Today's WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT: Ruling In Hell

Beyond the fact that I feel like I can actual smell stale cigarettes and cheap booze emanating from his photo, whenever I see Steve Bannon I am curious about how he feels about what he is doing to this Country (and the world) - I mean how he truly feels.

Obviously he must take satisfaction in the fact millions follow the  movement he created, despite the fact that it is inspired by fear, loathing, and paranoia - all based on lies and propaganda. Logic is not a noun one would associate with his followers. Still, he advised the most powerful man in the world and travels in the exclusive circles of the rich and powerful. In contrast, I will be most fortunate if I have a handful of readers of this post. So, in some twisted sense, he must be doing something right.

Beyond the other bag of foul wind, former President Donald J. Trump, he is unequivocally the Champion of the Bat Shit Crazies like Louie Gomert of Texas, Marjorie Taylor Greene of North Carolina and a host of others whose grip on reality is tenuous at best. You know - the Stop The Steal Bunch.

Bannon's mantra, his raison d'etre, is to divide and conquer. He thrives on creating an atmosphere of chaos where he can take advantage of the distrust generated by his lies, exaggerations, and phobias. Ultra-white Nationalism is his ultimate goal and he will stop at nothing to achieve that end. Unfortunately, he found the perfect driver for his bus of hate in the former President and plenty of passengers willing to go along for the ride!

Now, what may disturb me most is the fact that Bannon is an extremely intelligent man. He KNOWS the truth. He simply does not care. Truth has nothing to do with his agenda. Making America a fascist state with a white elite (including himself, Trump, Stephen Miller, Michael Flynn and the like) in charge IS. And he is willing to do anything - lie, steal, cheat - to achieve that end.

So, I often wonder why someone with so many obvious gifts uses those gifts for such nefarious purposes.

Beyond what experiences he had as a developing young man that pushed him to champion these unscrupulous tactics and adopt such a bitter and ugly vision for America, I wonder what is his ultimate motivation may be. He made the choice to use his talents to sow fear and hate to achieve his end rather than the true American ideals of inclusion and tolerance.

Why?

When I think of it, I am reminded of the passage in Milton's classic Paradise Lost. When speaking of his cataclysmic fall from heaven the archangel formerly known as Lucifer and now called Satan rails against what he sees as God's tyranny and declares:

Better to rule in hell than serve in heaven!

But this is only PART of the entire quote. Here is the FULL one:

Here we may reign secure, and in my choyce

To reign is worth ambition though in Hell:

Better to reign in Hell, then serve in Heav'n

It's all about AMBITION and POWER. Satan is saying that even suffering in hell is a price worth paying when you lust for power.

Well, Mr. Bannon, have a good time ruling, in HELL!

 

Today's MOZEN: Working Man's Hands

When I was a young boy of about 10 or 11, I remember watching a movie that had a great impact on me. I don't recall the name of the film or who the players were. However, I can clearly recollect the plot:

There had been a mining collapse and there was a desperate race against time to rescue the miners. So a call was sent out to the surrounding area for all men to report to the mine to begin the long, dangerous process of digging the survivors out - by hand.

The men were asked to line up to be questioned by the foreman of the operation so that he might judge their fitness for the arduous task ahead. As the men lined up, the foreman warned them of the difficulties and said that because of the physical nature of the work, no one who didn't use there hands (i.e. businessmen) for a living should not waste their own or his time with getting in line.

He then preceded to ask each man as they came forward to show him the palms of their hands. If he did not see callouses on them, proving their ability to do hard labor, they were turned away.

Man after man came forward to be inspected.  While inspecting one man's hands, the foreman looked up and into the man's face. He began to angrily chastise the man saying; "I thought I said no businessmen!" As the foreman's gaze met the other man's he realized that the man in question was a priest. He softened his tone and uttered: "I'm sorry, father, but you wouldn't last more than 5 minutes down there." The priest smiled innocently and quietly turned away.

That one scene left such an impression of me than and still does today, over 50 years later.

