Evening Hill Diaries 15
Friday 28th February (diarised 2nd
March, 2025)
Like most of the UK population, I was aghast at the
confrontation in the White House this afternoon. I briefly listened to ‘Any Questions’ in the
car. Inevitably this was the first topic
for discussion. The first panellist
prefaced his remarks by saying something like, ‘Before I answer, may I just say
that I believe Volodymyr Zelensky to be the most courageous European leader
since Winston Churchill in World War II.’
There was, as you may guess, loud applause.
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| AI can do most anything these days |
The unforgiveable rudeness of J D Vance and Donald Trump was
startling.
Trump, looking purely at the situation from a business point of view, has seemingly forgotten that the U.S.A. stands for Democracy, and one wonders what the content of his conversation with Vladimir Putin was, prior to the recent meetings with Macron, Starmer and Zelensky. I sense that there are many in the US with great sympathy for Ukraine. Surely Trump has forgotten that Putin, emboldened by the lack of support for Ukraine, may now embark on his grand plan to reclaim the Soviet Union. Could Latvia and Moldova be next? Another friend sent a piece which claims that double agent security personnel from a former USSR country have claimed that Trump was compromised (honeytrapped) in some way by Russia in 1987, but I have not quoted this. It is extremely hard to know what is fake and what is genuine news these days.
Many of us found the Starmer meeting with Trump rather
cringe making, particularly the moment when he pulled an envelope from his
pocket with an invitation from King Charles to Trump for an unprecedented
second state visit to the UK.
Starmer, Macron; these are the politicians with no court
cards left in their hands to play, to descend to Trump’s poker allusions. We all seem to have to kowtow to the Orange
Buffoon.
I have now read three dystopian novels about America. The latest, written by Sam Bourne (Jonathan
Freedland), is entitled ‘To Kill The President’, written in about 2016. It seems eerily prescient. The second, ‘The Plot Against America’,
written by Philip Roth, published in 2004, imagines a descent into Fascism and
anti-Semitism, when Charles Lindbergh (an admirer of Hitler) defeats FDR at the
election of 1940. The third is a very
unusual book, probably little read nowadays, which I only came across in a
second hand bookshop. It was written by
one of America’s most famous authors and playwrights, Sinclair Lewis, entitled
‘It Can’t Happen Here’, and published in 1935.
It was written against the rising tide of Fascism in Europe. I quote from Wikipedia: ‘The novel describes
the rise of Berzelius “Buzz” Windrip, a demagogue, who is elected President of
the United States, after fomenting fear and promising drastic economic and social
reforms, while promoting a return to patriotism and “traditional” values.’ Does this sound eerily familiar? I found this novel very disturbing, indeed
horrifying, to read. The Wiki article
about it carries quotes from U.S. journalists in response to Trump’s candidacy
the first time around, which are also prescient and relevant to the current
presidency.
Our cousin in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, wrote on Saturday
morning; ‘Utterly dismayed. And very
concerned. I get up every morning
wondering how much worse things can get, and am never disappointed. At least our Governor put out a good
statement yesterday.’
I quote Governor Josh Shapiro in full. Surely this is what the majority of right
thinking Americans must feel? I hope so.
Harrisburg, PA –
Today, Governor Josh Shapiro released the following statement
in reaction to the White House meeting between President Trump, Vice President
Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (sic):
“Pennsylvania is the proud home to over 150,000 Ukrainian and
Ukrainian American people. Some have planted roots here for generations – and
tens of thousands are here to find safety after fleeing Vladimir Putin’s
aggression. I know they, along with countless other Pennsylvanians, watched in
shock as the President and Vice President berated President Zelenskyy and
advanced Russia’s propaganda directly from the White House.
“The Oval Office should be a place where we advance American
values – not where we retreat from them. When the President and Vice President
attacked President Zelenskyy today, they served to undermine the safety and
security of America and our national security interests. I support a diplomatic
end to this war. Achieving this requires an honest reckoning of who started the
war and who the aggressor is, and to that question, there is only one answer:
Russia.
“In a matter of just a few weeks, the Trump-Vance Administration
has alienated many of our allies and is seemingly trying to take us from being
the leader of the free world to a hemispheric power, signaling to our friends
in Europe that they are on their own. Friends and adversaries elsewhere are
taking notice. That is weakness that does not serve the interests of freedom
and liberty, and it will create a more dangerous world.
“Strong leaders stand with their allies and they stand on their
principles – and I believe we must continue to advocate for the values of
freedom and liberty, not cower to dangerous dictators like Vladimir
Putin."
It would be hard to follow that with anything in my blog
that would seem nothing but trivial, so it’s time to shut up shop for the time
being.
