Look The Other Way …

Posted on by under Environmental Issues, Free Press Issues, Global Issues, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

How, we ask ourselves, did a sexual predator with a volatile temper and no knowledge of how government works, become the president?  How is this possible in what was once among the freest nations on earth?  Quite simple … we all have preconceived notions of what we want, and if something stands in the way of achieving those goals, we simply … look the other way.

A nominee for Supreme Court justice refuses to answer questions, is caught lying during his confirmation hearings and then is accused of having sexually assaulted one or more girls during his early years.  The republicans have been ordered by Donald Trump to confirm Brett Kavanaugh, regardless.  What to do, what to do?  Look the other way.

The human race, as well as most other living creatures, is on a collision course with disaster unless we make some tough choices in the very near future.  Massive amounts of scientific research provide evidence that the burning of fossil fuels is contributing to making the planet Earth virtually unable to sustain life at some point in the future. But it’s inconvenient.  Coal miners might lose their jobs, people might have to make sacrifices such as driving cars less, turning the thermostat down in winter, staying home more.  What to do?  Look the other way.

The investigation into already-proven links between Trump, his family and his campaign workers to the Russians who interfered in the 2016 election that put Trump into office is in danger of being shackled or terminated by the very subject of the investigation, Donald Trump.  Trump is panicked and threatening to fire people who will likely provide the information that will ultimately see him impeached.  What should we do?  Look the other way.

You see signs that your neighbor is beating his wife, but you’ve been friends with the couple for years, your children play together, and it would be so inconvenient to confront him, or to contact law enforcement.  What to do?  Look the other way.

The man who is tasked with defending the Constitution, frequently challenges the freedom of the press by referring to them as the “enemy of the people”.  What to do?  Defend our press, or … Look the other way.

More than 500 immigrant children remain separated from their parents because of a heinous policy of Trump’s administration earlier this year. These children are treated as criminals, housed in detention centers that are kept out of the public view.  Children!  What to do?  Look the other way.

There are signs that the president of the nation is becoming more and more authoritarian, taking power that he was never intended to have, threatening and bullying members of Congress, leaders of the Justice Department and others who are tasked with the job of protecting and defending the Constitution.  Protest is time-consuming and risky.  What to do?  Look the other way.

People are dying because they cannot afford adequate healthcare, as the president signs executive orders and bullies Congress to undercut the protections under ACA.  What to do?  Look the other way.  People have lost their homes because the president revoked a policy that would have reduced the cost of mortgages for millions of home buyers.  That’s tough, but it doesn’t affect you, so just … Look the other way.

Trump reversed a rule that would ban gun sales to those deemed “mentally defective” by the government.  The NRA is dictating policy through ‘donations’ to congressional campaigns, and by direct intervention in some states’ gun laws.  The U.S. has the highest incidence of gun-related deaths in the world.  What to do?  Look the other way.

And the list goes on … and on …

Yes, folks, by all means look the other way and assume that “it will all work out in the long run, for it always has”.  Look the other way and believe that somebody else will step in and do something.  Look how well that worked for the Germans and the Italians in the 1930s. Nothing to see here, folks, just move along with your lives.  Go coach that soccer game, socialize with your friends, post pictures of your most recent meal on Facebook, take a vacation, post your selfies on Twitter, and don’t let any of this disturb your sleep at night … just go enjoy the heck out of your lives.  Never for a single minute think that you or I might be complicit in the undoing of the nation. Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow …

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46 thoughts on “Look The Other Way …”

  2. Fantabulous post! Judging by all of the comments, you have ignited interest not to look the other way. “You may choose to look the other way, but you can never say again that you did not know.” – William Wilberforce. Thank-you for the reminder to remain vigilant and to address the issues!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Thanks! I first thought that it might have been a bit too harsh, but apparently not. I just don’t want us to become tired,, to become too complacent and adapt to the “new norm”, y’know? And wow … I really like that Wilberforce quote … so very apt!

