Not Trusted, but Verifiable
That was a short vacation.
Just one day after Americans took time to enjoy a long weekend by reminiscing and celebrating what they love about this amazing country, FBI Director James Comey and Hillary Clinton brought us back to earth. Back to the gritty, dirty realities of the world around us.
If you thought there were questions for Secretary Clinton concerning her private email server before…
Regardless of political party, trust in the modern era is evaporating. Trust is a precious asset, whether in a person or institution. Politically, dissenting views and distrust from the left, right and middle about the presumptive Republican nominee and Democratic nominee for president seem to get louder by the day (Clinton and Trump are honestly the choices?). Mr. Comey added the FBI to the list of influential institutions Americans will view with a shake of the head and hands up in the air. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and former President Bill Clinton added the Justice Department last week.
Something is wrong and has been wrong for some time now.
Without diving into the details (of which there are sadly too many), Mr. Comey read a laundry list of violations starting at 11:00 a.m. ET this morning by then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton regarding her private email server. Then, with no logical turning point, concluded his incriminating statements about Secretary Clinton did not warrant a recommendation to indict Secretary Clinton. His justification relies on the notion that he chose not to see intent.
Literally unbelievable.
(The background music is inappropriately lighthearted for such a serious issue, but the back-and-forth is important to see)
He used the phrase, “extremely careless.” You can bet a few lawyers will be using that defense in the near future.
Even Edward Snowden was confused (his Tweet had a Wall Street Journal link describing the indictment decision).
(Edward Snowden, Twitter)
The larger point is that America’s leaders frequently and blatantly demonstrate there are different rules and standards for those in power versus the public. Moreover, that there’s special treatment for specific individuals. Consequently, there’s a trust gap that continues to grow wider by the day. The yearning for competent leadership and inspiring, yet practical vision may be at an all-time high in this country, even around the world.
Consider Brexit: The leading voices of that movement have “conveniently” removed themselves from responsibility for their actions by not running for the governing position. Was Brexit a good or bad idea in the long-term? That remains to be seen, but the British people likely aren’t comforted by their cowardly leaders, whether they were for the monumental change or not.
The precedent set this morning by FBI Director James Comey was a dangerous one. He will have to answer for his decision in hearings and interviews for a long time. Perhaps, in an effort to maintain an apolitical position and reputation (a term he used this morning) like Chief Justice John Roberts, he was too clever for his own good. The facts against Secretary Clinton and her constant lies for the past year were clear as day as detailed by Mr. Comey (thereby removing any benefit of the doubt for Secretary Clinton), yet the FBI Director chose nonsensical nuance over substance and common sense.
The problem is trust isn’t nuanced. You either have it or you don’t.
Maybe there was an indictment today after all.
Happy 4th of July!
There’s a phrase, “Truth is stranger than fiction.”
In the case of most Americans, they’re wishing that fiction was the truth.
Today is when we celebrate our founding fathers for their revolutionary vision and incredible blind faith in a new nation with new principles that would redefine the world forever. The United States of America is the greatest country in history, and 240 years ago, this nation declared that its citizens have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
That’s the truth.
Here’s the fiction.
Independence Day: Resurgence has the difficult task of just trying to live up to the classic original. Certainly not an easy task, particularly without Will Smith. The rest of the cast and director did return, which is an encouraging sign. The 1996 B-Movie masterpiece was 2 and 1/2 hours of cinematic gold, featuring one of the best (if not the best) American presidential portrayals in film: President Thomas J. Whitmore. If there’s one dynamic the current presidential election cycle has verified, it’s that anything is possible. With this in mind, why not write-in or at least imagine a fictional movie character as our next president?
President Thomas J. Whitmore exemplifies the character and courage our founders had in mind back in 1776.
Happy Independence Day!
Hello, America!
That All-American weekend has arrived.
July 1st is not only the first day of the best month (I’m biased), but summer’s (and this country’s) biggest party with friends, family and neighbors is here. In a mere three days, the 4th of July will bring us together to genuinely, and almost exclusively, remember and celebrate the history-defining events of 1776.
In the wold’s history, the American experiment is stunningly young. Based on the current presidential election cycle, America must be entering its teenage years. There’s a lot of communication using abbreviated, generational terminology (social media), a great deal of frustration and unease at its own identity because of their “out of it” parental units (distrust of institutions and its leaders) and their future is frequently declared “over” and ruined because of scary, unknown variables (life) and in-the-moment chaos from every perceived angle.
What quells teenage angst, especially with the weekend upon us?
Normally, a reminder of, well, normalcy will do the trick.
A cheap trick.
Some forty odd years later and we’re still hangin’ out, down the street, doing the same old thing that we did last week.
And, if that’s not comforting enough, we all know what Red can do to motivate us.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 