Although, some (or, even most) of his political core supporters/ base, appear to be inspired and motivated, by the misstatements (lies), excessive, empty promises, and rhetoric/ vitriol, the impact on much of the rest of the nation, seems divisive, and polarizing, when this nation, needs to come together, for the common good. How can we arrive at a much – needed, meeting – of – the – minds, when the President, consistently, resorts to name – calling, against anyone, who has the perceived audacity, to disagree with him, or his ideas? While President Trump’s style might be political genius, doesn’t it seem, like he has never stopped campaigning, even after he was elected? Who has he not called some name, or made an accusation against? How many more conspiracy theories, will we have to listen to? Whether one supports/ agrees, with this man, or not, it is important to realize/ recognize, there are many undesirable ramifications of the constant blaming and complaining, lying (or material misstatements), making a variety of empty promises, and resorting to constantly use a level of rhetoric, which often, seems to border on vitriol! With that in mind, this article will attempt to, briefly, consider, examine, review, and discuss, why this type of behavior, has less than positive impacts.

1. Lies: Many fact – checkers, including the Washington Post, Snopes, Political Fact Check, and others, have stated, this President has continued lying, at an unheard – of, rate, and level, some claiming, he has lied, in a significant way, close to 10 times, per day, on average. These misstatements have been, seemingly, to the American public, campaign rally attendees, reporters, Congress, foreign governments, etc. How can anyone, believe and trust, an individual, who relies so heavily in rhetoric, rather than proposing viable solutions?

2. Empty Promises: Since we have gotten used to candidates, stretching the truth, Donald Trump’s campaign promises, merely appeared bolder, and more politically focused, to a specific political base. However, when one promises something, and then, continues, making material misstatements, after electing, without considering, the realities of achieving any viable solution, nothing productive, usually happens! It seems, his campaign promise, of a Southern Wall, so enthused his supporters, that he has continued promoting it, after his election. Even after Congress, refused his request for significant funding, on multiple occasions, and, he still could not win, even after showing a preference for a partial government shutdown, he insisted there was, and declared a National Emergency. How can spending significant funds, on a concept, experts claim, to be ineffective, inefficient, and unrealistic, when we still haven’t addressed many infrastructure issues, such as the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, etc, be in the best interests of the nation?

3. Rhetoric: We’re used to political rhetoric, but President Trump’s level of, and reliance on, using vitriol, aimed at his perceived opponents, is, at least, unproductive! How can, constantly, calling his political opponents, names, such as Lying Hillary, Little Marco, Low Energy Jeb, as well as his inferences about the staff of the Mueller Investigation, etc, be worthy, of the leader of the free world?

Wake up, America, don’t we deserve better leadership? If you don’t speak out, and let politicians know, you want more than promises, and rhetoric, but well – considered, viable solutions, our future may be challenging?

What does it say, or indicate about us, as a nation, when/ if, it becomes acceptable, as the norm, for an elected official, to consider himself exonerated, when, it merely, can’t be proven, any law, has either be committed, or, at least, proven? Shouldn’t those, we elect, to represent us, and serve our nation, be held to a somewhat higher degree, when it comes to his quality of character, personal ethics, integrity, and/ or, behavior? When the acting Chief of Staff, of an American President, proclaims, during an interview, since the Barr Report, says there’s no clear proof of a criminal behavior (such as obstruction, etc), it is time for the Democrats to end their investigations, etc, of President Trump, and, when asked about ethical concerns, etc, basically, proclaimed, ethics don’t count, shouldn’t this concern most Americans? With that in mind, this article will attempt to, briefly, consider, examine, review, and discuss, this matter, and why, if/ when, someone’s personal character, no longer, matters, it weakens the soul of this nation.

1. Integrity: President Donald Trump, whether one supports or opposes him, from a political perspective, has, articulated lies, or major misstatements, an average of close, to ten times, per day, since he was elected! When any leaders proceeds, with a lack of personal integrity, how can most people, believe in him, and know, when he may be telling the truth? Shouldn’t we seek leaders, who seek, leading with as close to absolute integrity, as possible? What are the ramifications, when. someone’s words, and actions, are so, concerning, that it pits one component of our citizens, against others? Why would any of our historic allies, feel, concerned, and dispirited, when the leader of this nation, appears, often, to be more focused, on his personal/ political agenda, and self – interest, than seeking a meeting – of – the – minds, for the common good?

