WILL THEY COME FOR YOU?

"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out - because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me-and there was no left to speak for me. Martin Niemoller

Please read it and then read it again. You've probably heard it before, but you need to keep hearing until you understand it! In light of the absurd actions of the current President and his entire Administration under the auspices of Elon Musk and his shadowy-at-best Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE, it takes on whole new meaning for our generation.

I now personally know 3 families that have been directly affected by Musk's indefensible and draconian policy of reducing the Federal budget deficit by the wholesale firing of tens of thousands of innocent, dedicated Federal employees. Many of these people are doing work that is more than just import, it's essential. I will not use their names to protect their privacy, but I will share their stories.

The first example comes from one of my longest friends. He always loved the outdoors and crafted a highly successful career out of it playing important roles in the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior for 3 Presidential Administrations. One of his daughters followed in his footsteps. She went to one of the best schools in the Country to earn a degree in the profession and did the field work necessary to get the right experience. Eventually she became a supervisor of Rangers at one of our National Parks. In other words, she is an outstanding young woman who dedicated her life to preserve our Nation's greatest natural treasures and the people who enjoy them. Her only "crime" was caring deeply about her job. She was released for NO good reason.

The second comes from one of my Fordham graduate students. It seems her mom has worked as a supervisor for the National Institute of Health (NIH) for 20 years. She headed a team of 40 researchers who worked to keep Americans safe. After her team was cut to just 6 people and she was condescendingly asked to provide 5 job tasks she completed in the previous week, she had finally had enough. She left to an uncertain future. Imagine having to start all over again after such spent a long time in a place that you loved and dedicated your life to.

The third example may be the most tragic of all. Another long-time friend has an adult son with special needs. His son's disability is severe enough to require the specialized care that group homes provide for the most vulnerable among us. Well, with the proposed cuts in the NIH and beyond, he will lose that care with few, if any, options available to him and his family.

Then the so-called architect of the whole sordid affair, Elon Musk, had the gall, the extremely bad taste of making a joke of the whole thing by brandishing a diamond encrusted chainsaw at the opening of CPAC. And the crowd ROARED. They have no souls.

And the number grows daily.

My take-away is this: this is not about NUMBERS. It's about HUMAN BEINGS! These people are OUR brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, children, etc., etc., etc. Will you wait until they come for YOU? 

Searching of HOPE, COMPASSION, AND DIGNITY

 A few days ago, as I was channel surfing (yes, I’m old-fashioned that way) I happened upon an NBC News special with Lester Holt reporting on Louisiana’s efforts to reform one of the most notorious prisons in America: Angola. Louisiana had a well-earned reputation for being “The Prison Capital of the US” by incarcerating more people (mostly black men) than any other State in the Country. However, as the report indicated, renewed efforts at prison reform by the State government were paying off. Although there was a long way to go, strides were being made and Louisiana’s number of incarcerated people dropped from #1 in the Country to #2.

Under the guidance of the State’s then Democratic Governor (2024), John Bell Edwards, Angola began to return to the importance of rehabilitation in addition to just punishment. It seems that the War on Crime which began during the Regan era, had a message that struck fear into the heart of Americans. It promised us safer communities by locking up dangerous criminals and basically throwing away the key. Damn rehabilitation. What we needed was punishment. Because this policy also including a component known as The War on Drugs and The 2 Strikes Clause, many offenders convicted of even minor drug offenses were given draconian sentences, including LIFE without parole and without any other legal recourse.

The problem is that according to the NBC report, it failed – miserably. Crime rates in fact rose in many areas. And the United Sates began imprisoning more people THAN ANY OTHER COUNTRY IN THE WORLD (6^th in per capita).

The situation in Louisiana improved with the acknowledgement that it was the mindset that produced the so-called War on Crime that is the real culprit. The intention was mostly punitive and lacked two key human components, hope and compassion, dooming it to failure. It preyed on people’s fears rather than their hopes. When remedial programs were instituted at Angola, hope returned to many inmates and recidivism rates dropped dramatically. After a long battle waged in the State’s Supreme Court, inmates won the right to have certain life-without- parole sentences reviewed for possible Compassionate Release. A panel of 3 judges must unanimously agree that the very particular circumstance of each individual meets the true threshold of compassion. After the ruling, violence committed within the prison walls was also reduced. Besides, simply put, it’s just the right thing to do.

But what really made these successful? Well, because as humans we cannot live without hope and compassion – and DIGNITY. These concepts may be spiritual in nature and esoteric to some, but they form the core of what lies within in each of us. It only depends on whether we choose to connect with them on a deep level or not that makes the difference in the quality for ALL lives.