      Like

  3. Dear Jill,

    I love, love, love this blog. Looking the other way when we need both the democratic leaders and republican party leaders to step up and act, is so frustrating. Why do we elect these representatives which is not to be potted plants.

    My favorite example for this is the 4 year old example of Flint Michigan where its residents discovered that the children where being poisoned by lead in the water. Unbeknownst to the locals, the water source had been changed without their approval, knowledge. The pipes were not properly treated, they corroded, leaking high amounts of lead.

    I recall President Obama doing a stopover to do a photo-op where he drank a glass of the local water. I recall writing a note to candidate Hillary Clinton to please lead by example by having her foundation invest in the changing of the pipes. I’m certain the note was tossed in the thrash bin. The current republicans have done nothing.

    What I want, is for democratic party folks to roll up their sleeves to fight to get things done with no more excuses why they can’t do something.

    I want republicans to recognize that they can’t win if they don’t give a damn, period.

    Looking the other way in backing the likes of Judge Kavanaugh without allowing the confirmation process to okay/ approve a further background FBI check to investigate the allegations of sexual misdeeds by Judge Kavanaugh while the accusers are begging for the added scrutiny, is not acceptable. The American peoples get this. What are the GOP lawmakers hiding?

    Hugs, Gronda

    Liked by 3 people

    • Thanks Gronda! I’m glad you liked the post, for I feared it was, perhaps, too hard-hitting, but everybody seemed okay with it. Yes, there is so much wrong and so little that is right in our government anymore. The Flint water crisis is inexcusable, and if I remember correctly, Trump promised it would be one of his first priorities, but he nixed some spending on infrastructure because he couldn’t have funding for his damn wall! In my mind, the democrats in Congress have been too silent for too long, just sitting back and letting the republicans have their way. Yeah, I know they are outnumbered, but still, I rarely hear a peep out of them. This Kavanaugh nomination and proceedings have turned into a three-ring circus and they are now planning the Senate Judiciary Committee vote at 9:30 on Friday, not giving any time to discuss the testimony of Dr. Ford the day before! What an abomination! There better be at least two republican senators, when the vote goes to the full senate, who are willing to vote with their consciences instead of pandering to the bully in the Oval Office!

      Hugs!!!

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Reblogged this on It Is What It Is and commented:
    Couldn’t have said it any better … ‘ Go coach that soccer game, socialize with your friends, post pictures of your most recent meal on Facebook, take a vacation, post your selfies on Twitter, and don’t let any of this disturb your sleep at night … just go enjoy the heck out of your lives. Never for a single minute think that you or I might be complicit in the undoing of the nation. Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow … ‘

    Liked by 3 people

  5. Jill, the last person who should comment on the sexual assault and harassment allegations is the US President. The man has admitted to sexual assault and harassment in three separate interviews and has been accused by just under 20 women. Then there is the lying, bullying and denigrating.

    Kavanaugh us up for one of the nine most important posts in our judicial system – a lifetime appointment. We need to take the time to hear from his accusers and let him answer questions. As an Independent former Republican, this would be true if it was a Democrat nominee.

    Since we did not take the time with Clarence Thomas, we did not hear testimony from a second accuser waiting in the wings. Keith

    Liked by 4 people

    • You know I fully agree! This is too important and has such long reach that it cannot be rushed through for political reasons! And frankly, I think that if Kavanaugh valued this nation, he would withdraw his nomination for the best interest of the country, rather than going onto Fox News to whine and wheedle.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Thank you so much, Opher!!! This one just … came … unbidden. I tried to slow it down, walk it back, but nope … it was determined to hit that “publish” button before I had a chance to object.

      Like

    • Many, many thanks John! I was actually working on another post when the title for this one just popped into my head, and the fingers took off on their own! I thought perhaps it was too hard-hitting, and again the fingers had a mind of their own, for they hit the button before I had a chance to properly consider it. 😉 Thanks so much for the re-blog! Hugs!

