WHAT HAS BECOME OF AMERICA ?

I was recently sent this photo by Bob in California. It is from the New York Times. His only comment was, “Yep, we’re still having fun across the pond!!!”

What else can one say. Who says American’s don’t do sarcasm and irony? As the photo was in black and white I pondered what the colours might be like. Trump would of course be the American flag, and I surmised that God might be embroidered in gold. I googled to see if there was a colour version on display, and to my astonishment, the following offers emerged.

I also found the colour version of the photo. It heads an opinion piece by David French published in the New York Times on 23^rd April 2023, titled “Gun Idolatry is destroying the case for guns”.  I have not read the article as I have not subscribed to the New York Times and have been informed that I have reached the limit of free articles. 

 

As to whether the case of guns is being destroyed, I wonder. The very idea of equating God with Trump, as well as guns, is more than somewhat disturbing. Indeed looking at the people in the picture, apart from the T shirt, they are wearing what appears to be surplus military camouflage jackets.  There are many people in the background. This must clearly be some sort of gathering in support of their hero, and they are not the least bit embarrassed by their sartorial display. On the contrary seem rather proud of it. I was wrong about ‘God’ being embossed in gold thread; indeed, God and Guns are both in cold gun metal silver, only Trump is clothed in the American flag. 

 

As an extension of their corps belief they also seek to unify and control the education and thinking of their children, and so they have grouped together to ban books and oppose any teaching of liberal arts or free thinking of any kind in schools. They have invaded libraries and taken over the conduct and regulations of schools under the guise of seeking parental control and liberty. Certain state governors are equally committed to a big brother approach to learning. Florida and Texas are clear examples of this trend.  

 

Whilst researching the t shirt slogan I also came across a quote from General James Mattis. “James Norman Mattis (born September 8, 1950) is a retired United States Marine Corps four star general who served as the 26^th US secretary of defence from 2017 to 23019.  During his 44 years in the Marine Corps, he commanded forces in the Persian Gulf War, the War in Afghanistan and the Iraq War. He served under three presidents but his time as secretary of defence was under Donald Trump.” There is a telling quote from the general which is probably  why he was in the job for only 2 years:

“They started by rounding up all the teachers. They wanted to extinguish free thought, and the spark of questioning and dissent.

To a totalitarian dictator, an open and inquisitive mind is more dangerous even than a Marine with a rifle."
 

Given that the United States is now hell bent on banning books and free thought in education, could one not compare the MAGA fundamentalists with the Khmer Rouge? Are they not about rounding up the teachers under the guise of “Moms for Liberty” and other such groups?

 

It is as if they have become robots or machines who seek to take over the world. Their uniformity of dress and demeanour is rather like the original Terminator on a quest to destroy John Connor, and in doing so will kill anything that gets in its way and has the appearance of free intellectual thought. They are the enforcers of judgement day. If only they were just science fiction, but they are unfortunately very much with us.  I am not suggesting that the Maga force and leadership is, as yet, on a par with Pol Pot, but they are not far off.  The American electorate has already let it happen once, to let it happen again would be catastrophic. To pretend otherwise would be extremely short-sighted.  Could the killing fields come to America? Given the numbers of school and public mass shootings some would surmise it’s already there.

 

The current American Tragedy is more than just a tragic love story. It is the twisting of the spirit of the founding fathers of 1776 into a blind and fanatical adherence to a rigid religious notion of fundamentalist dogma without reason or thought of any kind. It is summed up as God Guns and Trump.

Really? I ask you?

