The Sunday Morning Shout Down

 As a youngster, I remember watching Meet the Press on Sunday mornings.  I have a feeling this began when I stayed overnight at my maternal grandmother's Chicago apartment (4051 West School Street).  She was the home district secretary to Congressman Roman C. Pucinski (D), 11th Congressional District of Illinois, and had a keen interest in the workings, and machinations, of politics.  Rose Laura Dach Piekielko was a died in the wool Richard C. Daley (D), Mayor of Chicago, Democrat.  Those beliefs had a significant impact on my own political ideals.

Consequently, it has become my habit to watch the Sunday morning political interview shows.  I stuck with Meet the Press when Tim Russert and Chuck Todd were the hosts.  Television scheduling being what it is, Meet the Press interfered with the last half hour of CBS Sunday Morning, another stalwart view in our home.  Scrolling around, it seemed as if the various political parties shilled out the same people to be interviewed on the Sunday morning shows so I decided to stick with Face the Nation, the program which follows CBS Sunday Morning.  Bob Schieffer, followed by John Dickerson, and now Margaret Brennan attempt, valiantly if not always successfully, to hold politicians and other leaders feet to the fire on the issues of the day.

An aside about Margaret Brennan.  When she first assumed the reins from John Dickerson, I was not her biggest fan, but slowly she grew on me.  My current opinion finds her to be one of the toughest interviewers on the network and cable programs.  And--oh, so shallow--she dresses magnificently.  I want to know who her stylist is.

Watching Face the Nation always provides often multiple opportunities to make my blood boil, a good activity for any Sunday morning.  I literally yell at the television, "Answer the f*c*ing question, you weasel!"  Because the pols don't and I'm going out on a limb here, EVER, answer the question.  Margaret tolerates only a certain amount of the waffling and dodging before she restates the fact based premise the question was based on, then moves on.  My favorite is when she reads a verbatim statement some boo boo head pol has previously made and now is stating the exact opposite or pretending s/he (can we still use s/he?) never said that.  Margaret has very limited patience for such nonsense.  I keep waiting for her to smack JD Vance, the very smarmy and condescending JD Vance, when he says, "Now look, Margaret, this is what the American people want."  (I can do it for her if need be.)

And a word about the ubiquitous phrase "what the American people want."  Our new administration wouldn't know what the American people want if it hit them in the ass.  They know what they want, and the transference is that everyone wants that too.  That is not democracy in action, my friends.

Quit saying what I as an American person, a second generation immigrant, want.  Don't hide behind me because I will not protect you.

Leading me to my summary.

Many stress management experts rightfully recommend that one way to navigate these omnipresent stormy waters is by turning off your phone, not checking in with social media, quit reading and watching the news.

As the shit storm continues to roll downhill, I find myself reminded of our visit to Dachau years ago. 

The monument

The admonition

We are the ones responsible for never again.

If we don't watch the news.

If we don't shout out when we see wrongs.

If we allow politicians to hide behind us.

If we don't use our voices to stand up, to admonish and encourage those we know and love to PAY ATTENTION, now that what President Trump promised he would do during the campaign is now doing, even if you voted for him because you thought, "Oh, he really won't do that."

If we don't.

If you don't.

If I don't.

Then who will?

If we don't serve as role models for our children and grandchildren, raising our voices, then we can't expect them to STAND UP.  

Please.  Holler out loud at the news, then send an email to your representative asking them to holler out loud at the massive overhaul of our political system from democracy to autocracy.  It's one thing you can do every day.  

Just Do It.