Whatever happened to America? You used to be so great!

Chapter 7

ENOUGH ABOUT CANADA WHAT ABOUT YOU AND YOUR SUPPORTERS, MR. TRUMP?

This video demonstrates how America is so screwed-up. These people actually represent your “core” electorate, the ones that elected you. Was the south always this ignorant? They have no idea what they are saying. The sad part is that they don’t know they are so ignorant. There are approximately 35 million of them, a number that matches your popularity level. How do you reprogram so many people? Oh, I see, you don’t. You just take away their healthcare. How did America get here? Read on, you’ll see why.

So, Mr. Trump, with the help of US leadership, WWII came to an end and the world began ahuge rebuilding program. I’m familiar with Canada and the US because I was there as ateenager in the early 50s and saw the whole thing with my own eyes. It was an amazing time.From my perspective in Montreal, Canada, everyone was so hopeful, working as hard aspossible with great plans for the future.

My family sponsored a large number of relativesfrom Italy. It wasn’t easy then either. We alreadyhad vetting back then. We didn’t have ISIS, we hadNazis and Communists. Immigration was usuallyhandled by professionals: mostly lawyers andnotaries.

Everyone had to have a guaranteed jobwaiting. It was a wonderful time. I recall myrelatives all worked in construction andlandscaping. That’s where we had our connections.My father was a popular entertainer and as such welived well. We took holidays in Old Orchard, Maine and Providence, Rhode Island, where wehad relatives. That’s where I saw my first turnpike with tolls and my first drive-in theater.The beaches were full. I could feel success all around me. Nothing was impossible. RockyMarciano had defeated Joe Louis for the world heavy weight championship (Boxing used to beimportant then) and TV showed us how to live. Although we lived in Canada, we could get

47

some American channels from Burlington or Plattsburg and our Canadian channels also showed some US programs. For me, Father Knows Best was the one that “set the bar” by defining the model life to shoot for: the little suburban house with the white picket fence, a station wagon in the driveway, 2 polite kids and a stay at home mom greeting her husband with a nice cocktail when he returned from work. That’s what we used to call the “good old days”. Now we just refer to that time as “back in the day”.

For those who don’t like to read, I’ve assembled a few videos that tell the whole story. Canadian culture experienced similar development during these times. I am focusing on American culture because I want you to learn what you and too many Americans seem to have forgotten or missed in school while growing up. If you want to be a great leader and earn the next face on Mount Rushmore, you’ll need to reprogram everyone, including yourself. To do this you must reset everyone to square one. I believe that starting in the 50s is the right place. It does not matter whether you have a lot of schooling or just a little. Everyone can see, hear and understand the recent wonderful videos presented by PBS, the Public Broadcasting Network, the same one you are trying to defund. Shame on you!

48

7.1 THE 1950'S: THE LIFE OF AN AVERAGE AMERICAN

This is a story about Ronald Bellettiere, a Philadelphia man who lived in the fifties as a teenager and a young adult. He describes what life was like for most Americans (and Canadians), from advances in technology and social life to the sweeping paranoia of McCarthyism in the US (the hunt for suspected Communist supporters). Times haven’t changed much in this regard. Today we have ISIS supporters, Neo Nazis, home-grown terrorists and you. As you already know, you can’t please everyone.

PBS Documentary - The 1950s - Segment 1 of 3 - Aug. 6, 2014 -23:25 min.

PBS Documentary - The 1950s - Segment 2 of 3 Aug. 6, 2014 - 21:40 min

PBS Documentary - The 1950s - Segment 3 of 3 - Aug. 6, 2014 -13.05 min.

What happened, Mr.Trump? Everything was going so well. America was functioning on all cylinders. Great new roads and highways, great new infrastructure, great advancement in technology (Xerox, Kodak, Polaroid, Cinemascope), cars, education and training. What went wrong? Well, unfortunately, the 60s happened.

