Author Tom Mueller showing where some of the rage is coming from

[plugger]

Over on reddit I'm trying something that is the opposite of my modus operandi over the years - I'm trying to diagnose and calm some of this political rage!  In the past I've been known to stir things up.  I feel like I'm bringing a squirt gun to a forest wildfire, but what the hey, can only try.

https://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/ktx775/crisis_of_conscience_by_tom_mueller_review_what/

[plugger]

I will say this looks like a good bipartisan book, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D) along with Senator Chuck Grassley (R) came out looking good.  Something rare these days, a little something for both sides.

[kristina]

... Might the following assist to explain, understand and perhaps help to heal?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz3zFsTp2Pk

[plugger]

I haven't always agreed with Mr. Schwarzenegger, but he nailed this one.

[kristina]

Hello plugger, I agree with you that he certainly "nailed this one".

A friend of mine pointed out this speech to me and it impressed me very much and I thought it might be a good idea to share it here. This speech seems very true and comes over as extremely honest, especially since he so honestly points out his own family and his father ...

Mind you, at that particular time the media had a much greater influence, especially since Radio and Cinema etc. were fairly new to influence people "en masse" and so any wanna-be-dictator had an "easy game" with desperate people, especially since there was such a very high rate of unemployment at this particular time and there was no chance for families to receive any social monetary assistance etc.

... There were also daily street-fights taking place between Hitlerists and Anti-Hitlerists and many of the Anti-Hitlerists were the first unlucky one's who ended up in hastily constructed Concentration-Camps ...

... I shall keep my fingers crossed and hopefully the future is turning out alright without any further trouble, especially on Inauguration Day.

I am thinking of you all over there and send you my best wishes from Kristina.

[plugger]

Kristina, it was good you reminded us about how bad it can get - if too many sit back.  There was good turnout for the last election, I hope to see even more.  I also hope to see more help for our rural areas here - as in maybe an army of doctors, nurses, and teachers fixing healthcare and education.  I've read how bad schools and care can be in a lot of outlying areas, so I wasn't surprised to have seen these areas have been centers for extremist activity.  And I wasn't surprised to see how they voted.  Sure, I can understand the anger - just think it has been misdirected.  Maybe Mueller's book can provide a little direction.

And to make it clear where I stand right now, I will say I'm in favor of impeachment for Trump.  Justice for him should be swift and harsh - and a deterrent for anybody who might ever think about doing the same.  I'm hoping for more healing later.  I don't see how leaving Trump in office is going to heal the nation in the long-term.

[kristina]

Hello plugger,

Many thanks for your honest reply, it is very much appreciated and let us hope, we can continue to enjoy free speech - politically speaking - without any repercussions and let's also hope, "things" don't turn out as bad as they look at this moment.

Perhaps one of the most terrifying problems might be for many good people to recognise the real evil they might face if politically "things go terribly wrong" so to speak. Let us hope that won't ever happen again !!!

Best wishes from Kristina.

[plugger]

I did want to mention one example of government malfeasance that really caught my eye in the book was the NSA's trailblazer and thin thread controversy:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ThinThread

60 minutes also did a piece on it back in 2011:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0hO5fTGwPY

I was in the Army Security Agency back in the '70s and the NSA contacted me after I got out of the service with an application - but I wanted to do other things.  It killed me when the NSA went from just foreign communications monitoring to also domestic - what should be a law enforcement job.

[plugger]

The trailblazer and thin thread controversy is example of something for both sides.  Fiscal conservative Republicans can be upset at the huge waste of money.  And Democrats can point to an example of the civil servants in NSA coming up with a better solution with Thin Thread - rather than what the high-priced private industry contractors offered with trailblazer.