      Liked by 2 people

  9. Teenage chidren are taking on the powers-that-be to continue being taught a sex education course that talks about LGBTQAetc in welcoming terms, and a cultural education that includes the truth about Residential schools. The powers-that-be want to turn the clocks back to last century, when such subjects were overseen by religious white folk.
    The bible says “Look to the children.” This sounds like a good idea to me!

    Liked by 4 people

    • Excellent observation, good sir. This Ford government is getting worse by the day. I’m sure lots of Tory voters in Ontario will live to regret their choice when Ford gets serious about government cutbacks.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Good points all. Children do not see people in terms of skin colour, they care not one whit about sexual orientation or religion … they just want to be friends. It is we who teach them to hate. Not being Canadian, I am not aware of all the facts, but from what you and John tell me, the sex-ed classes that Ford repealed were geared toward promoting tolerance and diversity … the world needs more of that. I hope you guys can get rid of Ford before he does lasting damage. Sigh.

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      • He is taking many of his cues from Donnie Dump Truck. Be a dictator, no one will notice. Because he is a “provincial politician” only voters in Ontario can keep him or oust him. My fear is that he changes ties and goes federal. Imagine two Trumps in North America. Life would not be worth living.

        Liked by 1 person

        • Yes, I originally called him a ‘mini-Trump’, although he at least has brains, which Trump appears to be lacking. That was a question I asked of John … whether he could ever run for PM. I surely hope not!

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  10. Jill, a well-written post that lays the blame where it belongs. I didn’t try hard enough, I didn’t get involved when I was a young man because I despised the government, I didn’t have time because I was too busy trying to put food on my table. I trusted the people who did care, who did have time, who got paid to make this government function, I trusted them to do it right. I guess I trusted the wrong people.

    Liked by 4 people

    • Thank you, Larry! None of us have tried hard enough, but until recently we didn’t realize that it was all on us. Until recently, we COULD trust the people in our government to make the best decisions for the people of this nation. But those days are gone, and now we simply have to start looking around and objecting to the wrongs we see in the world.

      Liked by 1 person

  11. And Trump supporters have a lot to overlook. Hence the phenomenon of whataboutism–every time I try to address something Trump did with them, they change the subject to “But Obama, but Hillary…” They are incapable of confronting what he says and does directly, because they know there is no good answer for those things…

    Liked by 3 people

    • Exactly! If you don’t have an answer, deflect … turn the question around, answer a question with a question! Same tactics as are used by five-year-olds who get caught with their hands in the cookie jar: “But … but … she took one first!”

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Excellent post and so totally correct. It is frustrating and I can vote, as we all can and I do have a friend that I’ve turned around to more rational thinking and she now sees the real problems we have now. Beyond that, I feel helpless and sometimes hopeless. It bothers me that here is so much apathy and unfortunately I see it in, not the young, so much, as the middle age 30/40 year olds. Just my observation.

    Blame? Many things one can list…religious fanaticism, Fox News, poor education, greed, selfishness etc. but apathy is the worse. And, in my eyes, Christianity has become so political, so right wing, anti science, bigoted..so uncaring about what’s right and decent for all people. Even though, I’m not personally religious, if being good and not judging others and helping our fellow man had been the emphasis over the years instead of being saved, going to heaven or hell and condemning those who believe differently, it would have gone a long way to avoid this mess we are in now.

    Liked by 5 people

    • As an ex-Catholic and ex-evangelical Christian I totally agree with you, Mary. The whole aspect of salvation by grace through faith opened a can of worms that had a barn door on top instead of a lid. In the Catholic church it was all about brownie points, lighting candles, doing mass, and other endless rituals, buying “indulgences” (the scam now banned, so I have been told) and if it was about charity, both types of Christainity (deliberate spelling) made it clear that it had to go through the local church. Collusion of government through charitable donation tax receipts certainly helped the church to help itself to the proceeds. People were (are) “encouraged” to top up their “tithe” with the amount they would receive as a tax break from infernal revenue. To expect good things to come from religion is naive, a contradiction. Religion is purely an exploitative force all propaganda and overtly obvious “charitable works” designed to get more tax-payers’ handouts and hide the facts. Of course there are innocently sincere sheep in the bunch but they serve the same purpose of legitimizing a monster.