2. Ethics: If you can’t trust, and/ or, believe in your leader’s ethics, why would you be ready, willing, and/ or, able, to follow him? Many of us, have experienced, political leaders, we disagreed with (even, significantly), yet, rarely, if ever, have we witnessed, any leader, similar to the present leader, of the free world! How someone behaves, and the essence of his core beliefs, focus, and reasons, for serving (the real reasons, not the articulated, political ones), must always be a relevant factor, in considering, who we elect, to serve in such a crucial position!

3. Character: In the end result, the essence and quality of a leader’s character, is one of the key indicators, in terms of, how one will behave, proceed, and act, when there is any potential crisis, etc. Without a commitment to maintaining one’s utmost quality of character, we will, be extremely challenged, and concerned, by his actions and behaviors!

Wake up, America, realize and understand, unless/ until, we demand our elected officials, proceed with the finest level of character, ethics, and absolute integrity, our nation loses! Voters must fully consider these factors, when weighing the often, empty rhetoric, and promises, articulated by political candidates!

Perhaps, because of the Internet, or the multiple avenues of cable and world – news, we seem, to witness, almost daily, far too many instances, where it is challenging to differentiate, between, true issues (which need immediate attention), and those, manipulated, by someone, for their own, personal/ political agenda, and/ or, self – interest! How often, are we told, there is, Breaking News? How can everything, every day, be, breaking news? While there are, certainly, far too many crises, not everything, is a crisis! Have you ever wondered, why, our elected officials, seem to accomplish so little, and, appear to be paying attention, selectively, rather than, either, realistically, or in a focused way? With that in mind, this article will attempt to consider, examine, review, and discuss, a few current situations, where we can’t always, be certain, whether something is important, or, merely, some photo – op.

1. North Korea: If the President claims, he believes the leader of North Korea, and claims, if anyone else was President, there would be war, is that reality, or, at best, stretching the truth? When advisers, and experts, indicate, there has been no real progress, in reducing nuclear weapons, there, but Mr. Trump, claims historic achievement, and walks away, with an apparent, empty promise, but no agreement (in writing), is this, Real, or is it Memorex?

2. NAFTA: Donald Trump, often, stated NAFTA, was a terrible agreement, and, after, much ado, negotiated, a different agreement (which may, or may never be agreed to by Congress), was this an achievement/ success, or lots of fluff?

3. The Southern Wall: How much attention has been spent, on all of Trump’s efforts, to build his Southern Wall? Although, the vast majority of experts, state, this is an inefficient, ineffective, extremely costly symbol, the President proclaims to his core supporters, he is keeping his campaign promise. He also claims, his opponents are weak on border security, unless/ until, they support his wall! He was willing to shut down the Government, in his demand for this, and, now, seeks to declare a National Emergency, to alter, how we fund things, in this nation. Conveniently, far too little focus, is spent, on repeating his entire campaign promise, which was, building the wall, and Mexico, would pay, for it!

4. Iran Deal: Abandoning the Iran Nuclear Deal, because of his claim, it was not working (although most experts, here, and in the rest of the world, stated otherwise), where was there any real benefit, especially, on the risk/ reward, scale?

While politicians, have always relied, heavily, on empty rhetoric and promises, when this is done, by public officials, it often puts the nation, at – risk! Wake up, America, and truly, make America, as great, as it should always be!

