Thursday, June 25, 2015

How to celebrate Orwell's birthday today

George Orwell was born on this day in 1903. It was the start of the Edwardian age but Victorian values, especially imperialism, still held full sway. This was the first “ism” that Orwell challenged even though, as Eric Blair, he had the privilege of an upper middle class life and an Eton education. His novel “Burmese Days” and short story “Shooting an elephant” shows his disgust with the hypocrisy of English imperialism. He wrote in Notes on Nationalism “The nationalist not only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side, but he has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing of them”. He was suspicious of American right wing writers such as James Burnham who wrote approvingly that a Nazi victory in WWII was preferable to communism In his essay “Second Thoughts on James Burnham” he used the phrase to describe such books as a sop to “American wish thinking”. Remember that the Pentagon has 20,000 public relations people so it's wise to take government pronouncements with a grain of salt. In fact, you should probably review your assumptions often Beware the press releases that state that failure is not an option.They just promise more war.

Friday, June 19, 2015

Donald Trump for President--Right name, wrong guy.

There's never been a Donald in the White House and since that's my name, I'm rooting for “The Donald”. True, he's a bombastic blowhard with no political accomplishments or policies but that just puts him comfortably in with the other Republican candidates. One good thing-- he doesn't have to grovel at the feet of a Sheldon Adelson or the Koch Brothers for money. Take him at his word: he's rich. He may even play a part for the Democrats as a “useful idiot” in Lenin's quaint phrase. He's already starting to dismantle the other wanabes starting with Jeb Bush. He talks and thinks in soundbites ie: Bush has no edge, I'm the world's greatest job creator, when was the last time you saw a Chevrolet in China, I'll bomb ISIS into oblivion. Of course these are some of the thoughtful things you'll hear from high school dropouts. There is no “malice toward none” or “Four Freedoms” in his rich vocabulary. I only wish he'd let us call him Don or Donnie but he goes ballistic if you do. One thing the media hasn't grasped yet—the “T” in his last name is silent.

Monday, June 1, 2015

The Catholic Church is getting religion

Orwell wrote , “You cannot be a Catholic and a grownup”. He also observed that the Vatican was quite comfortable with the Fascist dictators of the 1930's including Franco, who Orwell was fighting on the front lines in the Spanish Civil War. But here comes Pope Francis who has placed the poor at the center of his papacy. He speaks of creating”a poor church for the poor”. It's a far cry from his predecessor Benedict, the Hitlerkinder from Germany. He is attempting to rehabilitate the Church, bringing it in line with the “liberation theology” that has long been denounced as Marxist. In the letters of Paul to the Church of Rome, he wrote: “Never be condescending but make a real friend of the poor”. But America is not the kind of place that produces a Mother Teresa or an Albert Schweitzer. In a Pew Research poll released on May 12 the so-called Nones (no religious affiliation) now outnumber Catholics 22.8% to 20.8%. We're a managerial society showing generosity and compassion through programs such as Food Stamps, Head Start and other government assistance. Cost-cutting Republicans are the only pro-hunger group. We have problems in our cities. Crime is rife and violence can explode out of nowhere. The recession is far from over. Workers of the world despair, you have nothing to lose but your livelihoods. A quote from a Joyce Carol Oates novel says: “If we are poor, must we be vicious?” Not if Pope Francis can carry the day. He'll be in Washington this September to remind us what Christianity is all about.