UMPTEEN ATTEMPTS

This is an attempt to see if the platform will conform to my wishes ….. mainly in regards to paragraphing.

I have been unable to create text in paragraphs. Let's see if this works.

COUP D'ETAT IN AMERICA

Donald Trump has successfully convinced 106 Republican members of Congress to support his bizarrely quixotic attempt to overturn the results of the recent US general election. This band of Trumpists are attempting to go back to the Supreme Court in an effort to nullify the election. There is no precedence for this in US history. Their chances of success are small, but the disturbing aspect in all of this is that they are trying to do this at all. American democracy used to be the envy of the world. Past elections were often hotly contested and the results have been disputed in some cases. But, after the disputes had been solved, the great tradition has always been the "peaceful transfer of power." Americans made a public display of this at the Inauguration: the outgoing President was always present to watch over the event and then was seen to gracefully leave the scene to the new incoming administration. Americans had always used this as proof that their democracy worked, and held it as an example to the less democratic corners of the world that this was how democracy was done. It was an impressive and important ceremony. Now, Trump seems bent of destroying this. He must not succeed. As imperfect as the American republican system is, it DOES work. And it works largely because it is SEEN to work. Optics count so much in politics. When the world sees outgoing and incoming Presidents on the same stage, participating in the same ceremony, with one leaving willingly and the other entering with the blessing of the assembled branches of government, they fully understand that a new administration is in charge. But Trump has thrown cold water on the whole proceeding. Other regimes around the world are now free to question the legitimacy of the Biden administration. Yes, the various states have certified his win. But without the ceremony of the "peaceful transfer of power", there will always be the nagging shred of doubt. This will be a nasty burr in the saddle for Biden as he attempts to restore order to the American chaos. It will be difficult for him to overcome this. Thus, Trump will accomplish another major disruption to the American way of life. And that is entirely what he sought to do when he launched his bid to become President back in 2015. He has no interest in actually governing or solving problems. His goal was the furtherance of the Trump brand. And, in defeat, he will continue to do this. To what end ? Nobody actually knows. Least of all, Trump himself. There is a strange personal benefit to him to simply be a headline, a public figure ( whether a significant or comic figure ) to massage his massive and sensitive ego. That's what this is all about. American democracy has survived so many significant things. It is sad that the single thing to completely undermine it, and perhaps destroy it, is a pathetic man's ego.

AMERICA THE BIZARRE

In the days since the election, we have seen the outgoing President bluster about election fraud, recounts, judicial challenges and remaining in office. He has refused to concede to the President-elect. He has refused to begin the process for a smooth transition of power. He has gone on twitter rampages. And his followers and sycophants have done his bidding, lauching lawsuits that have failed, blustering on TV and social media about the impending armageddon when the new administration is sworn in, and trying to physically halt vote counting and intimidate any state politicians who claim their supervision of the election was done properly. None of this is particularly surprising, given the track record of the Trump administration or their supporters. In fact, it was expected. What is surprising, though is the completely silent reaction to all of this on the part of the rest of the country. Trump's constant bombast against the legitimacy of the election results is having at least a small effect on many Americans. It is now being reported that the number of people who are beginning to question the election results is going up. It seems to prove the old axiom that if you tell a lie and then repeat it often enough, it begins to take on the aura of truth, even though it is a falsehood. Why are Americans allowing this to happen ? Why have they not taken to the streets around the White House protesting loudly and vigorously and demanding that the orange madman at least concede ? If there is such a large corps of Americans who truly hate Trump and who voted against him, why are they silently sitting this out ? It would seem that, by doing so, they are increasingly implying consent to the President's tactics. The United States is a strange and unpredictable country. The rest of the world held its breath on election night, and then for the next few days as the vote totals were counted and the Electoral College tallies ticked agonizingly but surely in Biden's favour. America got it right, the world must've thought as Biden finally eked out a win. But he hasn't really won yet. His transition is being held up. He is not getting essential official briefings on security, the economy and, most importantly, on covid-19. The lawsuits, while failing, are still nipping at his heels. He's being hamstrung before his administration has gotten started. It's stillborn. And that has dire consequences. Americans are undoubtedly fatigued by all of this. Trump's administration has been draining. The election was divisive. The pandemic is cutting a wide swath through the population and, once again, overwhelming their chaotic health-care "system." The racial divide, which was a huge factor in the voting, is still a raw wound that will not heal. Or, perhaps, there is something more sinister at work here. Americans have always been fascinated by the raw underbelly of society. They revel in the bizarre, the ugly, the perverse, the violent. They are mesmerized by gangsters, thugs, and fighters. Even when they know it's wrong to root for these creatures, they do it anyway. They love the anti-hero, the gunslinger, the punk. And, in this case, even if they didn't vote for him, they find Trump and his band of troublemakers compelling and entertaining. They don't want the freak-show to stop. They don't want the carnival to end. There's a part of their psychological make-up that is getting an immense jolly out of this. And it will destroy their democracy more surely than if Trump had actually won the election. It's no longer "America the Beautiful" .... it's "America the Bizarre." And it will unfold in all its sordid glory as certainly as the sun will come up tomorrow.