      Liked by 5 people

    • Thank you, Mary! Yes, there is plenty of blame to go around, but at the end of the day, we must look in our own mirror. Religion in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing, but when it promotes intolerance, hatred and violence, it is evil. I look around, and see so much that is wrong, and the only tool we have to fix things is our voice. What worries me is that our voices are largely being ignored, and even our votes are compromised these days. We can only do so much, but we must at least try, for otherwise we are destined to lose even our voices.

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  13. The circumstances surrounding the allegations are suspect to say the least. Senator Feinstein had the initial allegations for several weeks before mentioning them after the hearing concluded. The initiating letter is exceptionally vague. The witnesses presented by the accusers have all distanced themselves. While the witnesses may be cowering to political pressure, the political pressure seems to be attempting to confirm the allegations. My personal opinion is to allow full and unfettered access to the media, committee or any other place to get the word out.

    I hope people do not look away. Don’t look away from the opening statements. Don’t look away from Booker’s Spartacus moment. Don’t look away from the children being ushered out for safety concerns. I hope that people take all of it in.

    Liked by 4 people

    • @ znoxide. I do not quite see the situation as you seem to. Yes Sen. Feinstein had the original letter and even talked with Ford. It was at Ford’s request that she be kept anonymous that prevented anything more being done. The information was only released from Feinstein when Ford’s name and story was already leaked. Since then we now have four women saying they were in some way sexually harassed or assaulted by Kavanaugh. Kavanaugh was on Fox news and his defense is he was a virgin until after college. However you do not need to be a virgin to sexually grab someone, to hang your penis in their face, hold them down on a bed and try to remove their clothes, it just means you never managed to commit a full blown rape. Another thing that bothers me is his roommate in college says it is very much like him to do the things described. I wonder why his best friend refuses to testify on his behalf , instead only writing a letter saying he doesn’t remember the event, which leaves unsaid all the behavior and demeanor of Kavanaugh during high school. The last thing is the first three accusers have called for a FBI investigation, yet Kavanaugh has not. If this is totally not true and he was not a drunken , wealthy , entitled bum then he would demand the investigation himself. Ford took a polygraph test and pasted, would kavanaugh do the same? These are some of my thoughts on the matter. Hugs

      Liked by 7 people

      • Which is precisely why the testimony should move forward. There is a great deal of information that should be part of the record. We both are looking at the same description probably from the same sources and reaching completely different conclusions. The New Yorker piece sounds very troubling, and the description is vile. I suspect that it is also purely political.

        I could be completely wrong, and this will sink him. Although I have seen many last minute sexual allegations destroy people only to vanish once the destruction is complete. The horror of sexual trauma should not be trivialized by using it as a political ploy. Again, I could be completely wrong so we should not look away.

        Liked by 2 people

        • Hello Znoxide. I thank you for your response. I would like to address a couple points if you have the time. The first is this:

          New Yorker piece sounds very troubling, and the description is vile. I suspect that it is also purely political.

          I have to ask why you think it is political. You say it is very troubling and vile, yet then dismiss it as “purely political”. Yet non of the accusers have been shown to be motivated by politics. I can not say much about the fourth accuser but the first three are very creditable and are not getting any gain out of this. The fact is they are losing big time in death threats and having to move out of their homes. They are being forced to relive traumas and to publicly display very personal and salacious things about their own past. Does this sound like planned win?

          I do not know if this will sink him, but dang the amount of accusations, the refusal of himself to ask for an investigation, and the fact that the white house it self says he bristles in practice session when asked questions about sex or alcohol.

