A Second Opinion: Dateline, June 5th, 2017!
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Wall Street, the quintessential Establishment: “The ‘Status Quo’ always seems to be the object
of protests by idealists and the young, and ‘The Establishment’ always seems
to try to control and punish their ‘expressionism'”
by Mary Foran
Tragic terrorism in the heart of London and Manchester, England. Compare that with the blue skies scudded with white wisps here and there, hay fever from all the many grasses and cottonwood trees, and the prediction of more dampening rain…and this during the local festival time!
Meanwhile, pro-Trump, anti-trump and free speech advocates almost clash head-to-head but for the intense presence of the local police who arrest 11, with the Feds arresting 3, right off the downtown streets. There was national coverage of the masked trouble-makers, and the police reactors, but life went on normally for most; many residents stay in their suburban homes when trouble is fomented by the mostly young, angry crowds, who certainly don’t represent the majority.
Analysis of the situation by the experts explained it as such: two basic factions–white supremacists and inclusivity proponents were about to butt heads, but police made sure they marched up different streets.
The “Status Quo” always seems to be the object of protests by idealists and the young, and “The Establishment” always seems to try to control and punish their “expressionism”. And in a slight criticism of the coverage, the Press and the TV and Radio Media, including their online presences, seem to especially look to Protestors to fill the nightly news slots with some sort of dangerous excitement. (I’ve always wondered why the signs which protestors display are so poorly printed? If T.V. exposure is what they are after, shouldn’t the signs they hold up be more LEGIBLE? Maybe then the SWAT teams would take the time to read them!)
Since we now live in a world which is constantly monitored, it seems that the protestors aren’t very concerned about “having a record”. They gleefully get themselves arrested en masse on charges of “disorderly conduct”. The protestors put the police “to the test” and the police oblige and “make arrests”. Mild-mannered viewers of the local and national news watch the circus and balefully shake their heads! It seems to me that manifestaciones rarely change policy on the spot, although generally-speaking, SOMETIMES, the people’s voices are actually heard. Free speech, as we know, is a fundamental right of democracies, such as in ye olde soapbox speeches in England!
Actors in prosthetic make-up portray Presidents Trump and Putin. Putin: “There were no meetings”
In another news bit, at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Megyn Kelly, a prominent TV news anchor and a former lawyer, conducted an exclusive interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in an NBC show called: “Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly”. She has appeared before in STATESIDE STORIES, as the protagonist of the Beauty and the Beast piece in GP in which she was at odds with the campaigning President Trump. Kelly asked Mr. Putin about allegations that the Russians interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Mr. Putin said he “saw no direct proof”. Vladimir Putin has been in power in Russia for 17 years, Kelly said, asking him if leading the country for so long had “taken its toll.” Mr. Putin explained that he felt “a direct, living connection with this land” where so many had died in WWII, including his older brother who he never knew. Kelly asked a series of tough questions, which Mr. Putin parried with aplomb. Kelly brought to his attention that the people she had talked to on the streets felt that Mr. Putin had brought “dignity” back to the country. She relentlessly quizzed him on computer hacking and he denied any involvement and added that “hackers can hack from anywhere”. As for the FBI investigations into Trump’s Administration meetings with Russian officials before the election, Mr. Putin said: “There were no meetings”. Go to NBC.com for the whole story! (If Roger Moore hadn’t passed away recently, it could have made quite a “Bond” film script.)
Bob Dylan in Barcelona, Spain, 1984
In other news, the First American Singer/Songwriter to win the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature gave his Lecture which was required to receive his Prize: the American Icon Bob Dylan, who is now 76 years old. He is known for the songs “Blowing in the Wind” and “The Times ,They are-a-Changing” among many, many others. He explained how the novel “Moby Dick” and other books influenced his take on writing lyrics, and his philosophy of life.
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Images
Featured image/Thomas Hole, CC BY2.0
SWAT/Ed Bierman, CC BY2.0
Actors as Trump and Putin/Taylor Herring, PD
Dylan/Stoned59, CC BY2.0
About Mary
Born in Seattle, WA, U.S.A., and a graduate of the University of Oregon in Spanish and General Literature, Mary lived in Madrid, Spain during the 80s, a period in Spanish history which became known as “The Transition”. She taught English as a Foreign Language, and worked as Managing Editor of the Guidepost when it was still a weekly print publication. She did a stint on Spanish Foreign Radio and Radio Cadena, and corresponded for a Financial Times of London newsletter. She still has ties to Spain, loves the people and the country, and has great hopes for the future!
