The 100^th Thought

By Hank Silverberg

I began writing “A Time to Think” 100 weeks ago. The idea behind this blog was to focus on things that mattered, with some logical, well thought out comments using  facts, not political bias or slants. I would take some time to think about the issues of the week before I posted. 


 It didn’t turn out that way. 

All my instinct as a journalist with 40 years’ experience was to play it straight. I wanted to write about real issues that mattered to people like family, jobs and health care, and avoid the tainted rhetoric of politicians on both the left and the right. 
 I ended blog #1 back on February 5^th , 2018 with this advice to my former colleagues still working as journalists: 


“They need to return to good solid conservative (with a small c) journalism, using verified sources, mostly on the record with facts that can be confirmed. They need to get it right. And if that means asking some politician or spokesman to explain some absurd comment he made based on untrue information, and repeating that question to that politician or spokesman over and over until he does explain it, then do it. And yes, if that means proving him wrong with factual information and calling him or her out—so be it. That’s not bias, it’s holding our leaders responsible for their words and actions. That’s journalism and that is what the founding fathers had in mind when they protected the free press.”


I still believe that’s the case, even though I have taken a different path at times.

Every single week over the last 100, things moved so fast that an idea I had on Monday was very old news by the time I sat down to write the following Sunday. There was no time to think. 


So. what has changed since that first post “On The Outside Looking In”?

First, journalism has gone DOWN hill faster than anyone expected or predicted. Many reporters seem afraid to challenge any politician who makes an outrageous claim or who says something that is blatantly false.  I’m not sure if they are more worried about getting fired by their nervous bosses or, heaven forbid, a drop in their news organization's ratings or circulation. To be fair, no one pays me to report any more so I can say whatever I want, at least for now. 


But the continued lack of aggressive, accurate reporting (with a few exceptions) has emboldened the propaganda machine of both political parties and has unleashed pundits and political hacks from all reality.  In this Sunday's New York Times there is a good example of old style reporting with substance. Here's the link:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/29/us/politics/trump-ukraine-military-aid.html
   
 Therefore, my New Year’s resolution is to avoid cable TV news at all costs. And that’s ALL cable news. I will stick to the three broadcast networks that still have a semblance of news integrity and keep my B-S meter turned on.  


What else has gone haywire since that first blog 100 weeks ago?

The disappearance of the Republican Party. 

There have always been a few flakes in elected office, people who seem to be out of touch with the real world. But today it seems much of the GOP has lost it. Anyone who watched the impeachment hearings and subsequent debate in the full House saw Republican congressmen falling all over themselves to praise the President. There were many who said what the President did was NOT impeachable, but not one who even got close to admitting what the President did, impeachable or not, was still wrong. And make no mistake—asking a foreign leader to “do us a favor” and  “investigate” a political rival, WAS wrong. The only real question is—is it an offense bad enough to remove the President from office?

I’d like to say the jury is still out on that, but after hearing Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell over and over again, it looks like the “not guilty verdict” is preordained before a Senate trial to remove Mr. Trump even gets started.  


https://www.npr.org/2019/12/17/788924966/mcconnell-i-m-not-impartial-about-impeachment 

Also, in the last 100 weeks, America has withdrawn from the Paris climate change accords enhancing the likelihood of permanent damage to the world’s environment.  


Dictator Kim Jung-Un successfully conned Donald Trump into thinking he was serious about nuclear disarmament, while at the same time enhancing North Korea’s ballistic missile program.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/12/1053281


Vladimir Putin has continued his war with Ukraine while at the same time conning Donald Trump to pull back our forces in Syria, a move that screwed our long-time Kurdish allies.

Then there are the Democratic presidential candidates.

I have lost count on exactly how many are still in the race. But I can tell you none of them has provided any real inspiring leadership capability.  It seems they are all playing it safe until the early primaries in 2020, just treading water until their opponents sink or someone else comes along to rescue them.


In the last 100 weeks, despite multiple mass shootings, no one has moved ahead with any real suggestions on gun control. Virginia’s General Assembly, where last month’s election put the Democrats in control for the first time in two decades, may try with a series of bills next month. But the NRA has been hard at work attacking anyone who even uses the words “gun control.”  Mike Bloomberg has helped Virginia's Democrats counter the gun money, but this time he may be too busy running for President to do it again--when it may really count. 

And in the last 100 weeks, with Donald Trump catering to the radical right and using canned, soft language on racism, there has been a distinct rise in antisemitism in the United States. That includes the invasion of a Rabbi's house during a Chanukah celebration in Rockland County, New York, where five people were stabbed. 


(See link below on why antisemitism has a new spelling)  

https://jewishjournal.com/cover_story/303681/the-rise-of-anti-semitism-and-what-to-do-about-it/


Antisemitism may not be as prevalent in the United States as it is in Europe, but the rise is enough to make most Jews a bit queasy. The rest of the country should feel that way, too. Can they redistribute the 1946 movie "Gentleman's Agreement" so that the radical left will stop including Jews in their accusations of "white privilege?"  (see link above) 

News Notes:

As of this writing, the ruling council of the Taliban has agreed to a cease fire in Afghanistan to allow time for the signing of a peace deal with the United States. That could end the longest war in U.S.  history--18 years. But there's been no response from the U.S. government yet, so we shall see. The U.S. has about 12,000 troops remaining in Afghanistan.  


Also,

There was an interesting poll done in Germany. The You.GovSurvey asked Germans who was the greatest threat to world peace among five world leaders. 


Results:

41% said Donald J. Trump. (United States)

17% said Kim Jung-Un (North Korea)

8% said Vladamir Putin  (Russia) and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (Iran)

7% said Xi Jinping (China)  

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/12/poll-germans-trump-more-dangerous-kim-putin-xi.html


Take time to think about the results of that poll. If it doesn’t worry you, it should.

 I’ll keep writing in 2020. I would love to hear from my readers in the comment section below. 

 Happy New Year!
                                                                                                                                                                                 

(My book “The Campaign” is available at Amazon.com, BN.com or if you don’t want to pay retail, email me at hanksilverberg@gmail.com for details on how to get a signed copy at a vastly reduced price. )