BackChannels has been enjoying — appreciating, actually — the NBC News videos on YouTube featuring each of the notables speaking at Arizona Senator John McCain’s funeral service at the National Cathedral this day in Washington, D.C. More remembrance, the service even at its most personal heights — see the previous post featuring Meghan McCain’s reflections on her father’s death — has been an extraordinary reflection on the American spirit and the principles and values that inform the nation.
After God Bless America, may God bless Town & Country for the transcriptions.
From the above delivery by former President Barrack Obama:
In captivity John learned in ways that few of us ever will the meaning of those words, how each moment, each day, each choice is a test. And John McCain passed that test again and again and again. And that’s why when John spoke of virtues like service and valor they weren’t just words to him, it was a truth that he had lived and for which he was prepared to die. And it forced even the most cynical to consider what were we doing for our country? What might we risk everything for?
Related Videos
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Toward the end, Meghan McCain while honoring her father well recognizes their virtues of the country they have both loved.
The America of John McCain is generous and welcoming and bold. she’s resourceful, confident, secure. She meets her responsibilities. she speaks quietly because she’s strong. America does not boast because she has no need to. The America of John McCain has no need to be made great again because America was always great. That fervent faith, that proven devotion, that abiding love, that is what drove my father from the fiery skies above the Red River delta to the brink of the presidency itself.
A portion of the newly strident right hustles to dismiss heretofore reliable sources of information: we have all heard of “Fake News!” Where that blanket dismissal fails, the sophists then fall back on impugning the credibility of public intelligence sources. Recent topic of interest: “Fancy Bear” — the fancy title for a Russian hacking team involved in the manipulating of an American election. In the target zone: the consulting and security firm “Crowdstrike”, which, indeed may have fumbled with some claims about Russia’s MO in Ukraine — but not about the U.S. incident. In the same business, Fireeye has also reported out on Fancy Bear. For good measure, BackChannels took a glance at former British spy Christopher Steele’s reputation and found it holding up quite well.
When the most self-righteous on the Right dismiss high-integrity reportage out of hand with shouts of “Fake News!” and the launching of barbs against state officials and private sector consultants in the intelligence business (with Fancy Bear, cybersecurity), have another look at the targets of that ire.
Arguing is so easy: discredit sources; dismiss facts (now that there are “alternative facts” as well); get it down to ad hominem mud pies — and one might feel . . . triumphant. Easy-peasy.
Note: the consultancy for Christopher Steele worked on what has become known as the “Steele Dossier” was Fusion GPS.
Also, for the record: the editor of BackChannels is an independent American voter and enjoys, alas — or “oh joy!” — no financial support from either Democratic or Republican interests.
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez caught a bit of criticism today for her control of a “town hall” type meeting — although partisan — on behalf of a portion of those discarded or discounted within the American system.
Regarding the young politician’s social concerns and the knee-jerk branding that is the ever malleable bogey ne “socialism” as framed by a self-righteous Right, a statement about comprehensive governance serving the American People seemed appropriate.
A whole systems approach to the governance of a nation need not be a totalitarian approach but rather sensible in producing and sustaining cohesion and national security, which is in part defined by a nation’s political coherence.
On the present course, the wealthy have become wealthier, the poor more overwhelmed by ordinary lifestyle costs (an issue that reliably drives inflationary battles for higher minimum wage), and the numbers of abandoned, addicted, droned out, incarcerated, and politically impotent Americans continue to rise. While it’s good to push the top of the game, as it were, one might consider it prudent to get a good image of what’s going on in the basement too — and respond to it by other than shrugging it away.
I’ll repeat — or not if I haven’t said this already — I’ve framed the present general challenges to democracies as “medieval v modern”. We have to choose by adjusting ourselves to where we think the _whole country_ needs to be in the next one or two generations. Divided between Left and Right, rich and poor, dotted by islands of prosperity surrounded by seas of misery: that’s not where I would want this ship to go.
While it would seem every age needs its Dickens, and this one seems no exception, our United States of America was born with extraordinary ideals and insight. The nation was given a great future at the outset. Also appearing earlier this in my part of the awesome conversation:
The authors of our Constitution created a document beyond their own time.
