by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist
Yesterday was the 16th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America which brought down both towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and punched a big whole in the Pentagon. In addition to thousands of lives lost on the ground, the crew and passengers of four commercial airliners also perished.
We all know the story of the attacks and their aftermath. A couple of dozen young Saudi Arabians commandeered the passenger planes while they were in the air and, in three cases, managed to fly them into their designated targets. The hijackers in the fourth plane had their plans interrupted when passengers staged a physical revolt. Those hijackers opted to crash their plane into a Pennsylvania field rather than try to reach the U.S. Capitol. Our glorious leader at the time, George W. Bush, (once he came out of hiding), promptly sent all members of the Saudi royal family home and then declared war on Iraq. Not too long after that he also began pursuing war in Afghanistan, a war that rages to this very day.
A reporter on National Public Radio (NPR) yesterday asked several individuals about their memories of what they were doing on the day of the attacks, and then followed up with a query as to whether those people felt that the attacks served to unify America. One young man - who sounded remarkably like one of my neighbors from further on down the road - said that he felt the events of 9/11 did bring the country together, but that now, sadly, the media was tearing it apart.
It was, I surmised, a stunning conclusion on his part, given the facts at play in the world in which I live.
Donald Trump has told this young man and all of my other neighbors who live further on down the road that the media lies and that it is tearing America apart - and those poor folk believe him with all their hearts and souls. Anything that shows the world in terms that make them uncomfortable obviously can't be right - and then when Trump himself yells "fake news" or ridicules a journalist from his High Podium, their fears are encased in cement and made real.
Of course, this particular neighbor and all of the others who drink from the same pitcher of Trump kool-aid are not completely wrong. Our country is being torn apart and our historical values tested as they have never been before. The source of the disharmony and outrage, however, is not the media nearly as much as it is our leader. Donald Trump campaigned by pitting elements of society against one another, and sadly he governs the same way.
We are no longer a nation indivisible, we are a patchwork country of special interests who are being encouraged to turn on one another. The person who has worked so successfully to destroy our national unity is Donald John Trump. Every day he and his administration work tirelessly to drive wedges into society and split us apart. Separate and unequal - that's how Trump likes us. Disunity feeds his libido and sustains his power.
What America needs is a world class leader with the heart, soul, and intellect to bring us together. What we have is a greedy, self-serving, narcissist demagogue solely focused on feathering his own nest. It feels like a truly bad reality television show.
Donald Trump is tearing America apart, and he is doing it intentionally.
Citizen Journalist
Yesterday was the 16th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America which brought down both towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and punched a big whole in the Pentagon. In addition to thousands of lives lost on the ground, the crew and passengers of four commercial airliners also perished.
We all know the story of the attacks and their aftermath. A couple of dozen young Saudi Arabians commandeered the passenger planes while they were in the air and, in three cases, managed to fly them into their designated targets. The hijackers in the fourth plane had their plans interrupted when passengers staged a physical revolt. Those hijackers opted to crash their plane into a Pennsylvania field rather than try to reach the U.S. Capitol. Our glorious leader at the time, George W. Bush, (once he came out of hiding), promptly sent all members of the Saudi royal family home and then declared war on Iraq. Not too long after that he also began pursuing war in Afghanistan, a war that rages to this very day.
A reporter on National Public Radio (NPR) yesterday asked several individuals about their memories of what they were doing on the day of the attacks, and then followed up with a query as to whether those people felt that the attacks served to unify America. One young man - who sounded remarkably like one of my neighbors from further on down the road - said that he felt the events of 9/11 did bring the country together, but that now, sadly, the media was tearing it apart.
It was, I surmised, a stunning conclusion on his part, given the facts at play in the world in which I live.
Donald Trump has told this young man and all of my other neighbors who live further on down the road that the media lies and that it is tearing America apart - and those poor folk believe him with all their hearts and souls. Anything that shows the world in terms that make them uncomfortable obviously can't be right - and then when Trump himself yells "fake news" or ridicules a journalist from his High Podium, their fears are encased in cement and made real.
Of course, this particular neighbor and all of the others who drink from the same pitcher of Trump kool-aid are not completely wrong. Our country is being torn apart and our historical values tested as they have never been before. The source of the disharmony and outrage, however, is not the media nearly as much as it is our leader. Donald Trump campaigned by pitting elements of society against one another, and sadly he governs the same way.
We are no longer a nation indivisible, we are a patchwork country of special interests who are being encouraged to turn on one another. The person who has worked so successfully to destroy our national unity is Donald John Trump. Every day he and his administration work tirelessly to drive wedges into society and split us apart. Separate and unequal - that's how Trump likes us. Disunity feeds his libido and sustains his power.
What America needs is a world class leader with the heart, soul, and intellect to bring us together. What we have is a greedy, self-serving, narcissist demagogue solely focused on feathering his own nest. It feels like a truly bad reality television show.
Donald Trump is tearing America apart, and he is doing it intentionally.
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