“Good grief. If you haven’t read
Animal Farm. just watch the movie.”

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Aint Doin That
produced by Maxlord 808mafia

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IN USA, DEMOCRACY ISOLATES;
WHILE ALL THE WORLD (CUP) IN RUSSIA

by Kendall F. Person
2016
It was like when Hillary did not campaign in Wisconsin: Was it an underestimation of the competition? An ill-prepared strategy, that only considered the big stages? Or could it have been, that places like Adams, Marathon and Jefferson Counties never hit the radar? Perhaps the old guard DNC, believed the counties of Milwaukee, Eau Claire, Dane and La Crosse was more than enough to take Wisconsin and The White House.

The miscalculation, combined with the weight of a cyber attack by a hostile foreign power (Russia), a brutal yet unintentional decision by the former Director of the FBI (Comey), and up against a foe made of an unbreakable form of teflon, that only the equivalent of kryptonite could have undone, felled the campaign of Hillary Rodham Clinton, and gave rise to the democracy-testing era of Trump.

2017
Team USA was gifted a straightforward path onto the sporting world’s biggest stage: the 2018 FIFA World Cup, hosted by Russia. And while Team USA has never grasped the title (a 1930 semi-final appearance would be their deepest run), and would have been a long shot to even make the knockout rounds, it was still inconceivable that the United States would not qualify.

Team USA fails to qualify for World Cup. photo by Rebecca Blackwell, Oct 10, 2017

On October 11, 2017 at a sparsely populated Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva, Team USA faced an opponent, who had nothing to play for, if there ever was. The national team of Trinidad and Tobago  (a Caribbean island nation, pop. 1.3 million) was in dead last, winning only once in nine matches. However, Team USA did not go to Wisconsin, either.

Sports in its most intense form is a mind game as much as it is a physical one, and in the 17th minute of the final match, in fact, the last chance to qualify for the World Cup in Russia, Team USA was mind fucked. When Trinidad and Tobago, scored the first goal, it was ultimately a shot to the heart, as the USA would not recover. Unnoticed until now, but when the National Futbol Team fell in 2017, it would unwittingly provide a clear view into to the isolating of America today.

2018
Many Americans may not even know the title is on the line and that the World Cup is in full throttle. While some will deny its influence, on the bases that soccer is not a popular sport in the USA, but at this juncture, if Team USA was on the roster in Russia, that debate would prove irrelevant. The tribal tension, that presently scorches civil relations is at an all time high. There are few events that pull countrymen together like the wonderful world of sports. Like always and with purpose, the current President would have delivered a tweet attack (divide and conquer at all times) to lessen the enthusiasm, but even a magical run to the Round of 16 (begins June 30, 2018), would have built enough common ground, to provide a reason for red & blue states to stand and cheer – as one.

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“Democracy, like liberty, justice and other social and political rights, is not “given”, it is earned through courage, resolution and sacrifice.”

History making milestones, like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s stunning political victory, solidifies an era of generational leadership change, with the megaphone received, adding depth to their voices; The shock retirement announcement of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, a moderate voice once gone, places court backed issues like Abortion Rights, Affirmative Action and Gay Marriage in clear and present jeopardy, as the White House turns back time.

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First, it was The Paris Agreement, when the nation walked away, the United States joined Nicaragua, as the lone two countries to thumb its noses at climate change. Next came the backing out of The Iran Nuclear Deal, which accomplished two things: (1) it broke an agreement that we signed, and on the international stage, (2) showed an unfamiliar America, one that would renege on its word. The government then pulled out of The United Nations Human Rights Council, and in contrast with the immigrant children separation debacle, appeared the most irresponsible. But if a trade war emerges from the ashes of what was once a Pan-Pacific Trade Deal among Partners, irresponsible would hardly describe it.  And coincidence or not, while democracy isolates, all eyes are on Russia as they currently play host to a World (Cup), that is moving on without us.

The global community, which shares in and benefits from technology, culture and humanity,  indeed is changing our world. But supporting an isolationist path, allows fear to weaken, then conquer even the best lit democracy.

this is… The Neighborhood 

“Democracy is messy and hard. It’s never easy.” – Robert Kennedy