Passing the Torch #158
by Hank Silverberg
“Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans, born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage, and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world. Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.”
-- John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address 1961
When John Kennedy spoke those words 60 years ago, he was picking up the torch of liberty from what has been described as America's "Greatest Generation."
The United States was in a cold war with communism less than 20 years after defeating fascism in Europe and Asia. Kennedy was looking ahead to a vastly complex world and America's leading role in it.
For us Baby Boomers his words were a call to arms, not with guns or tanks, but a call for service to fight poverty, hunger and oppression world wide.
In 1961 my parents, Sid and Ruth Silverberg, were already serving their country. My father had stormed the beaches of Iwo Jima and then came home to serve again as a social worker trying to improve his community. My mom joined him on that mission practicing social work for more than 60 years, and they instilled in their three sons the need to serve in some way. My older brother followed them into social work. My younger brother became a teacher. I went into Journalism with a clear understanding that Democracy can only survive when people know the truth about their leaders and their country. We served our communities and raised our families the way we were raised.
My mom held on to Mr. Kennedy's torch until
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| (Sid and Ruth,1946) |
her death last week, just a month before her 95th birthday. She had let us borrow that torch from time to time. Our mission was simple according to our parents: make the world a better place!
My mom voted proudly last November for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and was smiling when a woman became Vice-President this month. It shattered part of the glass ceiling which my mother had been poking at for decades.
I focus on the personal here because politics can sometime become personal.
Joe Biden is probably the last Baby Boomer president and soon the torch will be passed once again to our children.
But unlike JFK, I am not sure the next generation, or at least those Gen Xers or millennials who call themselves "Republicans," are ready for it.
We Boomers made some mistakes. We didn't move fast enough on pollution. We didn't fight racism as hard as we should have. Many of us with pale skin didn't really understand white privilege until recently. But we tried hard, and for the most part we moved America forward--not back.
Too many of our young Republicans have been led astray by Donald Trump and his minions, focusing on the past and not the future. They seem to have been influenced by the worst of the Baby Boomers with names like McConnell or Graham rather than by the best with names like Obama or Gates. They are shortsighted, caring only about the next election instead of the next millennium. The best example is their total lack of understanding about climate change and it's impact on everything from our drinking water to the global politics of war and peace.
The nonsense this past week with Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green is a prime example. It is reprehensible that someone with her often stated conspiracy theory views was even elected to Congress in the first place, but it is even more startling that most Republicans in the House defended her. Such bizarre and misdirected politics has trickled down to the local level as well, like here in Virginia where gubernatorial candidate and State Senator Amanda Chase remains an unapologetic Trumpite. Her views are more aligned with the Virginia of the early 20th Century instead the views of the 21st. Chase was censured this past week by the General Assembly for her repeated failure to denounce white supremacists and her continued false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election.
Virginia has turned solidly blue over the last 
decade, but remnants of the old south remain in many parts of the state. The race for Governor in the next few months may show the clear divide and echo what is a national tragedy.
The Democrats in Congress, and frankly across the country, are not perfect either. Mr. Biden has done well the first few weeks going after the most important issue right now--getting rid of Covid-19.
But Democrats on the Hill seem more focused on punishing Trump than doing what most of their voters want them to: getting rid of the mess Trump left behind on the streets of our cities and towns and the pollution of our Democracy he left in the minds of world leaders, both friends and foes.
Speaking of privileges:
Two Republican Congressmen have been fined for violating new security procedures set in place after the mob attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6th.
Both Andrew Clyde of Georgia and Louie Gohmert of Texas will have $5000 taken out of their paychecks for bypassing the metal detectors installed at the entrance to the House floor.
Gohmert says he went to the bathroom and didn't know he had to go through security a second time. Clyde said he would fight it as a Constitutional issue. Here's the part of the story that should disgust you. Those metal detectors were installed to keep members from bringing guns on to the House floor because of comments from members like Marjorie Taylor Greene about "executing" Democrats.