          There is one more point I would like to make. You mentioned you though it was politically motivated these women coming forward. Yet we now know that before the second accuser came forward the republicans tried to SPEED up the vote for Kavanaugh to the supreme court. Think on that , we know the time line and they knew in advance a second accuser was going public and they tried to jam the vote in ahead of it. That says they know there is a lot of problems here. It is dishonest and looks really bad now that it is public. Hugs

          Liked by 1 person

    • Certainly there are questions that need to be answered, but for Grassley, Trump and others to immediately assume the woman is lying is just wrong. This is exactly why women don’t report sexual abuse, because it is still a man’s world and women are rarely believed, or if they are, it is brushed off as just “boys will be boys”. An investigation would be the appropriate response, and a delay in Kavanaugh’s confirmation vote until all available facts have been reviewed by an impartial panel … if such can even be found.

      I agree that we should not look away from anything. I’m a bit unclear what you mean by ‘children being ushered out for safety concerns’, however. Could you elaborate on that one?

      Thank you for your comment … it’s always good to get different viewpoints and opinions.

      Liked by 1 person

      • The selection of a supreme court justice should be the pinnacle of a judge’s career. It should also be a proud moment for the family of the judge.
        A disqualifying event or character flaw as is alleged should have been vetted several years ago during previous confirmations. If late breaking disqualifying activities are discovered, they should be addressed in a manner that is befitting the institution. My opinion of Congress is exceptionally low, but this hearing has been a farce even by their standard.
        During the first day of testimony, the children of the judge needed to be removed while the protesters were disrupting the proceedings.
        Allowing this to play out in the newspapers is unfair to the victim and the candidate. Because Senetor Feinstein decided to take this approach so be it. Every aspect of it should be fully exposed.
        I fully expect to be manipulated by the media (conservative and liberal). Accounting for this manipulation colors every article I read and the amount of emotional energy I spend on these issues. While I am interested in this national issue, I have no influence in the outcome. Therefore, my emotional investment is relatively low.
        The response is due to the kind and rational responses that this group has provided.

        Liked by 1 person

        • More importantly, I think, is that the selection of a Supreme Court Justice should be a person of the highest caliber, a person whose background is unimpeachable, and who has the characteristics of honour and integrity. The seat, in this case, is of more importance than the man or woman themselves. The Supreme Court is the highest law of the land and the framers of the Constitution intended the Court to be above partisanship, which is the sole reason for lifetime appointments. That said, the lifetime appointment makes it more important than any other position that we take the time to make the best possible choice, for in Kavanaugh’s case, he could conceivably spend some 40 years on the bench.

          Why were Kavanaugh’s children even in the hearings? They had no place there, so I cannot feel to much remorse that they heard words they shouldn’t have. Kavanaugh or his wife might have exercised a bit of good judgment there, but they were likely there as props anyway.

          I do thank you for your comment and responses, though, and am glad you found the group to be respectful and kind in their responses. I told you before … we all have a strong viewpoint, but we only exercise civil discourse on this blog … we really want to try to understand the “other” side, and that is genuine.

          Liked by 1 person

  15. If you can’t confront the problem on your own, find like minded people to do it with you. More neighbours who know about the spousal abuse. Numbers make you less afraid, more protected but also lend volume to your voice. Get out there and shout before America is just another Country with a dIctator taking away your freedoms and your safety.
    Cwtch

    Liked by 4 people

    • You are, as usual, quite right, and that is the whole point, isn’t it? To find like-minded people who see these horrors and work together to put a stop to it. One voice can do a little, but when multiplied time thousands, cannot be ignored. Still, I fear that the majority is out-voiced by the minority who do not play a clean game, an honest game. If Trump eventually ends up a dictator, that will be the day I run out of books to read.
      Cwtch

      Liked by 1 person

  17. Bravo! I don’t know if you intended to address our human nature in this fine editorial, but that can be inferred. We absolutely do have an aversion to reality if it is too painful or if it exposes our personal shortcomings. When times are tough, we tend to focus on things that make us feel better. That old Bobby McFerrin song, Don’t Worry Be Happy, comes to mind. Righting wrongs takes real courage, and that’s a quality our species has a short supply of… unfortunately.

    Liked by 4 people

    • Many thanks, Robert! I feared it might have come across as too harsh. Yes, that was my intention, and my intention, also, to include myself in that, for I fall into the same traps as everybody else, though I kick myself for it.

      Liked by 1 person

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