Chasm Between Media and Reality

Media have generally been enemies of peace and liberty, supporting the U.S. attacks on Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya and lauding U.S. intervention in places like Ukraine and Syria. Their pro-war stance continues with their attacks on the pro-peace moves of Donald Trump. They did their best to torpedo and question every move Trump made to make peace with North Korea. This morning’s headlines on Google News are more of the same concerning the Putin-Trump meeting at Helsinki: Trump Caved Spectacularly to Putin (CNN); Stephen Colbert Wants To Know What Putin Has on Trump (HuffPost); Trump just colluded with Russia. Openly (The Washington Post); Trump Sides with Russia against FBI at Helsinki summit (BBC News).

Let’s understand. Helsinki was a meeting to establish a basis for cooperation on common interests of the Russian and American governments and to remove unnecessary frictions that impede such cooperation. No big deals or compromises or concessions occurred. The removal of needless antagonism is not a concession. Emphasizing steps to peace doesn’t abandon or endanger American values or democracy. Recognizing Putin as the leader of a major nuclear power and huge country with its interests and place in the world moves us away from a unipolar mentality. This recognizes the reality of other peoples and powers, and reality has to be faced if it is to be reshaped to mutual advantage. Neither side made concessions. Putin and Trump chopped away at clearing a path; a great deal more work is required. Trump didn’t cave, much less spectacularly. Putin didn’t cave either. Neither man won while the other lost. Both succeeded by the meeting itself in creating something beneficial to both Americans and Russians, which is mitigating antagonisms.

Major media are opening a huge chasm between their rhetoric and reality. No wonder Trump keeps attacking their fake news and slanderous accusations. Putin has nothing “on” Trump. Trump is not a Russian agent. Trump is not “colluding” with Russia to bring down our form of government or hand America over to Russia.

These wild stories are attempts to forestall the Trump revolution, which in its own way seeks to undo decades of bipartisan laws and regulations that are choking America’s arteries.

The country cannot survive and prosper by embracing destructive philosophies from any source, including the current administration, by erecting privileges, by destroying liberties, creating a police state, effacing history, generating hatreds, devising false rights, and undermining understanding of essential truths.

The country limits its progress without reason if it publicizes, heeds and accords respect and leadership roles to people proposing inane ideas and making wild charges, as is the case with the headlines characterizing the Helsinki summit as a defeat for Trump and victory for Putin.

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7:15 am on July 17, 2018