Olympics and Hillary

Again there are so many stories happening around the globe and within our own country that it is difficult to land on just one and give it solo attention. So I will scope out a couple items that may interest you as well.

Olympics in Rio

Good to see the Games begin at last. So much drama leading up to them – the construction delays, incomplete facilities in Rio, water pollution at ocean front beaches where competitions are to be staged, crime sprees rampant throughout Rio and its region, political unrest, President under impeachment, temporary president under suspicion, too, and near financial collapse of Brazil, and of course the continuing threat of international terrorism despoiling the games. One of these crises would be a huge news story on the global stage, but all of them at the same time?  One wonders if they were blown out of proportion or not; the city looks glorious and appears to be a generous host to the games. May all go well from this point on.

So far it is. Capable venues. Beautiful scenery. Challenging competitions. A willing gathering of so many nations and 11,000 athletes, all primed for their Olympic test!

Hillary Not a Liar

It is said that young white people do not trust Hillary. I think this is a normal thing when one realizes this demographic was raised on sound bite news and social media. Twitter statements do not contain much fact. Perhaps not even much conclusion. Just bites of information that are totally disconnected to the context of their reality.

This is a problem when dealing with news, historical stories delivering context of later events, and complex social issues that often have many symptoms and even more causes. It is the nature of social issues. Why is joblessness experienced among one group and not another. Depends, doesn’t it? On education, experience, expertise gathered through the complex evolution of some industries, and so on. Then there is language, meanings of words and phrases, different cultures and clashing of age groups without translatable experiences to share.

A politician understands that how the public sees them is vital for receiving and retaining support (votes) from that public. Statements – written or oral – must be phrased carefully so exact meaning can be communicated and misunderstanding avoided. Not always possible, though. The issues and the times are very complex.

Hillary has claimed and most experts have agreed that email communications involving Hillary’s work at the US State Department did not involve classified information. At the time of the emails whizzing from pillar to post that may have been true. Later events would make some of the material classified because of those later events, but not at the time the emails were originally sent. Out of 30,000 plus emails maybe a hundred or fewer became sticky. This does not make Hillary a systemic liar in any sense of the word. Nor does it make her careless. The complex issues she was involved with required timely, fast communications. Emails fit the bill; perhaps not the most secure practices, especially over a server that was not in the direct control of the State Department. Thus policies and procedures have been established that are much more strict. A good thing. Not a liar thing.

And more. Hillary and husband Bill have been the target of political enemies for decades. They tried everything they could to bring each down as well as the couple. So far they have not succeeded. With all this scrutiny how can anyone believe that they are serial liars and breakers of the law? If anything they have been generous with their time and talents to the public. They have given up their privacy for all to view. That shouldn’t be the price anyone pays to be a public servant but the public demands it anyway.

Making personal finances and tax filings public is an example of that. Too bad Trump doesn’t agree or his supporters. Guess he can hide behind any old excuse to maintain his privacy. But not his competitors?

Next time you or Mr. Trump wants to accuse Hillary of wrong doing, be prepared to provide all the proof. Being accused is not being convicted. If you were in her shoes you would understand that intimately.

August 8, 2016