THE FAT LADY STILL SINGS

As of this writing, (Nov.4, 2020, 1:52 pm) the US presidential election is undetermined. Votes are still being counted in several key states. Biden clings to a slim lead in the Electoral College, while Trump blusters about having already won and warns about fraud due to the high number of mail-in votes, which seem to tilt towards Biden. Important races in the US Senate, House and many state Governorships also hang in the balance. The world holds its breath.

Lessons can be learned from this.

First, we should never put any real faith in pre-election polling. As in 2016, it seemed as though the Democratic candidates would achieve a solid victory. This year, Democrats were musing out loud about a "blue wave" that has, obviously, not materialized. Despite the advances in analytics, polling doesn't give anything close to an accurate reading in how an election will actually turn out. Polling only finds out what contacted persons MIGHT do on election day, and does not prevent people from lying, playing deliberate games of misinformation, or changing their minds. Do not put any faith in polls.

Second, we must now acknowledge that the "Trump" phenomenon is real. It is no longer just a "one-off." Four years ago, many pundits tried to explain his win as a sign of disaffection and anger in the political system. It's obviously more than that. Those two conditions still exist, but "Trumpism", more of an attitude than a coherent political philosophy, is a genuine entity that thrives now because its supporters have become emboldened by electoral success. Even if Trump ends up losing the Electoral College, he can point to the popular vote and claim that he has widespread support in all states. This is an undeniable fact. And, because of that, the grievances and values of Trump's supporters must be listened to. They are not merely a bunch of "cranks" or racists, although those things are part of the Trump package.

Third, we must continue to put faith in democratic institutions. The vote is being counted slowly because the Elections Commission is dedicated to getting the result right. There is no evidence of widespread fraud as Trump claims. When the final results are counted, we will know who the next President will be, not because Trump claims he has won. Democracy is still alive in the United States, at least for the present.

Fourth, as much as we know that Trump has millions of supporters, we also know that there are millions of Americans who reject the attitudes and values of the Trumpists. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote four years ago, and it seems that Biden will do so again. While that does not get the Presidency for the Democrats, it does show the world that decent people live in the United States, and these people have no time for racism, xenophobia, homophobia, mysogeny, ultra capitalism, and anti-intellectualism. We must applaud and support these Americans as they struggle for their ideals and beliefs.

The results will not be known for a while yet. Keep calm. Keep the faith. America is either in labour, giving birth to a new identity. It is a difficult labour. Or it could be the republic's death throes. Time will tell.