President Donald Trump’s attitude towards, use of, and focus on tariffs, appears to be, significantly different, than how, those who proceeded him, conceived them, as well as how, most, professional economists, believe! Although, he claims, they enrich our nation, and punish, those who, won’t buy – into, or agree to his negotiating points/ wishes, the reality is, the American consumer, inevitably pays for these, because, at some point, these costs are passed – on, in the form of higher prices, paid by the end – consumers! While, we have had many tariffs, over – the – years, his widespread use of them, appears to, akin to, weaponizing them! First, he made a bid political point, of imposing tariffs, as part of his trade war, against China. We are already witnessing certain impacts, but, we will probably find, these increased, significantly, especially, in technology – related industries, certain food items, and the impact on many farmers (because of retaliation from China). Now, he has articulated, he will impose these fees/ taxes, against all Mexican products (or anything made in, or imported from Mexico), in an ever – escalating way, and introducing them, in monthly intervals, over a 3 – 4 month period of time, as a way of punishing that nation (others might call it, scape – goating), as a symbol of his politicization, of the immigration issue, along the Southern border. Who might be next, or what might this unpredictable man, who reportedly, often, appears unwilling to listen to his chosen advisers, do next? Using tariffs, as political policy, brings, with it, lots of dangerous ramifications, including rising prices, hurting the stock market, affecting corporate earning, and, both making agriculture prices rise, significantly, and/ or, hurting farmer’s incomes. With that in mind, this article will briefly, consider, examine, review, and discuss, some concerns, worth evaluating.

1. China – reaction: Unlike, some deals, in corporate America, when the President deals with foreign nations, such as China, he should understand, his actions, will bring about reactions, and combined, undesirable ramifications! His government’s restrictions on the largest Chinese electronics/ digital company, will, harm, efforts to effectively imput 5- G service, in this country, as well as bring – about, China, developing their own, Chinese- owned, alternatives, in many digital applications/ uses!

2. Will Japan be next?: We have already, witnessed, certain demands, being made, on Japan, and, the odds of these, occurring without negative ramifications, is, limited! Stating, he will impose tariffs, on Japanese automobiles, imported into this nation, will significantly raise our prices, as well as hurt parts availability!

3. European Union: We have witnessed numerous statements, by this President, in opposition to the European Union. We’ve also seen lots of rhetoric, about agreements, such as NATO, etc, which seem, to have driven, a divide, with another of our allies!

4. Korea: Would anyone be surprised, if, similar actions, were taken, regarding, South Korea, in an attempt, to placate, his new relationship, with North Korea?

Wake up, America, because, we are witnessing, a dismantling of many American ideals, and abandoning our relationships, with our historic allies. This isn’t normal, and, if, it continues, will significantly change this nation, and our relationship/ standing, in the world, for a long – time!

For over a decade, this nation has been having a partisan, rhetoric – driven, discussion/ debate, about health care, and how to best address the need to better serve the needs of the American public. In 2010, Congress passed the Affordable Care Act (ACA, a.k.a. Obamacare), largely along party lines. Although, a necessary step, and well – intentioned, unfortunately, as occurs with most legislation, there were many areas, not fully considered, and/ or, false assumptions made. Politically, Republican politicians have spent much of that period, blaming and complaining, about the law, but, offering few, if any, realistic, viable solutions or plans! When Donald Trump, was a candidate, he proclaimed, he’d fix it, and replace it, with something, less expensive, and far better (and, also, stated, it would be easy for him, to achieve). Even with a party majority, in both houses of Congress, all, they did, was weaken the existing law, without doing anything to better serve our needs! Since we are now embarking on another Presidential political seasons, we are hearing much rhetoric, and promises, about, how each candidate believes, we should proceed. With that in mind, this article will attempt to, briefly, consider, examine, review, and discuss, 5 choices/ options, and, both, the possibilities and assets, as well as weaknesses of each approach.

1. Free Market: To a very large degree, this is the G.O.P. approach. They proclaim, the choice, should be left to each individual, and, this way, there would be fewer requirements, for health insurance. However, prior to 2010, this was the approach, and insurance rates were spiraling, there were large deductibles, pre – existing conditions could be excluded, and, there were tens of millions of citizens, who were uncovered by any plan.

2. ACA restored: Simply restoring the Alternative Care Act, in its entirety, would not solve the problems! Because of the political compromises, in passing this legislation, it was a well – intentioned, but, flawed law! Because of much of the political rhetoric, and misstatements, at one point, many opposed it, because they believed, the statements made! Rates were going up, far faster than anticipated, and medical costs, kept rising!

