34 – Social Polarization & The Super Bowl
At the 2026 Super Bowl Opening Ceremony, viewers saw and heard patriotic messages dealing with our nation’s 250th anniversary. The messages remind of our Pledge of Allegiance, indicating America is an indivisible nation with liberty and justice for all. At sporting events, we, as a people, enthusiastically express our pride in being citizens of the greatest power on earth. It was reported that some foreign nationals expressed fear at the 1984 LA Olympics from the loud, repeated, “USA! USA!! USA!!!”. Some thought they experienced their first earthquake because of the rhythmic stomping of feet in the stadiums.
How was the 2026 Super Bowl football game different from the reality of our divided, polarized nation? The New England Patriots and the Seattle Sea Hawks were willing to play the game, on a level playing field, following the same rules.
Pardon my “French” but America will never be on a path to real “greatest” until members of the polarized groups are willing to have the “b##ls” to come out of their isolated corners and participate in level-field dialogues, expressing and defending their different views.
The ancient Greeks used one-on-one dialogues involving two persons, holding directly opposing views, that were provided two slots of time to present and defend their different positions. Each dialogue focused on one, agreed upon, directly stated, difference of opinion.
Use of such a process today will provide necessary, civil communication across the politized gap. In each “meeting of the minds” a “moderator” will announce the subject, only state the names of the speakers, and act as a time keeper.
If this is not done, our nation will continue to experience the downward, violent spiral that has existed among us for hundreds of years.
Joseph L. Bass, 2/9/2026

Hello Joseph, Yes to all that as they say. For me the true patriots and heroes are the recent fallen citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti, not far from where George Floyd was killed. They felt under siege and under attack from Operation Metro Surge, some Ice commanders have talked about the ‘theater’ as in the occupation by three thousand agents waging a war against its own citizens for trying to hold them accountable for their actions. With all of their might, arms, force and 75 billion taxpayer dollars they are incensed if someone tries to document what they are doing, even journalists and the press, they retaliate and escalate, the exact opposite of what they should be doing. Gassing people and putting bear spray in their eyes and faces while they cover up theirs and then threatening people by going to their homes and intimidating them and their families once identified. Sending hundreds of children if not more to detention centers where now measles outbreaks are happening and tuberculosis too in Texas. We have the Epstein circus where Maxwell, the only one who has been held accountable by the US judicial system might be pardoned. This after Epstein was able to continue his assaults for more than 10 years after he was found guilty of being a Sex offender while private eyes harassed the girls and their families and ran some of them off the road to intimidate them to not move forward. His legal team had Kenneth Starr and Alan Dershowitz along with Roy Black, Gerald Lefcourt and Jack Goldberger. They even made the judge recuse herself by adding her husbands law firm to the case. There were more victims but since they were 16 or more they weren’t added to the case. There was seeming collusion from the Palm Beach county State Attorney too among others who failed to protect future victims by minimizing the potential charges that should have been brought. Any other predator would have gotten up to 75 years in prison but Epstein’s team negotiated the non-prosecution agreement or “deal of the century, “ by pleading guilty to two felony prostitution related charges due to the Palm Beach county State Attorney who was suspected by the Police Chief and the Palm Beach Police Detective of soft peddling the whole investigation. The many victims and their families were deceived by a letter the FBI sent that asked for patience while they conducted a thorough investigation but it was already over because of the non prosecution agreement that was signed months earlier. There were four co-conspirators as well as other potential ones who were part of the deal that were protected, who were they? There was little to no justice served for the many victims, a multi millionaire with multiple residences in New York, New Mexico, an island, etc was allowed to continue his predatory ways along with others to continue to abuse hundreds more young girls. I say this to point out that the lack of due process hence unconstitutional treatment and corruption that is being used on the populace is a detriment to the rule of law and an erosion of civil rights. For me the love of this nation comes from standing up to those who wish to silence and bully those most vulnerable and discriminated against. I hope and pray we will have free and fair elections this fall and that a militarized mob doesn’t try to keep people from exercising their constitutional right to vote free from intimidation or intervention. Can you remind me Joseph about the poll taxes and other types of voter suppression that happened to minorities in the past since the Republic was founded? Thanks for your contributions.