of telling it like it really is. That death was tough. NOT unexpected but still tough. Childhood heroes dying bring your own mortality to mind. That aint fun.
Carrie Fisher and her mom going away within a day. Gene Wilder. Arnold Palmer. Florence Henderson.Gary Shandling. John Glenn. Christ stop!
But it’s musicians who affect me most. They bring joy to me. They say what I want to say but lack the talent to express. And many of them left us alone. Yeah 2016 sucked.
From John Scalzi:
This is not an argument toward complacency; indeed I think it’s an argument against defeatism and fatalism in the face of setbacks and stalemates. We live in moments and days and it’s often hard to see past them, and it’s easy to believe when we are struck a hard blow that all is lost. All is not lost. The arc is long. Nothing is ever fully decided in the moment or the day.
From The Big Empty:
Dick Cheney’s notorious hatred and distrust for the intelligence community compelled him to convince gullible Dubya to “encourage” the CIA to present them with intell that was to their liking. Hence, we ending up with the Iraq War lie of WMDs that the CIA covered with bogus intell in order to please Darth Cheney.
Trumpy is playing a similar game. Give me the intell that I want to hear, not what I should know, not necessarily the facts, not the truth.
From Infidel753:
Pragmatism dictates that when an opportunity arises to do some good for the country, that good must indeed be done. Real leaders get this, with Pelosi, Sanders, and Schumer having already said they would work with Trump if he ever does offer any progressive proposals.
The pragmatism of political gain points in the same direction. It will be argued that if Trump were to propose (say) a higher minimum wage, Democrats should not help pass it because Trump would get the credit. However, Democrats would get some of the credit, especially if most Republicans noisily resisted the idea. And if Democrats responded to such a scenario by blocking the increase, Trump would still get the credit for trying, while Democrats would get the blame, and millions of low-wage workers would not get the increase they need.
From PZ Myers:
Good news, for a change. After Coach Tracy Claeys proudly supported his gang-banging football team, he got his just reward: he has been fired. That’s the right thing to do.
Unfortunately, the article ends on the really important tragedy: what about the football team?
The ceremony marked the first time since the attack by the Empire of Japan that a Japanese head of government had visited Pearl Harbor. Prime Minister Abe paid solemn tribute to members of the US military who had fought against the Japanese attack 75 years ago. He spoke of the generosity of spirit at the heart of later US efforts to help the defeated people of Japan to recover from the devastation of the resulting War.
But the focus of his remarks was more global.
There is no end to the spiral where hatred creates hatred. The world needs the spirit of tolerance and the power of reconciliation now, and especially now.
He spoke of the decades of friendship between the two former adversaries as a lesson for the modern world.
That is precisely why the Japan-U.S. alliance is an alliance of hope.
President Obama responded in agreement with the theme of hatred transforming into peace.
Wars can end. The most bitter of adversaries can become the strongest of allies. The fruits of peace always outweigh the plunder of war. This is the enduring truth of this hallowed harbor.
His message did not seem controversial: The world needs a little more tolerance, a little less hatred.
It is here that we remember that even when hatred burns hottest, even when the tug of tribalism is at its most primal, we must resist the urge to turn inward. We must resist the urge to demonize those who are different. The sacrifice made here, the anguish of war, reminds us to seek the divine spark that is common to all humanity.
News coverage mentioned the overarching theme, but emphasized the President’s use of the word “tribalism” and his call to “resist the urge to demonize those who are different.” Was this a sort of implicit code meant to criticize Donald Trump? Although the overt message was a reduction of ethnic and religious hatred, it didn’t take much of a leap.
They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.
Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States…
– Read by Donald Trump, December 7, 2015
It seems apparent to many of us that, even if President Obama did not have Mr. Trump in mind, the President-elect could have played Cinderella, the slipper fit so perfectly.
Trump apologists have always denied that any of Donald Trump’s oration came from tribalism or xenophobic demonization. Mr. Trump insisted that he merely wanted to protect the country from the crime and violence these suspect groups always bring with them.