 

 

 

 

CHOOSING ONE'S OWN REALITY

 

Mr Raab complains that the threshold for bullying is too low. He fails to understand that it is in fact very high and that the standard of behaviour expected of a government minister is indeed a high mark, as it should be. Any government in any democratic society, if it is to remain in power, must display the highest standards of integrity and accountability. If not, then it is without any credibility at all. The low standard as set by Mr Johnson cannot be tolerated, and it would seem that all his chosen ministers, who still remain in government, do not understand what honesty, integrity and accountability actually mean. The privilege of power in a democracy demands the highest comportment and behaviour in every aspect. Without that high threshold the United Kingdom will continue to be viewed as a sideshow to the rest of the world. How can the United Kingdom hope to remain a powerful voice for democracy elsewhere if it has no standards at home? The bar for integrity has to be set high for a reason. The petulant Mr Raab and his conservative colleagues seem to forget that.

Managing a government department should be performed with professionalism and real leadership. Requesting excellence from one’s co-workers and cooperation can only be achieved by displaying the highest standards oneself. If leading by example has any value or meaning, then the highest standards must prevail. Mr Raab’s behaviour is clearly so low that he doesn’t realise the problem. He believes himself to be a perfectionist, rather than a bully. A perfectionist would never be complained of, nor would they display aggressive and intimidating behaviour of any kind. Mr Raab needs to grow up. He apparently attended Dr Challoner’s Grammar School, Amersham whose motto is AD ASTRA PER ASPERA – Through hardship to the stars. I’m not sure whether there is any great lesson to be learned from that, but in any event Dominic Raab must view it as an endorsement to pushing his way through to success of some kind, come what may. In other words, being a bully. I suppose it’s one way of approaching life. Kellyanne Conway claimed in January 2017 that you chose your own reality, your own alternative facts. She was one of Mr Trump’s counsellors at the time. Mr Raab has clearly adopted this as his current motto in keeping with his reach to the stars.

LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE LAWYERS

Thursday 20^th April 2023

On looking into legal teams for Dominion I was not aware that the legal profession had reached such fashionable status as to become ‘boutique’ enterprises.

 

Davida Brook, Justin Nelson, and Stephen Shackelford, are partners in the firm Susman Godfrey LLP. They claim on their website:

“Susman Godfrey is America’s premier litigation boutique. Our talented group of lawyers handle high-stakes litigation for both plaintiffs and defendants nationwide. Because we work on both sides of the docket, we know what our opposition is thinking. With more than 150 trial lawyers in four offices from coast to coast, we handle the most challenging cases throughout the country. We offer a broad range of creative, flexible fee structures which align our and our clients’ interests. Traditional hourly billing accounts for a very small percentage of our work. Because we often share risk with our clients, evaluating cases accurately is crucial, and we do it early and often.”

 

“In 1976, firm founder Steve Susman set up a plaintiffs’ commercial litigation practice inside a small Houston maritime law firm. Four years later, Susman’s band of fledgling trial lawyers won the then-largest verdict in antitrust history in the landmark Corrugated Containers case. Soon after, the group formed their own commercial litigation boutique, adding Lee Godfrey in 1983. Godfrey continued as a co-managing partner until his retirement in 2013. Since its founding, the firm has grown organically, and a majority of our lawyers have opted to spend their entire careers here. Susman Godfrey offices in Los Angeles, Seattle, and New York have grown into powerhouses that represent both plaintiffs and defendants in a wide variety of complex, commercial litigation. Yet the firm remains a cohesive unit. Trial teams often include personnel from two or more offices. All partners, of counsel, and associates meet weekly to discuss and act on case acceptance matters and other issues. Each of these lawyers has the same vote on most questions, including employment and case acceptance decisions.”

 

Steve Susman was born in Houston, did law at University of Texas and at Yale graduating magna cum laude. Lee Godfrey is another Texan who attended University of Texas and Yale Institute of Far Eastern Languages. Godfrey was President Clinton’s choice for U.S. Ambassador to Brazil in 1996.

 

There are now some 90 Partners in the firm, most of whom operate from Houston, with offices in New York, Los Angeles and Seattle. There are some 168 attorneys on the roster with two managing partners. Vineet Bhatia (Rice and Columbia Law) in Houston, and Kalpana Srinivasan (Yale and Stanford Universities) in Los Angeles.