March 10th
Unable to cycle, play golf, or swim, my exercise is
typically Shanks’s Pony. I walked down
to the harbour this afternoon. A watery
sun was pointing up an almost eerily calm harbour between Salterns and Brownsea
Castle. A light breeze blew from the
northeast and made little effect due to the shelter of Whitley Bay from Evening
Hill. A gentle outgoing tide usually
reveals some waders at the edge, perhaps some turnstones, plenty of oystercatchers,
and the occasional curlew. Today the
water’s edge was occupied by some crows, who were taking care not to get out of
their depth, but were harvesting a fine crop of small cockles and clams. These adaptable birds have gained a taste for
seafood. The tarmac nearby allows them
to drop and smash the shells. A good
leg-stretcher of four miles for me. On
my return there were a few Brent geese paddling around near the outfall of the
Luscombe valley.
A brief return to Trump and Vance. Prior to the televised exchange with
Zelensky, Brian Glenn, a correspondent for the right wing cable channel Real
America’s Voice, who was given privileged access, berated Zelensky for not
wearing a suit. History does not matter
to people like Glenn, but it had obviously escaped his ken that Churchill wore
his wartime boiler suit to meet President Roosevelt in May 1944.
Here is a link to another article, entitled ‘The Rise of the
Brutal American’, subtitle – This Is How The Bad Guys Act - by Anne Applebaum,
staff writer at Atlantic Monthly.
Sadly, spread throughout the media, and no doubt encouraged
by the Trump press corps, there are plenty of unpleasant rants against Zelensky
and Ukraine.
Thinking people everywhere are also aghast at the power
wielded by the unelected Elon Musk at the behest of Trump. Federal employees everywhere are being
summarily fired, often with disastrous consequences. For example, air traffic controllers who were
sacked had to be reinstated. Public
health employees who were organising efforts to combat a measles epidemic due
to an undervaccinated population were also laid off. The cancellation of PEPFAR (President’s Emergency
Plan For AIDS Relief) has sparked an analysis of the true cost of this
action. The result seems to be that the
increase in AIDS cases will inevitably come home to roost in an upturn in
medical care costs in the United States itself.
A counterproductive initiative.
Another Trump disciple (I use the word advisedly; Sigmund
Freud became dictatorial about his views of the human psyche, and his followers
necessarily became his disciples) is Robert F Kennedy,Jr, who despite being an
antivaxxer and conspiracy theorist, as well as having a conviction for heroin
possession, is the new Secretary for Health and Human Services. The measles outbreak, affecting many states,
has seen the first deaths from the disease for many years. Kennedy’s advice? Use cod liver oil (reported by the New York
Times).
Dr Paul Offit is an American paediatrician with an interest in infectious disease. His bona fide is vouched for by a respected
US colleague of mine Offit has written about RFK Jr, and introduces his piece by
discussing Galileo, whose treatise of 1632 supporting Copernicus’ theory that
the earth moves around the sun led to his being forced to recant by the
Inquisition. Legend has it that he
murmured ‘Eppur si muovo’ (Yet it still moves).
Some of Kennedy’s beliefs are truly mind boggling: ‘Vaccines
cause autism’; ‘The polio vaccine killed many, many, many more people than it
saved’; ‘The Covid-19 vaccine was the deadliest vaccine ever made’; ‘SARS CoV-2
was ethnically targeted to spare Ashkenazi Jews and the Chinese’; Blacks have a
better immune system than Whites and should have different vaccine schedules; HIV
does not cause AIDS; and best of all, the Spanish Flu outbreak of 1918 was
caused by the Influenza vaccine (which was not invented until many years
later).
Offit concludes by pointing out that in 1992, after 350
years, Pope John Paul II finally accepted the conclusions of a Vatican
commission that Galileo had been correct in his view. He says; ‘One can only hope that it won’t take that
long to undo the harms that an anti-vaccine, science denying, conspiracy
theorist who is now setting policy for the largest public health agency in the
United States.’
Offit has also written a piece about ‘The Medical Freedom
Movement’, which trumpets individualism against the benefits of Public Health
strategies. I urge you to read it. Offit’s writings can be found at Substack.com
but the link is here:
https://pauloffit.substack.com/p/the-medical-freedom-movement
I prefer to write a blog with my own observations and
thoughts, but cannot resist quoting in full from Ralph Nader, still alive at
the age of 91. Nader rose to prominence
in the 1960s as a consumer champion – the little guy against the big
corporation encapsulates what he was about and has continued to be. Here is what he wrote this week. A friend published it on Facebook.
Stay Silent and Stay Powerless Against Trump’s Tyranny
by Ralph Nader
March 14, 2025
There are reasons why influential or knowledgeable Americans are staying
silent as the worsening fascist dictatorship of the Trumpsters and Musketeers
gets more entrenched by the day. Most of these reasons are simple cover for
cowardice.
Start with the once-powerful Bush family dynasty. They despise Trump as
he does them. Rich and comfortable George W. Bush is very proud of his
Administration’s funding of AIDS medicines saving lives in Africa and
elsewhere. Trump, driven by vengeance and megalomania, moved immediately to
dismantle this program. Immediate harm commenced to millions of victims in
Africa and elsewhere who are reliant on this U.S. assistance (including programs
to lessen the health toll on people afflicted by tuberculosis and malaria).