49

You see, Mr. Trump, during the 50s, the US had never stopped making war. Remember the ill-fated Korean War and the behind the scene involvement in South East Asia with Indochina? Well that did not turn out so well either. The Communists established great footing in North Vietnam anyway. By the mid-60s, the US was in the middle of a terrible fullblown war over there, sending troops upon troops to fight a war no one wanted to fight or knew how to fight, in the jungle. It turned out to be a very depressing time. It was demoralizing, causing everyone to let their guard down. All the self-discipline went up in smoke. On one side, the Beatles arrived, defying our norms of decorum with their long hair, free love was unleashed, pot and hallucinogens (LSD) became common place and Woodstock wrapped it all together with a bow. Simultaneously “and at the same time”, huge protests against the war in Vietnam and Civil Rights marches disrupted civil order mightily. Lest we forget: the 60s also saw the assassination of President John F, Kennedy, his, then, Attorney General brother, Bobby Kennedy and Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. All the while, President Richard Nixon was well on his way to creating the Watergate scandal, which will turn out to have been small compared the one you have been creating.

Imagine all that in one decade? Our world was never the same after that. America spent the50s very busy building up the country, and the 60s, allowing some to take it down, while mostwere asleep at the switch. It makes for fascinating history.

For those who don’t like to read, I’ve selected another wonderful PBS video that encapsulates the entire decade. We are still suffering from its side-effects. That’s when American progress slowed down dramatically and the dumbing down of America really began. We all lost sight of the “Father Knows Best” model. You’ll note, it will take 2 hours to cover this incredible period.

PBS Doc.-The 1960s - Years That Shaped a Generation -May 12, 2012- 1hr 55min

50

7.2 THE SIDE-EFFECTS OF THE 60sHow the Vietnam War affected America

You remember the 60’s, don’t you Mr. Trump? Remember all your draft calls? You were probably wise not to go. Americans were happy to leave the 60s and a bit more behind. The Vietnam War did not end until 1973 but the effects at home started to be felt long before. Until this war, the American economy was purring: low inflation, almost full employment and a good balance of trade with other countries. But America couldn’t leave well enough alone. It could not resist another war. It was obvious, soon after President Johnson jumped into Vietnam with both feet, in 1965, that the US could not afford the war. He was forced to rob from some of his important programs, such the Great Society, to pay for it. He replaced the “War on Poverty” at home with a war in a jungle, half way across the globe, where he helped to kill 2 million civilians and over 1 million Viet Cong soldiers while creating over 10 million refugees. He wasted $168 billion on that stupid war. And, America didn’t even win it and robbed thousands of young soldiers of a chance to become great productive Americans. What a shame! Thank God that the huge protests all over the country brought an end to the military draft and, eventually, an end to that miserable war. Apparently, you, Mr. Trump, can’t wait to start another war. You, who were too chicken to enter the draft – 5 deferments, was it?

51

In my opinion, 2 main things resulted from the ill-fated Vietnam war that are still evidenttoday.

1. The US population lost confidence in its government and elected officials. Too many lies and cover ups. Remember Gulf of Tonkin (fake news) and (real news) Mai Lai, Kent State and Watergate?

2. The US became leery of starting another long-winded big war. This became known as the Vietnam Syndrome. That lasted for a few years. America declined fighting the Russians in Afghanistan and totally screwed up the Iran hostage crisis and the aftermath of Desert Storm.

NOTE: By the end of 1970s, Vietnam Syndrome was no longer a medical term and it came to have a pure political meaning, coined by Henry Kissinger and popularized by Ronald Reagan to describe the U.S.’s reluctance to send troops into combat situations overseas. This happened because the U.S. was afraid that they would get bogged down in a “quagmire” again, like they did in Vietnam, and this would lead to a loss of support for the government.

Obviously there is a right time to go fighting abroad and there is a right time to mind your own business. The Russians gave up in Afghanistan after 10 years. What made you think you could do better? You lost over 5000 soldiers for nothing. After 16 years, America (you) is currently losing that war. And, remember that it was the Canadian Ambassador who saved a number of American diplomats in the Iran Hostage Crisis. Except for Desert Storm in 1992, the US has done a miserable job of handling wars. Who knows what would have happened, after Desert Storm, if Bush senior had helped the Kurds against Saddam Hussein? Perhaps you should mind your own business and spend your money on roads, schools and Medicaid.