3. ACA improved: Instead of throwing it out, and starting again, to reinvent the wheel, wouldn’t it make more sense, to tweak it, and fix what’s wrong? Protecting the protections for preexisting conditions, making health insurance available, etc, are essential, to any quality plan, but coming up with a more affordable process, lower deductibles, lower drug prices, etc, are among the many things, which should be enhanced, and improved!

4. Medicare – for – All: There has been lots of hoopla, for what is referred to, as Medicare – for – All. Some political proponents proclaim, Americans love Medicare, and, a single – payer plan, would be more efficient, and fairer. However, since we pay, out of every pay check, a premium for this program, all our working life, and, then continue paying, over $135 each month, after age 65, it obviously isn’t free! We are constantly warned about the financial stresses on the program, and, this is, despite the premiums paid. In addition, Medicare Part B, only pays about 80% of the cost of physicians’ care, and, the best of the supplemental programs, now costs, nearly $3,500 per year, in addition. How many, truly believe, the track record of the federal government, is stellar, in terms of getting the best, bang – for – the – buck?

5. Public/ private options: It might be the best approach, to combine the best of, what private industry offers, with the so – called, public options! This might bring about a degree of competition, improvement, and addressing the major issues and obstacles.

No option will effectively handle the needs, unless it includes, addressing the costs of prescription drugs, treating preexisting conditions, medical liability/ malpractice laws, and the costs of hospital care, etc. Unless/ until, our elected officials, put doing what’s best, instead of their personal/ political agenda, and, perceived, self – interest, Americas will suffer!

Wouldn’t it be nice, if instead of the constant arguments, polarizing rhetoric, and false facts (used), we witnessed more conversations, which were civil, civilized, and we remained friendly, when we disagreed, and simply, agreed, to disagree? It seems, for the last couple of decades, the divide, within our nation, and its citizens, has widened, and there seems to be little, to no attempt, to find any middle – ground, and/ or, meeting – of – the – minds, for the common good! A nation divided among itself, is not merely less effective, but enhances the possibility, for it getting worse! In fact, many believe, the degree of division (and depth of it), is the widest, since the American Civil War! While some seek simplistic reasons for this, placing the blame, on, President Trump, the White Supremacists, immigrants, or some other diversion, this article will seek to, briefly, consider, examine, review, and discuss, 5 possible reasons, and the inherent danger, the polarizing of the electorate, may be, to the future of our nation.

1. 5% of middle: For the majority of the relatively short history, of the United States, we have elected Presidents, whose political position, was within a somewhat limited middle – range, generally from 5% to the left, or right. This seemed to change, in 1980, when President Reagan, was elected, with a perspective, considerably further to the right. However, he did so, in a positive, unifying (or attempted) manner, and avoided the rhetoric, and vitriol, we witness today! The next few elected Presidents, moved back, towards the middle, until 2008, when Barack Obama, moved a little further to the left (but, again, without the polarizing rhetoric), However, this seemed to change, significantly, in 2016, when Donald Trump, resorted to conspiracy theories, rhetoric, vitriol, empty promises, and an appeal, to the more extreme positions of his core supporters. Since his election, he has articulated a polarizing position, and, while his base believes strongly in him, and appears willing to support him (regardless of what happens), much of the rest of the electorate, appears to feel despair, and fear, about the apparent attack on many of America’s principles. etc.

2. 24/ 7 Cable News Cycle, and Internet: Today, we are inundated, by constant over – exposure, from cable news, and the Internet, where previously, we gathered our news and information, from fewer, but probably, more reliable media vehicles. In addition, we seem to constantly hear, many lies and misstatements, much more often, and severe, than we have, in the past! President Trump, according to one of the major fact – checking organizations, in fact, has, either, lied or made a major misstatement, over 10, 000 times, since he was elected.

