Bernie, Bernie, he's our man

If only he was 30 years younger.   He has a lot of good things to say about the state of economic justice in America today and if he could retail his politics to the entire US the way he did as mayor of Burlington, he just might have a shot.  However, after the initial excitement dies down, many in the dreaded mainstream media will portray him as the crazy uncle of the left, appealing only to the fringes of the democratic party.  In reality, his appeal should be mostly for the working class stiffs who vote republican on cultural issues.  Sanders is relentless on the economic issues which should concern everyone.  I hope he can strike the right note and make this a two horse race.  Hillary will still win, but she will have to embrace many issues she would likely dodge if unopposed.  And, as the man in the fable said when asked how he could teach the horse to sing, "The King may die, the horse may die, or it might learn to sing".

Inconvenient History

As Mr. Peabody would say, it's time to take the wayback machine to the mid-60s.  Martin Luther King was at the apex of his career as a civil rights leader.   The MLK often quoted by white conservatives always preached non-violence and patience in the face of economic and social injustice.  However, many times during that period, leading up to his assassination in 1967, he did not condemn violence in the quest for justice.   He referred to riots as the speech of the powerless.  He also called for massive redistribution of political and economic power.  These quotes and the anger behind them are conveniently ignored by both right wing pundits and also by "centrist" democrats.  The simple fact is Baltimore and many other cities in America have been hollowed out by white flight and the wholesale shipment of manufacturing jobs overseas.  Those who remain in the central city are usually people of color without the means to leave.  40% unemployment with many if not most men sent to prison for drug offenses breeds the kind of hopelessness which can lead to violence when a precipitating incident occurs.   The death of Freddie Gray in police custody was the trigger for the riots in Baltimore, but it was not the cause.  50 years of broken promises and upward redistribution of wealth are the roots of this weeks anarchy.  We ignore these warning signs at our society's peril.

baseball alone

In the 1990s, a book by the title of "Bowling Alone" posited the decline of American culture by the example of Americans bowling by themselves rather than in organized leagues which promoted inclusion in the culture.  Some might argue what culture loss the author was bemoaning, but the mass shooting in Columbine, Colorado by a couple of alienated students gave weight to the thesis.  Today, we will see the theory of aloneness played out on a giant scale as the Baltimore Orioles play a home game without spectators.  Picture the quintessential American game played without the raucous crowds usually on display at Camden Yards park.  It seems un American.  The police say they are stretched too thin to provide the customary security, but to me it's a cowardly action which draws even more negative attention to a city which needs to heal as quickly as possible.  Having been a spectator at Montreal Expos games where the players and coaches nearly outnumbered the fans, I can say it is an eerie experience. 

Urban renewal

Kathmandu and Baltimore have something in common this morning.  Urban renewal will be needed in both places and likely it will be delayed and not come close to meeting the needs in either place.  The causes of the destruction are different, but the results are the same; displacement and hopelessness.  The scenes of death and destruction in Nepal are horrendous and invite our concern and excite our charitable impulses.  Not so much in Baltimore where media coverage has focused on the injuries to police trying to contain the rage which threatens to destroy parts of the city.  Some neighborhoods which were burned in the 60s have still not been rebuilt, so some of the anger can be understood in that context.  Whole generations have grown up in these blighted neighborhoods.   How can they burn down what little is left?   Walk a mile in their shoes and then answer the question.  The result in both cities will be the same.  The media will move on to the next disaster and the citizens of both areas will be left mostly to their own devices.   Until the next conflagration or earthquake.