Apparently, the Vietnam Syndrome is contagious to US Presidents. Regan carefully played behind the scene with the Nicaraguan situation, linking it to an illegal covert weapons trading operation, known as Iran Contra. But, this syndrome seems to afflict mostly Democrat Presidents. Carter was weak in the Iran hostage crisis. Clinton pulled out of Somalia, after the failed “Blackhawk Down” raid that killed 18 Americans in Mogadishu, leaving it as a failed state growing criminals and terrorists and he refused to intervene in Rwanda where over 800,000 citizens were assassinated in a genocide operation. Obama caught it also, as you remember his wishy washy approach in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and ISIS.

52

Now, you come along, Mr. Trump, appearing more decisive than previous Presidents but you are a bigger chicken than the others. You are such a coward that you surrendered your Commander in Chief responsibilities to your Secretary of Defense. Shame on you!

Do you remember these images?

53

7.3 THE CUMULATIVE EFFECT SINCE VIETNAM

So Mr. Trump, ever wonder what happened to the “Father Knows Best” model? The Granddaddy of Motivational Literature, a masterpiece of personal achievement, Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich” happened. Although written way back in 1937 at the time of FDR’s New Deal, it made a resurgence in the mid-sixties with the rise of multi-level/network marketing and Mutual Fund schemes such as Holiday Magic, Amway and IOS. Greed soon followed. It replaced God. Televangelists emerged, asking viewers to send money in the name of God, but, really, it was to support their own lavish lifestyles. Remember James Bond’s “Goldfinger” who was trying to control all the gold in the world? He tried to rob Fort Knox. That’s where the US held all its gold reserves to support the value of its dollar.

I’m sure you’ll understand my little story. Back then, in the 50s, we made something and sold it. Nothing happened until someone sold something, which makes salesmen the most important persons in any company. The company we worked for made profits from actual production of goods. Success translated directly to share value. Share value represented the total of all the assets owned by the company divided by the number of shares out. You could touch all of it.

By the mid-eighties, schemes and scams flourished, especially where no goods changedhands. Remember Junk Bonds, where shares weren’t worth the paper they were printed on?Share value had no substance.

Colorful history of the Vancouver Stock Exchange e.g. Back in the 80s, there were a lot of public mining companies that had essentially gone out of business. Some were suspended for non-payment of listing dues while others still traded for a penny or two. So, someone could buy up all the shares of such a public company for pennies, insert a new product, rename the company and promote it again to raize capital for the new venture. This still goes on today. But back then, the main objective was GREED, to raize the share value so that a private placement could be done at a high share price, beyond a penny or two. There were a lot of techniques for this. The favourite was to give a stock promoter a large block of shares to enable him to re-establish trading action. Eventually, the stock promoter and those who hired him, would sell their shares at the high point of the promotional push and then walk away, leaving the stock to fend for itself. With no one creating a market, the shares fell back down. And, all the new investors lost.

54

Profiting from lobbying and tax breaks.

55

7.4 THE RIZE OF “TREASON” IN AMERICA

Money, truly, is the source of all evil. Greed kills. Money and greed too often lead to betrayal, which in my book is synonymous with treason. Although treason is usually associated with military matters of national security, you can commit treason by lying to your supporters only to get their votes and then do as you please after you win. You don’t have to be a professional politician to understand that.

Definition from the US Constitution:

“Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.” ARTICLE III, SECTION 3, CLAUSE 1

So, Mr. Trump, although no US president has ever been accused or convicted of treason, you are well on your way to be the first. Compared to your actions, Nixon’s Watergate, Regan’s Iran Contra scandal and Clinton’s impeachment were not as bad. Continue your covert friendship with the enemy (Russia) and you’ll fast-track yourself to the firing squad. Until that happens, continue with what you’ve been doing and you’ll get there just as quickly. You can’t lose!

My advice is that you should read and understand the documents you are given to sign because your underlings are not doing you any favours. They are looking out for themselves and their agenda. For example, your Trumpcare program will kill millions of Americans during the next 10 years because your citizens won’t be able to get medical help when they need it. That is genocide. Instead of killing off a race or a tribe, you are killing off your poor and your seniors. It’s one sure way to purify the population. You want to implement this to save billions so you can pay for your stupid wall on the Mexican border, which will cost America 25 billion dollars. What do you need more? The unnecessary wall or saving the lives of millions of Americans? Genocide is treason.