Both Congressmen should visit any middle or high school in their home districts where they will most likely see teachers and students going through metal detectors at the entrance. Gohmert can try his home town of Tyler which added them last year.
Lies Catch Up to Everyone:
I do see some light at the end the tunnel. I note with great interest that Fox News has cancelled "Lou Dobbs Tonight." Normally I would not be excited about someone in the media having their show or career cancelled. I have been there and it's not fun. But for Lou Dobbs, I have no sympathy.
He is not a journalist. He is a blowhard who repeatedly told his viewers lies. He perpetuated the "voter fraud" nonsense long after it had been debunked, and repeatedly promoted conspiracy theories about the election that were totally fake. I note that his show was cancelled not long after Fox News and his show was sued for $2.1 billion by a voting machine company which he often talked about in his conspiracy nonsense. Ratings at Fox News have steadily declined since the election and I am hoping this is just the beginning. Will Hannity, Carlson and Pirro be next? To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, you can't fool all of the people all of the time.
Of note, the traditional broadcast network newscasts, still the most fair and balanced of them all, continue to far out number viewers on cable news in general.
ABC's “World News Tonight” led the evening news ratings race this past week with an average of 9.9 million viewers. NBC's “Nightly News” had 8.3 million, and the “CBS Evening News” had 6.2 million.
Total night time TV ratings for the three major cable networks was only 9.3 million-- less than ABC's "World News Tonight" by itself.
Of course, those numbers change from week to week, but it's a good indication that Fox News and it's propaganda machine may be dying.
My only concern is for some producers and writers who may lose their jobs as a result of all this.
Speaking of Myths:
The Myth of The Lost Cause may be slowly fading away in Virginia--finally!!!The Virginia General Assembly has passed a bill that will rename U.S. Route 1.
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| (Hank Silverberg photo) |
Though much of Virginia the route has been called "Jefferson Davis Highway" since
1922, when Jim Crow ruled the state. But if
the Senate approves in the next week or two, the name will be changed statewide to
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| (Route 1 through Fredericksburg, VA) |
"Emancipation Highway." It will be a year before the new signs start appearing.
A number of communities which the highway crosses had already changed the name. And those names will stay. For example, Route 1 through Arlington is called "Richmond Highway."
Covid Vaccine Update:
Like many of you, I am still waiting for my vaccine against Covid-19. There have been significant improvements over the last few days and we can hope our turn will be coming up soon. But here's one warning you may not have thought about. Getting the vaccine does NOT mean you can throw that mask in the bottom of your drawer until the next inevitable pandemic and then start hugging grandma again.
Experts say immunity from the first dose of the vaccine doesn't begin until at least 12 days after you get inoculated. And it doesn't really prevent a coronavirus infection. It simply prevents serious illness and death. Even after the second dose of the vaccine, remember it is only 95% effective. You may not get it, but you can carry it.
So even after that first shot in the arm, continue to wear your mask and social distance. Once the majority of folks have it, things may change.
As of Saturday, about 36 million shots of the vaccine have been administered, but only 7.5 million people have been fully vaccinated. There are over 328 million people living in the United States. As of this past Saturday, there have been over 27 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the U.S., and over 463 thousand people have died from it.
And finally, my new feature: The Dumbest Quote Of The Week comes from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy during the debate on how to deal with Marjorie Taylor Greene's outrageous behavior:
"Q-on. I don't know if I said it right. I don't even know what it is."
For the record, McCarthy himself had referred to the conspiracy spreading group in at least two other speeches, and most of the country has heard about Q-Anon for weeks.
(Your comments and suggestions are welcome)
Copies of my book "The Campaign" can be purchased at the links below. Or you can buy a copy by emailing me at:
HankSilverberg@gmail.com
for instructions on how to get a copy at a reduced price and with a signature)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084Q7K6M5/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
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