Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Balls and Walls

   Late news from Ireland notes that another golf course may have put the Donald in his cups. It seems he bought one in County Clare two years ago, spent big bucks in upgrades and now wants to build a wall some two miles long so the nearby ocean doesn't erode his investment.
   Authorities are reluctant, so the golf mogul has threatened to close the resort.
   Can you say, "Nyah, nyah, do things my way or I'll go home."
   A similar threat was made in Scotland, prompting the Scots to respond, "Good. Go home. We don't want you anyway."
   Moreover, many of the best golf courses have been laid out by the seaside, so trying to keep out the sea is reminiscent of the legendary king trying to turn back the tide.
   As the king found out, Nature doesn't listen to such talk.
  When last I noticed, the Irish and the Scots, like Nature herself, don't like being threatened. And since there are many in America of that same tradition (children of immigrants, by the way, who came here looking for jobs, as newcomers often do), that is likely to show up at the ballot box.
   Meanwhile, the candidate has repeatedly threatened to leave the Republican Party if he doesn't get his way. Or as he puts it, if the party doesn't treat him "fairly."
   The problem with that is equating "fair" with agreement, and not asking any questions. But it's the responsibility of journalists, as representatives of the general public, to ask questions, to get responsible answers, and to inform the voting electorate of what a candidate proposes and especially how he plans to pay for these proposals.
   So far, responses have not been adequate, if the candidate answers the questions at all. Instead, he resorts to insult and abuse and then changes the subject, demanding that he be treated "fairly."
  Like all bullies, he cannot tolerate disagreement.

No comments:

Post a Comment