Zombie economics

Paul Krugman has a humorous take on republican talking points for the upcoming primary season.  He claims that old zombie (i.e. dead, but refusing to stay buried) ideas have taken over the GOP.  The three main pets of the right are the need to cut Social Security, the failure of Obamacare and the continuing relevancy of supply side or voodoo economics.  All three of these ideas play well to the only people who matter in the early part of the primary season; the billionaires who will be funding the leading challengers for the presidential nomination.
 In reality, raising the retirement age and/or the age of medicare eligibility will save very little money and cause moderate hardship for those who have done manual labor all their lives.   Many advocates actually advocate expanding SS benefits to make up for the lack of retirement savings or pensions for the 99%.   The easiest way to do this is to eliminate the cap on the earnings from which the SS tax is collected.  Unfortunately, this idea is anathema to the 1%.
    Obamacare has lowered the number of uninsured Americans, stalled the seemingly inexorable rise of health insurance premiums and been implemented during a rise in unemployment not seen since the last Clinton was president.  Of course you would never know this to listen to Bush, Rubio, Walker, et. al.  To survive the Koch brothers/ Sheldon Adelson primary they have to argue the opposite on each of the above points.  Fortunately for them, Faux News parrots those talking points so most of the republican primary electorate believes this nonsense.
   Finally, supply side economics, better known as "tax cuts for the rich will provide trickle down prosperity for the masses" absolutely refuses to die.  For the 1% this is an article of faith a reality based republican striving for the presidency ignores at his peril.  30 plus years of tilting the playing field in favor of the rich has left the middle class in tatters and the rest of the country scrambling to avoid poverty, but more relief for the Kochs and Waltons must surely be the cure. 
    How these fantasies play out when real voters step into the booth next year will tell us a lot about how most of us will live and die during the next decade.  I have faith the 80% of Americans who are amenable to reason and fact based policy will see through this charade.  The alternative is chilling to think about.

The Clinton Chronicles

The NYT is at it again.  After pummeling the Clintons for much of the 90s with nonexistent scandals like Whitewater, Travelgate, Monica Lewinsky and on and on, they're back once again with the help of another republican hack.  Based on "reporting"  in the book, Clinton Cash, the reporter tries to link donations made to the Clinton Foundation to actions Hillary Clinton took as Secretary of State.  Specifically, the state department, as did dozens of other government agencies signed off on a deal which allowed a Russian company to buy up uranium mines and processing facilities in Canada and the US.  As was the case in the other "scandals", most of the story relies on coincidence and hearsay to make things look as bad as possible.  If the Times and other media outlets had covered G.W. Bush the same way, he couldn't have been elected to the county dog catcher in East Bumfuck.  Just Sayin...

Earth Day

45 years later and the outpouring of concern which sparked the first Earth Day has given way to, mostly, resignation regarding the continuing despoiling of mankind's only home.  Resistance to change is what seems to be driving the destruction.  Even though solar and wind energy are rapidly becoming competitive with oil and gas, we continue to subsidize the destruction of wide swaths of America and Canada in the name of "energy independence".  We might as well call it what it is, namely profits for oil companies.  Until the last drop of oil is wrung out of a protesting Mother Earth, there will be no alternatives allowed on a large scale.  Meanwhile, we are in the midst of causing the sixth mass extinction.  The other five, where up to 3/4 of the species on earth perished in short order were caused by meteors, volcanic eruptions or other natural causes.  By pouring trillions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in a geological instant we may be greasing the skids leading to our own departure.  There may still be time for us to halt and begin to reverse the damage we have done, but I wouldn't count on it.  I hope when my grandchildren celebrate Earth Day in 2060 there will still be an earth to celebrate. 

Hide and seek spring

Just when it seemed safe to go outside, an early iteration of the spring monsoon is upon us.  The early garden near the house was actually almost too dry over the past weekend, but Nature seems to be determined to make up the difference in rainfall over the next several days.  The beets, carrots, spinach and green onions will get all the moisture they need to germinate.  The problem is the temps are barely getting into the 50s during the day and falling into the 30s at night.  Meanwhile, the local crows have arrived and are investigating the garden for seeds.   The onion and leek crops have started to grow in the cold frames behind the barn and the brassica transplants look good.   It seems the long cold winter is only gradually giving way to a reluctant spring.  Any local farmers looking to get an early start will be doomed to disappointment and the certainty of 18 hour days when the weather finally breaks.   The rest of the world just experienced the hottest January-March period on record.  We, on the other hand are breaking records on the other side of the climate ledger.  It's hard to feel the hot breath of global warming when you need to put on a coat to go check the mail in April.

