What Did We Learn? - The Week of 9/18/21

So what did we learn this past week, around the world and from sea to shining sea? Here are a few things.

We learned that always remembering the events of 9/11/0, the victims, the city, the other sites, the heroes, the families, the value of unity and pulling together as a nation and as the world are all critically important for our collective soul. These are things that should be remembered forever. We saw it in faces and celebrations of silence.

We learned that all of those respectful remembrances are different than belligerent chants of USA, USA or We're Number One!

We learned that Gavin Newsom survived a recall election and that people are beginning to think about perhaps having losers of such elections pick up the cost.

We learned that militarism and its relationship to money is very, very real. Witness France's anger over a $60 million nuclear submarine deal that was broken between them and Australia and brokered instead with the United States and Great Britain. No one is hiding it anymore. It's all about the money. Not even a discussion about more nuclear reactors, more nuclear weapons, more aggressive action against advisories.

We learned some awful things about Kabul. A drone strike that had been touted as a perfect attack on bombers and attackers actually was an attack on a civilian vehicle killing innocent adults and children. We learned that countries can and should admit to these mistakes. We know however, that many other deaths of civilians have been caused by drone strikes over the years. We know that Daniel Hale received 45 months in federal prison for reporting on the methods and many other attacks.

We learned that everyone, finally, seems to be concerned about the dreadful and inhumane conditions at the Rikers Island prison in NYC. Some prisoners have been in that facility for over a year without even getting a hearing in court. Others have languished for much longer fo minor offenses. Now we'll see who does what.

We learned that people will continue to fight with each other over things that should never require fighting. Things that were once easily accepted as common sense, looking out for one another and basic public health standards. People attacking each other physically over things like wearing a mask or showing proof of vaccination.

We learned that Joe Manchin continues to look out for Joe Manchin and that neither Democrats or Republicans really know how to govern. Voting rights, infrastructure, the economy be damned when it comes to these folks we sent to Washington.

We learned that Donald Trump vocally supports the people who attacked the Capitol and that he wasted more of our tax dollars by providing limousine service and extended protection to millionaires in his administration along with his adult children. We also learned that he still hasn't been held accountable for any of his actions.

We learned that Norm McDonald passed way too soon but left us with lots of good humor and laughs.