The check is in the balance

After the true nightmare scenario of a Trump win of the presidency became reality, the punditocracy leaped to the conclusion the only way to contain the worst excesses of the looming kleptocracy was to depend on the republicans who control both houses of congress.  It would seem a vain hope at best.  The chairman of the senate judiciary committee is thrilled to hold hearings to confirm an avowed racist as the attorney general.  The secretary of HHS is ready to help millions of citizens lose their health insurance and the thought of increasing the deficit which was anathema under Obama is now seen as a boost to an anemic economy; as long as it includes tax cuts for the top 1%.  There will be no investigations of conflicts of interest, corruption or malfeasance of this administration by congress.  It will be up to the opposition  to at least point out the worst of what is happening under Cheeto Jesus and his henchmen.  It's a thankless job, which is why no republican will undertake it.  The majorities of both houses and the court system will disavow their constitutional duties with relish as they gleefully take a wrecking ball to what is left of our democratic experiment.  Possibly even more scary is in a recent survey, only 19% of millenials  in this country believe it is important to live and participate in a democracy. 

Canaries and other critters

Despite the coal industry's long slide into irrelevance, certain sayings or phrases will remain in the lexicon.  Likening some incident to a "canary in a coal" mine is becoming increasingly cryptic to younger generations, but most of us still remember that before safety regulations required the measurement of lethal gases in mines, the miners would bring small birds in cages with them to the bottom of the shaft.  The reasoning was the birds, being more sensitive to the gases would faint or die, thus warning the miners of the possibility of a lethal dose of methane or other noxious gas.  In the economy today, transportation and food pricing serve the same purpose as the canary.  These sectors usually succumb to factors which threaten the nation's economic well being.  Having talked to many people in the vegetable business, it would seem that our canary is swooning as we approach a new year.  Many have said they have not seen such poor business in decades.  Maybe the model of the fresh produce industry is changing, but it would certainly seem people are not eating their veggies in the volume they normally do.  FOB prices as shipping points have been stagnant and the Thanksgiving holiday has not improved them.  Christmas and New Year pulls of holiday staples will start in the next 10 days.  If there is no improvement and transportation costs remain low, I think it will be time to start worrying about the state of the economy.  Based on the shenanigans of the president elects transition team, a little panic might be in order.

A curious season

As November winds down, the temperatures remain within the range most hardy fall crops can tolerate.   Temperatures remain above freezing for most of the 24 hour cycle, dipping into the upper 20s briefly before dawn.  As long as the top six inches of soil remains unfrozen plants can take up moisture and nutrients and continue to grow, albeit slowly.  Spinach, kale, collards and the various root crops remain in good condition.  Even broccoli is in reasonably good shape.  The florets are in good condition, but the stalks are becoming a little woody due to the freeze-thaw cycle.  The 10 day forecast is still calling for warm temps and occasional rain, so the garden continues to at least supply some portion of our daily food consumption.

Good and Hard

Is the tail end of a quote from H.L. Mencken.  The full is  "Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard".   With less than two months to go to the inauguration of Cheeto Jesus, the enormity of what the working class actually voted for becomes more tangible every day.  The emerging train wreck will rivet attention on the White House for the next four years and it won't be good.  Trump managed to question the validity of the election in a tweet which falsely claims he won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of "fraudulent votes" cast for Clinton.  Obviously to any rational being, this calls for a complete recount of all votes to restore faith in the electoral system.  But our new leader probably didn't think through the consequences of his fantasy tweet.  This is going to be a staple of his thinking going forward.  The damage he will do to the reputation of the office of the President will be unprecedented in modern times.  The only good thing is his ludicrous behavior will hopefully make him a one term president.

The deplorably uneducated

It seems like a no-brainer.  Trump was elected by a confluence of two factors.  A crucial Democratic demographic, white working class men and women with a high school education or less, tipped the scales for the Donald in a few rust belt states.   This in turn made the electoral college map a disaster for Hillary.  Now the post-mortems are coming out and most of them seem to say we should focus on the precious snowflakes of the aforementioned white working class and eschew the "identity politics" of the various democratic constituencies.   One of the disgruntled, Mark Lilla calls out the bathroom politics of the LGBT community in particular.   He doesn't dwell on the systematic undermining of democratic norms by republicans.  He feels that the dem message is not inclusive of the entire country, while the repubs message of intolerance, division and hate seems to have mobilized enough people to elect an historically unpopular candidate.  Hatred seems to have won this round, but in the long run, an educated, mobilized rainbow coalition will surely win the day... won't it?

