Good point Murray: and it's the accomplices that have clearly, in some ways, become as potent. I am coming closer to supporting the idea of a truth and reconciliation commission.
Then I suggest you read "Country of My Skull" by Antjie Krog, a very well-researched and reported account of that process as it unfolded in South Africa. We had a T & R commission here in Canada to deal with how our country's mistreated First Nations peoples. It came up with over 200 recommendations. Unsurprisingly, successive governments have so far failed to act on more than a handful. But as an exercise in consciousness raising & paradigm shifting it was much more successful.
It's a wonderful book. And yes, in my time in South Africa, while the injustice remained severe, the idea of what democracy is had spread very widely among Black South Africans, and was broadly supported, because of these commissions.
The thing is we didn't "watch Trump pack immigrant children into cages, where they sickened and wept inconsolably for their parents." We watched any number of all-too willing accomplices carry out Trump's (or, more likely, Stephen Miller's) policy (because since when has Trump been the least bit interested in policy) and unlike (let us hope) Trump, none of them are going away. Time to give another listen to Buffy Ste. Marie's old classic, "Universal Soldier."
True, Murray. Any number of people promoted their own interests and agendas through Trump, including (for example) the private prison contractors who ran those facilities. If they had not been willing and able to expand the government's capacity to incarcerate, it would have severely limited Trump/Miller's ability to enact such a policy And that is an important aspect of this.
I very much appreciate your perspective on how we've arrived here. Along with concerns about the next 12 days, I'm looking beyond that. I want (perhaps naively) to find ways to hold McConnell, Hawley, et al accountable for their craven behavior.
In a future column, perhaps you could address how the Democrats in the House, Senate, and the White House, with razor-thin majorities and a very large portion of the population seemingly still supporting the Republicans, can move forward. How do we as citizens push them to address the white supremacists and Trump enablers still in government?
Sure! If they want it, that would be amazing. Ask them for money and we will split it -- or if they don't to pay for a reprint, see if they will pay you to translate.
This was an excellent précis of this terrible week.
Thank you Adam! I appreciate your support :-)
Good point Murray: and it's the accomplices that have clearly, in some ways, become as potent. I am coming closer to supporting the idea of a truth and reconciliation commission.
Then I suggest you read "Country of My Skull" by Antjie Krog, a very well-researched and reported account of that process as it unfolded in South Africa. We had a T & R commission here in Canada to deal with how our country's mistreated First Nations peoples. It came up with over 200 recommendations. Unsurprisingly, successive governments have so far failed to act on more than a handful. But as an exercise in consciousness raising & paradigm shifting it was much more successful.
It's a wonderful book. And yes, in my time in South Africa, while the injustice remained severe, the idea of what democracy is had spread very widely among Black South Africans, and was broadly supported, because of these commissions.
The thing is we didn't "watch Trump pack immigrant children into cages, where they sickened and wept inconsolably for their parents." We watched any number of all-too willing accomplices carry out Trump's (or, more likely, Stephen Miller's) policy (because since when has Trump been the least bit interested in policy) and unlike (let us hope) Trump, none of them are going away. Time to give another listen to Buffy Ste. Marie's old classic, "Universal Soldier."
True, Murray. Any number of people promoted their own interests and agendas through Trump, including (for example) the private prison contractors who ran those facilities. If they had not been willing and able to expand the government's capacity to incarcerate, it would have severely limited Trump/Miller's ability to enact such a policy And that is an important aspect of this.
I very much appreciate your perspective on how we've arrived here. Along with concerns about the next 12 days, I'm looking beyond that. I want (perhaps naively) to find ways to hold McConnell, Hawley, et al accountable for their craven behavior.
In a future column, perhaps you could address how the Democrats in the House, Senate, and the White House, with razor-thin majorities and a very large portion of the population seemingly still supporting the Republicans, can move forward. How do we as citizens push them to address the white supremacists and Trump enablers still in government?
Thanks for the comment, and the suggestion. I will do it!
One of your best essay ever, without a doubt. I want to translate it into Spanish and send it to Mexico's Universal newspaper. Thoughts?
Sure! If they want it, that would be amazing. Ask them for money and we will split it -- or if they don't to pay for a reprint, see if they will pay you to translate.