POMBO

I had the opportunity recently to read Jon Lee Anderson's excellent biography of Ernesto Che Guevara. The book is massive in its scope, extremely well researched and wonderfully written. Anderson spent years going through archival material in Cuba and elsewhere, looking at articles and scholarly papers on Che's life and career, as well as reading Che's personal papers and poems. Anderson also spent months in Cuba speaking to several people who lived through the years of the Cuban Revolution and who participated in the events and who personally knew Che. All of this research resulted in the definitive biography, in English, of this enigmatic man. One of the more interesting figures to emerge from Anderson's study is Harry Villegas, known more popularly as "Pombo". Pombo was born into agrarian simplicity in Cuba sometime around 1938 to 1940. His family are descendents of African slaves. As a young man, Pombo became fascinated in the growing revolutionary movement in Cuba and met up with Che and Fidel sometime around the battle of the Moncada Barracks. Pombo was not an "original" revolutionary, but grew more and more committed to the Revolution with passing time. Eventually, Pombo and Che became best friends and both served as best man at each other's wedding. More importantly, Pombo became Che's bodyguard, an essential position given the fact the the CIA had targetted both Che and Fidel for assassination, hoping to stop the Revolution in its earliest forms. Che spent much time with Pombo and his family and the bond between the two men grew firm. Anderson points out that Che, a fanatically driven man who put all his adult efforts and energies into a "revolutionary ideal", had no time to foster close friendships. That fact that Pombo and Che became friends speaks volumes as to the loyalty and devotion Pombo had for the famous guerilla commandante. The only time that Pombo did not accompany Che in a campaign was during Che's failed expedition to the Congo. Che's reasoning was that, as an Afro-Cuban, Pombo would not be distinguishable from the black Congolese. Che felt that the Congolese needed to know who the Cubans were, in order to benefit from the leadership, expertise and revolutionary knowledge of the Cuban Communists. Pombo and other Afro-Cubans would blend in too much and the Congolese would not be able to learn from them. One today would think that this logic is counter-intuitive, and that the Congolese would be more willing to learn from fellow Africans, but Che was firm in his strategy. Pombo must have been hurt by not being included in the campaign, but was spared any humiliation when the campaign failed miserably. Pombo accompanied Che on all other missions, both military and diplomatic. Through his association with Che, this simple Cuban farmer got to see much of the world and met several world leaders. He distinguished himself as an able commander, who led many of Che's columns in jungle warfare. Pombo was a member of Che's final campaign in Bolivia in 1967. He and Che and several other guerillas attempted to foment a Revolution among the peasants of Bolivia, but their efforts were fruitless and they were relentlessly persued by the Bolivian army, supported by the CIA. When the Bolivians closed in to what was left of Che's forces, Che insisted that Pombo and two others try to escape the noose that was being tightened on their positions. Pombo initially refused and insisted that he stay with Che; he then attempted to convince Che that it was possible for all of them to slip through the Bolivian positions. Che refused, insisting that the Revolution would only succeed if there were no surrenders, but he ordered Pombo to try to escape in order to get reinforcements for Che's guerillas. Pombo did get through, but it took him almost a year to get home, travelling around the world in secret, avoiding capture by the CIA several times. Pombo was one of the last Cubans to see Che alive, and his arrival back in Havanna confirmed Che's assassination at the hands of the CIA.

To assume that Pombo was merely a sidekick to Che, a type of "Sancho Panza" to Che's "Don Quixote" is a tempting analogy, but it is inaccurate. After Che's death, Pombo rose through the ranks of both the Cuban Communist Party and the Cuban army. He led the Cuban forces in the Angolan insurrection in the mid 1970's, achieving great military acclaim and fighting the anti-communist forces to a virtual draw. He published many books on the subject of revolutionary and guerilla warfare and has been considered one of the formost experts on that topic, second only to Che himself. When Pombo retired to private life in Havanna, he was accorded two high honours: he was made a "Commandante" of the Cuban forces, a rank only held by the elite; Fidel and Raul Castro, Che, and Camillo Cienfuegos. And, after his retirement, Pombo was declared a "Hero of the Revolution" by Fidel himself. That status is the highest anyone in Cuba can aspire to. Harry "Pombo" Villegas died in Havanna on December 29, 2019. His passing was noted in many obituaries around the world, but in Cuba, his passing was mourned by the nation. He was one of the last surviving members of the Cuban Revolution. And he is the enduring symbol of the good and loyal friend, a man who would be identified by many as a confidante of one of the most significant figures of the 20th century. The living links with history eventually all pass away. Only Raul and a handful of others remain of the "glory days" of Cuban independence. Eventually, they too will pass, leaving Cuba with a more tenuous hold on the very revolutionary ideals which, for half a century, defined them as a country. Pombo would hope those links will never die: time will tell. Rest in peace, Pombo.