3. Trolls/ fake news: When one of the President’s spokespeople, proclaims, there are 2 versions of facts, and, what appears to be a lie, is merely, an alternative fact, most voters, lose attention and focus, and don’t know, what to believe! While, each of us, is entitled to our own opinions, we aren’t granted the right to our own sets of facts!

4. The Trump Factor: Whether one agrees with, or opposes, Mr. Trump, there must be universal agreement, he is behaving, and acting, far differently, that his predecessors! When the present occupant of the White House, has been, under investigation since his election, and uses polarizing language, rhetoric, and vitriol, nearly every day, how does that bring us, together?

5. Hatred/ bigotry/ fears: Our Constitution was created, with a focus on certain principles, and ideas, including freedoms, liberty, and justice, for all, but, today, we’re witnessing far too much hatred, bigotry, and appeal to the fears of our citizens, instead of bringing us together, for the common good!

Wake up, America, and protect the nature and freedoms of this nation, which have made us, a gleaming example, for the rest of the world! Make this about the type of nation, we are, and want to be!

Our everyday world is influenced a lot more by the decisions taken by famous business magnates than we could have ever thought was possible. Every choice they make, invariably affects us directly or indirectly and as such it is no wonder that they have assumed a role of utmost importance. Famous business magnates include Bill Gates, Laxmi Mittal, Donald Trump, Samuel Insull and William Randolph.

Each one of them has contributed in their own way to change the very principles on which business works. For example, Donald Trump has revolutionized the way the world perceives casinos. He has managed to glamorize the concept of a casino and successfully converted it into a multi-million dollar industry. He is the owner of Trump Entertainment Resorts which is a chain of resorts that operates around the world, which promises to offer a world of entertainment to its customers. The Trump Taj Mahal, Trump Plaza and Trump Marina are also famous Trump casinos.

The popularity of Trump is so much that many projects and organizations pay him to endorse their projects. However, it took the medium of films and television for him to actually grab the public spotlight. Business magnates are mostly well known among their circles and are not universally recognized figures. Trump has managed to come of this bubble and has made his presence felt through his roles in movies and by having his very own television show. Thus, the world of business magnates is an extremely fascinating one and especially when it comes to someone like Donald Trump, it just gets more glamorous!

The battle for President of the United States between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump rages on towards the finish line, nasty as ever. Despite blinding differences, they each seem to rely on an historically-authoritarian style of delivery (based on dualistic thinking) to underscore their obvious superiority over the other: Insider/outsider, right/wrong, good/bad, black/white, smart/stupid, experience/no experience, etc. Yet does Nero fiddle while Rome burns? Methinks yes. Like an unattended, festering wound, deeper causation of a messed-up world undermines the lives of everyday people both left and right.

“Church of the Sacred Fed”

A September 2016 Truthout article by Dean Baker, Hillary Clinton and the Church of the Sacred Fed, only confirms the ongoing reluctance to tackle the larger issue of a broken monetary system. Mr. Baker shares the disparate views of the candidates to launch his description of the Fed’s inner workings via funny religious metaphors such as Robert Rubin’s “doctrine of the sacred Fed” and the “anointed” referring to members of the Federal Reserve Board.

Hillary Clinton is said to have “denounced” Donald Trump for his comments calling on the Federal Reserve Board to raise interest rates. Apparently, however, this was not her real reason for denouncing him. Her real reason was:

“You should not be commenting on Fed actions when you are either running for president or you are president.”

Disappointing but not surprising, the article fails to venture beyond the Fed’s shoreline to reveal the skewed mathematical mechanics that drive a global monetary system, and the erosive damage to economic stability left in its wake. You see, anyone who makes the effort to learn about how central banks work (The Fed for the U.S.) discovers that, today, only the deep state of powerful self-interest (typically those at the top of money pyramid and their governmental cronies) actually benefit… and not by accident; whereas everyday people lose ground little by little over time.

In my view, this exchange between presidential candidates of differing perspective on the Fed exists safely within the shores of the status quo since there is no money in truth. Will the root cause of the lack of economic growth, increasing poverty and homelessness, incomes not keeping up with the cost of living, mounting personal debt and the stress that is literally killing people, ever be revealed and understood so genuine solutions might be put forth?

