Death in the News

I basically try to avoid the 'News' as much as possible except where events that have international or wide implications are concerned.  In other words, tales of random killings usually would be something I would avoid.  Today, however, I was pulled into the arena of such 'news' by Facebook in two separate stories.

One was a sports figure who was serving a life sentence for murder but had been acquitted of OTHER murders recently.  He was found hanged in his cell in prison.  I initially clicked on the story because the headlines made it appear that an innocent man had committed suicide.  In fact, he was a murderer and whether his death were suicide or killing by another person is one of those things that might fascinate a mystery writer but is neither here nor there where justice is concerned.

Moving on... the second tale was of a man who was labelled the 'Facebook killer'.  Not having followed the story, I kind of assumed that there was a real connection to Facebook, but that was not the case either.  He simply made an announcement of his intent to kill some one, any one apparently, on Facebook, then randomly killed an elderly man and posted the event to Facebook.  I am not certain that Facebook should be given any culpability for this... it is the internet in general that would have to be blamed, if any one, for giving mad people an outlet for spurious fame based on some horrible act, whether murder, rape or anything else that titillates the public.

So there are the two stories I read today, neither of them particularly important in the general pattern of the universe... and yet they evidently catch the eye and attention of the media and the general public more than the murders by drone committed by the American government over the past decade and now, the apparent determination of Trump to start a third World War.   To be fair, Obama was as guilty as Trump of sending drones to destinations inhabited by civilians and the blood of many children, women and other non-combatants are on the hands of every single President with the drone technology.  Somehow, it is easier to kill at a distance, especially when the target is a pinpoint on a map in another country.

Political philosophy aside, it appears to me that Trump really does not understand the widespread consequences of ANY nuclear explosion.  After all, Chernobyl was nothing more than an accident. No one was targeted... it was not supposed to happen!  And yet, the fallout from that disaster poisoned wide swathes of Europe for years and who even knows how many cases of cancer and other disease throughout Europe were caused by radiation poisoning from this fairly isolated location.

Trump obviously does not think that a nuclear explosion will affect any one apart from the intended target or, if he is aware of this, simply does not care.  Any attack on North Korea will affect South Korea and possibly a larger portion of Asia...

I think that, as far as non-nuclear aggression is concerned, Trump wants to be a one-man Isis of his own persuasion, bigger and better than Isis ever could be... he often speaks of Putin and his desire to be a LARGER figure of the same sort.  World domination, after total domination of Twitter, is apparently on HIS bucket list... for a Third World War might take him out of the picture, along with the rest of us, leaving a planet where, if the rest of the flora and fauna can adapt to the poisons, might be able to recover in a hundred years or so, minus the human race.

So, if any one reads this, and I doubt any one will... please do not think that I carry a brief for either of the two major political parties in the States.  I simply feel that the scientific facts should be addressed before any President embarks upon the use of nuclear warfare as a purported solution to ANYTHING.  There have been a number of very graphic films about the effects of a nuclear attack on the world.  It may be old now, but a film called 'Threads' was a real eye-opener in its time.  Mr. Trump, please watch this film before you move further down that destructive path.  I appeal to you as a fellow human being... or to make it even more general and applicable, as a living, breathing entity who would like to see this Planet continue to struggle along without being totally devastated.