Ferguson and frustration

As with the event itself, the timing for everything connected with the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. has been incredibly bad.  For the prosecutor to keep a militant crowd waiting until after dark to deliver the predictable non indictment of the officer involved was begging for trouble.  The mood was a hair trigger from violence and the presence of hundreds of media representatives from around the world acted as a catalyst for the trouble which followed.  The authorities, from the governor down to the county prosecutor to the police chief were incredibly tone-deaf to the needs of the community.  As has been famously said, a prosecutor can get a ham sandwich indicted by a grand jury by presenting cherry picked evidence.  The people of Ferguson needed a trial to prove or disprove the culpability of the officer.  It seems everyone involved wanted business as usual to prevail.  Communities of color around the nation are increasingly frustrated by the profiling of young black and brown men for no other reason than their color.  Lily white departments in majority black areas are another big problem.   I don't think the people of St. Louis have heard the last of this case.  It will act as a goad for changes around the country.

Big Brother is coming

The Divine Mrs. M and two of the spring-offs and their families made the trek to Long Island for a family function this past weekend.  A good time was had by all, but one aspect of the trip was fodder for speculation regarding out movements in the land of the free.  All of us used GPS technology in one form or another during the weekend, whether to show us a map, get directions or just make a call to keep track of each other's movements.  Ten to fifteen years ago all of this would have been impossible.  Whether the present situation is desirable is another story.  While GPS is very convenient for us to keep in touch, it also enables the government or even private hackers to tap into that information as well with unknown consequences.  Who needs to embed each citizen with a chip to keep track of them.  We are all seemingly willing co -conspiritors  in the surveillance state.

Crusade for the children

Although I am sure the usual suspects will be denouncing the president's plan to fix the broken immigration system, if you examine the substance, what they are really railing against are the children.   These kids were either taken to the US illegally by their parents when they were very young, or they were born here and are legal citizens.  The former are at risk of deportation from the only country they have ever known, while the latter could lose their parents or else follow them into exile.   It is common sense and common decency to fix the future for both groups and allow them the chance to live the American dream, as did our grandparents.  While our ancestors did not come here illegally because of the open door policy of unlimited immigration the newer cohort came for the same reasons.  They were looking for a better life for themselves and their children.   The difference between these waves of immigration is today's immigrants are far more likely to be people of color.  While the natives made sport of Italians, Polish and eastern Europeans in the 20th century, they were still white folks.  The present furor would be much less if the skin color of the children was a few shades lighter.

Haters and immigrants

Since the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, each successive wave of immigrants has faced the scorn and discrimination of the "native" population.  I laugh at my fellow 2nd generation Italians who look down at "wetbacks" .  Our grandfathers were patronizingly called Wops and Dagos by the white population of the late 19th and early 20th century.  We are merely aping the behaviors of former generations and it is a depressing spectacle.  The president will announce new regulations and discretion involving people here illegally.  This will spark predictable outrage among many who should know better.  However, as the republicans have discovered, there is no limit to the political advantage gained by stoking peoples fear and hate.  How else to describe the sight of people blocking buses carrying minors trying to escape the violence in Central America and demanding we drop 10 year olds at the Mexican border and wash our hands.  It is depressing in a uniquely American way.

Global warming etc.

As naturally as the swallows coming home to Capistrano, climate change deniers will seize on reports of 6 ft. of snow in Buffalo as confirmation that global warming is a hoax perpetuated by a crazed band of weathermen, hell bent on making everyone drive less and give up our God-given right to burn as much hydrocarbons as we please.  All 50 states have some snow cover today, thanks to a polar air mass which has driven as far south as Florida.  It is ironic that  much of the world is still experiencing temperatures far above normal, while the 2nd largest generator of greenhouse gases is in the deep freeze.  May the flying spaghetti monster help us all.

Inequality and the demonization of the poor

The classic line, "And then they came for me and there was no one left to speak up for me", refers to the last victim of a totalitarian government.  It could easily do for the rapidly shrinking American middle class as it falls to globalization and the outsourcing of many well paying jobs.  With near instantaneous communication, jobs in finance, industry and healthcare will be offshored.  Mechanical substitutes will continue to whittle away lower skilled jobs like bank tellers and airline check in clerks.  Even lower skilled jobs like vegetable harvesting will increasingly mechanized.  The consensus is this is a mixed blessing as there is no increase in employment in newer industries such as the ones which accompanied previous rounds of technological advances.  As capital becomes more and more important and labor less, what will future generations do?  Will there be vast numbers of permanently unemployed proles?  We see indications of that bleak future in today's large number of more or less lifers on the unemployment lines.   In many cases through no fault of their own, these people have been replaced by foreigners or machines and the likelihood of them ever finding work again is vanishingly small.  Instead of solutions to this problem, these people are being demonized as lazy moochers.  It will be interesting to see how this plays out over the next decade, but I think more and more productive people will be experiencing this grim little morality play and the sarcastic comments they made about their unemployed neighbors will come back to haunt them.

