Imagery

By Hank Silverberg

Greenland is anything but green. Eighty percent of the island is ice capped, and the 56 thousand or so people who reside there all live in small towns along the coast. The name “Greenland,” or “Groenland” in old Norse, was a marketing tool used by Eric the Red in the 10^th Century to draw Viking settlers to the land. It didn’t work. The island is now owned by Denmark, and about a third of its population, about 16 thousand people, live in the capital of Nuuk.

(Homes in Nuuk,, Courtesy of Greenland.gov)

Why is this relevant? Well, Donald Trump says he wants to buy Greenland. It’s not the first time an American has suggested this. The United States made inquiries as early as 1867 about buying the island. After all, “Seward’s Folly,” the other frozen tundra, Alaska, which the U.S. had bought from Russia the same year, looked very promising.  

The United States sent troops to Greenland during World War Two for strategic reasons, which is why the United States still has a military base there near a village called Kulusuk. Harry Truman offered $100 million for Greenland in 1947. The Danes said, no thanks. 

 So, why did Trump bring the issue up again? Perhaps, despite his repeated denial of climate change, he has heard reports that the ice cap on Greenland is shrinking, making the land more valuable and the extraction of its many natural resources less expensive.

https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2018/4/11/17219020/greenland-ice-melt-climate-change

Or it could be that he’s worried about Russia’s continued military adventures in Antarctica, which present a strategic threat to the U.S.  

But I doubt it. Like most proposals with Trump, it’s an ego thing. He’s looking for something he will be known for long after his dysfunctional administration is a distant memory. But it doesn’t matter. The folks in Greenland and Denmark have again said, thanks, but no thanks.  But they did encourage Americans to invest there.

While we are on the topic of ice, snow and weather, there is this post I found on my twitter feed. 

	CNN (@CNN)
8/16/19, 11:06 PM Alaska has been in the throes of an unprecedented heat wave this summer, and the heat stress is killing salmon in large numbers cnn.it/31J2fvN

 It comes the same week that a report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) indicated this past July was the hottest July WORLDWIDE, and the hottest month EVER recorded in the 140 years they have been keeping such records. Sea surface temperatures were also the hottest ever recorded.

https://www.noaa.gov/news/july-2019-was-hottest-month-on-record-for-planet

So maybe we should be looking at real estate in Greenland. Eric the Red would be happy.

One other note on the environment that you may have missed back in April.  In keeping with his pledge to abolish everything the Obama administration ever enacted, Mr. Trump has signed a Congressional Resolution (HJR69) that rescinds the right of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services to protect Alaska’s wolves and bears. Since 2016, it had been illegal to kill bears with cubs or wolves with pups, as an effort to preserve the endangered species. You also could not hunt them from the air. Those restriction have now been eliminated.

 http://www.environews.tv/040517-done-trump-signs-hjr-69-law-allowing-slaughter-alaskan-bear-cubs-wolf-pups/

News Notes:

  There was a great deal of debate, and frankly nasty language, this week about a planned trip to Israel by two controversial U.S. Congresswomen.

Ilian Omar (D, MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D, MI)  had planned trips to “Palestine” on their itinerary. The problem is there  is no “Palestine” per se. Both Congresswomen would have to travel to Israel in order to make the contacts they wanted. Israel is a country they both have urged Americans and others to boycott, both for tourism or products. Why they did not visit with a larger bipartisan congressional delegation last week is not clear, but they did not want to meet with anyone from the Israeli government. Both House members have made remarks in the past critical of Israel and American policy towards Israel, which some have labeled anti-Semitic.

At first the Israeli government considered letting them in. But then at the urging of President Trump, they reversed that decision and barred the two Representatives.  Later Israel said Tlaib could visit her aging grandmother who lives on the West Bank, but she then said no, because of what she called "restrictions" by the Israelis. 

Confused? You should be. It's all part of the continuing war of words sparked by Trump tweets.     

 Here’s the issue. Should Israel let two members of the United States Congress into the country they have verbally attacked? They were going to meet with people critical of Israel, and with some Palestinians who want Israel to cease to exist.

Even Jews are divided on this one.  One side says “why should they be allowed in when they are enemies of Israel and are pushing a boycott?” Others point out they are duly elected members of the United States Congress, and despite what Trump says, banning them would be an embarrassment to both countries. 