 

And this is what concerns me most about what’s happening to our Country under the burden of the dizzying number of Executive Orders being hurled at us by our current President and his administration. There are so many that it’s hard to keep track of them all much less make real sense of ANY of them. So, I won’t even try to with this post. Instead, I’d prefer to write about the spirit i.e. the true intention of them. In my mind, they lack the even the most basic human traits  I mentioned above and helped to create a society that imprisons more people than any other country on earth. That’s making America Great Again?

Beyond politics, what I see happening are actions that lack the core human emotions and principles necessary for a unified, sustainable, successful society. They are mean-spirited in nature and mostly void of hope, compassion and simple dignity, the 3 things as demonstrated by the Angola Prison model that made a difference, a positive one.

Among other orders that lack even the most common decency are:

·         Laying off tens of thousands of federal workers without real cause and due process is certainly not providing hope for the future of many Americans.

·         Denying the very existence of our brothers and sisters who have chosen to live their authentic selves has caused so many to live in fear.

·         Declaring that denying aid associated with the President’s dissolution of USAID which includes food to starving people lacks compassion is a gross understatement.

·         There is an effort to eliminate the very words we worked so hard to achieve - diversity, equity, and inclusion - from our very vocabulary. Mass deportations continue to spread fear and loathing through our immigrant communities.

·         Our European allies have been mostly abandoned and insulted.

And, with every word I write, this is more. Making America Great Again? Really?

Again, there are those who have and continue to support the President in these actions. There will always be those who lack the vision and strength to see beyond the hateful rhetoric and punitive measures. That is the way of the world. However, it doesn’t HAVE to be. I intend to use every legal means within my power to keep fighting for what is fair, right, and just. I know that I am not alone. It’s just a matter of how many will join us. Don’t lose your hope, compassion, and dignity. Only with them as our foundation can we, or SHOULD we, survive!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today's Mozen: BEWARE FAUX NEWS

Frank LoBuono

When I first saw it, my jaw dropped. I was channel serving when I quickly noticed a banner across Sean Hannity's Fox News program. But first, let me make something perfectly clear. I am NOT a regular viewer of Fox News. In fact, because I find their so-called news programs full of inaccuracies, pointed exaggerations, and flat-out disinformation so egregious that I have dubbed it Faux News. Be that as it may, I will occasionally stop and watch for a minute or two just to see how outrageous their alternative facts might be for any given story.

The banner was highlighting the news that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was investigating CBS in support of President Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit (that’s right $10 BILLION) claiming that CBS had selectively and deceptively edited a Kamal Harris answer during a "60 Minutes" interview while she was campaigning. In an unprecedented move and under FCC pressure, CBS released a longer, more complete answer that was used for another program. Hannity played both clips and went on to encourage viewers to see how they deliberately turned “word salad” (his words) into a coherent, more positive response.

Are you kidding me?

That college dropout, blowhard was trying to explain a process most people, including him, have little or no idea about?

Fortunately, I do know something about it.

You see, I spent over 40 years in the TV production/news business working in about every position that profession had to offer. During that time, I performed as a production assistant, a producer, reporter, writer, director, technician. editor, and more. I spent the last 20 years of my career working for the National Desk at CBS News in New York. I have been retired for the last few years but still maintain my press credentials and I teach a multi-media graduate level course at Fordham University, Lincoln Center. It's Editing 101! So, without false modesty, I know what the hell I’m talking about. And I know this:

1.  I watched both clips of the interview and there was NO so-called word salad. Both clips made perfect sense. One just happened to be a bit longer because it contained conversational words that aren’t necessary in the final interpretation.

2.     1. That’s what editing IS! EVERY interview, especially those involving National figures, is ALWAYS longer than the final EDITED version. Interviews of that nature can last a half hour or more. It is simply impossible to use the ENTIRE interview in a news piece that lasts anywhere from 3 to 14 or 15 minutes in TOTAL!

3.     2. It’s the JOB of the producers and editors, who are HIGHLY TRAINED TO DO SO, to condense ALL of the information into a usable form while still preserving the SPIRIT of the message.

4.     3. CBS did an outstanding job in doing just that.

It’s a classic tactic that earned them the title Faux News. They parade the handsome Mr. Hannity before his adoring audience (I have witnessed them at LIVE events, and they are totally enamored) to make nonsense sound good. And, let me tell you, it IS nonsense. But if you choose to believe it, despite the expertise I offer you do counter him, than there is little I can do to convince you otherwise. But, be warned. This constant drumbeat of misinformation is another drop in what will soon become a torrent washing away ALL of the freedoms we supposedly hold so dear.