The NIMBY Poster-Child

My old homeland, Long Island is making the news once again and once again, not in a good way.  In an editorial titled "Farming Sunshine by the Megawatt, the author marvels at the potential of the island's east end to keep re-inventing itself, going from potato and sod farms to vineyards and now possibly to large scale solar power development.  The large flat fields which generations farmed are now being covered in solar panels.  It almost reminds me of Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy when the world of Trantor is covered by buildings and all inhabitants live below the surface.  The solar companies which hungrily eye farmland are now being told they may not tamper with the region's agricultural heritage, and that is good, but there is plenty of non-agricultural space available for solar arrays.  However, the local activists are already muttering about "Big Solar" ruining the bucolic splendor of the east end.  Let someone else host green energy projects is the implication.  I believe Long Island is the place where the acronym NIMBY (Not in My Backyard) was coined.  Let's hope this latest manifestation of a profoundly anti-social movement serves to temper, but not halt the spread of green energy.  I am somewhat ambivalent about large scale solar.  If government would make the commitment to cover every residential property with small scale solar, it would go a long way toward a green energy future where everyone has skin in the game.  Industrial solar is just big business as usual.

Trading away the future

When Republicans line up to support President Obama, anyone with half a brain should know it can't bode well for ordinary Americans.  The TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership) or as its opponents call it "NAFTA on steroids" is moving toward a vote to give the president fast track authority to negotiate a deal with no input from US consumers or labor.   Most of the provisions were set in place by US corporations for their benefit.  The actual sovereignty of nation states can be overridden by the terms of this deal.  If a corporation feels the environmental rules of a state are impinging on its ability to make what it considers a fair profit, it can take this grievance to a tribunal which has the power to levy fines and nullify legislation passed by duly elected national legislatures.  Naturally, most of the time, the complainants will be multi-national corporations headquartered in the US and the defendants will be other signatories of the deal.  However, there is no provision to prevent them from suing the US government and winning multi-billion dollar damages if our environmental regulations or worker protection provisions are deemed to be a hindrance to profit.  As one commentator opined, it is a race to the bottom with little or no protection for American workers.  This deal if of the corporations, by the corporations and definitely for the corporations.  Everyone with a shred of patriotism should oppose the fast track authority and demand the document be debated before anyone signs off on this blatant power grab by the 1%.

Political Science

As in Randy Newman's song, circa 1972.   At the time it was a Swiftian take on American foreign policy.  Ironically, it perfectly summarizes the republican approach to our allies and enemies over the last 15 years.  He begins, "  No one likes us- I don't know why/ We may not be perfect, but heaven knows we try/ But all around, even our old friends put us down/ Let's drop the big one and see what happens.  I'm sure Newman is horrified by the candidates for the republican nomination and their attitude toward our allies and enemies.  What was black comedy in the 70's is now the neocons' wet dream.   He continued with a litany of grievances against Europe (too old), Africa (too hot) and Canada (too cold).  After prescribing the same treatment for all of them,"Let's drop the big one/ There'll be no one left to blame us", he proposes we save Australia because, "Don't wanna hurt no kangaroo/ We''ll build an All American amusement park/ They got surfin, too.  He really has a future as Ted Cruz' speech writer.  Finally, as a capsule summary of republican attitudes toward the world at large, "They all hate us anyhow/ So let's drop the big one now/ Let's drop the big one now".   May the Flying Spaghetti Monster have mercy on our souls.

