While U.S. President Donald Trump is alarmingly tactless and prone to making violent comments, the causal connection between that phenomenon and recent violent attacks on citizens by unbalanced individuals is undercut by long-standing endemic violence in U.S. domestic and foreign policy.
Hillary Clinton’s characterization of Trump supporters as “a basket of deplorables” was not helpful, as Sharon Ryan would agree. But it isn’t merely a matter of “get(ting) these leaders to tone down the hate speech.” Hate is built into the system and “victimization” doesn’t involve “politically correct” self-aggrandizing fables: the ongoing police killing of unarmed African-American youths is a very real fact.
Americans are suffering from a system that produces gross economic disparity: the richest one per cent own as much as the bottom 90 per cent (NYT). This scale is found worldwide, where 42 individuals own as much as 3.7 billion people do (The Guardian).
Surely this is a democratic anomaly and it can’t be pretended that power is not proportionately skewed. Americans are suffering: 60 million people can’t meet a $400 emergency on their own. Forty-four million are without health care, and 38 million more have inadequate health care and can’t afford the premiums. Many work two or three jobs and can't meet basic needs.
Student debt exceeds $1.5 trillion and is a source of wealth for elites through market financialization. It is obvious that higher education has become the privilege of the wealthy class. Yet the military budget, already out of proportion with that of any other country, grows yearly. Last year, Congress granted $50 billion more than Trump even requested.
“Putting America first” is policy, not just a catchy sales pitch, but applies only to elite advantage. It entails alliances for business purposes with unsavoury partners like Saudi Arabia and Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro, who has made outrageously misogynist remarks and expressed violent intent toward any opposition. Yet harmless countries like Venezuela and Nicaragua that put their citizens first are touted as dangerous enemies.
Breaking the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran on spurious ground is part of the plan of attack mandated by the notorious Project For a New American Century even as it undermines U.S. credibility and dependability. Heavy sanctions on Russia and Iran are punitive and violent, and can be construed as acts of war. The new Cold War thus introduced is bound to end badly, in one respect or another.
Yet there are many who would support the U.S. in any enterprise, no matter how dangerous and unjust. These people are complicit in what will inevitably follow.
Doris Wrench Eisler, St. Albert
