Too Damn Early
Five in the morning is early, too early for the black nose of our yellow lab Atticus to be in my ear. But there it was: five in the morning, and he’s ready for breakfast. While I love him, and he tries to be a “good boy;” he is relentless when he wants to get up. There’s no denying him, and with the whispered words “let’s go” we are headed towards kitchen and his breakfast.
Our older dog Buddy, a collie/shepherd/whatever mix, would be perfectly happy to sleep in. But he’s not passing up breakfast, or more importantly, carrots. So he’s up too, sleepy eyes looking longingly at the refrigerator. Sure, I can put breakfast in the bowl but it’s carrots man, carrots are the “thing.”
So we do our morning ritual of food and dog meds, and waiting for the next round of carrots. And finally with Atticus and Buddy satisfied for the moment, I announce: “we are going back to bed.” They, surprisingly, agree, and we all sneak back into the bedroom, making sure not to wake “Mom” up.
No Rest for…
Soon Atticus is snoring at the foot of the bed, and Buddy has crawled halfway under it. They are asleep, but now I am wide, wide-awake: thanks guys. So it’s onto my phone, to the morning read of the Washington Post and the New York Times. The Times news headlines:
- Opiate trial in Cleveland,
- Iran seizes tanker,
- Mueller hearings,
- Moon Landing anniversary, and
- The Equifax data breach.
And deep down in the section, El Chappo sent to Supermax Prison in Colorado.
Not sleepy after the Times, so it’s onto the Post. Their leading headlines:
- Opiate trial in Cleveland,
- Epstein,
- Trump looking for big spending cuts,
- Trump attacks minority Congresswomen,
- Iran seizes tanker,
- Sanders defends salaries,
- Judge halts Democrats Trump financial record subpoena.
As is usually the case, reading all of that seems to make me more alert rather than sleepy. So it’s now 6:15 am, what next?
In Other News
I keep the Fox News app on my phone. Sometimes I want to see what the “alternate universe” of American politics is reading. It often makes me angry, sometimes it’s funny, but it’s good to know, especially in “MAGA Country,” the news most folks are seeing. It’s definitely a different world. The Fox headlines were:
- Bernie bites back, defends treatment of campaign staff,
- Pelosi’s headache, two Dems will be generals in the party’s Civil War,
- Beauty queen claims she was dethroned for being “too pro-Trump,”
- Mom says she gets mistaken for being her child’s sister,
- Star (Keanu Reeves) signs autograph after spotting lawn sign,
- Iran seizes tanker,
- Millions of gallons of sewage spilled into Puget Sound,
- District tells parents to settle lunch bills or kids could be fostered,
- Democrat admits lying about being life-saving doctor,
- Anniversary of Moon Landing,
- Billionaire Trump critic (Tom Styer) doesn’t see himself as wealthy.
Dig down further in the “news” and there are two articles about a t-shirt maker who is facing criticism for printing a “Don’t Tread on Me” t-shirt that actor Chris Pratt wore. And an editorial about how CNN is lying when they say their evening programs are “news” not political commentary.
One World – Two Universes
So let’s see: that’s five articles critical of Democrats, two showing the failure of local governments (school lunch and sewage in Puget Sound) and one with actor Chris Pratt wearing a “Don’t Tread on Me” t-shirt.
The Washington Post had a lot to say about Trump too. Half of their headlines were about Trump; but only one of those would be considered critical (minority Congresswomen.) The subpoena being halted, and cutting spending might just as well be positive stories.
I don’t read the Fox News app daily, but for millions and millions of Americans, this is the source for their “news.” If I hadn’t read Fox, I never would have known about the T-Shirts (and figured out who Chris Pratt was) and about a pro-Trump beauty queen. In Fox world, those who stand up for Trump seem to be victims, and Democrats are failing, arguing, and lying.
Common Knowledge – Common Ground
As a high school social studies teacher student discussion was the foundation of my class. My job was to develop the background knowledge and information so that students could intelligently discuss the issues of the day. I did my best to present an unbiased view of the problems, offering differing views and alternatives, and then let the class “have at it.” The exchanges were lively, interesting, and involving. The only rule: you can attack the issue and the argument, but never the person making it. Drop to insults or “ad hominem” attacks, and you were done.
But in our universe today, it’s no wonder we can’t have “discussions.” There is no common basis of fact, no standard knowledge we all recognize. We are told two completely different stories before we even begin in engage. There is “our” world and “their” world: two different universes of thought, and no foreseeable way to bridge the gap.
