It has been a while since I’ve posted a blog, but I was busy on another project. I encourage you all to check out the Unraveling Audio Book Playlist – if you start on Episode 1, it is really messy and awkward, but I get better after Episode 3 or so…I think. That was a project that took more time than I thought it would and I apologize for my absence here at Freedom Academy.
The other reason it has been so long since I’ve written is that I’ve basically said everything about current events…and the current events haven’t been changing all that much. Some things have escalated…like protests and violence at American Universities – against Israel, against Jews, and in favor of the terrorist organization Hamas.
But I think I already covered the false dichotomy in a previous blog post.
Another “current event” that has escalated is the unprecedented targeting of a former president and frontrunner in this year’s presidential election. And that’s where I want to settle today.
Does anyone remember how the OJ Simpson trial riveted the nation? I know it was televised, but even people who were NOT watching it were tuning in to get updates every single day – and it was a topic of conversation EVERYWHERE you went and in all walks of life.
Comparing that to the apparent lack of interest in court cases that are so fundamentally significant in regard to what defines the character of this nation, we have to wonder why the details and updates are not provided on every single news outlet’s evening reports, and Twitter/X’s feeds, nor on Influencers’ reels and podcasts – and updated every single day.
Not to mention, the daily courtroom events should be rehashed on every single talk radio show. Right? Where are the pundits discussing the evidence presented? Where are the lawyers (experts) opining on the questions and testimony of the day?
I do see some updates, but generally from accounts that are and have been supportive of Trump in the past, and these are usually updates that only scratch the surface and appear to confirm that there really is no case…
Is that the reason the rest of the media is silent? Because all the evidence and testimony speak to the reality that there is no case?
Is that the reason the American people are disinterested? Because if they support Trump, they already believe there is no case – and if they oppose Trump, they are subconsciously protecting themselves from any evidence that would undeniably exonerate him? Because for them, it is the very fact he is on trial that proves his guilt?
The news media are not doing themselves any favors in ignoring what are ostensibly the most important judicial proceedings of a generation – and due to their unprecedented nature, the ultimate outcome of these proceedings will define the soul of our nation. Why is this not the number one news story EVERYWHERE?
Without a political watchdog media shedding light on every aspect of these proceedings, the ordinary citizen can say ANYTHING about ANYTHING regarding these cases – and it is pretty much ensured that no one they are discussing this with will be able to dispute a single point.
Another comparison might be the George Zimmerman trial, during which every single point was discussed at length on every media outlet. Or maybe the reader will remember the Casey Anthony trial.
Or if both of these are too far removed (the distant past for our short attention spans) and the reader believes they are in a different category because someone was on trial for actual murder…what about the much more recent proceedings between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp? That was a trial I was not interested in at all, but somehow received blanket updates that kept showing up in my socials – and were referenced throughout what remains of pop culture.
When I make the claim (in The Unraveling) that there is no more pop culture that unifies us, this phenomenon is evidence of that. Can you imagine any other time in our past where the entirety of American society would not be discussing and taking sides on the prosecution of a former president?
When I argue (on social media) that political prosecutions are not surprising when we’ve convinced the American people that we live in a democracy, the apathy from the American people is evidence of that.
But this is just the most brazen or obvious example of the falling apart, the unraveling, of our society. What can we do about it? Why don’t we care?
I know there are some who have simply come to the conclusion that this is an election interference technique – not worth paying attention to. The problem for these people is that while the prosecutions might be entrenching them in the position that Trump is now even MORE SURE to win in November, ordinary Americans who oppose Trump are also becoming entrenched in their opposition because they have already found him guilty in their “court of public opinion.” (Especially with headlines like “Trump threatened with Jail Time.”)
And there is nothing out there to dispute their belief that they are right about this.
But the reality is that the outcomes of every single part of these proceedings are at this very moment defining the future soul of this country. And no one seems to realize this.
If there are Americans, regardless of political party, regardless of whether they love Trump or hate him; if there are Americans who understand that what is happening here is unprecedented and vitally important, they need to draw attention to every little detail of every day of court proceedings and blanket the airwaves, social media feeds, and, if possible, NEWS SHOWS.
But I also feel a bit strange about 2024 as an election year. I have been part of the presidential campaign discussion and analysis since 2004…so for 5 previous cycles…and this one just seems so…bizarre…different…where are the candidates?
I made the joke today that well, one is in a court room and the other is in his basement…but this just seems like such an odd time. Perhaps the mood will change after their respective national party conventions, but the country just seems to be holding its breath.
Or is it just a been-there-done-that kind of moment…because they are the same candidates as 2020?
And on a side note, when do the racial riots begin?
In 2014, it was August.
In 2016, it was August.
Somehow, they didn’t happen in 2018…instead there were calls for gun control…
But in 2020, the “protests” started in May and ramped up…you guessed it…in August.
We had Occupy Wall Street in 2011. That seemed poorly timed…
And we now have an entire month for LGBTQIA2SL+ (that’s June, and it is right around the corner)…
But I think most of our youthful activists found their place on university campuses this year…and what now? The academic year is over…will those activists disappear? Will they stop caring about the “Palestinian genocide” and stop supporting terrorists? Will they move on to the next cause du jour? What will it be? And who tells them what it should be?
Has the climate crisis, climate emergency, lost its glitz? I’m just not sure where to look for the next outrage.
We have international conflicts in Europe and the Middle East. We have an invasion of our southern border. We have politically motivated prosecutions. And we are facing one of the greatest dangers no one is paying attention to (maybe I'll dive in next time!), and neither frontrunner of either major party is being covered by the media.
And whereas in 2020, other races lower on the ticket were seen as crucial, and in 2022, state races garnered national attention as key indicators, I am just not seeing any political energy yet. I guess maybe I’m jumping the gun. I think we might just have to wait until…August.
Happy Mother’s Day! And our month of May webinar will be TUESDAY, MAY 16! (8PM EDT)
Hope to see you there!
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