Wednesday, July 5, 2017

ARE YOU FRIGHTENED? YOU SHOULD BE

     Why that question and answer? Because in catching up to the news this AM, I truly realized that the firmament beneath our feet is disturbed, greatly so and the cracks are seen everywhere. No, not talking about the cracks in the road here in the Village, but the cracks in our democracy, the cracks seen in the world where they should not be, the cracks formed in our hearts when one we trust or are supposed to trust, breaks that very same trust in a devastating manner with devastating results.
     There are qualities of office that the officeholder is supposed to have. There are certain qualities that we would hope people have and understand in the 21st century and yet, where are these selfsame qualities? Not here. Where is the honest feeling of appreciation for the trust placed in one's behavior in office? For example, we now have a $35 million contract for TV and cable here in the Village. It is a boondoggle from beginning to end and was not even necessary to have in the first place. At a meeting on Monday, when David Israel was asked for a start date as it seemed to be missing, he causally said oh, it will be there, there will be  a start date. Well, duh, it should start at some unknown date - we hope - but how does one sign a contract without a start date? How does one sign a contract without clauses that take care of the Villagers should Atlantic not be ready on time? How do we have a contract where clauses and terms that were in there were changed and no revote or permission asked or granted? This is a major violation of office and responsibilities and frankly, David Israel has violated every precept of fiscal responsibility in a continuing path that begins in the past and seemingly will continue until he dies, as he seems to have glued himself to the office for life.
     He blew off the concerns of Villagers about the dangerous narrowing of a path to the Haverhill gate and only due to the response of Ed Black and Don Foster to the request to do something by George Lowenstein was anything done. Thank you for that. But that leaves David out in the cold, does it not?
     He is simply a mirror to the nastiness of the rest of the world, to the nastiness of the Reddit guy who posted that vicious video only to have Trump post it on his personal twitter account, along with music no less. The quality of dignity? Nowhere to be found. The quality of accepting criticism and reacting to it as an adult? Nowhere around.
     Instead what we get is a President who is going to meet with the head of an enemy state of ours and he is totally screwed no matter what he does. Does he add or remove sanctions re Ukraine? Does he talk on Putin re the meddling in our elections? Does he offer platitudes and then how does he explain that? Does he come out in the open and admit his collusion? The NSA has definitively shown the degree of Russian interference and hacking and now the Georgia election is being challenged due to the vicious and widespread hacking of their voting system. And now there is growing evidence that the vicious Russian Mafia, the criminals of Russia and the oligarchs are involved. Be frightened people, be frightened. Are you frightened? I am, for this is our country, our democracy, our independence and our future.
     Are you frightened when the lessons we should already know are tweeted by Lady Gaga?  "I wish all people on the internet would be positive and loving and a part of creating an online community that is kind and empowering, not hateful and mean. Work harder to be kinder everybody. That should be your first duty to humanity." 
     Where are the heroes of yesteryear, the people who represent the best in and of us? When the Vatican's quasi official hospital admits to evil practices, when Chaldean Christians who have been facing unbelievable persecution in Iran are first welcomed here by Trump and then being chased by his ICE, then where are we? What are we? Where have all the humane qualities gone?
     In one touch of hope, the original painting of the presentation of the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson was reformatted with descendants of those very same signers, the founders of our nation. And guess what? There was a picture of a diverse population - Native American, Asian, African American, Hispanic, Whites of various religions. That, my friends, is America today and America yesterday and the best America of the future. We need to make sure that it truly remains so. So take the fright and work it, take it where it needs to go and do what needs to be done.
     "We are so many different people. We look so different, we are so different, but we are all the same at the same time." So says one descendant. So must we all say.
This just in. Yesterday NPR tweeted the entire Declaration of Independence in 140 character bits. Morons of the country united and sent tweets to NPR accusing them of fomenting violence and rebellion against Trump and in not such nice terms. Imagine WHEN IN THE COURSE OF HUMAN EVENTS.... the seven most powerful words in human history and these illiterates do not recognize it!! Such is what admires Trump!! G-d help us all.

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