Dirty Water

We're the Polluter

If there is anything mitigating about our outrageous, illegal (by our own laws and international law), kidnapping of Venezuelas President and wife, it may be that our love of portraying ourselves as the world’s innocents has lost whatever shaky credibility in may ever have had.

The world’s Good Guys no longer.

Mark Twain wrote a book titled, Innocents Abroad, which made fun of our lack of sophistication as we find ourselves tourists, haplessly navigating much older cultures. Tha naivete’ is no longer convincing, if it ever was.

Even Russia has condemned us. Think about that. When Joe Biden was President, we had a semblance of credibility when we expressed outrage for their invasion of Ukraine.

Under this president, not only have we backed off joining with our traditional European allies in unwavering support for courageous Zelensky, but Trump has wrapped himself in the story Putin tells about protecting Russia’s zone of interest.

Now we see what Trumps motive was: to claim the western hemisphere for the U.S.

It’s not as if this is the first time we have made such a move, but this is so blatant, that perhaps even America First people may sober up about our role in the world.

I don’t know if the off-year elections will come soon enough to finally gain some leverage for people who oppose the President’s reckless lawlessness. Surely, that must be the opening chapter in a process that calls into question the ability of our system and Constitution to check megalomania.

It feels as if, as we mark 250 years since a few brave people dared to challenge the system that had been in place for centuries, now is the time for us to consider ourselves in much the same light.

The system we thought designed well enough to serve the aims of the whole world, looks to be on very shaky ground.

The wisdom among S. California surfers, is that, after a rain, we ought to stay out of the water for 36 hours. We have been raining pollution on the world for too long. It has fouled our own waters and the tides have carried it way beyond our shores.

Yes, life is too short to swim in dirty water, and when we are the ones making it dirty, we can hardly be surprised that the rest of the world regards us as outlaws.

It’s high time we cleaned up our waters and lent to a world in which we can bathe together.