Americans have produced miracles in the multidimensional accomplishments designed to ensure “domestic tranquility”. However, much has been done as well to undo that progress and return us all to the capricious rule of the strong while returning the nation to the conditions of feudal estates.
[Steps off soap box].
I’ve had a look at the place; can’t fix it with a Facebook post; maybe it’s time to take another step back . . . .
I keep this scene handy:
Much of the American public has been trained to “argue” using slogans (e.g., “Two legs bad; four legs good”) — and then there’s an Administrative part that actually gets into the issues and argues through them to give us the public-private compacts — agreements that serve our capitalists and our public both. That’s being eroded and there’s not a thing I can do about it but . . . publish.
Videographer Mark Horvath’s “Invisible People” project has made the “invisible” quite plainly seen and now into the millions of views. From BackChannel’s perspective, there has been a cold and impersonal aspect to life in America despite the Judeo-Christian and Greco-Roman humanism built into her foundations. Fill in the gaps in the “precipitating event” part of Cody’s story: how did we become — when did we become — so callous and so cruel a national culture?
No need to blame President Trump on this score. The problem didn’t develop with his tenure. Nonetheless, one may question the developing atmosphere and mentality that “kicks to the curb” or just leaves there 0.17 percent of the nation’s headcount, rejects culpability, and looks away.
Americans – San Francisco Public Transportation Shooting Gallery 2018
Posted to YouTube April 25, 2018.
They may not all be Americans (I don’t know), but America’s opioid crisis also begs the Whisky Tango Foxtrot question: how did this happen? It’s hard linking business and political elements to so troubling an aspect of personal and social behavior, but there too one may wonder how so many, many souls became so unfathomably lost in America.
We know all about machines and systems but seem either unable to defend the vulnerable or address their motivations before the great slide down the groove to a make-shift make-do “Skid Hallway”.
As I’ve referenced Orwell in this post, any interested in a refresher may find it here:
For another sort of “refresher” or an introduction to civic responsibility and sense, I recommend acquaintance with the following:
Stimulus: a Facebook-based accusation to the effect that Ocasio-Cortez will come to resemble Castro and other socialist dictators.
Baloney.
The event in question appears to have been designed for partisan listening and not for open public discourse:
—— She said the journalist ban “was designed to protect + invite vulnerable populations to PUBLIC discourse: immigrants, victims of domestic abuse, and so on.”
“We indicated previously that the event would be closed to press,” she said. “Future ones are open.” ——
I think all political organizations have the prerogative to determine their meeting doors open or closed to facilitate policy planning and research. To amplify the decision to avoid the media circus and actually listen to the underserved or, in some ways, people with problems that are nonetheless a part of our communities seems to me execrable — but if that’s the way Fox wants to operate, well that says a lot about Fox News.
Additionally, with this town hall non-story: it was designed to protect + invite vulnerable populations to PUBLIC discourse: immigrants, victims of domestic abuse, and so on.
We indicated previously that the event would be closed to press. Future ones are open.
Dictators, not “isms”, have killed millions, and therefore having a look at the psychology of dictatorship — and the nature of disingenuous news personalities, lol, may be more helpful than the demonizing of a young American politician.
We still here, we still strong
Fightin’ White Supremacy until it’s gone!
The Lafayette Square counter-protest rally is set to get going around 1pm, with reports of a coordinated march from a secondary location descending around 3pm. Stay safe. #AllOutDC#ShutItDownDCpic.twitter.com/Bi7ZIP6BxA
Prayer service by “United for Love” is held now in front of the US Congress with signs against racism and hatred, promoting love and inclusion. Washington gets ready for the second “Unite the Right” rally outside the White House, one year after the first rally in Charlottesville. pic.twitter.com/mlkOkVIh5c
— Negar Mortazavi نگار مرتضوی (@NegarMortazavi) August 12, 2018
American-based, humanist, and classically liberal and democratic BackChannels here adds just one more biker video:
BackChannels Frame
Feudal-Medieval Political Absolutism
v
Modern Democratic Checked and Distributed Power
Between “Active Measures” and America’s inherent internal tensions, citizens may feel channeled toward a fascistic Far Right new nationalism or a dippy Far Left socialist revival, but BackChannels reminds that there may be — there should be — a more grounded and spacious Middle American Way and some wish to rediscover and renew that more coherent nation.
BackChannels 