Ready for Misogyny

Like it or not, we are probably in for 8 years of rampant misogyny as Hillary Clinton replaces Barack Obama as the target of the haters in America.  Unfortunately, racism and misogyny are the kissing cousins of the rage of white America as minorities and feminists look for their place in the sun.  That's why you'll hear so many exhortations to "Take back America".   This phrase always amuses me.  What are we taking back?  I would posit it is some version of the hit series "Mad Men".  Although I have never seen it, the devotees seem to love its straightforward and unabashed prejudices.  Women know their place and minorities are best seen and not heard.  As the father of three strong young women, I hope we never go back to the days were the secretaries are smarter than their bosses and defer to them professionally and socially.  We need at least another generation of strong female  role models and of course, Hillary is the uber feminist.  Her presidency will affirm the striving of millions of women and force the recognition of their equality in the workplace.  The patriarchy will fight back, but the collection of losers presently falling over themselves to be the standard bearer of a backwards looking ideology is hardly going to stir the enthusiasm of any but the dead enders who make up the base of the republican party.   If Clinton can capture the zeitgeist that is running through our country, she will not only win the presidency, but possibly recapture both houses of congress for the Dems.  If she runs the cautious, big donor campaign she tried in 2012, she will lose much potential support and make this a more competitive election.

The water wars

Water, as many have said will be the next oil.  Even more so.  We may need oil, but we won't die if we don't have it.  Potable water is necessary for survival.  Right now, Californians are smarting under orders to cut consumption by 25%.  Meanwhile, the state's byzantine water regulations perversely reward those waste the most.  Hence, we are exporting alfalfa and almonds to the far east.  These two commodities account for 25% of the total water available, or more than all the 31 million people use.  We are talking about a very rich state which is struggling with the issue, but can easily resolve it with no bloodshed.  What about the middle east and Africa.  Getting enough water to drink on a daily basis will be life and death for many in the second and third worlds in coming decades.  The mind boggles at the implications.  The specter of starvation is bad enough, but the danger of millions dying of thirst is nearly unimaginable.   Wars will be fought before this happens.

Goodbye old girl

The family said goodbye to a member yesterday.  Lucy, the golden retriever who alternately won our hearts and drove us crazy for 12 1/2  years will be frolicking in a place without pain and no doubt an all you can eat buffet!  It was a hard decision, but with a litany of health problems and an inability to get up without extreme pain it was time to let her go.  I guess it is not surprising that letting the big golden furball go has left a void in the family's life.  She was a constant in all of our daily dramas.  She was always available to comfort us after life disappointed us.  A silent shadow who somehow managed to find the nexus of foot traffic in our house and effectively block it.  With an unerring nose for any unguarded chocolate, she considered everything edible within reach as her property to be disposed of under the divine Mrs. M's baby grand piano.  We'll miss you old girl.

Spring Notes

It seems like spring is here, albeit reluctantly.  With temperatures in the 50s and low 60s over the weekend, the ground started to dry and I was able to get the first planting of spinach in the garden nearest the house.  We are supposed to get near 70 today followed by showers, so things will get off to a good start.  I got some lettuce and broccoli going in cold frames and saw a few garlic shoots coming up in the secret garden.  Meanwhile, the first golf course in area opened for play and a few hardy souls braved the muddy fairways and brown "greens" on Saturday.  Sunday was much better, but I did my golfing vicariously, watching Jordan Speith humble the field and the Master's course in Augusta.  The contrast of the humble kid from Texas with the profane Tiger Woods couldn't have been more striking.  Speith coolly shot a 70 on Sunday as Woods flailed to a 73 and finished 17th.  The guard has changed in American golf and Rory McIlroy will have a new challenge to for the top spot in world golf. 

