In Case You Missed It
AROUND THE BLOCK
Trump Dreams Up Another Immigrant Crisis; Cultural Marxism; Florida Florida Florida
November 13, 2018
It's been while since the last Around the Block post. There are many reasons why I went on hiatus, but mostly it was because I felt that writing satirical posts, given the current state of affairs in this country, didn't suggest funny anymore. At least not to me. I figured I should leave the satire to Borowitz and Bee and Oliver...professionals who are really good at it. Frankly, my heart simply wasn't in it.
Although I stopped writing, I did continue to forward articles and commentary I thought worthy of a read, just in case friends and/or former Around the Block readers missed them. And, you know, some did. Which led to this new iteration of Around the Block -- In Case You Missed It. In this new version, I won't be twisting the news but rather posting what I believe are meaningful and interesting articles that moved me somehow: made me think, made me angry, made me laugh...you get the point. Oh yeah, and where appropriate, I'll also add my own commentary.
This is my first attempt at the new Around the Block. It might take a few tries to get into a groove, so bear with me (or not, as the case may be). In any event, feedback is appreciated, and opting out is allowable without any rancor or retribution on my part.
So, here goes:
The Times editorializes today about Trump dreaming up another immigrant crisis and in the process is creating nonexistent threats, generating manufactured fears and preparing exaggerated responses, all leading to an erosion of the rule of law, to feed more fears.”
While conventional wisdom suggested that Trump would forget about the caravan and the phony immigrant crisis after the midterms, the Times opines, “But like the Muslim ban, which was also gestated in a political contest, the one that elected him president, Friday’s asylum ban demonstrates that Mr. Trump’s nativist impulses are guides not just to his campaigns but also to his governing.”
But is this just stating the obvious? Are we surprised? Or should we be more surprised (shocked, actually), that a large percentage of us are not only surprise but condone this kind of behavior?
Also in today’s Times, I learned from Samuel Moyn, a professor of law and history at Yale, that the alt-right’s favorite meme, “Cultural Marxism,”is 100 years old.
How do you know if you’re a cultural Marxist? Check all that apply:
( ) abortion rights advocate
( ) civil rights advocate
( ) feminist
( ) globalist
( ) homosexual/supporter of gay rights
( ) intellectual
( ) socialist
( ) Jew (except those who support Sheldon and Miriam Adelson*)
*Trump’s nominee for the Presidential Medal of Freedom – Don’t get me started
Finally, given my recent move to the Sunshine State, let me close with a piece on my adopted state’s latest national embarrassment – elections and vote counting. Yes, the ballot design in Broward county is flawed, but the recount is going forward in an orderly, organized manner. Yes, Florida has restrictions on voter registration and eligibility (but hurray, some progress: Amendment 4 allowing ex-felons who have paid their debt to society passed by 65%-35%). And yes, Rick Scott is making completely unfounded claims of "unethical liberals" committing "rampant fraud" (now, can you think of a governor more embarrassing than Rick Scott...oh, yeah, the other "Rick," Snyder of Michigan and Flint water crisis fame). But even more incredible is the stance of our sitting president on the Florida voting situation who, as John Nichols writes in The Nation is attacking the Florida recounts because he hates democracy.
And, as a Lucky Strike Extra, there’s a link in the Nichols’ piece to a book he wrote detailing the 2000 recount in Florida: “Jews for Buchanan: Did You Hear the One About the Theft of the American Presidency”
Perhaps I should amend my cultural Marxist questionnaire:
( ) Jews (except those who support Sheldon and Miriam Adelson and Pat Buchanan)