The intelligent response by Mr. Trump and his staff to the President’s remarks seemed obvious to me. A blogger once disagreed with something I wrote. Hard to believe, I know, but it happens.
He began: “To all idiots named Burr Deming…”
I responded briefly. Since the blogger hadn’t been more specific, I assumed he was talking about some other Burr Deming.
The Trump folks could have agreed with the President’s call for less hatred. Or they could have ignored it. After all, they could have noted, he was talking about those who hated!. He could not have been referring to Mr. Trump.
David Knight quoted President Obama’s words, then spoke for many conservatives:
He used this to promote political correctness. He used this to slap Donald Trump!
David Knight, December 29, 2016
Among other things that generated irritation that day, Mr. Trump was reported to have been provoked into a simmering anger by the President’s words at Pearl Harbor. He soon posted a reference to what he saw as a provocation.
Several years ago, I wrote about an elderly relative, one whom I love dearly. A few decades back, she became distraught when her Social Security check did not arrive. What would she do now? So much, for her, depended on that check.
Her husband was not a popular character within the family. He was pompous, preening, had a tendency toward self-serving untruth, and a reputation for sticky fingers. He enjoyed spending his wife’s meager funds. He always forgot to mention it to her until much later.
I was pretty sure of what had happened to her check.
He was sullen as he listened to me reassure her. The check was probably just late. But if it was lost or stolen, she could simply report it and get a new check. Social Security had a legal procedure.
If anyone had anything to worry about, it would be whatever dishonest lowlife might have taken the check from her mailbox. Stolen government checks are always traced and thieves are dealt with harshly. If the check had been stolen, authorities would see to it that the culprit would go to prison.
Her hard-to-take husband jumped to his feet in anger. How dare I threaten him with jail!!!
Sometimes a guilty mind is easily provoked.
At Pearl Harbor, the President agreed with the not-so-novel idea that lessons could be drawn from the post-war friendship between Japan and the United States. He proposed that hatred based on ethnic and religious differences might yield to an appreciation of our common humanity: that we might someday live in a world a little closer to international partnership.
It is no surprise that those of us who are repelled by Mr. Trump would detect, in the President’s remarks, a personal rebuke to what we see as a campaign of hatred.
… when hatred burns hottest, even when the tug of tribalism is at its most primal, we must resist the urge to turn inward. We must resist the urge to demonize those who are different.
It is especially notable that Mr. Trump and his devotees can listen to President Obama’s description, and that they so easily recognize what they hear.
Like that thieving husband, the leader of the incoming administration, and those who support him, are angry and indignant.
They peer through a glass, darkly. In the ugly reflection, they are certain that they see themselves.
From John Pavlovitz:
But the truth is, whether they can’t or won’t admit as much right now—they’ve lost too.
This is the thick irony at work in this election; that beyond the superficial idea of their guy winning, the vast majority of Trump’s supporters profit nothing from their vote, because outside of himself, Vladimir Putin, and all but the tiniest percentage of the whitest and wealthiest American males—Donald Trump doesn’t give a damn about them. He is bereft of the slightest concern for their well-being, their safety, or their prosperity, and so they too are losers along with Hillary Clinton, those who voted for her, and the country we all love and call home.
We are all in this terrible defeat together, without caveat or exception.
From osirisopto at Mock Paper Scissors:
[We’re keeping this on top today. Fresh(er) posts below. Make those phone calls, peeps. It’s a new year! — TG]
The secret is the people.
The 50 state strategy works because it builds on the strength of the regular people that make up the base of the Democratic party. The activists. The people who care enough to do something. Those who go out, connect with other people and build relationships.
We need to admit that bitching to your friends on a blog, having fun being snarky on a blog, or lecturing me on a blog isn’t going to make one bit of difference. Yakking with your friends on the digital equivalent of a barstool isn’t going to motivate any congressperson, city councilperson, Mayor, Governor or Senator to do anything.
From driftglass:
Suddenly Chuckles cares about “the democracy”.
C’mon, Chuck, what the hell are you even talking about? For years your “industry” has been little more than “adult entertainment” and I am one adult who is thoroughly entertained by this.