Monday, June 8, 2020

The Tipping Point

Indeed, here in the United States, we are at a critical juncture in our history. It has the distinctive flavor of the "end times," with the coronavirus pandemic and more recently, the brutal murder of George Floyd by crazed police officers, one primary suspect and three accomplices, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Here at the GonzoPR blog, we have never shied away from commenting on such situations. As such, I've called in our team of correspondents from their bases from around various parts of the globe: Helmut Vallindaklopf in Washington D.C., Ramona Vallindaklopf in Genoa, Italy and Wolfgang Majoris in Bangkok, Thailand.

JM: "Today, I'm going to ask you each for a statement, and then you follow with a question, starting with Helmut, who is in the middle of all this from his basement bungalow on Connecticut Avenue."

HV: "My statement? It's clear the U.S. has been downgraded from leading democracy to flawed democracy as seen by countries worldwide. My question? Has it ever been more painfully obvious that we need economic policies that lift up working families and narrow the gap between the richest and poorest of Americans?"

RV: "My statement is that we are indeed at a tipping point in our society, most recently with the brutal murder of George Floyd. We've been exposed by Herr Gropenfuhrer for everybody to see that we are weak, even though he talks tough. He's a bully, plain and simple. My question is: has it ever been more apparent that we need a strong social safety net to protect the most vulnerable among us and lend a hand to those in need?"

WM: "My statement is that here in Southeast Asia, even China considers him as a gift in diminishing the role of the U.S. in world politics. Observers around the world concur: Trump has changed the image of this country in ways no one could have predicted. My question? Has it ever been more apparent that we must stem the tide of racism and police brutality in this country?"

JM: "All points to consider in preparing to vote in 2020. Even fascists like Hitler and Mussolini built important structures like the Autobahn in Germany and the Olympic Stadium in Rome, Italy. Herr Gropenfuhrer has failed to finish the one thing he promised: a wall. All eligible voters must vote their conscience, of course. But we must oust the scoundrel in November for the common good."