 

 

The leading trio that acted for Dominion in their suit against Fox are Stephen Shackelford from the New York Office (Harvard University and Harvard Law 2005), Davida Brook from Los Angeles (Columbia and Stanford Law), and Justin A Nelson (Yale and Columbia University 2000) based in Houston.

Shackelford - Brook - Nelson

The boutique operates on a mainly contingency fee basis which, I believe, starts at about 1/3 depending on the case and client. They do accommodate smaller pockets and have a thriving pro bono practice, which they should after having obtained something in the region of $262.5 million on the 19^th April 2023. One should note however that there were other law firms involved including Alexandria, Va. based Clare Locke LLP, a firm with defamation law expertise, and Delaware’s, Farnan LLP. Clare Locke are the lawyers in the case against Sidney Powell, Rudolph W Giuliani and My Pillow Inc. (Mike Lidell). Clare Locke is another of the American boutique firms. They are not as grand. Tom Clare is a University of Notre Dane graduate whilst Libby Locke is Georgetown University Law and New York University B.A.

 

 

It's good to know that Litigation Boutiques have such prominence on the American scene. It is so gratifying to know that trying on lawyers is equated with trying on dresses. Indeed there is little distinction between the two. Boutiques always seem to have the best off the peg as well as access to the best bespoke. Whatever is in fashion always comes with accessories, hence the plethora of lawyers at all the press briefings.

 

I would also note, for those who were fans of TV Series Frasier you will note the similarity between Libby Locke and Harriet Sansom Harris who portrayed Frasier’s agent Bebe Glazer.

 

Here is a short view of Bebe at work. I am sure Libby is just as in control.

WHERE ARE WE AT ?

disarray American Heritage® Dictionary

 (dĭs′ə-rā′)

n.

1. A state of disorder; confusion.

2. Disorderly dress.

tr.v. dis·ar·rayed, dis·ar·ray·ing, dis·ar·rays

1. To throw into confusion; upset.

2. To undress.

disarray Collins English Dictionary

(ˌdɪsəˈreɪ)

n

1. confusion, dismay, and lack of discipline

2. (Clothing & Fashion) (esp of clothing) disorderliness; untidiness

vb (tr)

3. to throw into confusion

4. (Clothing & Fashion) archaic to undress

My current state of being. It is a condition that has been brought about by the view I have of the world outside my front door. It gives me pause to even contemplate going through it.  My opinion on a number of matters is similar to that of many others I have read and heard in newspapers and over the world wide web. The fact that so many people of note and, supposed, influence, who have gained access to equally noteworthy and influential media outlets, have expressed similar opinions about the state of the world and yet the situation is still in disarray and deteriorating, has thrown me into confusion. Hence I pause before setting foot outside. 

The Ukraine is ploddingly becoming a graveyard of ash and rubble. The far east has the appearance of a swarm of stinging insects flying menacingly around a potential nesting site in the seas of east and south China and the Philippines. The middle east is a cauldron overflowing with fundamentalist religious zealots of all kinds, oozing with misogyny and homophobia, all allegedly worshipping the same God, and totally incapable of adhering to his/her teachings. The misogyny and homophobia on the African continent are equally horrific and deadly.  The Junta of Myanmar continues its violent oppression. Western Europe and the Americas are in the throes of such divisive political leadership as to appear completely stagnant and incapable of reasserting the stability it once held over world affairs.  The world is in disarray.

The rich and powerful western nations are so self absorbed at present that any international accord appears held together by a single fraying thread. The United Kingdom has a government on its last legs eking out last-minute repressive legislation and, having turned inward due to Brexit, is dismantling the progressive democratic state it took so long to create. Its essential health, safety and economic services are at their lowest ebb.

The United States has a well-meaning man at its helm, but he is really past his sell-by date. The alternatives in the running are budding fascists, prepared to destroy any concept of liberal education and free thought (banning and burning books/assaults on libraries) and a criminal, clinically psychotic, narcissist of the worst kind. The French President is seen as some Frenchified Margaret Thatcher in the making, potentially making way for a thoroughly far right successor in Le Pen. 

