Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff. 

Monday’s total-solar eclipse has taken over the media’s airwaves. The hearts and minds of Americans weary of toxic politics welcomed the chance to concentrate on the Moon and Sun instead of terrorism, President Donald Trump, North Korea and racial divisions.

It’s nice to see people looking up and not down. To take a break from this maddening world that seems to get worse by the day – terror attacks killing innocent people don’t stop, wars in the Middle East that don’t end, more police officers shot and the increasingly serious attacks upon President Trump — a man trying to end the terror, the wars, the hate and bring on an expanding economy that benefits American citizens like never before.

For a few brief moments from Oregon to South Carolina the eclipse “totality” occurred along a 70-mile-wide band stretching across 16 states. People by the tens-of-millions flocked to the area of “totality” to see this rare celestial event. Those flimsy-cardboard eclipse glasses sold out like hot cakes at a church picnic. Even a slice of the eclipse was visible as far south as Costa Rica. What a beautiful sight – people all through the Americas looking up at the sky without any protest signs or hateful chants broadcast live.

People throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas all watching the same thing glued to televisions and smart phones at home, at bars and restaurants, hotel lobbies and resorts, wherever people gathered and watched in amazement as the sky grew dark with stars visible during the day and then the magnificent “Corona” of the eclipse shined down upon the Earth. With today’s advancing communication technologies, this eclipse was seen live by billions of people around the world – perhaps setting an all-time record for worldwide viewership of one event.

Too bad “totality” only lasts for up to two minutes or so with the total eclipse lasting less than three hours. Now it’s back to reality which is not a welcome journey. Politics is as hot as ever.

Friday was President Trump’s Chief Strategist Steve Bannon’s last day. He was a controversial figure from the start having joined the president’s inner circle on Jan. 20, 2017 – the day President Trump took office. Only seven months down the road Bannon is history. He apparently was a source of inner-staff tensions and recently had made public statements that contradicted the president on such topics as North Korea, according to news reports.

Bannon is a former U.S. Naval officer, film maker, Wall Street banker and executive chairman of Breitbart News, a far-right-wing conservative website with millions of followers. News reports say Bannon has already returned to Breitbart News and his former life before joining the Trump campaign for president.

An interesting character, Bannon is the most recent in a string of President Trump’s staff resignations that include a chief-of-staff, a press secretary and two communications directors. At seven months into his presidency, Trump is still working to form his dream team while under relentless scrutiny from mainstream media examining and debating every word that comes from the White House.  But they are up against Team Trump, a hearty bunch that has dug in for the long haul in total support of President Trump. It really doesn’t matter much who comes and goes at the White House as long as the original mission remains the same – lower taxes, better healthcare for all, healthy economy, secure borders, a strong military and support of law enforcement. But to hear Bannon describe the current White House and its occupant he gave some stinging parting shots in an interview on his way out the door.

“The Trump presidency that we fought for, and won, is over,” Bannon told the Weekly Standard. “We still have a huge movement, and we will make something of this Trump presidency. But that presidency is over. It’ll be something else. And there’ll be all kinds of fights, and there’ll be good days and bad days, but that presidency is over.”

Maybe this parting of the ways is in name only and part of President Trump’s secret vision for creating a true conservative television and social media network competitive with mainstream media, CNN, FOX News and all the others that would fly Trump’s banner. This would be right up Bannon’s alley. The president’s older sons – Eric and Donald Jr. – talked about forming TRUMP TV during their father’s campaign for president, but not since.

The above words however make perfectly clear that Bannon has a huge ego and we know there’s only room for one big ego in this White House. He probably was ‘the fly in the ointment.’ Bannon’s high-profile exit may be best for everyone. He’s no longer on Team Trump, but let’s hope he says aboard the Trump Train.

The next total eclipse appearing in the U.S. – arching across the southern states from Mexico — won’t happen for seven years so we’re all stuck looking down at political mud and not looking up at the Moon as it passes ever-so-gently between the Earth and Sun perfectly balanced.

About the Author

Britt Nelson relocated to Costa Rica in 2011 from Florida, where he served as news editor for the Palatka Daily News, a newspaper owned by the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group (NYT-RNG) for 20 years.

Nelson served the NYT-RNG for 18 years in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina and Florida as a correspondent, reporter, staff writer, senior staff writer training new reporters, copy editor, page designer, editorial writer, editorial page editor and editorial board member.