OK. So, I have chosen a rather obscure book title, "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achbe, published in 1956 as the jumping off point for this article. Donald Trump was only 10 years old then, so how could this have anything to do with President 45 today? Let me explain.....
I first encountered this work as a young social science/history teacher around 1970. The Department Supervisor, Fred Engelken, taught a class in comparative cultures at that time, and used this book in his class to illuminate the impacts of cultures as they collide. The book title was taken from the first verse in the poem, "The Second Coming" by W.B. Yeats (1865-1939), an Irish poet and dramatist:
"Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all convictions, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity."
(Yeats, 1919)
Yeats describes an apocalyptic vision in which the villagers world collapses into anarchy. The Achbe book is focused on a Nigerian village society, the Igbo, which isn't able to withstand the onslaught of western colonization during the colonial period in Africa. The Umuofia community is invaded, teeters on the brink and, finally, falls apart. The book's hero, Okonkwo, the village's respected leader and local hero, is exiled from the village for 7 years as punishment for violating a number of traditional village norms and mores. He later returns to find that Europeans have arrived and want the local people to adopt European religion, behaviors and beliefs, and culture. Facing the choice of submission or resistance, Okonkwo leads a resistance.... but, discovers that he is a leader with few followers. After beheading a white overlord, he realizes that the people of Okonkwo are not going to fight to protect themselves. Okonkwo hangs himself to avoid being arrested and tried in a colonial court.
In a way, we are bearing witness to the dissembling of our traditional political culture. The Trump candidacy broke all of the established rules and "invaded" the traditional Republican Party, defeating the best of their candidates from both the right and the moderate/corporate wings. The Trump nomination represented a hostile takeover of the modern Republican Party. Still, for the most part, they fell in line in the hope that they could direct the legislative agenda should he win against the formidable candidacy of Hillary Clinton. Then, in a shocking end to a tumultuous campaign, Trump collected enough electoral votes to win the presidency in spite of losing the popular vote to Clinton by more than 3 million votes. In fact, Hillary Clinton received more popular votes than any other president in US history, except for Barak Obama, in the race but conceded the loss when enough electoral votes had been amassed by Trump to win the day. In that way, the Trump Train continued to dismantle the political "establishment" - first the regular Republican Party and then the Democrats as well. Trump became king of the political hill with a promise of "Making America Great Again (MAGA), and draining the "swamp", providing health care to "everyone", better and at lower costs, not disturbing Medicare and Medicaid, lowering taxes on working families and the middle class, strengthening the military, a "massive" infrastructure program, and, of course, building "that wall." The Trump Train had invaded Washington indeed.
And, so here we are nearly one year after the 2016 election and some 9 months into the Trump era. You know how the healthcare debate unfolded.... massive cuts to Medicaid, the proposed loss of coverage for millions of Americans, rising premiums for seniors, lost subsidies for lower income families, threats to pre-existing condition coverage, and massive opposition by every healthcare advocacy group and the vast majority of the American public. Every attempt that the Republican leadership put forward failed for lack of votes. Even worse, each bill was not anywhere near what Trump had promised along the campaign trail. Medicaid was to be severely reduced and millions of us removed from the rolls and left without coverage and, in the last attempt, healthcare coverage was to be changed into state block grants, capped, and pre-existing conditions exposed to massive rate increases state-by-state.
Korea - and foreign affairs in general - from the Russian collusion suspicions to nuclear brinkmanship with North Korea, from Trump's embarrassing UN speech and further inappropriate behavior at the G-20 meetings - American foreign policy seems to be headed right off the rails. Yet another crack in the consistent granite of American foreign policy. Trumps speeches, tweets, and seat-of-the-pants policy pronouncements have undermined the work of decades and eroded America leadership around the globe. Imagine the delight in the Kremlin as NATO shivers and attempts to reorganize in a new world of shaky American "leadership." Meanwhile, our Asian allies - Japan, South Korea, and others - wonder if "loose lips" or "twitter slips" might bring on nuclear Armageddon!
