Nine Shift

Today Seems Like a Holiday for Democracy

Yesterday's news about the Manafort and Cohen convictions, tied to a couple of other positive news for democracy, makes today seem like a holiday to celebrate renewed hope for our democracy.

This (2018-2019) is the time period when Americans decide whether to renew and revitalize our democracy, or wander downward into a less democratic society.  

Yesterday's news was also tinged with some hints of bi-partisan, or at least Above Partisan, stories:

-Melania Trump, with her trip to Africa, praise for and siding with LeBron James, her bow, all seem to be First Lady-like in terms of leadership, countering her husband's opposite views, and also being Above Partisanship, embracing things that a good Republican (and the Party used to embrace) can advocate.

-Facebook, Google, an 11 year old in Florida, and even some politicians are discovering Kremlin interference in our media and elections, another Above Partisanship effort.

We are not near out of trouble yet for our democracy, something some great statesman said has to be continually renewed and fought for.  But yesterday was a hopeful sign.

 

Fastest Growing Way for Boys to Die

The Center for Disease Control suggests the fastest growing way for boys to die:  drug overdose.

Some 72,000 people died from drug overdoses last year, a huge jump of over 10%.   It is a "more popular" way to die than death-by-car or H.I.V. or guns.

This according to the Center for Disease Control in a story in the sexist anti-male NY Times.  My brilliant co-author Julie found a source indicating that the NYTimes is one of the top news media for sexist anti-male gender bias. I am not surprised. Because

The story on drug overdose deaths did not include the data that males are far more likely to die from a drug overdose than females.  

I Start to Yearn for Normalcy

Normalcy, the term used for the roaring twenties, will return, but some of us are starting to yearn for it now.

So tired of the this-that of the current U.S. political scene, I switched the radio "dial" to the BBC. Hearing an Aretha Franklin song on the BBC news, I knew she had died before the announcer spoke.  Then they had memories from people close to her, short review of her life, and a tribute from a statesperson that choked me up.  But unlike the other news channel covering the White House stuff, the BBC story seemed, well, "normal."   I was sad, and yet glad to get back to what has been, and will be, normal news. 

Yes, Americans have to go through this difficult period of fighting for, and against, democracy.  Then we will come out of that time, hopefully with our democracy intact and not headed down an authoritarian undemocratic path.  Let's hope we wind up with normalcy in the 2020s.