Perspectives Outside Inward - Surrounded by So Many Issues

A Deluge of Concerns, Issues, and Challenges

The world has witnessed an overwhelming manifestation of concerns. More focused, the US has witnessed -- over the past several months -- a deluge of concerns. Each concern has its own set of characteristics and would deserve its own attention in discourse.

If we focus on the political landscape of the US, we witness the transition from a megalomaniacal government administration that had catalyzed a nasty resurgence of emboldened white supremacist attitudes and actions that resulted in an upsurge of racist attacks on non-white peoples, visible and oft-times deadly abuse of policing with particular attention on communities of color, political ramblings that appeared to focus more on power grabs rather than delivery of public service to the citizens and residents of the US, not to mention a belligerence in in the international arena.

The year culminated with a hotly contested presidential election and allegations of election fraud and manipulation that originated from the office of the defeated incumbent in spite of clear evidence of no tampering and repeated dismissal of frivolous law suits brought about in frail attempts to derail the inevitable defeat. The election results notwithstanding, the nation and the world witnessed public incitement of seditious activity to usurp the confirmation of the Congress that resulted in property damage and loss of life as mobs attacked the US Capitol Building urged on by public incitement by representatives from the nation's highest offices. And yet some people who had abused their trust and power have yet to be indicted for their crimes --- well, alleged crimes to be fair to due process.

Aside from the chaos that surrounded the 2020 national election cycle, several incidental and continuing events have impacted, and continue to impact life in the US and even around the world. Following are a few of the critical issues that we currently face in different manifestations in our society and around the world. Each issue deserves a dedicated posting by itself. Admittedly some issues have been affected by misinformation and social and civic resistance.

Covid-19 Has Become the New Norm

Amazing that the US -- regarded as a nation of education, science, technology, and culture -- currently ranks among world nations with some the highest incidents of Covid-19 infections and deaths, primarily brought about due to the reticence and denial of the previous government. In the near one year since the first occurrence and evolution of COVID-19 into a global pandemic, we have witnessed government denials, pharma manipulation, variants and drastic changes to how we conduct our lives and daily interactions.

To Vaccine or Not to Vaccine . . . That is the Question

This writer is NOT an anti-vaxxer. This writer is NOT a pro-vaxxer. Until recently, actually I was vaccine-hesitant. I have taken my first dose, which was free. My hesitancy is due to the confusion . . . twisted science versus consensus versus side effects versus etc. I guess I will wait until I develop some subversive thoughts to see if some switch goes off in my brain that might cause a temporary brain numbness or have me zapped from some hidden super computer that destroys my memory of anything productive. If I were more literate on the matter, I could probably designate a more detailed thesis on the matter of vaccines, non-vaccines, anti-vaccines and all related topics. But I am sure we can draw a consensus that there are more than enough speakers on both sides of the debate who contribute well enough to the confusion.

On Race, Racism, Race Identity and Everything in Between

This conversation has a few dimensions:

The nature of the US as a racist nation . . . or not?
The dynamics of Black American identity
The impact of so-called black movements in the US
Critical Race Theory and its Impact

Palestine - Zionism - Judaism

Recent events in Palestine and the Israeli occupied areas continue to keep this topic alive, even when so many policy makers wish it would just go away.

Challenges Facing US Voting Rights

Conclusion and Invitation

Each of the above topics deserves more focused attention, hopefully by someone with more qualifications and capability than this writer. So this is an acknowledgement of issues that need continuous dialog and an invitation for contribution and collaboration. . . .

The menu is open.