Of course, these issues - healthcare, North Korea, Iran, Russian investigations, and an absurd budget and tax plan that benefits the wealthiest in America and rewards corporate greed, not to mention the President himself, his companies, and his family (subject to another article to follow), capture all of the headlines and suck all the oxygen out of the room. Appointments, resignations (remember the "Mooch" and "Spicey"?), rumors and the ever-present presidential tweets, all distract from the many other issues happening behind the smokescreen and misdirection that Trump has inflicted On us all. Yet, many other "things" are falling part or being pushed over the cliff by the Trump Squad of toadies that are intent on turning back the clock to the 1950s or perhaps even further. Here's a list of some other other recent actions that have been made to "Make America Great Again"... yet another lie.
US ATTORNEYS: You recall that the Donald fired 46 US Attorneys, 22 males and 24 females, causing the wheels of justice to grind to a halt for a time. So far, President Trump has nominated 42 US Attorneys. Only one is a woman, and 40 are white men.
NATIONAL PARKS AND MONUMENTS: Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, no stranger to
travel on the taxpayers dime, has recommended to President Trump that he "modify" 10 national monuments created by Barak Obama, including shrinking the boundaries of at least 4 western sites and to open these sites to coal mining, logging, grazing, and drilling., what Zinke describes as "traditional use." Just another destruction by demolition man Trump.
travel on the taxpayers dime, has recommended to President Trump that he "modify" 10 national monuments created by Barak Obama, including shrinking the boundaries of at least 4 western sites and to open these sites to coal mining, logging, grazing, and drilling., what Zinke describes as "traditional use." Just another destruction by demolition man Trump.
DACA: After promising that he loves "all people" and "especially the blameless children", Trump ordered the end of the Dreamers Act. The result is that 800,000 immigrants, largely from South America" who are in school, working, in the military, and all paying US taxes, will be deported in 6 months unless the Congress acts to pass a Dream Act permitting these folks to stay in some status. President Trump said that he supports such an action but has said or done little to make it happen. The clock ticks for these lost souls, many of whom have known no other country but ours.
TRANSPORTATION: Of course, other than promising a substantial investment in infrastructure, the Trump budget doesn't contain any indication of such a program. Bridges, tunnels, new stations, trains, airports, ports, and highways are all in desperate need of attention or expansion. But, there is little evidence of commitment to these long overdue projects - and the millions of construction, engineering, and production jobs that would be the result. Without action - and soon - we will fall into the category of a third-world infrastructure network and lose a substantial competitive edge over our trade competitors. In fact, Trump's first budget released this past spring, not only does not contain increased funding for transportation projects, but SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCES investment in transportation infrastructure! The budget features cuts to Amtrak, transit, commuter rail, and air service to rural towns - the very places that gave him the votes to put him into office. Trump has proposed the elimination of Amtrak's long distance trains and by doing so, further isolates rural America from the markets that sustain small town economies. The proposed cuts - $2.4 billion from transportation - a 13% reduction from the last year - totally eliminates $2 billion from the FTA "New Starts" Capital Investment program, crucial to launching new transit, commuter rail, and light rail projects, and the elimination of all funding for Amtrak's national network trains which provide the only national network service to 23 states and the only nearby Amtrak service for 144.6 million Americans, according to the National Association of Railroad Passengers report (April 4, 2017).
ENVIRONMENT: Aside from withdrawing from the International Paris Accords on Climate change, the Trump crowd has done substantial damage behind the curtain. Scott Pruit as EPA Administrator has attempted to roll back numerous environmental regulations designed to protect folks from environmental contamination. In an about face, the Trump EPA dropped restrictions aimed at the Pebble Mine in Alaska paving the way for the company to seek permits to start production without regard to contaminated mine waste in spite of a three year study published in 2014 and peer reviewed twice that concluded that this colossal open-pit mine, as deep as the Grand Canyon, that will generate 10 billion tons of mining waste, would create a "catastrophic" risk to the Bristol Bay watershed. More than 80% of the local residents oppose the Pebble Mine. The Natural Resources Defense Council and a coalition of grassroots organizations with other environmental associations will continue to oppose the Pebble Mine. This time, however, their opponents include the mine ownership AND the EPA. Perhaps the name should be changed to the MPA (Mine Protection Administration).
