Politics today frequently makes me think I’m in the Twilight Zone. The words were made famous by a television anthology series that I loved in the 1960s and continue to re-watch today (on DVD). It dealt with bizarre and fantastic themes, often in a social realist setting and with a twist at the end.
Rod Serling, the show’s creator and main writer, was a small ‘l’ liberal. He was progressive on some key issues in the 1950s and 1960s, such as civil liberties and opposition to racism, and opposition to the US war in Vietnam. I’ve read a few biographies about him and he was an internationalist, cosmopolitan, opponent of tyrants and supporter of basic democracy: all values that Trump opposes. Serling would be in the globalist camp today.
This meme is too good not to share…
C21st Left 
Yes the ascendancy of Trump into the White House has been interesting. The shock/horror of the chattering classes,aka the Left, when he beat Hillary Clinton was fun to watch. It’s been intriguing watching people claiming to be Left/progressive/radical, whatever the term is now, run in horror at Trump winning. The status quo is falling away to the horror of them
Trump’s victory has certainly produced changes to the world around him(us). To see politicians like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez having a presence,is something that would not have happened under a Clinton presidency. Trump’s presidency has helped create this situation. The conflicts with neighbours,allies, as he breaks away from the Neo-Liberal consensus to take the US, where only he knows,is intriguing .
Trump’s rise to power is an interregnum, as the hegemony of Neo-liberalism is under assault. A return to protectionism, declining growth loss of faith in political/civil institutions, but with No Left, what we’re seeing is uncertainty and disorder. A new system isn’t yet born, so the Trump presidency is indicative of strange things happening.
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I just posted a note on Strangetimes on the Pell case. Others might have something they can add or point out something I may have missed.
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Needs a link:
http://strangetimes.lastsuperpower.net/?p=3349
PS I agree the verdict is “manifestly unsafe”. Expect the appeal court will duly make that finding unanimously.
Pell should be tried for what he actually did and failed to do. This trial and its unexpected result was for posturing by the police.
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Just put up a few more thoughts http://strangetimes.lastsuperpower.net/?p=3367
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Scary and hilarious at the same time!
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You miss the whole point, Trump is like no episode on Twilight Zone, I’ve got the whole set and there are no parallels in any episode.
You, like many, are mad because a non-professional Politician got the job of President and if you bother to read some real history Trump is exactly what the Founding Fathers envisioned leading the Country. There way of thinking back then was who wants to spend their life in the Capital City because they did discuss limiting how long people could serve.
What make it really funny is Davy Crockett got elected to Congress. He served 2 terms from one District in Tennessee and 1 term in another District because the Districts got redrawn. After he lost a reelection bid for a forth term he lost, so he basically told the People of Tennessee “you can go to hell, I’m going to Texas.” The real ironic part about that is Davy Crockett is a Legend because of Texas, had he continued in the House who would know Davy Crockett?
Many of the Founding Fathers served and went home.
And by the way, there have been several Presidents that were not Professional Politicians, one especially comes to mind is Eisenhower and no Politician complained about him because there were about a gazillion Veterans voted that had served under Eisenhower.
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I also have the whole set and have been a viewer of the original series for nearly 60 years. The episodes that deal with prejudice and fear apply to Trump. ‘The monsters are due on Maple Street’ comes to mind – as does ‘He’s alive’, a warning by Rod Serling, who was a globalist, against the evils of reactionary nationalism of the ‘America First’ variety, be it in the 1930s or today.
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Trump is exactly what the founding fathers envisioned leading the country? They envisioned a vulgar, stupid, incompetent, narcissistic, ignorant, sex assaulting, hateful, bigoted, criminal, conman? They envisioned a man who degraded citizens who sacrificed for their country. Yepper. Trump is a real “George Washington” through and through. I presume you are a graduate of Trump University by mail scam? You think Ike was not a professional politician? LOL The guy who brought together the disparate threads of the military forces of the UK, USA, France, Poland and others and welded them into a successful army to defeat Hitler? You don’t think that demanded political acumen? LOL Of course he was no “Davy Crocket” who “killed him a bar when he as only 3”. What a rich fantasy life you lead.
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