When You Know So Much That Isn’t So!

Stew Richland

We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid!

Ben Franklin

I sometimes have accused people of being ignorant.  This is not intended to be an insult.  I am ignorant about a lot of things but this could be remedied by education.  Over the past few years I have heard many so called celebrities use the “bully pulpit”  during awards programs or when they are being interviewed on the “red carpet.”  Instead of sticking to observations about their craft, many of these celebs voice their opinion on subjects that they know little or nothing about.   What they offer is opinion without fact. These people are addicted to publicity.  They will say and do anything to keep their persona in the public eye.

Two examples of what I am alluding to happened this past week. The American music Awards or as I prefer to call it, The Un-American Music awards shown on ABC received their lowest viewer ratings in years.  Here are some of the dumbest comments made.

 WORST: BAD POLITICAL JOKES, PART 1

Following co-host Jay Pharoah's announcement that AMA winners are based on fans' votes, Gigi Hadid added, "Don't worry, guys. Tonight, we do not have to deal with the electoral college." (Womp womp.)

WORST: BAD POLITICAL JOKES, PART 2

Then came Hadid's really uncomfortable Melania Trump impression. (It was a good effort, but save the heavy lifting for Laura Benanti, kiddo.)

Mark Cuban acknowledging that he probably won't be invited to T–p's inauguration, or Idina Menzel sending her love to the cast of Hamilton following Pence-gate.

Gigi Hadid has the right to express her opinion on any topic she wants to.  However, this was a music awards ceremony not a political forum. 

Gigi Hadid was born in Beverly Hills, California.  Her mother was a model and Gigi had her first experience as a model at age two.  Her father is a very successful real estate developer.  This is a girl that grew up in the most liberal environment in America.  After graduating from high school, she went East and attended the New School in New York studying design and modeling.  By the way, the New School is one of the most liberal colleges in the U.S. 

Hadid should stick to modeling. Wise King Solomon once observed, "Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful face on an empty head." An empty head is really not empty; it is stuffed with rubbish. I suggest Mz. Hadid stick to what she knows best, wearing designer clothes and marching down a runway.

The second disgraceful incident that happened last week was the response by the cast of Hamilton when Vice President elect Pence attended the show.

The show’s creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and others discussed the appropriateness of making a statement from the stage and decided to do it only after the show was over. Remarks were written and refined, and after curtain call, Brandon Victor Dixon, who plays Vice President Aaron Burr, took a microphone and pointed toward Mr. Pence.
and stated: ‘ We, sir, are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us…..”  There is no doubt in my mind that this was a staged “hit job” on the newly elected Trump team. 

They claimed this was a discussion, but the only one with the mike was Brandon Dixon, and the audience cheered and clapped as Dixon read his statement. This forum was not a level playing field by any stretch of imagination. Vice President-elect Mike Pence said the boos he faced at the Broadway production of "Hamilton" were "what freedom sounds like." He stated that this was not “offended by the boos and would leave it to others to whether this was an appropriate venue to say it.” This man is a class act.

The management of Hamilton along with their performers are typical liberal hypocrites.

The cast ran a fund raiser for Hillary Clinton’s campaign.  The management placed a notice for performers to audition for the  their road  show cast with the proviso that only performers of “COLOR” or minorities apply.  The unbiased liberal left in action.

The musical is based on the life and times of Alexander Hamilton.  It’s too bad that the cast did not learn anything from their experiences singing the lyrics of the musical.  Hamilton was a product of a dysfunctional family. Hamilton was born out of wedlock in Charlestown, British West Indies, to a mother of French Huguenot and British ancestry, and a Scots father, James A. Hamilton, the fourth son of Scottish laird Alexander Hamilton of Grange,

If there was a walk of fame like they have in Hollywood, Hamilton would have been awarded not one star but many for his contributions to the founding of America.  He was a supporter and adviser to Washington during the Revolutionary War. Hamilton strongly believed in the Federal System of government.  The Federal System is one in which the power of government is divided between the national government and the states. He was the co-author of the Federalist Papers in which he supplied the reasons why we needed a representative government and explained how power would be divided between the national government and the individual states.  He proposed the famous compromise between the Northern and Southern states that gained the support of the South to ratify the new Constitution if the nation’s capital would be located in the South.

He was appointed to be the first Treasurer of the United States, with Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of  State.  Washington considered these two brilliant men his closest advisers.  The conflicts between Hamilton and Jefferson began when Washington had to deal with the debts incurred by the new nation as a result of the Revolutionary War. Hamilton wanted the new government to pay off all foreign debts and also pay off the debts of the states.  He argued that the United States cannot be known as a “dead beat” nation. Jefferson was against this proposal.  Washington supported Hamilton. Hamilton proposed a national bank in which to deposit tax revenues and private loans to the U.S government.  and Washington agreed. Jefferson and Madison argued against the policies of favoring northern business interests rather than Southern agrarian interests. Jefferson feared that the Federal government would have to much power.

 Hamilton was pro-British, Jefferson was pro-French. Jefferson wanted the new nation to join with France against their war with Great Britain.  Hamilton opposed this idea fearing that if France lost the war, and as France’s ally, the U.S. would loose their independence.  Washington supported Hamilton’s view.

While expecting conflicts of opinion within his cabinet,  Washington hoped to avoid the development of political parties, which the Constitution did not mention.  In 1790 Hamilton formed the Federalist Party and Jefferson formed the anti-Federalist Party later referred to as the Democratic-Republican Party. The Federalist Party argued for a Loose Construction of the Constitution: government had many powers implied by the elastic clause. (The Federal government had the power to pass all laws necessary to carry out their responsibilities).  This interpretation was important since it allowed government to deal with issues not specifically mentioned in the Constitution. 

One of the truisms of history is that “history does repeat itself.” In 1798 the Federalist Party had to deal with the issue of immigration.  The Federalists held the majority in Congress and passed the Alien and Sedition laws designed to intimidate the party of Jefferson, the Democratic-Republicans.  The Alien Act authorized the President to deport foreigners thought to endanger public safety.  The Sedition Act authorized the government to fine and imprison newspaper editors who printed “scandalous and malicious” writing about the government.  Virginia and Kentucky passed resolutions protesting these acts and claimed the right to nullify them as unconstitutional.  The Democratic-Republicans argued that these laws violated citizens basic rights.

250 years later we are still dealing with many of the same issues.  How to deal with illegal aliens.  Sanctuary cities defying laws of the Federal government.  States rights verses Federal power. 

Based on contemporary definitions, and what we have learned about  Alexander Hamilton, it is fair to conclude  that Hamilton would be a supporter of  the Republican Party.  Based on this conclusion, it seems that the cast of Hamilton is most hypocritical in their attack on Vice-President elect Pence.  In the breakdown of the various acts of the show Hamilton, there seems to be a great deal of emphasis on the more salacious side of Hamilton’s life, such as the various affairs he had and the attempts to destroy his reputation by any and all means.  It seems to me that the cast of Hamilton would have been closer to the reality of today’s political scene if they had admonished the Democrats, Clinton and Obama from the stage rather than the Trump presidency.

Note:  I know that I may have used a great deal more historical data to support my views on the issues described in my article.  Hamilton deserves more praise than the show seems to give him and I wanted to make sure my readers recognize this.

Please feel free to respond to my observations on the blog that you reading this article on or on phyllisrichland.blogsdpot.com

I wish you all a healthy and happy Thanksgiving.