So much to do, so little time

Winter is coming to the NCR as well as to Winterfell.  I struggled against Mother Nature all day on Sunday.  The goal was to harvest as much as possible of the remaining bounty in the garden, while gambling the present cold snap will let up before it takes out the rest of the fall vegetables.  The jury remains out as far as cold damage.  There are still a fair amount of Brussels sprouts, leeks, broccoli cauliflower, kale and spinach out there, but temps will not rise above freezing for 36 hours starting tomorrow.  Temps during the latter part of the week will barely crack the freezing mark, so the broccoli and cauliflower are toast.  The other, hardier veg may make it through to Thanksgiving week when we should reach the upper 40s for a few days.  Meanwhile, I received my first seed catalog for 2015...

Health care follies, ship of fools edition

As Ted Cruz gleefully marshals his wingnut coterie to attempt the repeal of the ACA yet again, it would behoove us to look at this circus from an historic perspective.  The GOP has opposed every progressive piece of legislation since the New Deal.  Social Security, medicare, minimum wage, 40 hr. work week and now universal health care.  They have steadily pushed back against anything that might improve the lot of the 99% and have even co-opted many from that cohort to vote against their own interests.  Unfortunately, this time around they are using the social media as well as the traditional news outlets to rail against health care.  Even when it has been shown Obamacare is not a job killer, is improving health outcomes and even lowering the long term deficit by slowing the growth of health care spending, they just plain make up their own narrative and shamelessly push it on an all too gullible audience.  If the internet was up and running in 1936, your grandmother would presently be starving to death in the absence of Social Security and we would all be wringing our hands at the spectacle.  Ah, the stupidity....

Climate change and the irrelevance of republicans

Just as the republicans in the senate are getting ready to install James Inhofe, the poster boy for scientific ignorance, as the chair of the science and technology committee, the president cut a deal with China to lower emissions of greenhouse gases.  Since the main talking point of said republicans is we shouldn't agree to lower emissions since China never will, as Joe Biden would say, this is a BFD.  To have the two largest polluters agree to cut emissions should clear the way for a new global agreement next year in Paris.  As one activist put it, this agreement should put the Keystone pipeline controversy to rest.  As well, it undercuts the fracking industry.  If the Chinese can commit themselves to renewables by 2030, we certainly can't be seen as falling behind in that technology.  Perhaps we can do even better and have a totally renewable energy supply by 2030.  Green jobs, green technology and a commitment to reverse climate change will gain momentum just in time for the 2016 elections.

terminator, here we come

It seems the newest generation of "smart weapons" will soon be able to operate without human supervision.  They will be able to pick and choose from a menu of targets and no operators will be able to override the choice.  If this sounds like the beginning of the end for humanity, at least as far as warfare is concerned, I would have to agree.  It is amazing how predictive science fiction is of our future.  With the increase of artificial intelligence to greater than our own, it is only a matter of time before our machine overlords decide the meat puppets are a nuisance and take matters into their own hands.  

Misinformation and mendacity

Fox News, Breitbart, Hot Air, Limbaugh, Glen Beck.  It's scary that many mis-informed citizens depend on the aforementioned  sites for "news".   For the most part, these outlets feed off each other in a fact free bubble.  A typical story the other day started on Breitbart with a report that Jeremiah Wright and Bill Ayers, two supposed radical mentors of the President were listed in White House visitor logs.  The outrage in the right wing media was over the top.  Of course when nearly 100,000 people/month visit the white house, the chances that an ordinary citizen with the same name as a more famous individual will sign in is pretty high.  After a little research debunked this meme, Breibart issued a half hearted correction and then moved on to a new outrage.  Most of the people who frequent that site do so to have their prejudices affirmed, so very few even bothered to acknowledge it.  For them, the infamous Rev. Wright and socialist Bill Ayers were certainly in Washington to continue the indoctrination of the Muslim Anti-Christ.  And so it goes for the next two years.  Then we can look forward to the Hilary Clinton follies....

