Cream of kitten soup?
Lock up your pets!
That’s the message from this year’s U.S. presidential election campaign.
“They’re eating the dogs . . . they’re eating the cats!” an excited Donald Trump shouted during the recent election debate with Vice-President Kamala Harris.
He was repeating the racist story being circulated by his MAGA followers that criminal immigrants are eating people’s pet cats, dogs and birds.
This is just one example of how the election campaign has been one of the least substantive in recent history. It has been one of personal attacks, silly falsehoods and conspiracy theories. None of the really serious issues have received much discussion.
And there are very serious issues, not the least of which is health care and the addiction crisis.
The National Centre for Drug Abuse Statistics reports that as of 2000, more than 37 million people age 12 and over actively used illicit substances. Since 2000, almost one million people in America have died of drug overdoses.
Other reports show that 2.7 million people are addicted to opioids and 28.3 million suffer from some form of alcohol disorder.
It’s all part of the steady decline of American society. Despite continuing economic growth, the median American family is less well off. Its financial rewards remain stagnant while the wealthy have grown wealthier.
U.S. gun violence has increased steadily. To date this year there have been more than 12,000 murders with guns and 23,000 woundings.
A new report from Johns Hopkins Centre for Gun Violence Solutions says that gun deaths among children ages one to 17 have increased by 106 per cent since 2013.
Last year there were 2,526 gun deaths among one-to-17-year-olds, which is roughly seven every day.
It goes beyond guns. Polls have showed a distinct decline in social life, including close friendships, intimate relationships, trust, labor participation and community involvement.
There have been documented reports of a rise in mental illnesses, diseases of despair and poor health generally. The Centre for Disease Control reported in 2022 that U.S. life expectancy fell to 76.3 year, roughly what it was in 1996.
The U.S. has a national crisis but evidently no Churchillian leader to tackle it. For Donald Trump and millions of his lunatic followers it’s all about immigrants flowing into the country to eat people’s cats.
Meanwhile I’m wondering if cream of kitten soup or barbecued puppy dog tails are served with curry?
The reason I wonder is that Laura Loomer, Trump’s racist campaign trail buddy, says that if Kamala Harris, who has some east Indian heritage, is elected president the White House will start smelling of curry.
Sounds like Ms. Loomer needs less refined sugar and more fruits and vegetables in her diet.
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