I wonder.

The specter of NAFTA being cancelled is on many people minds since the election of President Donald Trump. Washington has pulled out of the TPP and wants a better deal for the US in the NAFTA agreement. The recent possible tariffs coming from the Trump administration is also heightening trade concerns. Is cancelling NAFTA a bad thing for Canada? There are 2 ways to examine this question.

The Current State

The first approach is looking at how things currently are and what is likely to happen using this assumption. Canada is the US's second largest trading partner and the US is Canada's largest trading partner by a large margin. The US is Canada's closest trading partner by physical location. Much of the infrastructure that is already in place caters to shipping goods across the Canada-US border seamlessly – bridges, railways, sea ports, shared production facilities etc. The culture of the US is similar enough to Canada that doing trade is fairly easy. There are no language barriers, religion barriers, or culture barriers relative to other countries. Our currencies are closely aligned, making trade easier in terms of financing, terms of payment and currency exchange. It is fairly easy to obtain US dollars anywhere in Canada. Comparing this to the Japanese Yen shows the contrast. Lastly, the assumption is that the US will protect Canada militarily so Canada can focus on producing other goods.

Using this assumption, if NAFTA is cancelled, Canada may be a big loser in terms of trade. The fears are that Canada's goods will not be exported and economic activity will suffer. We do not have any other trading partners as large or physically close by as the US The infrastructure and financing advantages also do not exist with any countries. Even Mexico who is part of NAFTA has a different currency, language, culture and priority than the US with respect to trade. Canceling NAFTA looks like a disaster.

What are the disadvantages of NAFTA or trade deals in general? First, trade deals encourage specialization of industries in the lowest cost / highest benefit production of goods and services. All other production is reduced and or ceased. If you want to develop a new industry, you will have a small chance of success since your trading partners may dominate the industry or limit you from competing. If this is not the case, you may develop the industry on someone else's terms. Starting a business without free reign to experiment usually does not succeed because experimentation is necessary to optimize the market demand, efficiency and need for a given product. These limitations create a volatile economy based on a handful of sectors. In Canada, this means energy, commodities, banking and real estate. The second issue is negotiating power. Trade deals limit what you can negotiate after the deal is made, unless the entire deal is re-negotiated, which is what is happening today with NAFTA. This limits diversification of trading partners and new opportunities which may be present. Sometimes even within an established industry, different market conditions that would normally be taken advantage of would not be available because of the terms of the trade in a deal. As an example, the price of oil is fixed at $ 50 per barrel between two countries. The price of oil rises to $ 100 per barrel on world markets, but the seller will not benefit from this since they are selling the oil at $ 50. Should the price drop to $ 20, the seller would benefit, but then the question of "how often does this happen and is it worthwhile?" is going to come up. The last disadvantage is the negotiation itself. If you are negotiating with a much bigger, stronger trading partner, you will likely need them more than they need you. This means that they can argue for better terms of trade and if you want to make the deal, you will have to sacrifice more than you may realize. In the case of Canada and the US, the US has a more developed economy than Canada, and much more influence on the world stage. If the US wants to dump Canada and trade with someone else, they can do it more easily than Canada can for the US This gives the US more negotiating options than Canada – at least at the present time. The US can offer more products for sale, more options for trade and more customized terms. Let's say that Canada went to a trade negotiation and said "I will offer technology expertise." Would that be possible? Not likely, but Canada can offer mining expertise. The US can offer both.

The Opportunity

The second approach is assuming that cancelling NAFTA can be an opportunity, and changes can be made to benefit Canada more so than the current agreement. Why? Trade can be opened up to every country in the world and with open terms. Since the competition is much greater if all countries are available for trade, the opportunities may be greater. The flip side is that more competition may make it harder to trade for an advantage due to cheaper labor or better quality that may be available in other countries.

Canceling NAFTA would make Canada more independent because we cannot rely on a specific trading partner to buy our goods. This will create more resourcefulness and entrepreneurialism among Canadians. When people have to find a way to survive, there is more effort expended. This effort will create more diversification among industries since we no longer can afford to specialize in certain sectors.