Not a peep from George W. Bush, preoccupied with his landscape painting
and perhaps occasional pangs of guilt from his butchery in Iraq. His signal
program is going down in flames and he keeps his mouth shut, as he has largely
done since the upstart loudmouth Trump ended the Bush family’s power over the
Republican Party.
Then there are the Clintons and Obama. They are very rich, and have no
political aspirations. Yet, though horrified by what they see Trump doing to
the government and its domestic social safety net services they once ruled,
mum’s the word.
What are these politicians afraid of as they watch the overthrow of our
government and the oncoming police state? Trump, after all, was not elected to
become a dictator—declaring war on the American people with his firings and
smashing of critical “people’s programs” that benefit liberals and
conservatives, red state and blue state residents alike.
Do they fear being discomforted by Trump/Musk unleashing hate and
threats against them, and getting tarred by Trump’s tirades and violent
incitations? No excuses. Regard for our country must take precedence to help
galvanize their own constituencies to resist tyranny and fight for Democracy.
What about Kamala Harris — the hapless loser to Trump in November’s
presidential election? She must think she has something to say on behalf of the
75 million people who voted for her or against Trump. Silence! She is perfect
bait for Trump’s intimidation tactics. She is afraid to tangle with Trump
despite his declining polls, rising inflation, the falling stock market and
anti-people budget slashing which is harming her supporters and Trump voters’
economic wellbeing, health and safety.
This phenomenon of going dark is widespread. Regulators and prosecutors
who were either fired or quit in advance have not risen to defend their own
agencies and departments, if only to elevate the morale of those civil servants
remaining behind and under siege.
Why aren’t we hearing from Gary Gensler, former head of the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), now being dismantled, especially
since the SEC is dropping his cases against alleged cryptocurrency crooks?
Why aren’t we hearing much more (she wrote one op-ed) from Samantha
Power, the former head of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
under Biden, whose life-saving agency is literally being illegally closed down,
but for pending court challenges?
Why aren’t we hearing from Michael Regan, head of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), under Biden about saboteur Lee Zeldin, Trump’s head of
EPA, who is now giving green lights to lethal polluters and other environmental
destructions?
These and many other former government officials all have their own
circles – in some cases, millions of people – who need to hear from them.
They can take some courage of the seven former I.R.S. Commissioners —
from Republican and Democratic Administrations — who condemned slicing the
I.R.S staff in half and aiding and abetting big time tax evasion by the
undertaxed super-rich and giant corporations. I am told that they would be
eager to testify, should the Democrats in Congress have the energy to hold
unofficial hearings as ranking members of the Senate Finance and House Ways and
Means Committees.
Banding together is one way of reducing the fear factor. After Trump
purged the career military at the Pentagon to put his own “yes men” at the top,
five former Secretaries of Defense, who served under both Democratic and
Republican presidents, sent a letter to Congress denouncing Trump’s firing of
senior military officers and requesting “immediate” House and Senate hearings
to “assess the national security implications of Mr. Trump’s dismissals.” Not a
chance by the GOP majority there. But they could ask the Democrats to hold
UNOFFICIAL HEARINGS as ranking members of the Armed Services Committees!
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker can be one of the prime witnesses at these
hearings – he has no fear of speaking his mind against the Trumpsters.
On March 6, 2025, the Washington Bureau Chief of the New York Times,
Elisabeth Bumiller, put her rare byline on an urgent report titled, “‘People
Are Going Silent’: Fearing Retribution, Trump Critics Muzzle Themselves.”
She writes: “The silence grows louder every day. Fired federal workers
who are worried about losing their homes ask not to be quoted by name. University
presidents [one exception is Wesleyan University President Michael Roth]
fearing that millions of dollars in federal funding could disappear are holding
their fire. Chief executives alarmed by tariffs that could hurt their
businesses are on mute.”
To be sure, government employees and other unions are speaking out and
suing in federal court. So are national citizen groups like Public Citizen and
the Center for Constitutional Rights, though hampered in alerting large
audiences by newspapers like the Times rarely reporting their initiatives.
Yes, Ms. Bumiller, pay attention to that aspect of your responsibility.
Moreover, the Times’ editorial page (op-ed and editorials) are not adequately
reflecting the urgency of her reporting. Nor are her reporters covering the
informed outspokenness and actions of civic organizations.
Don’t self-censoring people know that they are helping the Trumpian
dread, threat and fear machine get worse? Study Germany and Italy in the
nineteen thirties.
The Trump/Musk lawless, cruel, arrogant, dictatorial regime is in our
White House. Their police state infrastructure is in place. Silence is
complicity!
https://nader.org/.../stay-silent-and-stay-powerless.../
Ordinarily I would not publish another blog for some months
but the recent events have shattered the paradigm. So here it is. One final thought: Trump has said that NATO
would be of no help if the USA were to be invaded, quite ignoring the fact that
NATO contributed enormously following 9/11.
Finalised 21st March 2025.