DIY surveillance state

Despite some less than glowing reviews, it looks like the apple watch will soon become the must-have in wearable electronics.  Besides usurping many of the functions of smart phones, the watch will also have the ability to make restaurants aware of our arrival and usher us to a table without human intervention.  Other functions will include monitoring of fitness, reminders of appointments and even telling time.  I have a feeling the latter would be my main use of the watch, but for tech geeks and the younger generation it will connect them to the world in a way that is presaged by things like the Disneyworld bands that inform the rides you are there and the restaurants you have arrived.  Of course that connection can be exploited by the government and large corporations (not to mention Apple).  When everything you do and everywhere you go is recorded on the watch what secrets can you possibly have?   Paul Krugman likens the watch to the servants of the rich.  The rich, as the British aristocracy of the last century, are surrounded by those who know all their secrets, but are paid to keep them.  Will the apple watch be the servant of the merely affluent, and if so, will it keep their secrets?

Exploding heads

The Cuban exile community in S. Florida, which drives American policy toward Cuba, will be having apoplexy later this weekend when the President of the US shakes hands with Raul Castro at the Summit of the Americas.  To the die-hards of the anti-Castro movement, there will be no peace with Cuba until both Castro brothers are dead and the government of Cuba repudiates their legacy.  With modern medical technology that time could still be decades from now.  Ironically, our embargo of Cuba has isolated the US in Latin America more than the intended target.  If our rapproachment  is a done deal before the 2016 campaign goes into overdrive we might avoid the invective and stupidity the issue is sure to arouse.  The upside for both nations is so clear it's a no-brainer.  That's why virtually every republican candidate will line up against it.

Police and racism

Thanks to modern technology and the video feature on smartphones, a passerby was able to capture the cold blooded murder of a black motorist by a white police officer in N. Charleston, South Carolina on Monday.  After pumping 8 bullets into the back of the fleeing man, the officer casually dropped his tazer next to the body which he handcuffed, probably after the man's death.  There was supposedly a struggle for the tazer  which caused the officer to fear for his life, justifying the use of lethal force.  Without the video, Walter Scott's death would have been a "righteous" shooting and the official account would have exonerated the cop of any crime.   Now he has been fired and is facing murder charges.  Most blacks in America would say that video would probably result in assault or murder charges in 9 out of 10 incidents where police shoot during the course of confrontations.  The chant of "hands up, don't shoot" heard in Ferguson, Mo. sounds more and more like the best and only defense for black men in this country when faced with police action.  Anyone who thinks we have reached the post racial stage of societal development needs only check the numerous incidents where blacks have been beaten, shot and harassed in the last few months.  The rage many in white America feel that a black man is President has spilled into daily life.  The genie is out of the bottle and it will take a mighty effort to get it back in.

the clown car starts to fill

With Rand Paul's candidacy for the republican nomination announced yesterday, the race to the bottom has commenced.  A recent Pew poll purports to show the core constituencies of the two major parties.  The democrats attract blacks, latinos, Asians, women and educated whites.  The republican party attracts white men, particularly those with less education, self identified evangelicals and the "silent" generation.  What this means for republican candidates is they must run campaigns for the presidential nomination which turn off a majority of the electorate.   Let's face it, the concerns of white men, religious zealots and older white women are not those of our multicultural melting pot.  Limiting abortions, demonizing gays and advocating for "second amendment rights" will turn off many people who will vote in 2016.  Unless Paul, Jeb Bush or some voice of sanity is able to inject some reality into the coming campaign, it's going to be another Ringling Brothers event for the GOP.  Get out the popcorn...

Sprung

It seems the vernal equinox did not bother to inform Mother Nature that spring is here.  I staggered out this morning to be greeted by a frozen layer of snow over all grassy surfaces.  With the temperature hovering just below freezing, the risk of black ice early this morning was greatest as I headed north along the NCR.  Vistas of the frozen surface of Lake Champlain further reinforced the narrative of the spring which refused to come.  I did manage to plant the seeds of my onion crop in the cold frame on Friday, but it will take extra time to germinate them at these temperatures.  The short range forecast does show temperatures in the 50s by the end of the week, so even if it's too wet to play in the dirt, the early bird golf courses should be open by Sunday. 