This scenario has started to play out with Canada negotiating more deals with Europe and Asia. Canadian firms have global expertise in certain sectors which gives them an advantage when creating terms of trade.

Brokla: A Tale of Things Falling Apart is the newest satirical, LOL book in author Simon Plaster’s series of novels featuring a small-town Oklahoman reporter known as Henrietta. As with other books in the series written by Plaster, he pulls no punches and he uses the actions and comments of his humorous, larger-than life characters to target several controversial topics that have been in the news in recent months and since the election of President Donald Trump. No topic is sacred or immune from Plaster’s playful jabs and satirical barbs, all related to the breaking apart of the social structure and very fabric of the United States. Plaster uses his large and motley cast of humorous characters to target subjects like the decline of TV viewership in the NFL, the resurgence of Feministas, the continued influence of the Antifa movement, the poor irrigation practices of Oklahoma panhandle farmers, the possible secession of California from the United States, the intense college football rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma and much, much more.

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The author’s female protagonist, erstwhile reporter Henrietta, started off in the earlier novels in the series with big ambitions, and she still has them in Brokla. She longs for the day when she will be assigned to writing the type of newsworthy story that could earn her a Pulitzer. At the start of Brokla, she thinks that maybe she’s finally hit on a story that is big enough and important enough to gain her the fame, and Pulitzer, she feels she richly deserves, when her boss at the local weekly newspaper, SCENE, Nigel Fleetwood, assigns her to cover a Town Hall Lecture Series where a certain Colonel Top Secret, a foreign government think tank expert, complete with a paper bag over his head, is speaking and prophesying about the future of the United States. A man Plaster calls “Agent X” sits at the same table with Colonel Top Secret, helping to interpret the foreign military leader’s dire predictions.

Colonel Top Secret, according to Agent X, believes that many things point to the inevitable disintegration of the United States, including “way too much government spending and way too much debt.” He points to America’s “inflated national pride,” and the country’s government spending three times more on national defense than China and almost ten times more than Russia. What concerns the audience the most is not that, though, but what Colonel Top Secret says about football.

Agent X says that Colonel Top Secret believes America “is now faced with the unkindest cut of all.” That is that, because of African American football players in the NFL refusing to stand for the National Anthem, attendance is down at the games, as is TV viewership. Agent X goes on, stating that Colonel Top Secret also feels that “College football, high school football and peewee football are fated to follow the so-called NFL onto the trash heap of history.”

This comment elicits moans and groans from the audience. The Oklahoma Sooner fans in attendance appear to consider that prophecy to be the most disconcerting and worrisome one of all the ones that Agent X relates. College football and the prestige of being in an important football conference and big time football program are paramount to many of the ardent Sooner fans at the lecture, so they are dismayed by the possibility that college football will follow the route of the NFL.

In Brokla, Simon Plaster satirizes many more topics and controversial issues than the over-blown importance of football to both the United States and Oklahoma and the possibility that the decline in football’s importance could lead to the breaking up of the country. One of the other characters Plaster writes about is Jane Burrows, the leader of the Feministas. “Calamity Jane,” as she’s been nicknamed, gains notoriety across the panhandle by leading an uprising of progressive women in committing acts like burning thousands of acres of farm land and castrating the hogs of pig farmers.

They are protesting the over-use of the limited water left in the Ogallala Aquafer deep underneath the Oklahoma panhandle area by the farmers there, and they want to rid the Plains of White Man’s idea of civilization. The Antifas mentioned in Brokla, who are also interested in the goals of Calamity Jane and her band of women, attempt to join up with them. They are told they can participate, if they sleep far enough away from the women that Burrows leads.

Brokla is a humorous and thought-provoking read that can be enjoyed as a stand-alone novel. The other books in the series that features reporter Henrietta, like Spot and BOO!, are also terrific and fun books to read. If you like reading satirical books, I’d highly recommend checking out Brokla and the other novels written by Simon Plaster, one of America’s foremost authors of the genre.