Raven's View

Happy Inauguration Day to my American friends.

As CNN shows Donald flying off on Airforce 1, to the tune of "My Way", I wonder - many wonder - what now? Is this the end of MAGA and bumper-sticker policies? Is it time to think beyond the limits of catchy slogans and 140 character Tweets? "Great" was taken by many sides of the spectrum to mean like the olden days when "people" were better off. In reality, there never was a time that applied to everyone. Even aiming now for a MANA, Make America Normal Again, would be difficult. I think the inequalities, the divisiveness, the polarization. the selfishness, have all been increasing in our societies, especially the US, for decades. Probably as a side effect of , or maybe a condition for, an addiction to huge economic growth. Trump just took advantage of it all and pushed things to the extreme, to the breaking point.

A few days ago the historian Heather Cox Richardson posted a 'letter' outlining some US economic history, from the early 1900's to now. 

The rallying cry for Trump was to Make America Great Again, always a good slogan, because many, not all, have fond memories of "the good old days".  And not a new slogan being used by Reagan and Clinton. This referral may be back to the 1920's, but it was never clear to me when he meant. Maybe they meant in the 1960's. Maybe in the pre-Colonial, pre-invasion of North America days.

Interesting NY article following the firing of Bill O'Reilly

"In 1998, Bill O’Reilly published his first and, so far, only novel: “Those Who Trespass: A Novel of Television and Murder.” The main character is a violently bitter journalist named Shannon Michaels, who, after being pushed out of two high-profile positions, takes revenge on four of his former colleagues by murdering them one by one."