Bad results will happen to you if you keep giving tax breaks to the rich. They are already rich. They don’t need more tax breaks. They need to give back by building schools and hospitals instead of Country Clubs. Remember what the French did in a similar situation in 1789?

During the reign of Louis XVI, France faced a major economic crisis, partially initiated by the cost of intervening in the American Revolution, and exacerbated by a regressive system of taxation. On May 5, 1789, the Estates-General of 1789 convened to deal with this issue. They were held back by archaic protocols and the conservatism of the Second Estate, which consisted of the nobility, only 2% of France's population at the time. On June 17, 1789, the Third Estate, with its representatives drawn from commoners, reconstituted

56

themselves as the National Assembly, a body whose purpose was the creation of a French constitution. The king initially opposed this development, but was forced to acknowledge the authority of the assembly, which subsequently renamed itself the National Constituent Assembly on 9 July.

Storming the Bastille was the start of the French Revolution. For those who believe that history repeats itself, there is a scary similarity. Eventually the king, Louis the XVI, his wife, Marie Antoinette, and key activists of the Revolution like Maximillian Robespierre and all their cronies went to the guillotine. Today’s equivalent is you, Ivanka, Jared and Bannon. Although you survived your visit to Paris on Bastille Day, the 14 th of July, the forces against you, at home, were hard at work. I’m sure you’ll feel the effects this fall. Pardon the pun. That’s the only thing you you’ll be allowed to pardon.

�

� � � �

Earlier in January, you approved the Keystone and the Dakota pipelines promising to use US steel pipe but you gave the contract to Russians. That’s treason. You approved the killing of defenseless hibernating bears in ALASKA. That’s treason. You approved the polluting of rivers and lakes for the sake of greed. That’s treason. You approved cutting back on meals for school kids and seniors. That’s treason. You are preparing to privatize National Parks and cut welfare. That’s treason.

Is there no end to your attack on America?

Yes there is. When your supporters realize that there are no new jobs, that coal jobs are not coming back, that they can’t afford to go to the doctor, and that they are not getting rich, what do think they’ll do? They will physically fire you, the same way they fired one of your idols, Mussolini.

Dismantling the American way of life is high treason. All your leaders and their helpers will suffer the same fate.

On the 50th Anniversary of the Rosenbergs’ execution, their younger son reflected on the implications of their case. Read Robert Meeropol’s article “Treason and Patriotism in Today’s America ”, in the May 2003 issue of Jewish Currents

57

7.5 TO THE POORLY EDUCATED – This Book Is For You

Mr. Trump, why do you love the poorly educated so much? Simple. They are easily impressed by charlatans like you and easily led off the cliff like lemmings. You knew this before you got started in politics. Let me share some key, true, verifiable facts that will please you because your allegations will be confirmed. “America needs to be made great again”. The operative word is AGAIN. Even your supporters will be dismayed to see how low you have sunk.

To have let this happen is an act of treason. But, so many helped this dumbing down to take place. How did it happen? It’s a complete, coast-tocoast, disaster. Were you secretly taken over in a silent coup by Nazis who believe in a totalitarian state,.3 like your close friend, Bannon? That theory might explain the fact that the KKK and the white Supremacists have always remained strong. Remember, Governor Wallace, Nixon’s Pretorian Guards, Oklahoma, and now you.

Below is a brief extract from Ray Williams who wrote a great article in Psychology Today, that fits so perfectly with this topic. IT’S YOUR NATIONAL REPORT CARD! WHAT A DISGRACE! INCONCEIVABLE! Although this report is 7 years old, things are even worse today. But you know that. Click here, if you want the full in-depth article, which has a lot of other opinions and links to related books that explain the dumbing down of America in great detail. Even you will be shocked. You better stop making fun of the “poorly educated” and pay attention to this research, if you really want to make America Great Again!