Here's what I took from it: each person has something to contribute in their own way and, at times, that service can be invaluable. In this case, the spirit of simple, working men were so honored. Their daily labors, so largely unnoticed in real time, contribute so much to not only the lives of their families, but to the world as a whole. They build our roads, bridges, and tunnels. They dig the ditches to make repairs to our water pipes. They take away our garbage. They clean our streets when it snows. They mine the earth to provide us with the materials we need to exist. They farm the land to grow the food we eat. Simply put, without the efforts of the common working man (and woman) our society would collapse.

So, from that day on I allows wanted to associate myself with the so-called Working Man. Even though I went on to an advanced education, teach at a major Northeast University, and have held many management positions commensurate with that education and experience, I have always felt that I had more in common with them then the more educated elite.

My father, a working man himself, always wanted me to have a life better than his so he encouraged me (insisted, really) that I educate myself to the fullest so that I would use my head instead of my hands.

And, so I did.

However, I never forgot that movie and the impact it had on me. So, as a young man, for every summer without school in session, I made sure that I took jobs that were very physical like construction laborer or truck driver.

And, I never regretted it.

To this day, I still do as much physical labor around my place as I can. For example, I do all of my own gardening, including tilling the soil every Spring and preparing it for Winter. When I owned my own place I did most of the landscaping (almost 2 acres) myself. I still shovel the snow for myself and my nearest neighbors. I try to make basic repairs to my apartment. And, even though I can afford to do otherwise, I even clean my own place. I see it as good for the soul.

My gnarly, callused hands, ones that I am still particularly proud of, remain a testament to my love and respect for Working People.

But, there is room for all kinds of hands; those with long fingers, perfect for playing the piano. Or soft ones, good for gently caressing an ailing friend. And, yes, those that show the marks of good, honest, hard work.

Today's MOZEN: We Have Met The Enemy

The United States is writhing under the scourge of violence. I would mention the latest mass murder but fear that by the time I finished writing this post another one will have already happened.

Unfortunately, this is not my first post condemning what seems to be endemic in American society. In fact, I tire of writing about it - over and over again. And, judging from the number of people who actually read my posts, no one seems to be taking notice, anyway.

Still, silence will not bring us to a possible understanding as to why this near orgy of violence is plaguing ALL Americans.

One of the most important things to consider is that all gun violence is not the same. In fact, the only common denominator is the gun itself. Gun violence seems to be in response to a number of motivating factors including: socio-economic, ideology, and mental health.

First, let's review the socio-economic factors that impact guns and violence. These are statistics from The Alliance for Gun Safety. They clearly indicate that communities of color (i.e. predominantly black) suffer disproportionately from gun violence *:  

• Each day on average, 30 Black Americans are killed by guns and more than 110 experience non-fatal injuries. 
• Black Americans experience 10 times the gun homicides of white Americans. 
• Black Americans are nearly three times more likely to be shot and killed by police as white Americans.
• Black Americans experience 18 times the gun assault injuries of white Americans.
• 68 percent of Black Americans or someone they care for has experienced gun violence.

What's important to remember here, and is accurately pointed out in the website, the reasons for these frightening numbers have nothing to do with their race and everything to do with racism and centuries of neglect, oppression, and disenfranchisement. Some will say, "come on now, this is the 21st Century. That's a copout". But they will have entirely missed the point. As long as racism in this Country continues to prevent communities of color from the real opportunities afforded more white, and therefore affluent communities, the violence will continue.

The type of sensational gun violence, however, that grabs most of the headlines are usually committed by young, angry, disaffected white men. A Mother Jones article and supported by PolitiFact claim that 63% of all mass murderers are white men. + Some of these follow a hate filled, racist ideology that drives their heinous acts. The recent attack on a supermarket in Buffalo, NY is the latest example of this type of killer, i.e. an angry white man out to kill as many blacks as he could. 

Others are clearly disturbed in various ways and use their pent up anger at the world to inflict as much damage on it as possible. In fact, they choose targets that will cause as much pain to the community at large as possible. When studying their backgrounds, in hindsight, many warning signs as to their decaying mental health are clearly missed. The latest culprit in the Highland Park, Il massacre, is just the most recent example. He seemed to hate himself and, so, took that hate out on everyone else around him.