Speaking of the far right there is an interesting video essay on MSNBC by Mehdi Hasan which is an interesting view concerning Marjorie Taylor Greene::

These are not healthy or happy thoughts. Is it any wonder I am in disarray? I read, listen to and watch various columnists in print and on line, in the Guardian, some articles in the Economist, a few in the LA Times, CNN, CBS, MSNBC, Puck (Julia Ioffe), the Young Turks and a number of other YouTube pundits such as Wisecrack, Brian Tyler Cohen, etc. All these outlets give one the feeling that there are sufficient numbers of like-minded individuals who, when it comes to the ballot box, will elect representatives who are committed to public service.

When I say like-minded I do not mean people expressing the same views and supporting the same political parties. I do mean people who have a genuine interest in a democratic process, a profound respect for the rule of law and concern for the welfare of their fellow citizens. Public service can take many forms and the provision of services by the state is the subject of much debate and has a multiplicity of solutions. There are some who firmly believe that the private sector offers the better and more efficient method of providing those services as opposed to those who believe the state should take the full responsibility in providing the essential services. Some would argue that it is a combination of both. However those services are provided, it is important that those representatives elected to government have a genuine and committed belief to assist and ensure that their constituents, of whatever political persuasion, get the best out of the services provided.  Too many would-be representatives appear to be in it for the show or out of some ambition to obtain fame or power. That has nothing to do with pubic service but everything to do with lip service.

Public service is not easy. Being a constituency representative is not easy. The state has a multiplicity of tasks to juggle as well as providing for the general welfare of the population. In order to accomplish this it raises funds through an agreed procedure, legislated into law. Various departments are created to administer and coordinate the necessary tasks required to maintain the state. Each department is allocated a budget. Heads of department, as chosen by the leadership, then seek to put the various party policies into action. It is then that the overall character of the government makes itself known to the citizen, as well as the effectiveness and efficiency of the particular head of department. In many countries it’s not going so well at the moment. The United Kingdom is a shambles. Its ministers are out of touch and are allowed to pursue whatever fantasy comes to mind. Thirteen years of faff and disarray, surely must be enough.

As to the United States the rumblings of extremists grow in intensity and what was once a population that believed in and adhered to a concept of liberty and justice for all, we see those same words twisted in order to curtail freedom and justice from those with whom they disagree.

One of the effects of that is a group called “Moms for Liberty”. A group created in Florida,  supposedly, to support parental rights in schools. It is in fact a group dedicated to censoring education and creating a hostile and dangerous environment contrary to the safety of their children because of some bizarre notions about vaccinations. They are against COVID-19 restrictions in schools, including mask and vaccine mandates. In addition they are also against school curriculums that mention LGBT rights, race, critical race theory, and discrimination, and multiple chapters have also campaigned to ban books that deal with gender and sexuality issues from school libraries. Just what sort of liberty are they promoting? This is part of Ron DeSantis’s Florida constituency.

Unless the voices, I see and hear on the mixed media I have mentioned above, are part of the majority of American voters, then the total collapse of the United States into isolated extremist fundamentalism is assured. For Lauren Boebert and Marjory Taylor Greene to be so frequently given media attention is allowing them to reach as many potential voters as possible way beyond their own particular constituencies. Given the numbers of Maga fanatics who love to hear this nonsense, all this free air time seems excessive, particularly given the susceptibility the American public has to advertising. It is what gives Trump and his ‘base’ their edge.

Many people are upset with the MTG interview conducted by journalist Leslie Stahl on ’60 Minutes’, a prominent programme on American Television. Critics felt Ms Stahl did not push back enough on the more outlandish remarks made by Ms Greene. American news networks are in disarray over the issue.

All of this disarray just heightens my sense of unease. There will be general elections in the UK and in the United States in 2024. I shudder to think what might happen should the conservative parties in both countries be elected. It will be far more extreme in the US but the UK will not be far behind. Talk of disarray.