58

7.6 ANTI-INTELLECTUALISM AND THE "DUMBING DOWN" OF AMERICA by Ray Williams Wired for Success - Posted Jul 07, 2014

The article examines the rise of today’s "alternative facts," and opinions replacing science and real facts

American school culture exalts the athlete and the good-looking cheerleader. Well-educated and intellectual students are commonly referred to in public schools and the media as "nerds," "dweebs," "dorks," and "geeks," and are relentlessly harassed and even assaulted by the more popular "jocks" for openly displaying any intellect. These anti-intellectual attitudes are not reflected in students in most European or Asian countries, whose educational levels have now equalled and will surpass that of the U.S. And most TV shows or movies such as The Big Bang Theory depict intellectuals as being geeks if not effeminate.

Part of the reason for the rising antiintellectualism can be found in the declining state of education in the U.S. when compared to other advanced countries. For example,

• After leading the world for decades in 25-34 year olds with university degrees, the U.S. is now in 12 th place. The World Economic Forum ranked the U.S. 52nd among 139 nations, in the quality of its university math and science instruction, in 2010. Nearly 50% of all graduate students in the sciences in the U.S. are foreigners, most of whom return to their home countries.

• The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs commissioned a civic education poll among public school students. A surprising 77% didn't know that George Washington was the first President; couldn't name Thomas Jefferson as the author of the Declaration of Independence; and only 2.8% of the students actually passed the citizenship test. The Goldwater Institute of Phoenix did the same survey and only 3.5% of students passed the civics test.

59

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

According to the National Research Council report, only 28% of high school science teachers consistently follow the National Research Council guidelines on teaching evolution, and 13% of those teachers explicitly advocate creationism or "intelligent design".

18% of Americans still believe that the sun revolves around the earth, according to a Gallup poll.

The American Association of State Colleges and Universities report on education shows that the U.S. ranks second among all nations in the proportion of the population aged 35-64 with a college degree, but 19 th in the percentage of those aged 25-34 with an associate or high school diploma, which means that, for the first time, the educational attainment of young people will be lower than that of their parents.

74% of Republicans in the U.S. Senate and 53% in the House of Representatives deny the validity of climate change despite the findings of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and every other significant scientific organization in the world.

According to the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress, 68% of public school children in the U.S. do not read proficiently by the time they finish third grade. And the U.S. News & World reported that barely 50% of students are ready for college level reading when they graduate.

According to a 2006 survey by National Geographic-Roper, nearly half of Americans between ages of 18 and 24 do not think it necessary to know the location of other countries in which important news is being made. More than a third consider it "not at all important" to know a foreign language, and only 14 percent consider it "very important".

According to the National Endowment for the Arts report in 1982, 82% of college graduates read novels or poems for pleasure; two decades later only 67% did. And more than 40% of Americans under 44 did not read a single book, fiction or nonfiction, over the course of a year. The proportion of 17 year olds who read nothing (unless required by school) has doubled between 1984-2004.

Gallup released a poll indicating 42% of Americans still believe God created human beings in their present form, less than 10,000 years ago.

A 2008 University of Texas study found that 25% of public school biology teachers believe that humans and dinosaurs inhabited the earth simultaneously.

It’s clear that if you really want to make America great again, you’ll need to fix this. So far,you are making it worse. I believe it’s by design. Your audience is smarter than you think.Read the full report for “Anti-Intellectualism and the Dumbing Down of America”.

60

7.7 THE TEA PARTY, Where Do They Fit In?

We have all heard of the Republican Tea Party, mostly because of a few weird extremists whosaw an opportunity to take advantage of the research above and the easily available moneyfrom wealthy Americans who were willing to sponsor the disruption of the Americangovernment system. By the way, that is treason also. Below are 2 articles that will provide abrief overview of this political phenomenon and surprize you as to the treasonous secretorigins of this Tea Party.

What exactly is the Tea Party? By Katie Connolly BBC News, Washington - 16 September 2010

The Secret Origins of the Tea Party / Koch Brothers

Adapted from Poison Tea: How Big Oil and Big Tobacco Invented the Tea Party and Captured the GOP, copyright © 2016 by Jeff Nesbit. First hardcover edition published April 5, 2016, by St. Martin’s Press. All rights reserved.