The way to resist is through vigilance and acquired knowledge. But we must WORK on it. Do not believe everything that you hear or read – at least until you have researched it further. Good, accurate information IS available - IF you make the effort to find it. Beware of cognitive dissonance. Do not start out simply looking to prove your point. Search for the truth and you will find it.

Today's MOZEN: WHO ARE WE??

 

 

Words and photos by F LoBuono

Dictionary.com defines ethos as: noun

1.    Sociology. the fundamental character or spirit of a culture; the underlying sentiment that informs the beliefs, customs, or practices of a group or society; dominant assumptions of a people or period:

In the Greek ethos the individual was highly valued.

2.    the character or disposition of a community, group, person, etc.

It’s a word that, considering the state of our current government’s administration, should take on a particularly powerful meaning now. You see, as I predicted many years ago and continue the drumbeat to this very day, the Presidential election of 2024 would be – and IS – a referendum on what it means to be an American.

It’s time to take a good long look into our hearts and souls and answer that question. Let’s look beyond the realm of politics and delve into the moral. What ethos, i.e. fundamental character or spirit of a culture, do we want to represent the legacy of our era?

Despite his protestations, it has become clear that by his ACTIONS that President Donald J.Trump and his cronies are implementing the draconian principals laid out in the Project 2025 doctrine. EVERYONE should know that the ideals within that document will fundamentally change the very core of American policy both domestically and internationally.

But it’s more than just political change. It’s a moral issue too, as already seen in the flurry of Executive Orders issued by Mr. Trump, many of them indicating the implementation of Project 2025 doctrine; a world ruled by white, privileged men, and the uber wealthy. Those not willing to accept these standards will be shunned, cast out, or worse. And there are many other tenets that are equally morally reprehensible.

There are already many examples of these facts. Too many to list for any one article. But, for just one example, anything to do with the Federal Government’s attempt with providing a fair opportunity for ALL Americans to work and be included in the so-called American dream was cancelled when he dissolved DEI (The Department of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion). And he did so with joy as if equity and inclusion were dirty words! He was even so petty as to have even any mention of the words erased from any Federal office or building. Then he doubled-down by blaming the horrific mid-air collision in Washington, D.C. on DEI hiring – with NO PROOF, as they were still recovering bodies from the Potomac! Of course, he was completely supported by the UNQUALIFIED lackies he appointed to key positions in his Cabinet.

Is this leadership? Hell no! It’s downright deplorable. A REAL leader would have offered strength through words and deeds of compassion to the families and the Nation.

And there is more. Too much more to describe them all. But let’s review just a few more examples.

In addition to the inexcusable act of pardoning the Jan.6^th traitors and criminals (1500 of them) he has taken his domination of America’s justice system to a new low by firing any inspector who might find malfeasance in any of his Administration, dismissing any prosecutors in the Department of Justice who had any involvement in the Jan. 6^th trials, and demanding the records of ANY agent who may have been involved in the investigation for possible further action.

This is unconscionable! He has once again put himself above the law and is getting away with it – again! Why? Because people continue to support him. But they can no longer in good conscience say, “don’t mind what he says. Look at what he does.” Well, I am looking and it’s disgusting.

There are SO many examples of this man’s attempt at bring us to, ah, yes, the dreaded word: fascism – dreaded AND real. Allow me to make one more point.

In another action, Mr. Trump basically dissolved the US Government’s program to assist those most in need in other countries known as USAID. By providing food and other life essentials to those struggling, it was our attempt to show that the United States not only has a big stick, but it can provide a healthy carrot too. When asked, one his newest lackies, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, summed up the new policy by basically saying (paraphrasing): it’s not about THEM. It’s about US.

No more carrots. Here’s the stick.

And there you have it folks, the new American ethos. But perhaps I’m wrong. Maybe we’ve always been that way. Afterall, over 77 million Americans voted for this man and his agenda. For the life of me, I can’t figure out why so many people would elect a man with so many serious character flaws. Was it because they saw their own faults in him and that made him relatable? But can they REALLY look at themselves in the mirror today and say, “I want to look like that – BE that?” Even Now?

The way things stand today if any Trump supporters were to actually read this, I find it highly unlikely that it would change any of their minds. But if my words can inspire even one person to stop this madness, spending the few hours to write this will have been worth it. You see, maybe I’m old fashioned, but I remember when Americans stood up for the little guy, the less fortunate, the underdog – because that’s what WE were, and I want us to be again. THAT’s our ethos. And either you believe in that, or you don’t. Act. Before it’s too late.