The dismal science

Paul Krugman in today's NYT has the right of it when he says the party in power in most democracies is judged not by the totality of their economic policies, but the results during the last few months before elections.   That's how the conservatives in Great Britain may be rewarded for 5 years of growth killing policy with an electoral win.   The economy in that country has been relentlessly poor as the government imposed fiscal austerity kept 99% of the population from seeing any increases in well being.  Despite this, the country's economy is finally growing and the media is allowing the ruling party to crow that it's policies are vindicated.  So, 4-5 years of suffering followed by 2 months of growth is a triumph?  Have I got a deal for you on a well used bridge in Brooklyn!

Beginnings

For the  first time this year, it was actually cooler inside the garage than outside this morning!  Also, another sign of spring, the local driving range is open.  Despite the forecast of snow for the weekend, it's time to get out and put some seeds in the cold frames.  If my knees were any good I could go for the trifecta tomorrow.  Ski in the morning and golf and garden in the afternoon.  Oh well, as the saying goes, "two out of three ain't bad". 

GOP scorched earth retreat

As the republican party continues to pander to the 15-20% of the population that is by turns, conservative, bigoted and racist, its continued relevance in American life is in question.  The economic and social backlash against religious "freedom" laws in Indiana and Arkansas are markers in the culture wars.  Those advocating tolerance and defined rights for LGBT citizens obviously are occupying the moral high ground.  The religious right to discriminate will become more and more untenable.  That won't stop the republican presidential candidates from appealing to the most reactionary elements of their party, since those voters and the activists who agitate them are the key to winning the primary.  Fortunately for the rest of us, the nominee who emerges will have little appeal to the rest of us, including many in the GOP.  Unfortunately, the continuing  ascendance of republican controlled legislatures in many states means the scorched earth policies of intolerance and economic class warfare will continue for a time.  The changing character of the electorate will ensure the decline of the culture warriors.  In the meantime...

Nothing to see

According to a story this morning on NPR, the Sierra Nevada mountain snowpack is approximately 6% of normal.   This is a slow motion disaster in the making.  California can be assured of at least one more year of drought and the fight between cities and agriculture for scarce water will get increasingly acrimonious.   Already, anyone looking to get a well drilled is looking at a two year wait.  So much underground water is being pumped in the San Joaquin valley that the ground is actually subsiding.  It fell a 1/2 inch last year.   As they draw down the underground aquifers and the land subsides, they may never fill the same volume, even if rainfall increases.  That would make the state even more reliant on snowpack.  I'm sure the Republicans would say there is nothing to see here connected with climate change, but the evidence is increasing and if there is little or no snow next year, the public pressure to acknowledge the problem and do something about it will become overwhelming.  As it is, the lettuce in your BLT will be more expensive this year.  That is only the tip of the iceberg.... sorry, lousy pun.

The paradox of bigotry

Deny it as we might, bigotry is an ingrained habit in America and probably the world.  From the time our remote ancestors gathered around a communal fire and quickly drove away any stranger who approached, we have scorned the "other".  As a kid growing up in 1960s America, blacks were the obvious target.   We were still dealing with the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow laws in the South.  Gays and Lesbians were so deep in the closet they were not even on the discrimination radar.  As people of color began to claim more rights with the backing of federal and state laws, the LGBT community began to come out.  Since there were few laws on the books acknowledging gay rights, people naturally started to transfer their prejudice to this new group of others.   Now, the backlash against the haters is in full swing.  The idiots in the Indiana legislature as well as the governor had no idea of the storm they were about to unleash.  They were relying on the instinct to reject the new normal and the longing for the "good old days" of bigotry.  It looks like our multicultural society is trying to look ahead instead of backward.   It remains to be seen, but I think the "greatest generation" and the boomers will have to pass from the scene before we realize the new society.   Hillary Clinton's  presidency will go a long way toward that end...