Was the Trump-Russia Investigation a Hoax?

Trump and his supporters claim the investigation into his campaign with regard to Russian interference in the 2016 election was a “hoax” and a “witchhunt,” and that there was no collusion. If that is true, then we can assume that they would be OK if Joe Biden and his campaign did the following:

  • “Russia, if you’re listening–if you have recordings or information from Trump’s cell phone, I’m sure the American press would be happy to receive that information.”
  • meet with Russian contacts to get political dirt on Trump or discuss campaign strategy, don’t tell the FBI about this and lie about it to the public;

We can assume that Trump and those who agree with him believe that such actions do not warrant the FBI to investigate, and if they did investigate, that would be a witch hunt.

I’m almost certain Trump and his supporters would not be OK with this, not on a matter of principle, but because it would hurt Trump. For me, I can say such actions by a presidential candidate and his/her campaign, is unacceptable and would be disqualifying. And yes, it constitutes collusion or a level of cooperation with a hostile foreign power that is unacceptable and disqualifying.

The Best Chance to Protect and Preserve U.S. Democracy Might Be Closing Fast

Since the congressional Republicans decided to acquit Trump, instead of removing him (aside: There’s little doubt that Hamilton and Madison would have removed him), the voting Trump out was the next best chance to protect and preserve our republic. But Trump has been working hard to undermine the legitimacy of the election; he’s attempted to sabotage the U.S. Postal Service to hamper mail-in ballots, and he and congressional Republicans have been willing to use Russian assistance to win the election. He’s suggested sending federal forces to polling stations. Basically, he’ll cheat, subvert the elections to win. The question is not what he will do, but what he won’t do. (Prediction: From here on out, Trump will either follow through on his rhetoric and/or do more shocking things to win.)Because of this, I feel the election may not be the best chance to protect our republic–or to be more precise, in order to protect the elections, actions must be taken now. I’ll briefly go over each step in this post. Continue reading “The Best Chance to Protect and Preserve U.S. Democracy Might Be Closing Fast”

Do Whites Not Want to Know About Racism?

That’s what one African-Amerian Seattle sportswriter suggested in the two tweets below, which comment on recent statements made by Pete Carroll. I’m less certain about that claim, and I’ll share my thoughts after the two tweets:

Examples of the Confusion and Difficulty with Navigating the Current Information Environment

There are two main positions regarding the lack of an informed citizenry in a democratic society. One emphasizes the failure of individual citizens–that is, they are apathetic or lazy, failing to think critically and put in the time to inform one’s self. The other emphasizes the effects of new technologies and media–specifically, the deluge of information and the eroding authority and influence of traditional curators of information. I use the word “emphasizes” intentionally, signifying that both aspects are important, but the difference in position is a matter of emphasizing one aspect over the other.

I fall into the latter group. Specifically, I believe that not only an informed citizenry, but a functioning public square, which is critical for a democratic society, depends on addressing some of the negative effects of new technology. My sense is that new technologies that change nature and flow of information requires societies to adjust, creating tools and processes to help individuals and institutions manage and make information meaningful and useful, versus the opposite. Knowledgeable, critical thinkers are important component of this process, but even if every citizen had these attributes, the problem would still be significant. In this thread, I hope to give some specific examples, primarily from social media, that illustrate this.

Why I Am So Anxious About America

The topic may not be very interesting as the answers are multiple and obvious. But I’m writing an explanation in order to better understand my anxiety and in so doing maybe find some comfort. Better yet, maybe someone will provide insights that will come close to removing a large portion of my nervousness if not all of it. I’ll explain more in the first comment post.