July is proving to be a miserable month. Perhaps at the top of the list was the heat wave. A close second, however, was the political news. Like garbage left out in triple digit temperatures, it stunk. I am grateful for stories on the commemoration of the 1969 moon landing. Other than that good news, is there anything else?
Here’s the news I wished I had missed:
Horrendous conditions at the migrant holding camps. I am ashamed that our government is letting this happen. I was appalled at VP Pence touring a facility and then not doing anything about it.
The announcement of “massive” ICE raids on undocumented immigrants. Incredible panic was created by the thought of doors being smashed down and people being dragged off to overcrowded migrant camps. The fact that the subsequent raids were smaller than announced doesn’t justify use of immigration enforcement to build support for re-election.
Racist attacks on The Squad. How low can this President go? Before you answer, remember he still has 17 months in office. It is a certainty that Trump will Trump himself.
The “Send her back!” chants at the Trump rally in Greenville, North Carolina. One friend described it as a light duty version of the Nuremberg rally of 1934. Shameful!
Jeffrey Epstein. I had not heard of this monster. The fact he wasn’t stopped long ago raises very disturbing questions.
Old Video of Jeffrey with the wild-and-crazy 1980’s Trump. A potent emetic. And the full story is not yet out.
M1 Tanks at the Fourth of July celebration in Washington. Why? And don’t forget Trump’s speech: “Our army manned the air, it rammed the ramparts, it took over the airports, it did everything it had to do.” Incredible.
Kamala Harris’ ambush of Joe Biden in the first Democratic debate and the boost in the polls it earned her. Who is the real beneficiary of her triumph in the debate?
The escalating crisis in the Strait of Hormuz. We are inching closer to yet another war that most likely is avoidable.
Trump entering North Korea. This photo op, which happened at the end of June, dominated the news for the first part of the month. Don’t forget: Kim Jong Un is a great guy, just like Epstein was at one time.
Sometimes bad news is accompanied by subsequent good news. Like a coal mine collapse trapping miners followed by a subsequent rescue. Here are some examples of “subsequent good news” that I wished we had seen this month;
Hill Republican leadership condemning Trump’s racist comments.
Trump’s Twitter account is cancelled.
Beto O’Rourke drops out of Presidential race.
Congress passes, and Trump signs, emergency legislation addressing migrant camp conditions.
Trump announces he is not running for President in 2020. “Mission Accomplished!” he says.
Iran crisis defused. Mediated talks begin.
Putin overthrown in Russia.
Meteorologists predict no more heat waves for rest of summer.
It’s okay if you accuse me of wishful thinking. With the real news as bleak as it is, what is one to do?
J.E. Dean of Oxford is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant. He is a former counsel to the House Committee on Education and Labor. For more than 30 years he advised clients on federal education and social service policy. He is the former chairman of the National College Access Network (NCAN), a group promoting success in higher education among underrepresented groups, and KnowledgeWorks Foundation, a national leader in strategic foresight and education innovation. He is an advocate for the environment, education reform, civic public debate, and good government.
Carol Voyles says
One more thing we might hope for: All of those representing us might embrace accountability. Then we could have hope on all fronts.
If there were any possibility that Hillary Clinton could be convicted, it would have been done by now. Let’s move forward.
Alan Boisvert says
I agree Carol, however it’s hard to move forward when there is someone backward in the White House.