Picked Up Pieces from Facebook Postings

By

George Mitrovich

Mostly my columns are about a single subject, as the previous 161 would prove, but not this month.

Let me explain:

I do several postings a day on Facebook, essentially because it is my blog. Friends have suggested I have my own blog, but even if I did, it is almost certain fewer people would see it. I would have to remind them I have a blog and then direct them to its site, and it’s just one more step people are unlikely to take, so I’m stuck with Facebook.

Virtually every day I post articles of significance from major newspapers and magazines – The New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, the Times of London, The Guardian of England, Der Spiegel, Die Zeit, Le Monde Diplomatique, The Atlantic, etc.

I am driven to do so out of the rather lofty hope that if you pay attention to my postings you will be a better informed. My politics being what my politics are, liberal, Kennedy, Dukakis, Democrat, the articles lean that way, but not always – because whatever I may be politically, I’m a conservative Christian.

What follows is a selection of recent postings, except for the first, which concerns the Fairness Doctrine, but it’s brief because I will revisit it in full next month.

The Breakdown of Civil Society began the day in 1987 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) revoked the Fairness Doctrine (first established in 1949).

The ending of that rule, which assured anyone attacked by a radio/television host, a Limbaugh or Hannity, say, would be given equal time to respond. Once that ended, it became open season on anyone and everyone a radio or television host chose to vilify or demean, the unfortunate victims of baseless and false screeds, made helpless to respond.

Revoking the Fairness Doctrine was idiocy – and for 31-years the consequences of that decision have roiled American politics as nothing in our history.

I will address that in my June column.

Barbara Pierce Bush, the Forty-Third First Lady of the United States, entered the gates of heaven April 17.

She was, my wife La Verle said, a woman of independent thought; a true First Lady, worthy of our respect and affection.

One of her Secret Service agents, wrote a moving tribute to her for CNN, and told us her Secret Service code name was, “Tranquility.”

That seems about right.

God bless her sweet memory and rest her soul.

Alex Jones Who Claims Sandy Hook Never Happened, That Children Didn’t Die, that it was all a hoax created by opponents of the 2nd Amendment, is being sued for defamation by parents who lost their children in the Connecticut elementary school massacre.

To describe Alex Jones, let me borrow from words frequently used by President Trump in attacking others on Twitter, which is to say that Alex Jones is a scumbag, lowlife, and slimeball, the man is vile and evil, and causes grief and heartache in the lives of the innocent.

They say he has a big radio audience.

Really?

What idiot would spend 10-seconds listening to the rants and conspiracy theories of this imbecile?

“How Can You Tell When the President is Lying?,” the question was asked during his presidency.

The answer, “When his lips are moving.”

Compared to LBJ, Donald Trump is so far out of Lyndon’s league as to be ridiculous.

Which came to mind while reading one of Ashley Parker’s columns in the Washington Post, where she wrote:

“According to the Washington Post Fact Checker…Trump had made 2,436 false or misleading claims in 406 days — a rate of exactly six whoppers a day.”

Not only is Trump the greatest prevaricator in the history of the presidency, but unlike Mr. Johnson, there is no evidence he cares one wit about any other human being, beyond his family — and there’s questions about that.

Recently, in perhaps his most infamous tweet ever, he called former FBI Director James Comey a “slimeball.” There is no public record of any president every calling another human being a “slimeball.”

However, while such an attack by a president of the United States would be devastating to anyone so savaged, but because it comes from Trump, people just roll their eyes and move on.

That fact alone is also an indictment of the damage this terrible man has done to the Office of the Presidency.

And, please do not tell me it’s okay.

It’s not okay!

This man has shamed the office he holds and with it he has shamed our country.

Recovering from his time in office will take years — if ever.

I Have Watched Numerous Television Interviews With James Comey, the former FBI director, while also reading various reviews of his book, “A Higher Loyalty.”

The interviews and book reviews will tell you what you need to know, but while Comey is a hero to many, especially those with short attention spans, I blame him for Hillary’s loss and Trump’s win.

This is not a view I came to yesterday, but when it happened. When he called that infamous press conference just days before the 2016 presidential election, to say the email file on Mrs. Clinton was being reopened.

She was rising in the polls; indeed, one poll had her 12 points up over Trump, but Comey’s press conference ended that – and as a result, Trump became our 45th president.

I was so upset by this incredulous act I sent Vice-President Joe Biden, my friend since ‘71, an email asking him to have President Obama fire Comey for acting against Justice department rules on interfering in an election.

Of course, President Obama, being President Obama didn’t; but, ironies of ironies, Trump did.

We have entered an uncertain place in our nation’s journey – pray we get past it.

George Mitrovich is a San Diego civic leader. He may be reached at gmitro35@gmail.com.

Category: National News