Very different scenarios, yes. But, as I wrote previously, there is a common denominator: GUNS

In the case of minority communities the overwhelming majority of the guns used in the commitment of crimes are obtained illegally. Even in states with strict gun laws, weapons can be easily purchased in other states with much more lax laws and then brought back to their communities.

However, as in the case with most white, mass murderers their guns were obtained legally. Despite so-called Red Flag Laws designed to prevent those considered inappropriate from gun ownership, these young men have managed to acquire virtual arsenals anyway.

Despite finger pointing at various, minor contributing factors, this Country seems incapable - or unwilling - to look the culprit right in the face, i.e. access to weapons, especially powerful ones, is ENTIRELY too easy. Under the guise of freedom we prioritize the will of the minority over the pain of the majority. Innocent people, children, are dying in record numbers every day. And, still, we seem paralyzed at taking even the most basic steps to stem the flow of weapons that have been proven to work.

We have met the enemy, and they are us . . . 

*https://gunresponsibility.org/blog/gun-violence-in-the-black-community-myths-and-facts/?fbclid=IwAR0AVVVvXhkSJu2NK5E3JRqqWOLdo4zaQHN26gaC0zFVYLbhWHC3vtkSkiE

+https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2017/oct/06/newsweek/are-white-males-responsible-more-mass-shootings-an/

Today's MOZEN: America, A Flawed Idea.

All words and photo by F LoBuono

I had originally planned on writing a post about the simple pleasures in life that I grow more found of with each passing year - and, how fortunate I am to be having those years.

I'm sure that I'll be returning to that theme at some point.

However, upon further introspection, I felt that the significance of this day and date, Independence Day - July 4th, was too great to not reflect upon, especially with what is happening to America today.

The United States, at its core, was supposed to be so much more than a place. It was meant to be an idea made real. Despite the fact that the framers of our independence from Great Britain borrowed much from other great minds, it was a truly revolutionary document - even with its many flaws. And, it still is - or is supposed to be.

Dedicated to the principal that all men are created equal . . .

I believe that statement from the Declaration of Independence tells us a lot about the true American persona. It is both bold AND flawed.

The principal of equality is the bold part. At that time in history, a statement like that could mean a death sentence. We still strive for a society that is fair and equitable and yet fail far to often to achieve that goal. But, we certainly keep trying - or, at least many of us still do. That can do mentality has always been associated with the American persona. And, at key times, we have risen to the challenge of defending freedom, here and around the world. Yet, the challenge of equity among our own population still remains daunting, hence the great flaw.

The all men part has once again reared its ugly head with the latest ruling from the US Supreme Court effectively removing Constitutional protection for a woman's right to choose an abortion. How can we use the word equal when we deny half of our population the so called unalienable right to make decisions for their own bodies?

And, this is only one of many divisive issues that have brought America virtually to its breaking point - add guns, race, sex, etc.

I believe that this happening because we've forgotten about who we  ARE SUPPOSED TO BE.

When I think of that, I recall an incident that I had with a Portuguese reporter during the 2016 GOP Convention in Cleveland. I was scheduled to be her camera person for a live shot to be broadcast from the convention hall to Portugal. We had a few minutes to kill and, speaking perfect English, she stuck up a conversation. She expressed her concern with the fact that a person like Donald Trump might be elected President of the US and the direction he might take the Country. At one point she became almost emotional when she said this:

What is Portugal on the world stage? Nothing. Sure, we have great beaches, history, food and wine. But, world influence?

Realistically, we are not "players". We COUNT on the United States to be that shining City on a Hill - a bastion of freedom and liberty. You guys may laugh at that and cry "bull shit". But we don't. We believe it and NEED you to live up to that promise."

It struck me then and still does. It is an enormous responsib

ility. But it is a worthy one to accept. It was in 1776 and still is today - perhaps even more so.

It is apparent to me that Democracy is not for the faint of heart, lazy, or cruel. To make it work, to be THE SHINING CITY ON A HILL, we must recommit ourselves to the ideals that created America in the first place: FREEDOM, JUSTICE, EQUALITY, COMPASSION.