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Friday, August 11, 2017

I write these blogs mostly for my own amusement.  Pure self-indulgence.  I have an idea, or something to say, but there’s no one to talk to, so I blog it.  I did wonder if anyone bothered to read my deathless prose.  If you write something, you hope someone, someday, reads it.

Well, I wonder no longer!  Judging from the comments, I have at least two readers.  They both happen to be relatives, and they both commented on the same posting.  I had made some observations about the current occupant of the White House (the same person who referred to the White House as a “dump”).

One of the commentators was one of my favorite nieces.  I think she liked what I wrote, because she called me a genius.  I appreciate the compliment, but genius does not apply to me.  Ruggedly handsome perhaps, but not genius.

The other commentator was one of my long-lost nephews.  He didn’t like what I wrote.  He is a Trump supporter.   If I may paraphrase his thoughts:  Globalization is the problem, Nationalism is the solution.  I’d like to dispute his ideas about Globalization, but it would be a waste time.  I would never change his mind, nor would he change mine.  But just to keep things straight:  I am in no way supporting or advocating a world government.  Globalization is here, you might not like it, but deal with it.

I have to say something about Nationalism though.  For Nationalism to work there has to be an 'us vs them', a 'we vs they'.  It’s ‘them’ who cause all the problems.  “They’ are the ones taking all the jobs (that no one else will do).  It is much easier to divide, than it is to unite.  And when I hear ‘Nationalism’ what comes to mind is black and white news reel footage I watched as a boy of a ranting mad-man in front of a screaming, chanting mob.  Sound familiar!?

Nationalism (and religion) is like a penis.  It’s great to have one, there’s nothing wrong with being proud of it, but you don’t want to wave it around everywhere you go.