A Matter of Circumstance

Juxtaposition

Looking at two things side-by-side that clash or don’t seem to fit together is what juxtaposition is all about in a graphic viewpoint. The last couple of days seem carved out of intentional positioning of elements for contrast.

I knew the President was going to address the nation. It would be early in the evening on the West coast where I live. I cranked the tube up a little after 5:00 and let it run in the background as I fixed dinner in the kitchen.

Bummer

Since I knew I was early I left it on the History Channel. Bad move. They had moved on from Ancient Astronaut theories to Government Coverups and how much Presidents were told about Roswell and thousands of other sightings to the Mystery of Oak Island.

Apparently, folks believe there is a buried treasure on this island in the North Atlantic and they have spent millions trying to figure out how to get to it through interlocking tunnels that are flooded by the sea. The cofferdam they had built, a kind of steel wall to keep back the sea so they could dig out the bay where the tunnels begin started leaking almost immediately.

The story is one of leaky walls, following partial clues and trying to figure out what is false and what is true.

Dinner viewing

I finished my dinner prep and sat down to watch the speech from the oval office. It was mercifully short. I found myself following partial clues and trying to figure out what is false and what is true.

Just about every claim made was incorrect except several incidents where illegal immigrants were charged with terrible crimes against citizens. The speech was constructed to convince anyone not digging for the facts that the greatest threat to this nation is from people trying to breach the southern border. Those emotional appeals came at the back end.

Equal time disaster

Democrats were given equal time. They were standing behind a podium side by side and didn’t flinch. They were about as emotional as a carved basilisk. They spoke with confidence and surety about the falsehoods in the preceding speech. But their expressions and body language were not linked to their words. There was no passion.

History is a matter of circumstance

We’re told that the victors write the history and that there is seldom, if ever, a minority report. An opinion piece in the Washington Post this morning said, “Trump Won.” It went on to say that the writer believed he had skillfully reached across his base to the rest of America.

The Atlantic offered the opposite opinion and noted that this may have been the last straw with former Republican stalwarts. The article noted the significant difference in his approval ratings between members of the Republican party and the US citizenry—a matter of 51 points.

The Blue Flu

This is going to play out rather quickly as more and more people at TSA call in sick because they are not being paid. They are not the only ones impacted. The one organization that Trump is supposedly trying to get assistance for is Homeland Security. They have been impaired more by his controversial Fascist tactic of shutting off government payrolls than any other department.

But wait, there’s more

Trump is tweeting that FEMA funds for the California Wild Fires should be cut off. He apparently believes that the fires were caused because of bad forest management and that global warming caused droughts have nothing to do with it.

Statutes of Liberty

Reagan compared America to a shining city on a hill. The Democratic speakers last night suggested that the Statue of Liberty should be the symbol of America. For those seeking asylum here, both images apply.

There is another image these circumstances tell me to keep in mind: It is a gate. Fences that have no access deny the nature of the dwellers on both sides. Gates allow passage in a way acceptable to both. Gates accept the law of reciprocity.

This is a country built on the rule of law. That is why the executive is not a monarch or a dictator. There are statutes that govern the representatives of the citizens. The courts are separate from the other branches of government.

Let’s solve the real border problem by fixing our gates. adding the courts, staff and physical resources necessary to cope with the huge numbers of people seeking asylum on our southern border. Let’s deal with the real circumstances. 

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Grand Poobah of www.BrandBrainTrust.com

His consulting practice, founded in 1990, is known for Trust-based Brand development, Positioning and business development for independent professionals on and off-line.

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