61

About the members of the Tea Party

Much has been made of the fact that most members of the Tea Party are poorly educated and thus poorly informed. Compared to whom? Some never had the opportunity to go to school beyond a few years, others never got the necessary incentive and attention to help them develop their knowledge and learning skills. But, there is one thing we have learned about the Tea Party members that we have observed is that they may be honest but lack common sense. These are 2 elements that you cannot teach. No matter how many college degrees you have, honesty and common sense were not included. For those of you who don’t like learning, you should know the following facts:

It doesn’t matter where and when you left school. Kill the expression “finished school”. You are NOT finished yet. That’s why we fall behind. When you say “I finished school…”, you are telling your brain to shut down. Leaving elementary or high school early, for whatever reason, does not mean you have finished learning and are limited only by what you have learned. No, that’s when your life learning begins. Formal schooling is important only because that’s how you acquire the elements that are necessary to continue learning, by yourself. The most important element is READING. You can’t learn much without decent reading skills. You can educate yourself on the Internet, if you know how to read. So I urge everyone to encourage everyone else to practice reading. The other main skills are: WRITING, ARITHMETIC and COMPUTER LITERACY.

So, when you think about doctors, lawyers, engineers and teachers you should realize that there is no magic in it. They are like trades. A master electrician, plumber, carpenter or construction worker also possesses a ton of acquired knowledge from both reading and observing. The trick is in the most fundamental building block of learning: reading. You must make every effort to improve your reading skills. The first lesson: don’t worry if you start slowly. Reading is like a snowball. It gets easier to roll after you get started.

7.8 WHY IS READING IMPORTANT?

From time to time, people have wondered why reading is important. There seem to be so many other things to do with one's time. Reading is important for a variety of reasons. We will look at some of those fundamental reasons below, but it is important to realize that struggling with vital reading skills is not a sign of low intelligence. For example, John Corcoran, who wrote The Teacher Who Couldn't Read, is a very intelligent man. He graduated from High School and College, became a popular High School teacher and later a successful business man, all without being able to read until the age of 48. Many highly intelligent people have struggled with reading; although, when properly taught, most people can learn to read easily and quickly.

62

Now, if a man like John Corcoran can succeed without reading, why is reading important? A person should really read Mr. Corcoran's story to get the feeling of shame, loneliness and fear that he experienced before he learned to read. He was able to succeed in spite of this major handicap because he was a man of intelligence, ability and determination. But, make no mistake; it was a handicap that made life harder and less enjoyable.

AUDIO BOOK Story of the teacher who could not read

Illiterate adults can rewire their brains by learning to read (CBC Radio) Quirks and Quarks – June 17, 2017 – Bob McDonald Science Guy - 08:47 minutes Learning to read as an adult profoundly reorganizes the brain

So Mr. Trump, you want to do something really important for your followers? You want to be a real leader? Try leading your followers into an education revolution. Urge them to take matters in their own hands and make themselves better, not to wait for promises from politicians but to improve themselves via the Internet. Since so many of them are not good readers, urge the more educated among them to organize small community groups and act as leaders and teachers to show them how to do it. Better still, create your own equivalent of JFK’s Peace Corp. Create Trump’s Teaching Corp, who, after suitable training, will go around the country to help and further organize the community groups and ensure that citizens are improving their fundamental skills.

This is how you will improve the human stock of the nation and create a new level of worker who will be able to learn and perform the jobs of tomorrow. Without this, America will never be great again. You will always have this albatross around your neck, dragging down many of your other efforts.

63

I’ll give you an idea of what I mean. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. What you need to run this educational revolution is already available at the click of a button. The Internet is full of such materials. Here are 2 examples of basic reading programs: one is free and the other has nominal cost. You have a combination of benevolent work and free enterprise. Who can argue with that?

� Basic Reading program: FREE

Online program for beginning readers. Includes Teachers Guide and Instructional Videos.

� The Age of Learning

Early learning academy. Full online curriculum for ages 2-7.

� BONUS: Teachers Pay Teachers Program

If you are a teacher here’s a link to the world’s most popular teaching aid company. They have over 4 million users. This is an incredible resource, right here.

64