Yesterday I wrote that I had read the column of Thomas Friedman in the Times and that of Roger Cohen the day before and was disturbed by them. Not so much as disagree with them but from the fact that I found myself agreeing with their analysis and its implications. This morning I wake up to lots of articles analyzing Trump's contradictory trip to Mexico on the one hand and his immigration speech in Phoenix. To put it bluntly, I am confused, upset and worried.
Cohen describes Trump with these words: "...bullying, his petulance, his egomania, his ignorance, his mendacity, his racism, his hair trigger temper, his arrogance, his disorganization and his misogyny..." He feels that his campaign is a hate filed one.
Then we have Friedman who is going right along the same lines and worries about "The damage that Trump could do to our nation with his blend of intellectual laziness, towering policy ignorance and reckless impulsiveness.....(and) is in a class of his own. ....Hillary has some personal issues she needs to confront but she has the chops to be president."
He then asks the question of my title: "Are we all just Shiites and Sunnis now?"
And this is what bothers me. First we have the fact that so many of the so called politicians and servants of the public to be are running along the lines of Trump or are in place from a prior election and that bodes no good for the people of the USA. For an example, reread the adjectives describing Trump and think about how many can allegedly be applied and/or are descriptive of the current president of UCO in his attitudes and behavior and how many describe some of his followers, including the racism or ethnic hatred of others.
Be that as it may, it also disturbs me to realize that we have allowed our leaders of this caliber, allowed a current presidential candidate of this caliber, to reach this point and it does not speak very well of us for we allowed this. We did not take Trump's campaign seriously - and neither did many people in Germany who had the power to stop Hitler in his tracks, but they thought that he was a joke, good to control the restive people, and they could in turn control him. Well, now who had the last laugh - or cry - there and what about here?
Are we so hate filled, so anti each other that all we can see are the Shiite or Sunni markings, so to speak, on the foreheads of all? Are we to break down, Balkanize in our stupidity and nastiness? Are we to keep doing things in the dark, secretly, sell our souls for what we perceive to be for our benefit, selfish or not?
Are we constantly going to ignore the fact that the truth will out? Today's Jerusalem Post and I am waiting for American papers and news media to catch up on this, states that there was a secret addendum agreement on the Iran nuclear deal which allows for Iran to keep extra enriched uranium, all the better to make bombs, my dear, and it was agreed to so as to avoid delay of relieving some of the economic sanctions of Iran!!! Truly, as if that was my concern instead of the existential threat that Iran was to Israel, to the peace of the Middle East and indeed, the peace of the world. Look at the nonsense they are pulling in the seas off their shores and we give them leeway?
Here is an example of one of the useless treaties and pacts between Sunnis and Shiites that have been proliferating like weeds and mean nothing in the reality of the world. It is the pacts and ceasefires of the Ukraine which never seem to hold. It is the ceasefires and pacts between Israel and some of their oh so lovely terrorist gangs that surround them that also never seem to hold as the next rocket comes flying over the border into a kindergarten building or the next attack comes in a restaurant or bus bombing.
Sunnis and Shiites. Who are we and what are we? Has the entire world descended, gone backwards in evolution, and reformed into smaller tribes and clan groupings, lost the idea of nationhood, where that means the acceptance and absorption of all? Just listen to Trump's speech yesterday and he is right back where he started, perhaps even worse. After a talk with the President of Mexico he then contradicts what was reportedly said and agreed upon and now restates the wall issue - oh yes, it is going up and Mexico is paying for it all, and the illegal immigrant issue with his sweeping the country clear of all illegal immigrants and tossing them out, no distinction allowed for time lived here, contributions to society, the splitting of families, the distinction between criminals and good people of society - nothing, just get 'em out and who will do that? Are we going to have a deportation police force?
And yet even as we look at this world we must question this splitting of the seas of humanity into hostile groupings. Just as the world seems to be splitting, so too is our world here in CV and our larger world of the country. We had a stalemate with no action taken to relieve issues that we needed to deal with here, we allow a vacancy to stand on the Court and we allow this Village to disintegrate, with words of hate to flow, with speech repressed and the people denied their rightful representation and administration.
Are we all Sunnis? Are we all Shiites? Or can we all become one again, with peaceful opposition all over and respect for the opinion of others, no threats to shut them down, to lock them away in asylums (thank you, PC!!), to even kill them should we come to that and in many places of the world that level has long ago been attained - or rather fallen to.
Are we to be governed by people of Trump's caliber and character or rather lack of, or will we regain our senses and go for the better options - even if they are not perfect for perfection is not a reality item. We are all human and what is it that is said? That it is only human to err, to make a mistake. The point which makes us greater is that we can all recognize an error and fix it so why can we not leave our Sunniness or our Shiiteness behind us and form an usness? Simple, but oh so difficult. And meanwhile, where is that damn clock? Are we closer and closer to midnight after all? Tick. Tock.
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