Be of good cheer. Nothing endures. The wheel turns.
Sixty years ago the U.S. was escalating its war in Vietnam.
The venture will focus on developing 5-star hotels, championship-style golf courses, and luxurious residential estates and unparalleled amenities in Vietnam.
“We are incredibly excited to enter this dynamic market,” said Eric Trump. “Vietnam has tremendous potential for luxurious hospitality and entertainment, and we are beyond thrilled to work with this amazing family to redefine luxury in the region.”
Pile the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo.
Shovel them under and let me work—
I am the grass; I cover all.And pile them high at Gettysburg
And pile them high at Ypres and Verdun.
Shovel them under and let me work.
Two years, ten years, and passengers ask the conductor:
What place is this?
Where are we now?
I am the grass.
Let me work.
Like many young people in the 1960s, I analogized the Vietnam War and World War I. So much suffering, and for what? In a short while, all the storm and emotion would be forgotten, the young lives ended, and people would look at grass and wonder what all the fuss was about. What happened here? Ypres and Verdun? What are they?
Soon: Khe Sanh and Hué? The Tet Offensive? What was that?
Today, Vietnam is a buzz of raw capitalism with developers building luxury golf courses. The grass will be doing its work on fairways and greens.
I don't want to minimize the rough patch that I expect for American democracy. Trump will barrel ahead with his attack on democratic norms and laws. Some of it will last a long time in the form of young and highly partisan judges. But the backlash will come. Indeed, it is already starting.
But Trump is appointing provocateurs to key positions. Pete Hegseth, the Fox News host Trump appointed to be defense secretary, has an agenda of fighting culture-war battles with the military. Trump named Tom Homan to return as ICE director. Horman wants a maximalist approach to deportation. Matt Gaetz, Trump's nominee for attorney general, has a burn-it-down agenda of payback against the people who investigated him and Donald Trump. On Wednesday Gaetz wrote on social media:
We ought to have a full-court press against this WEAPONIZED government that has been turned against our people. And if that means abolishing every one of the three letter agencies, from the FBI to the ATF, I’m ready to get going!
I expect news of deportations. I expect investigations of prominent Democrats. I expect Trump to find trans people in the military to humiliate and dismiss. Americans signed up for this when we elected him.
Trump's appointments demonstrate that he is bound and determined to overreach. He is still in campaign body-language mode. His appointments are a statement in themselves. The first 100 days, and maybe the first two years, will be uncomfortable for Democrats. But Trump's overreach will create backlash and counter-forces.
Republicans in the U.S. senate see the trouble ahead that I predict. They are already trying to put the brakes on Trump by selecting Senator John Thune as their leader. They rejected Rick Scott. I don't expect the brakes to be very effective at first. Trump has his mandate. Trump's overreach will destroy it.
I am trying to take the long view. No election is forever. Things change. Get through this rough patch. The 2026 midterm election will be a great corrective.
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7 comments:
A political observer's test is distinguishing between cycles or phases, and material irreversible changes. I hope healthy grass will still grow on this rough patch.
Happenstance that Gaetz and Hegseth seem the personification of the Malevolent Frat Boy? Don Jr. fits right next to them. Don Sr. himself before them.
Majority Leader Thune's first test will be to accept--or rather, block?--recess appointments for the crazy-making nominations to crucial Cabinet positions.
The long view definitely helps, which is why most of us want to leave things better for those who follow. We have a lot of problems that need to be addressed, so who do voters elect? A notorious liar whose message was: The U.S. sucks and only I can fix it.
A well-informed electorate is a prerequisite for democracy. There are people who blame Trump on everyone but the voters: It’s the “elites” (which both parties have), or it’s NAFTA (passed by the House in 1993 by 132 Republicans and 102 Democrats). No, it’s the ignorance of the electorate.
Yesterday, Jennifer made a good case for educating voters to counteract all the misinformation they encounter. Since young children are using smart phones, I would submit that it needs to begin in grade school, teaching them what reliable sources are and how to tell fact from fiction. Also, civics and ethics need to be required courses. Of course, Republicans would undoubtedly consider it a commie plot. An ignorant population is easier to control.
Sorry, but this triggered memory of a favorite joke: "What's the difference between Jane Fonda and Dan Quayle?" (pause) "Jane Fonda's BEEN to Vietnam!"
I just hope your grounded and optimistic view is not echoed in The Onion's "Our Dumb Century" headline for their spoof of a 1934 newspaper: "Germany's Jews Express Concern About Hitler's 'Kill All Jews' Policy"
This "phase" is why I would never suggest anyone join the military.
Unfortunately, Peter, there comes a point of no return when you elect domestic terrorists to run your country.
republicans want to destroy our government so corporations and churches will have more power - they envy Afghanistan.
I fear that I, personally, will be collateral damage, as with all three branches of government republican, attacks on social security, SSI and Medicaid are not far behind. There will be some real suffering due to the proposed policies, like the tariffs, and other things. They tried over 60 times to remove Obamacare, and may finally succeed this time around.
Sorry to make it so personal. I was also a protester of the Viet Nam war. I get your point.
Matt Gaetz apparently was being sexual with a high school girl and now is being nominated to be the Attorney General of the United States. Talk about over reach on Trump’s part, but him being a sex offender himself it does make sense. Do men think it’s okay for an adult male in a position of authority to be sexual with a teenager? Unfortunately, I think half of men do. Is that being woke to think it’s wrong of men to do so?
All the concerns are important. But this one really has me terrified: RFKjr who believes vaccines don’t work….not just Covid, but all of them. Get ready for a resurgence of diseases. (If you are over 60, please quickly get your Pertussis booster, as it wears off. ) If the ACA is repealed, and RFKjr gets his way, the federal public health subsidies for vaccines will disappear and our communities will lose immunity. Most (especially young families) will not be able to afford to get their kids vaxxed. Polio, Diphtheria, Tetanus, Flu, RSV, Shingles…all of them. Peter, remember when one of Rotary’s mission was to eliminate polio globally? Sheesh!
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