by Robert M. Traxler
What is the greatest threat to our nation, to our continued existence? Let’s name a few that are in the media today: fentanyl, climate change and its variants, MAGA Republicans, agricultural chemicals, coal, and fossil fuels (burned in the United States), unfettered immigration, artificial intelligence, Covid-19 and variants, the cancel culture, talk radio, cow flatulence, and whatever can be used to raise funds or get votes.
It is interesting that the number one concern for my generation is hardly ever mentioned: thermonuclear war. According to the media, the threat of hydrogen bombs, an estimated 13,000 of them worldwide, 26,000,000,000 tons of TNT, and increasing, are not a problem to concern ourselves with, but climate change is scary as hell. An electromagnetic plus (EMP) event, a mass corona ejection that could fry the electrical grid and more, or a man-made EMP attack, pale next to Covid. The errant Chinese “weather balloon” that loitered over the geographical center of our nation, the best location to detonate an EMP weapon and capable of carrying ten or more weapons, is not a concern for our nation’s existence, not like the cows belching or flatulence.
We have seen a sea change in the minds of Democrat leaders of cities and states who were proud to call their locations Sanctuary Cities/States. The “Migrants” landed in their areas in what overall are small numbers or a small percentage of the 6,000,000, and they are changing their tune. The old saying is that a progressive is a conservative who has yet to be mugged by reality.
We toss around the threat/annihilation words with reckless abandon; progressives and conservatives do it. All the “threats” have a bit of truth to them, but in my opinion, all are extremely overstated compared to thermonuclear war or an EMP event. Let me recommend the book One Second After by William R. Forstchen. Yes, it is a book penned by a historian PhD, and yes, it is a work of fiction, but like all good fiction it is well researched and based on science. Also let me recommend reading the 2008 report by a Congressional Commission that assessed the effect of an EMP event on our nation. It is available on the internet. Google 2008 congressional report on an electromagnetic plus event.
We have freedom of speech, and both the progressives and conservatives should practice it and guard it. We all saw the progressives use the cancel culture to their benefit, and now we are seeing the conservatives preaching that we silence Hamas supporters (political correctness tells us they should be called Palestinian supporters). One should cringe when we hear “we have freedom of speech but…” from either left and right. Banning politically incorrect speech from either side of the political divide is a real threat to our constitutional form of government, to our Republic.
We call all speech that we do not approve of hate or incorrect speech. We only need to go back to Covid-19 and the fact saying that the vaccine did not totally prevent the spread of Covid was incorrect/hate speech.
It is past time we get real in our rhetoric. Not recycling your cardboard will not destroy the Earth and the existence of humans, artificial intelligence will not end life. It is past time we stop denying reality and can the hate. Disagreement is normal; excessive rhetoric, firebombs, explosives, rocks, looting, and chemical sprays used to make a political point are not.
We do not need truth police on the progressive or conservative side; speak out peacefully against what you disagree with, but do not ban speech. The supporters of Hamas have the right to protest our nation’s support for Israel and in my opinion have the right to be wrong. Allow them to protest peacefully and allow most Americans to protest in support of Israel.
It may not be possible to stop the end of the world due to…( fill in the blanks) rhetoric, as it works to divide our nation, fire up voters, get millions of “clicks” and raise a boat load of money. It would be nice if the media just questioned each of the end-of-life scenarios. Fat chance, as the click culture rules.
It is simple to design your news source to receive news that reinforces the view of issues, and of the world you agree with, however, it makes us ignorant and narrow minded to do so. My Opinion.
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