[blind-democracy] Re: Garrison Keillor: too narrowly focused
- From: "Miriam Vieni" <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 13 Feb 2017 13:22:01 -0500
Trump's function was to mobilize enough people to put the far right wing in
power, which he did. And it is now to mobilize enough of them to terrorize the
rest of the population into submission, which he may very well do. Don't sell
him short. He has been able to foment increased open attacks on mosques and
black school children.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Monday, February 13, 2017 11:55 AM
To: blind-democracy
Cc: delores selset; jamesjarvis98
Subject: [blind-democracy] Garrison Keillor: too narrowly focused
While I don't disagree with Garrison Keillor, I do worry some over our
continuing to focus most of our attention on Donald J. Trump.
Frankly, I would relegate him to a Comic Book Character, The Trumpster, and
turn Batman loose on him.
The real threat to that which we have called, "Our American Way of Life", will
be under attack by those cabinet appointees, once confirmed and turned loose to
"Make America Great" again. This, by the way, is code for, "Make America
White".
Donald J. Trump, always the Showman, will continue to distract us with his
twitters and his outrageous contempt for anyone who dares to think differently
than President Trump, distracting us all from the carnage and plunder taking
place in this once beautiful Land.
Carl Jarvis
*****
Manchester Union Leader, Sunday, 2017_02_12 By GARRISON KEILLOR U.S. President
Donald Trump addresses a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe at the White House in Washington, D.C., Feb. 10, 2017.
(REUTERS/Jim Bourg) THE CONSTITUTION does not allow
13-year-olds to become President and now we can see why. The Boy President
proudly holding his latest executive order up for the cameras, to show that he
knows right-side-up from upside-down. Bringing his Supreme Court nominee
onstage ("So was that a surprise? Was it?") Hanging up on the prime minister of
Australia. His homage to Frederick Douglass ("someone who's done an amazing
job") for Black History Month. Twittering about the "so-called judge" who
stopped the Muslim travel ban. Pictured in full smirk at the National Prayer
Breakfast, preening, bloviating ("In towns all across our land, it's plain to
see what we easily forget - so easily we forget this, that the quality of our
lives is not defined by our material success, but by
our spiritual success") on a scale of bloviation equal to Warren G.
Harding
and the great gasbags of the 19th century. You think, let the man be President
but please don't put him in charge of the Weather Service or Amtrak or the TSA.
His homage to the Navy SEAL killed in the botched raid in Yemen showed off his
style. He has only one, the Jerry Lewis Telethon
style:
"Very, very sad, but very, very beautiful. Very, very beautiful. His family was
there. Incredible family, loved him so much. So devastated - he was so
devastated. But the ceremony was amazing."
Bill Murray destroyed this style,
so did Ray of Bob & Ray, Ring Lardner, H.L. Mencken, Sinclair Lewis, Mark Twain
and every satirist who ever lived, and here it is, still walking around, and it
will be the voice of our government for years to come.
Senate
Republicans have been blessing his Cabinet appointees. They might have balked
at Ben Dover for secretary of defense or Hedda Hair for secretary of state, but
the nominees were fairly respectable, compared with the man who nominated them.
They showed dignity. They didn't sit before a Senate committee and talk about
their great TV ratings. They tried to address the subject at hand. They didn't
say, "What an honor. So many great senators here this morning. So very very
important to all of us. Beautiful people.
You do incredible things. So very special."
The National Prayer Breakfast is
one of those deadly official pieties, like sand burrs that you can't get rid
of. Every elected official must now wear a flag pin; more and more public
meetings now begin with the Pledge of Allegiance, grown people whose allegiance
used to be assumed now required to stand and salute the flag, like obedient
grade-school pupils. Why not recite the multiplication tables and the parts of
speech? And then there is the official Prayer Breakfast, which shows the reason
for separation of Church and State: because politicians corrupt the Church.
Jesus was rough on those who pray for show, but there was the Boy President
complimenting the Senate chaplain for his fine prayer, as if it were a
performance. He went on to gas about his agent and his TV show and to say that
as long as we have God, we are never alone and to say that he grew up in a
"churched home" and that it is faith that keeps us strong. He also announced
that we are not only flesh and blood: We each have a soul.
I'd like to believe that he does have one and that we just
haven't seen it yet. I would've been moved if he had said a prayer at the
Prayer Breakfast. A classic Christian prayer, such as "Lord God, You know that
I am unworthy to be here as President. You know that I have lied and worked
hard to incite fear and intolerance and to capitalize on it politically. I have
seduced your believers and made myself their Great White Hope, even though I am
not one of them and never was. You know that I am not capable of executing my
duties as the American people deserve. Lord, I come to You in my unworthiness
and shame and I ask You to take this 'cup' from me. I wish to go to Iowa and
join the Trappist monastery there and take vows of silence and poverty and
learn carpentry or some other useful trade and draw nearer to You in poverty
and prayer. This I pray in Your Name. Amen and Amen."
Had he been in the Spirit, he would've said that. But there will be
more opportunities to come.
Garrison Keillor is an author and radio
personality. .
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