The Wall: Belief "Trumps" Reason

Since Donald Trump did not attempt to get Congress to fund "The Wall" when his party controlled both houses of Congress, it seems likely he doesn't give a damn about the wall.* His problem is that his GOP base does. He promised them a wall that would be paid for by Mexico and they believed him. Obviously, Mexico is not interested in wasting money for a wall, so now Trump has waited until the Democrats control the House of Representatives to ask Americans to pay for his glorious wall. Of course, he knows the Democrats, just like Mexico, are not interested in wasting money on a third-century concept. But he can now tell his base that it's the Democrats' fault the wall will not be constructed.

But the problem is the GOP base still believes that a glorious wall is a solution to all of our problems. This past week, amid all the noise about Jeff Bezos, the National Enquirer, and Virginia politicians who wore blackface 30 years ago,  the House of Representatives was holding a hearing on gun violence. During a discussion about easily accessible guns, ammo and automatic weapons, a GOP member from Florida, Matt Gaetz, dismissed considerations like background checks and suggested "...a wall, barrier on the southern border may have..." prevented gun-related murders.  Really? Americans are being killed by guns every day because we lack a wall? Clearly, Mr. Gaetz has been drinking the NRA kool-aid as well as taking their money.

The problem is that a large segment of Trump's base/cult has convinced themselves that not only is the "Wall" of great importance, but also look upon it as the solution to many of our problems. The fact that this line of thought makes no sense is not important. We are not talking about reason, we are talking about belief. If one believes, one is not concerned about facts, science or rational arguments. Belief does not require proof.

Therefore, our country has reached a point where a president can repeatedly lie and one of his assistants can refer to his lies as "alternative facts." He can characterize whatever is happening on our southern border any way he chooses and his followers will believe him. If he suggests that the lack of a big, beautiful wall is a threat to our security, they will believe him. In fact, like Mr. Gaetz, they will see the wall as a solution to gun violence, the opioid crisis, the scarcity of meaningful, middle-class jobs, the recent measles outbreak, and perhaps even the recent Polar Vortex.

The fact that illegal border crossings are at an all-time low should, therefore, mean that gun violence, the opioid crisis, the lack middle-class jobs, and the measles outbreak, should be at an all-time low. That they are not would seem to be one indication that the wall is not the solution, right? Wrong.  Such reasoning means nothing to the Trump cultists. Belief "trumps" reason in their world-view.

Why? Why do people choose belief over facts? There may be many psychological reasons, but I presume the main reason is fear. They see the asylum seekers, not as human being fleeing violence and seeking a chance to raise their families in peace and security, but as an army of desperados intent upon destroying American society. The President has gone to great lengths to fuel his followers' fears. He continually refers to asylum seekers as criminals and rapists. His propaganda network, Fox, refers to them as "dirty." The message is simple: be fearful of these brown people trying to become Americans, they are a danger to you, the true Americans. And, one who is fearful will believe almost anything that they perceive as eliminating their fear.

Democracies like ours are susceptible to demagogues like Donald Trump, but the hope in the United States has always been that an educated electorate will recognize absurdity when it sees it. The fallacy of that is that it does not acknowledge people's fears and their willingness to believe rather than think logically. (It's worth noting that demagogues fear an educated electorate and tend to attack educational and journalism institutions.)

The "wall" is about so much more than the wall, and thus the debate has closed down the US Government for the longest period of time in our history.

*Of course, the idea of having his name on the wall is irresistible to Donnie. Ask any junior-high kid about that.

Wastin' Away in Ohio

If you're from Ohio, you know that your state is home to some great art museums in Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Toledo. You also are aware of the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, and the Wright-Patterson Air Museum near Dayton You may even be aware of COSI (Center for Science and Industry) in Columbus and Toledo, but many Buckeyes are not aware of the other many and various museums that call Ohio home.

Toledo Museum of Art

Even if you are living a full,  busy and eventful life, you might want to carve out some time to attend Ohio's major museums of art and possibly some of the other above-mentioned museums and halls of fame.

On the other hand, you may choose to pass on some of the lesser-known Ohio museums. I guess what I'm saying is: if you have half of a day to waste, maybe you should forget about some of these and instead get out the Monopoly board and teach the young-uns the basics of ruthless capitalism.

On the other hand, if you are retired but not too tired, if you're looking for reasons to get out of the house, and if you can't afford to take a real trip to St. Petersburg, you may want to gas up the Ford, pack a lunch, and take a day trip to one of these Ohio museums.

Here they are in no particular order:

The National Construction Equipment Museum located in Bowling Green. This, of course, is an outdoor museum, and I suspect you and your spouse could eat your lunch in the cab of a road grader. Who is going to object?  After all, you'll be the only ones there.

If that's too much excitement for you, there is the Pencil Sharpener Museum in Logan. If you go, take all those little pencils you stole from various golf courses and get those babies sharpened, not to put too fine a point on it. (Give me a break, sometimes I can't help myself.)

Those of us feeling particularly pious may want to visit the Museum of Divine Statues in Lakewood. I think that when Catholics remodeled their churches after Vatican II, someone gathered up these statues and took them to Lakewood. Joan of Arc being consumed by flames. Jesus with his heart on the outside of his tunic. St. Patrick chasing snakes. Save your lunch for later in the day.

If the Missus and you own a motorcycle, you may want to consider a trip to Pickerington's Motorcycle Hall of Fame. You can check out the Harley hogs, Indians, and Victorys of yesteryear as well as a variety of newer Japanese two-wheelers. Speaking of two-wheelers, the Bicycle Museum of America in New Bremen features all the neat bicycles that your parents refused to buy for you when you were too young to appreciate the value of a dollar.

If you happen to be in Hilliard with time on your hands, you should reevaluate your life or visit the Early Television Foundation and Museum. Presumably, they have working models of TVs from the 1920s. For kids who watched test patterns (you know who you are), you might enjoy a grainy screenshot of Howdy Doody and creepy Buffalo Bob.

In Cincinnati, one can attend the American Sign Museum which is a shrine to American advertising. I think what happened was, back in the day, Ladybird Johnson launched a campaign to beautify our highways, and somebody took down all of these signs and bestowed them upon Cincinnati. Therefore, Mail Pouch, Howard Johnson's and Phillips 66 will live on.

If you happen to be near Case Western Reserve, attending the History of Contraception is a possibility. Please don't take the children. It's not a good idea to show our offspring all the things human beings have done over the years to not have children.

More child appropriate is the Carousel Museum in Sandusky or the Lego Museum in Bellaire. And, in Cleveland, you can take them to the house (now a museum sans Ralphie) in which the movie, Toy Story, was filmed.

There are more, but if you have attended all of these, you may have a problem. Perhaps you should stay home and self medicate or go to the Senior Center and cheat in a game of Rummy.