Greenland and L-A
By Hank Silverberg
The huge wildfires in Los Angeles have been horrific. The loss of lives and property will plague that region of California and its population for years to come.
Why did so much burn? What could have been done better before and during the fires? Is there anyone responsible? Good questions. But we must not rush to judgement as many conservative news outlets and politicians have already done.
They have attacked L-A's fire chief, despite the fact that she was warning the city and county way before the fire that budget cuts could hurt her agency's ability to respond to big fires.
They criticized the Mayor because she was out of the country in Ghana when the fires started, as if by some magic she would know of the fires before they began and not take the trip. She came back quickly when they erupted.
They criticized Governor Newsome simply because he has some policies designed to save the environment and believes in climate change.
I'm not saying that these people did everything right. There are a lot of questions that need to be asked and reporters, not pundits, need to ask those questions. But I am angry at a trend I see from those on the right--particularly those in the media, but not exclusively. They are quick to place blame before we know much about the cause of the fire, the difficulty in fighting it and the full response to the victims. We are leaning those facts slowly as the disaster plays out.
But the right-wing media attacked the Fire Chief, calling her a DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) hire because she is a woman and gay (she has more than 30 years of firefighting experience).
They attacked the Mayor because she is female, Black and a Democrat, not caring that she is facing a calamity that any politician would have a nightmare dealing with.
And they attack Governor Newsome because he is a Democrat with presidential asperations, even before he had a chance to say or do anything about the fires.
Right now we live in a society where the blame game seems more important than governing, and is oblivious to the real suffering of disaster victims.
We saw the same thing after Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina, though Joe Biden was the target then.
Add in the wacky conspiracy theories that have been cropping up, those on the right are turning a horrific tragedy for real people into a political circus. It's no wonder the American public has lost hope and elected a con man and convicted felon into the White House.
Speaking of that convicted felon, he takes office in a week or so. And what's on his mind? Not what's going on in L-A, or Gaza or Ukraine. He's talking about Greenland.
 |
| (Nuuk, Capitol of Greenland) |
But Trump is apparently very serious about Greenland. Among the reasons he cites, like National Security and better government for the 56,609 people who live there, seem very similar to Putin's reasons for invading Ukraine.
The actual reason? Trump knows that Greenland has billions of dollars worth of unexploited minerals and fossil fuels over which he wants to gain control.
The world is a small place. Greenland is a territory of Denmark, one of our NATO allies. We know from his previous time as President that Trump is not fond of NATO and has no trouble with appeasing his friend Vladimir Putin by weakening it.
For much of the world, what seems like the act of a clown is not funny. The United States stopped being a country of conquest once we spread from the Atlantic to the Pacific. We gave the Philippines independence. We gave back the Panama Canal Zone.
Should we turn into a nation of conquest, by force or by intimidation, then the United States will change for the worse. Watch Trump. He seems like a clown at times, but he surrounds himself with yes men who will follow him in any direction he goes.
It's going to be a rough four years.
News You May Have Missed
While much of our attention has been focused on
the election, the wild fires or snowstorms, North Korean troops, which haven't fought a war since the 1950's, have been gaining combat experience in Russia. Thousands of soldiers have been sent to the Kursk region of Russia to reinforce Russian troops which have been having trouble containing a small Ukrainian invasion to their territory. It allows Kim Jung Un to get some valuable experience for his military, while at the same time building up his alliance with Moscow. One Ukrainian soldier told the Associated Press that the North Koreans are well disciplined, highly methodical and more professional than the Russian troops. The Korean's tactics are outdated a bit, but according to the AP report, they are adapting quickly.
North Korea has 1.2 million troops, one of the biggest standing armies in the world.
Just how many troops North Korea has sent to Russia is not clear, though it is estimated between 10-12 thousand. Ukraine says as many as 4,000 may have been killed, but the U.S. estimates are lower, about 1,200.
The counterattack at Kursk, using the Korean troops wearing Russian uniforms, has meant heavy casualties for the Ukrainians.
Either way you look at it, the North Koreans, who are using their own weapons, are gaining experience that may pay off for them elsewhere --an advantage that makes many countries, particularly those in Asia, worry.
https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-ukraine-war-russia-0f34fb82cfdd267652f8df8bc3c574ec
The GOP Hit List
The menu also includes cuts in food assistance programs and a rollback of one of Joe Biden's major achievements-- subsides for clean energy.
This is just a list now, but it's aimed at cutting $5.7 trillion of federal spending over ten years.
It's not clear how much support these cuts actually have among GOP members, but the Democrats have already pointed out they would come with a cut in taxes that would favor the wealthiest Americans.
One provision in the proposal though, may get bipartisan support. It's a call for "site-neutral" payments for Medicare designed to stop hospitals and other providers of care from abusing the payment system to make more money.
Dumbest Quote of The Week!
This week's dumbest quote comes from Republican Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas. Marshall is a former OBGYN who now heads a group called "Make America Healthy Again." Appearing on Sunday Morning Futures on Fox, he said:
"Look, about 70 percent of your health outcomes are determined by you. It's determined by what you eat and what you're surrounded by. By the time you come to my office as a doctor, I can impact maybe 10 or 20 percent of your health outcomes."
While there is some truth to the impact of your lifestyle on your health, he was using that idea as a partial reason for making budget cuts at the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institute of Health.
The CDC is the first line of defense for infectious diseases, which have nothing to do with your lifestyle, and NIH focuses on cures for infectious diseases, research on deadly genetic diseases and cancer.
Somehow this former doctor forgot what he learned in med school.
(You suggestions and comments are welcome)
My recent 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 my signature)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084Q7K6M5/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-campaign-hank-silverberg/1126429796
My NEWEST book is now available. It is designed for use in Public Speaking and entry level communications classes.
Comments
Post a Comment
Reactive comments are welcome. Please keep it civil. Any direct attack on the blogger or those who post is not welcome and will be deleted.