Scrambling

The traditional growing areas in the western US are definitely having problems as fall rolls into winter.   Virtually all the lettuce crops are out of sync with demand and prices are heading to the stratosphere.  Other categories like broccoli and cauliflower are following the trend.  As the local deals continue to clean up in the east and Midwest growing areas the western area takes control.  The last few years have seen an oversupply of lettuce and other crops during the winter with low prices hammering farmers' bottom lines.  If fewer acres were planted and the weather continues its roller coaster ride, we could be in for a bull market on veggies this winter.  Whether consumers' pocketbooks can stand the strain is another story.  Meanwhile, on the NCR we eked out another reasonably mild weekend.  I harvested potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, leeks, cabbage, spinach and kale for a friend who contributed to the Divine Mrs. M's singing group.  It looks like this may be the last week for many crops.  When the forecast highs are still below freezing, most of the aforementioned veggies will call it a season.   I did plant one last bed of softneck garlic for braiding and some tulips.  That is definitely the last for 2014....

Another in a series

Of gardening last hurrahs.   This weekend is probably the last for borderline hardy vegetables like cauliflower and broccoli.  There is quite a few heads to harvest and they will keep in the barn for a week or so.  Time to cut some red cabbage for holiday dinners.  Cabbage can take a few hard frosts, but there has to be a thaw at some point and that looks like a non starter by the end of the week.  The beets and carrots can take some freezing weather if they are covered with a little straw. That will leave us with Brussels sprouts, kale and spinach in the open garden.  There again, even here on the NCR, things look rather bleak as we head toward the ides of November.  A big storm in Canada is forcing an early season cold snap on us.  We'll probably warm up for Thanksgiving, but the damage will be done.  Time to start watching the mailbox for seed catalogs!

We're all Republicans now

At least that is what the Nice Polite Republicans on NPR would have us believe.  After beating the drum for the past two years about how demographic shifts spell doom for the GOP, now the party is somehow resurgent.  More than likely, the older white cohort of steady conservative voters is making its last gasp.  Electing hog castrators, personhood pushers and various and sundry cranks who carry around there own "Get off my lawn" signs is not the sign of a healthy, competitive party.  There will always be people who gravitate toward a message which promises opportunity and responsibility and projects the image of the macho, independent man who disdains big government.  That message was long ago hijacked by big money corporate interests who couldn't care less about the rubes who buy into this malarkey.  Unfortunately, many of the boomer generation have bought this particular farm and unless there is some buyer's remorse, they will continue to vote against their own interests as they age.  (Think "Keep your government hands off my Medicare").    Most people agree with the Democrats stand on the issues.  It's just a matter of keeping the message relevant.  It's the Marlboro Man vs. the 99%.  Unfortunately, it is easier to build a campaign around the archetypal American than a bunch of unwashed hippies.   Fortunately, the Marlboro man's prognosis is not so good.

Apathy and stupidity

Using a barrage of negative ads and counting on the apathy of the average Democratic voter set the stage for a huge midterm win last night.  Ceding control of the Senate to Republicans will give the President fits during the final two years of his term.  Much like Clinton in the 90s, Obama will find a pugnacious opposition.  The difference is Mr. Obama faces the added problem of a deeply racist Republican base which will be demanding impeachment as he struggles to defend his legacy.  The ironic and troubling part of this debacle is the signature achievement of the Obama years, the ACA, is probably what cost the Dems control of the Senate.   If the many beneficiaries of Obamacare had actually voted yesterday the news would be different.  Instead, as they are wont to do, low information, mostly Dem voters stayed home yesterday, with predictable results.  It's up to the minority leaders in the house and senate to keep the party relevant in the runup to the 2016 elections.

Paying it forward

As our children mature, the Divine Mrs. M and I wonder if  and how they will attain and maintain the same or better life than we have had.  Prices for everything from child care to tires and taxes seem to be rising much faster than wages and the kinds of jobs available don't offer the security or possibility for advancement that our generation took for granted.  It is almost a given that both spouses must work to maintain what our parents felt was a middle class lifestyle.  Granted, budget busters like cable TV and $4.00/gallon fuel oil were not something they had to deal with.  What is happening is the gradual squeeze on the middle class of this country.  Those on the lower rungs are in danger of falling into poverty, while those further up the ladder have to scramble just to stay in place.   Elections have consequences, and in particular, the ascent of Ronald Reagan and the assault on unions were a watershed moment in our lives.  Our votes still mean something, although with the present Supreme Court, they will surely be under siege for at least the next 4 years.  Low information voters informed by Faux News and right wing PACs seem ready to sign on to the treadmill to oblivion.  I hope for the sake of the next generation we can pull back from this abyss.