Sunday, March 17, 2019
‘Ugly American’ alive, well
During a network national news segment which usually airs at 6:30 pm, the story focused on the huge Super Bowl party thrown at Trump Mar-a- Lago resort. It made me disgusted to watch those party- goers in their glitzy cowboy hats and boots thumb their noses at the “fake news” with not a care in the world to the suffering and hardship of their own country’s poor and disenfranchised. To me, they epitomized the phrase “Ugly American”, a person who is self-serving, self-absorbed, privileged and who considers the less well off “freeloaders.” Why if I did not know better, I would think they were emulating our current president.
The current trend to call all Democrats “socialists” as if this bias was tantamount to an enemy of the state, should be countered with the reality that “capitalists” with their unchecked greed, swindling, and corruption should be called out for their flaws just as often.
Who is going to get the greatest coverage? Does anyone else see the end of empire here? Are we too frightened to admit we are on the precipice as a society, with spiritual, cultural, environmental, governmental degradation.
I am hopeful in this younger generation who are taking the blinders off to forge ahead for the greater good.
Kathleen Berry, Youngstown
Cal disses young people
In his column (March 6) Cal Thomas praised Sen. Dianne Feinstein for lecturing a group of middle and high school students who asked her to support the “Green New Deal” to fight climate change. His praise was for her response, “That resolution will not pass the Senate.” That’s probably the only worthwhile thing Mr. Thomas wrote in his entire piece. The rest of his column is a disparagement of young people and their ideas and a large dose of his climate-change- denier attitude. While berating the young students and castigating any adults who he says “seem to be following them,” he spouts off against “sky-is-falling” predictions.
A few things in response to Mr. Thomas’ rant: First, climate change has always happened and it is happening now. And, it is human-caused. Usually it takes thousands of years to become significant. Today’s change has taken less than a century although the activities causing it began about 250 years ago with the start of the Industrial Revolution and accelerated with population growth and the use of fossil fuels. Undeniable!
Second, the driving force behind climate change is global warming, a direct result of the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Resulting from burning fossil fuels, this amount is many times greater than before their use began and increasing rapidly.
Finally, it has been the actions of adults that have brought us to this precipice. We would be exceedingly wise to heed these students instead of calling their ideas “gobbledygook” and continuing to do the same things, making matters worse. If this is what our adult leaders think is wise, then 50 years from now when most of these adults will have died, these same students will have every right to say, “We told you so!” as the world begins a centuries-long period of great suffering.
Richard G. Fogo, Youngstown