YOU GET WHAT YOU VOTE FOR

There is a piece on CNN relating to State Representatives in Tennessee. You can find it at: 

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/06/us/tennessee-democrats-office-removal-vote/index.html

 

Tennessee’s Republican-led House expels 2 Democratic lawmakers over gun reform protest, fails in bid to oust a third

Andone           Young

By Dakin Andone, Ryan Young, Amy Simonson and Steve Almasy, CNN

Updated 10:36 PM EDT, Thu April 6, 2023

 

 

Whilst it is sad and shocking, and numerous people have cried out that the actions of the Tennessee House of Representatives are undemocratic and an assault on democracy, it is anything but that. It is a simple matter of you get what you vote for.

 

I assume that all the elected representatives in the Tennessee State government, in all its offices, were voted in by the citizens of Tennessee on the electoral register. This would have been an example of a free and democratic election conducted according to the laws of the State.

 

Those elected representatives are there to represent the people of the constituencies that elected them.  If the House then chooses to exclude certain members they judge as being disruptive and bringing disrepute to the House, then that is part of what they are elected to do on behalf of their constituents.

 

I repeat, these people were voted into office by the electorate of the State. That they fail to understand the gravity of their actions in terms of what would seem to be the very vocal opinion of that electorate is typical of what appears to be happening in the United States today.

 

Mr Justin Jones put it very clearly. when he remarked “How can you bring dishonor to an already dishonorable house?” (Forgive the American spelling).

 

As against that, there is a paragraph with reference to the Speaker of the House, Mr Cameron Sexton:

 

“Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton said peaceful protesters have always been welcomed to the capitol to have their voices heard on any issue, but that the actions of the Democratic lawmakers had detracted from that process. “In effect, those actions took away the voices of the protestors, the focus on the six victims who lost their lives, and the families who lost their loved ones,” Sexton said in a series of tweets Monday.

“We cannot allow the actions of the three members to distract us from protecting our children. We will get through this together, and it will require talking about all solutions,” Sexton said.”

 

These three rebellious representatives were seeking an immediate ban of all assault weapons. The killings in Nashville have yet again enraged a number of citizens to call for immediate action to protect their children from being slaughtered. Mr Sexton would have you believe that he too is only interested in ‘protecting our children”; yet he does nothing about it, and rather than support the outcry for a ban on guns he wants to waffle on about “solutions”.

 

What solutions does he propose? On that we have no information. Putting forward an immediate positive partial ‘solution’ of getting rid of the guns, is not part of his thinking. Instead he obfuscates and refers to protest as a distraction.

 

But what has occurred in Tennessee is what is happening all over the United States with a culture that insists on bearing arms. Is is about the only article of the constitution that is adhered to with such godly reverence. Clearly anyone who is against that proposition is unfit for office and so is expulsed from legislative bodies.

 

So we have the likes of Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Ted Cruz, Cameron Sexton and others, all of whom have been elected by their constituents in local elections, in a free society. These are all democratic elections so far.

 

White supremacy may be a problem. Gun control may be a problem. Racism may be a problem. Continually voting for white supremacist, racists and gun carrying fanatics is to allow the madness to continue and grow in intensity. It would seem you can only get rid of them at the ballot box. What is most tragic for America is that it cannot see that the arch believer in this status quo is Donald Trump. A man who claimed during a white supremacist clash with anti-fascists, that there are good people on both sides, and a man who told January 6^th insurgents, “We love you”, as well as advocating grabbing pussy, is the man millions of the current electorate seek to put in the White House for a second term.

 

That any right minded citizen in full possession of their faculties can even contemplate such a proposal is the undoing of the United States of America. It will carry on slaughtering its people, and its children in particular, so long as it adheres to violence (in all its forms) as a solution. Land of the free? Pull the other one. Land of the laissez fair free for all is a more appropriate double edged term. You get what you vote for.