* In July the Federal Court reversed the EPA in their attempt to allow the oil and gas industry to release methane and other gases into the atmosphere. The EPA also agreed to reinstate a rule that would have allowed tons of mercury pollution from dental offices into the waste stream but did not agree to rescind their permission for mining to discharge mine wastewater into local streams.
* The Trump administration has refused to ban a dangerous pesticide - chlorpyrifos - sprayed on apples, oranges, broccoli, almonds and some other food crops, evading a federal court order to do so. This is in spite of EPA's own research that indicates the chemical is linked to learning disabilities in children and exposures greater than 140 times the EPA safety limit of exposure.
* Trump is seeking to lift the permanent drilling ban in the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans opening up 120 million acres to drilling. EPA's own study of the implications of such a decision indicate that there is a 75% chance of a major oil spill in the Arctic Sea and would wreak havoc on Atlantic fishing and beach tourism. Fortunately, the law does not allow the President to undo the permanent protection of offshore waters. Environmental groups are on the alert, however, to be sure that violations are brought immediately to the federal courts.
* Can you believe it? President Trump has nominated long-time climate denier and racist talk radio commentator Sam Clovis to be the US Department of Agriculture CHIEF SCIENTIST! The 2008 Farm Bill requires that the "chief scientist" be selected from among distinguished scientists with specialized training or significant experience in agricultural research, education, and economics." Clovis, aside from being a climate-change denier saying that climate-change science is "junk", HE IS NOT A SCIENTIST! In fact, Clovis has no policy expertise in food, agriculture or any experience in hard science at all. Still, President Trump nominated him for the post.... just as he nominated Jim Bridenstein, a member of Congress and a climate-change denier - also NOT A SCIENTIST and without any experience in space at all, to head NASA. As they say, send in the clowns...
Are you buying any of this? Like the villagers of Umuofia of the Igbo society, you also have a choice - to quietly accept and comply or to resist. "Things" are truly "falling apart" as Trump and his administration are dismantling decades of progress and hundreds if not thousands of laws and regulations designed and adopted - by Democratic and Republican administrations alike - to
protect American's health, safety, resources, and environment from the potential excesses of corporations perpetrated in the pursuit of profit.
As one American, I choose the path of resistance... the path of Okonkwo in Achbe's book. I choose to fight. I encourage my fellow Americans to join with me in a battle FOR the future, not a retreat into the imagined "glories" of the past. Perhaps, like Okonkwo, I will fail in the effort. But, the fight is well worth it because progress toward a better future is worth it. Preventing war and incalculable carnage is worth it. Protecting our environment is worth it because there is no planet "B". And, the promise of America is worth it - for ourselves, our children, and those who dream of joining us in the greatest experiment in freedom, in human dignity, and in democratic self government that the world has ever seen. Choose to stand up! Choose to speak out! Choose to march and be heard! Or, as Benjamin Franklin once famously said, "If we do not hang together, we will surely all hang separately."
protect American's health, safety, resources, and environment from the potential excesses of corporations perpetrated in the pursuit of profit.
As one American, I choose the path of resistance... the path of Okonkwo in Achbe's book. I choose to fight. I encourage my fellow Americans to join with me in a battle FOR the future, not a retreat into the imagined "glories" of the past. Perhaps, like Okonkwo, I will fail in the effort. But, the fight is well worth it because progress toward a better future is worth it. Preventing war and incalculable carnage is worth it. Protecting our environment is worth it because there is no planet "B". And, the promise of America is worth it - for ourselves, our children, and those who dream of joining us in the greatest experiment in freedom, in human dignity, and in democratic self government that the world has ever seen. Choose to stand up! Choose to speak out! Choose to march and be heard! Or, as Benjamin Franklin once famously said, "If we do not hang together, we will surely all hang separately."
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