(Courtesy of  Brookings.edu) 

I find myself split on this issue. It is clearly painful to hear anyone criticize a Jewish homeland, which I believe to be a solid bastion against autocracy in that part of the world. It's America’s strongest ally.  Yet, I am a firm believer that letting the Congresswomen in would have spoken well for Israeli democracy, and perhaps weakened Tlaib and Omar's opposition based on what they would see and learn. 

I do know, as we have heard many times in reference to press censorship, that truth dies in darkness. It would have been harder for them to criticize Israel once they had been there.

 Frankly, I blame all this on the continued mishandling of foreign policy by the Trump administration, which should have stayed out of the whole thing and let Israel decide for itself.  Instead, Trump has damaged U.S./Israeli relations.     

Now this:  I was a bit surprised to find an email from the Trump campaign in my in-box. I must have answered some survey somewhere that made them think I would support him. I have always answered surveys with a firm "Strong Disapproval" of Donald Trump.  What caught my eye in the email is the pitch they are using to urge their supporters to send money and keep the faith. 
   This is a direct quote from the email:

"We are up against an unhinged left-wing mob, a Democratic party that has embraced radical socialism, and the FAKE NEWS media that will NEVER tell the truth about all our accomplishments."

Where do I start on that one? So, he thinks his opposition is a "mob?" That's an insult to millions of hard working Americans who are deeply concerned about where our country is headed. They will voice their concerns at the ballot box. 

While some of the Democratic candidates have moved left of center in their primary run, they have by NO MEANS "embraced radical socialism." Here's another example of the misuse of the word "Socialism." Is there a Republican anywhere who remembers the political spectrum as it's scientifically laid out?  I don't think so, because they constantly use the word improperly. 

And of course the main stream media does NOT produce "fake news." That's just a label Mr. Trump puts on any news story he doesn't like.

Trump's only real accomplishment in three years has been the 2017 tax cut rammed through Congress with the help of rubber stamper Mitch McConnell. And results on that are very inconclusive. It was supposed to spur business growth and investment, and increase worker's pay. So far there is no evidence it has done any of that, and a number of economists are predicting a recession.  The economy has been growing at the same 2 percent pace it did in the last few years of the Obama administration. 

I am not an economist. But for those who can do basic math, here's one basic statistic: Since the tax cut was implemented, the federal deficit has gone UP $866.8 billion.  (With a deficit like that, would we even have good enough credit  to buy Greenland?) 

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/16/trumps-tax-cut-isnt-giving-the-us-economy-the-boost-it-needs.html


Needless to say, I sent the Trump campaign a reply email asking them to take me off their list.   

Finally, this item from the Baltimore Sun caught my eye:

www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/op-ed/bs-ed-op-0813-musical-presidents-20190812-ehishhbdovgbpphmwf7wo7ixfq-story.html?fbclid=IwAR37PPool957w5mL4jOer6HejsxP1z0gWLl6mX-VGvfc_hYAGKTbcuisU-4

Presidents from James Madison to Barack Obama invited entertainers to come to the White House to perform for them. It’s partly relaxation and partly support for American culture and the arts.

The Kennedy’s were noted for their cultural events. Jimmy Carter had Rostropovich and Leontine Price. Ronald Reagan had Benny Goodman and Ella Fitzgerald, among others. Loretta Lynn and Harry Connick, Jr. performed for the first George Bush. Linda Ronstadt was among the Clinton invitees. George W. Bush had Itzhak Perlman. Obama had Ray Charles and James Taylor among  his guests. 

So far, after three years in the Trump White House, the only performance has been the Marine Corps Band. (They are a fine band but that's not the point.)

It says a lot about a president who does not encourage culture or enjoy music. Even our founding fathers knew that. Thomas Jefferson played the violin and cello, and wrote to his daughters while serving as Ambassador to France:  

"Do not neglect your music. It will be a companion which will sweeten many hours of life to you."

Once again Trump has failed in his role as a leader. 

             (Your suggestions and comments are welcome)

(Copies of my book are available at BN.com, Amazon.com or at a discounted price with signature from me. Email me at hanksilverberg@gmail.com for instructions on how to get one)