Most noteworthy in a world fueled by feelings, talking heads tell us we have to choose “between war and peace”. Civil war or Civil peace. Certainly this is a false choice and a very dangerous suggestion. More in Unity Confidence Game-American Tribes-Bob Davis Podcast 772.
In conclusion beware of all this unity talk. If we can’t disagree and talk about problems, we can’t solve them. Celebrate differences. Read history. Consequently gain perspective.
These days it feels like we’re in the Summer Doldrums though Summer doesn’t start until June 21st. Find out why podcasters struggle with political and social commentary in today’s news flow in Summer Doldrums-Surreal News-Truth-Podcasting In A Dream World-Podcast 726.
Dream World
I call it the ‘News-Flow’. The dream world where stories flip flop almost hourly.
News Story Flip Flops
We’re having a trade war. Then we’re not. North Korea is going to make a nuclear deal. News is the deal is off. Now suddenly it’s back. Robert Mueller’s investigation will soon yield explosive results! The FBI planted a mole in the Trump campaign. Roseanne’s new comedy is a hit! Oops. It’s been cancelled. We’ll talk about it in Summer Doldrums-Surreal News-Truth-Podcasting In A Dream World-Podcast 726.
Awash In Commentary and Outrage
Moreover every screaming headline comes with analysis and commentary, predictions and counter commentary from all quarters. They’re only to happy to tell us why everyone else is right or wrong.
Is It Real? Or Is it Social Media?
Especially relevant is the feeling that all of this nonsense is building to a serious crisis. Are we all going crazy? Maybe it’s the Ambien. Or maybe the antidepressants. The full moon anyone?
Journalism or Propaganda?
What’s more advancing story lines is not journalism, it’s propaganda. Do the executives, reporters, producers and presenters understand this? Seems like all they want to do is keep people watching and clicking.
Easier To Talk About Roseanne Than The War In Syria
In conclusion maybe it is easier to talk about Roseanne’s latest fiasco, or how the Press Secretary yelled at a reporter than it is to actually cover the war in Syria. Maybe its cheaper to talk about Hollywood’s latest scandal than it is to explain why gas prices are skyrocketing.
What If?
What if all their story lines are wrong? One podcaster’s thoughts on a moonlit night at the beginning of summer.
In Podcast 594-Civil War-Bob Davis Podcasts Radio Show 63, Suddenly people in this country are interested in George Orwell’s 1984. A new movie is being made called ‘Little America‘, a dystopian depiction of what happens after the ‘Trump Administration bankrupts America and the Chinese take over’. Several stories suggest rich people are worried about a Civil War between the haves and the have nots. The Rich are building bunkers and buying reinforced compounds in New Zealand. In fear of a Civil War the Elites are signing up for luxury bunkers in the desert, protected by mercenaries. Academics are getting into the act by lecturing and writing about the Civil War between Athens and Sparta. Of course all of this will be caused by President Trump’s Authoritarian ways.
Tyranny
Of course in order to have tyranny whether it is fascism, communism some kind of junta, or 1984 style mind control, the conditions to support such tyranny have to exist first. Mechanisms like the peaceful transfer of power, countervailing powers, representative state and federal power, and a robust judiciuary governed by a written constitution have to be disabled. The United States differs structurally and significantly from unstable powers that have experienced tyranny like Germany’s Weimar Republic, Italy prior to Mussolini and the Russian Monarchy’s spectacular failure prior to Bolshevism.
In Podcast 594-Civil War-Bob Davis Podcasts Radio Show 63, reaction to the first week of the Trump presidency has been nothing short of hysterical. From Shia Laboufe’s ranting in New York City to the media taking the bait on an almost hourly basis either pointing out that Trump is always wrong or asking what he is doing. Honestly, it seems like Trump is doing exactly what he promised and what the people that voted for him expect him to do. From the controversy with the Mexican government over the wall, to the back and forth about illegals voting and brining back torture, the media is like a moth to a flame. As Trump and the administration tweets and stunts and the media reacts, the new president is signing executive orders and readying legislation. These real actions aren’t getting nearly as much coverage as his tweets and comments. None of it is getting any real substantive or investigative reporting.
Now the American Left is convinced we won’t last through the presidency of Donald Trump. Now the left is posting the crazy memes on social media. Now the left is putting up You Tube videos predicting a massive economic failure and national takeover of one kind or another. How quickly they forget their brethren on the right who were posting videos telling the world us Barack Obama wouldn’t leave the White House and would declare martial law, or that Hillary Clinton and her reptilian cohorts would stage a coup and remove Trump before he could be sworn in.
Civil War?
In Podcast 594-Civil War-Bob Davis Podcasts Radio Show 63, Civil War. Really? Civil Wars are the bloodiest wars of all. Time for a little history lesson regarding the American Civil War, which killed over six hundred thousand people in a country which boasted only 33 million at the time. This is the worst war in American history, worse even than World War II which only claimed somewhere around four hundred five thousand casualties. It almost goes without saying that the fissures that sparked the Civil War in the US were significant. Nothing like the minor political differences we have to today.
After the National Park Service and the EPA tweeted and spoke out about the new president’s supposed positions on Climate Change, they were told to stop tweeting. This is viewed as tyranny? Does anyone remember Reagan firing the air traffic controllers? What about Harry Truman firing Douglas MacArthur for doing exactly what the park service in the Badlands did; Going around the president to the media with a position that undermines the boss. What is the difference between a public servant and a civil servant? A public servant has an election certificate and has been chosen by the people to represent their interests. A civil servant works for elected officials.
Then there’s the executive orders. People hated Obama for issuing executive orders because he was blocked by a republican congress, but suddenly Trump’s use of executive orders is just fine? What’s the history of executive orders? How many executive orders have been issued? Which president issued more in recent history? In short the use of executive orders, which have been issued starting with Washington, does not make any president a dictator. It is the content and constitutionality of those orders that is in question.
Finally almost everyone is predicting Trump’s presidency will be a disaster. This podcaster refuses to take sides or defend this president, but will give credit where credit is due. As was suggested at the dawn of the Obama presidency concerning the Stimulus, what if it works? Of course we know the ARRA was a dismal failure in terms of making the economy grow. So let’s afford Trump the same consideration and ask what if his policies work? If the United States starts experiencing 4 to 5 percent economic growth per year for the next few years, things are going to be completely different in this country.
In Bob Davis Podcasts Radio Show 63, when Reagan came into office in 1981, some people thought he would be a great president. Others weren’t sure Carter was so bad, despite the economic problems the country faced at the time. 2 years later, we all knew James Earl Carter, for all his sincerity and honesty, had been a terrible administrator. It was hard for some to recognize what a good president Reagan was but eventually many did. Is it possible people will be saying the same about Trump in a couple of years?