Thanksgiving Day musings

Thanksgiving 2016 will be a bittersweet celebration at Casa Monzeglio.   We welcome Wyatt to his first Thanksgiving, while we mourn the accession of a giant talking cheeto to the presidency of our America.  I was born immediately after the election of Dwight Eisenhower and the end of the FDR/Truman presidencies.  However, in that case, we elected a bona fide war hero and a man who had given his entire life to service for the country.  He respected the legislative and moral imperatives of the previous administration and guided the country through the perilous international crises of the 1950s.  As we ducked under our desks and covered our ears, I doubt most of us children knew or cared who was President.  If I prayed, it would be that Wyatt and his older sister and cousins know the same blessed ignorance of our government and its interactions with the world.  That is my wish as we gather to celebrate the abundance we mostly take for granted (My apologies to the Divine Mrs. M, who constantly reminds me of how lucky we are) and hope we will be able to continue the tradition in another perilous time for our country and democracy.

The power of racism and misogny

NPR ran another in a series of stories covering various regions of the nation in an effort to find out how we could elect a game show host/insult comedian as our president in 2016.   This time it was a nearly all white county in Indiana whose 15 minutes of fame is the result of going twice for Obama, but then voting for Trump.  The plucky reporter managed to interview only white men who somewhat stupidly allowed as how they wanted change and since Obama didn't deliver the kind of change they wanted, Trump's message of disruptive change echoed positively.  Most of them also stated they felt Trump was the lesser of two evils and they couldn't stand Hillary.   What I came away with was the feeling most of these erstwhile citizens would have voted for Jack the Ripper if he was the alternative to Hillary.  It would seem many of my fellow citizens value change more than the continuation of policies which have lifted many women and people of color out of poverty and obscurity.   Many pundits have attributed Trump's victory to the economic anxiety of the working class voter who is feeling left behind by other groups.  That may have driven some voters to pull the lever for an unqualified, self dealing pathological liar, but a more sturdy explanation is the fundamental prejudice many people see as their right to practice.  Never underestimate the power of hatred of women and "the other" in American politics.

A November to Remember

Weatherwise, things could not have made a more extreme about face here on the NCR.  From a balmy 65 degrees on Saturday to 28 degrees and blowing snow this morning, Mother Nature is reminding us the calendar says we should be transitioning to winter.  The predictions for the rest of the week is more of the same.  I was able to harvest most of what was vulnerable in the garden, including broccoli, cabbage and carrots.   The kale, collards, spinach and Brussels sprouts will have to tough it out this week.  Hopefully the weather will moderate.   Meanwhile, the ramifications of a Trump presidency are beginning to be discerned.  The sycophants are lining up to get on the power train.  Mitt Romney is the latest to throw his own ego under the bus as he and others line up to abase themselves.  Hate crimes are up, police are being shot and the inauguration is still 2 months away.
 I'm ordering my "Do you miss me yet" Obama bumper sticker to go with the "I didn't vote for Trump" slogan.  That and a serious dose of black humor will get me through the next few months.  I hope...

Medicare and the camel's nose

Behind the chaos of the Trump transition which is sucking all the air from the room, republican strategists are licking their chops as they plan to dismantle the social insurance plans which their base voters depend on.   The 60 year old coal miners in Pennsylvania who enthusiastically voted for cheeto jesus because he promised to bring back coal jobs will be looking for medicare coverage and social security in years to come, and Trump's new team is already including dedicated privatizers of these signature government programs.  The ignorance of these voters, symbolized by the popular sign held by tea party members during the 2010 mid-term elections "Keep the government's hand off my medicare", shows just how far the dumbing down of America has come.   It would be easy to say these people should get what they deserve after the breathtakingly stupid decision they made to support a billionaire because he supposedly empathized with them, but when they go down, they will also take me and mine with them and I find that outcome intolerable.   I have a feeling that when republicans offer them a shit sandwich of voucherized medicare and privatized social security accounts, they will say "Thank you very much sir, can I have some more".

Even/especially at home

It looks like the fallout from the recent election has reached into the NCR.  The local public radio station did a story about a Bhutanese refugee who, with his family settled in this area and opened a popular Himalayan restaurant in downtown Plattsburgh.   The Divine Mrs. M and I have patronized the place more often than we have any other eatery and find the food and ambiance very welcoming.  A couple of days after the farce on Nov. 8, Mr. Dorjee was shopping in the local Walmart when he was confronted by two locals dressed in camo.  They were not very encouraging of his presence. "Hey Chink, go back where you came from" was their greeting.  He smiled and went about his business, but the damage to his feeling for the area was done.  His car, parked in front of his house was subsequently vandalized.  He admitted that despite his embrace of non violence and his Buddhist faith, he considered buying a shotgun for protection and a concealed carry pistol permit.  On further reflection, he decided to meet hate with love.  He said he will refuse to be intimidated.  I think he has cemented his restaurant's claim on my allegiance.  It's going to be a long and ugly 4 years....

Falling into winter

The weather forecast through Saturday reads like a late Sept. scenario.  Highs in the upper 50s and lows in the mid 30s with plenty of sunshine after today.  However, this is mid-late November and Sunday's prediction is for rain changing to snow with some accumulation by the end of the night.  The lead up to Thanksgiving calls for weather more in line with seasonal norms on the NCR, with off and on snow during the day and temps in the low 20s at night.   That will pretty much end the gardening season and usher in winter.  Ugh!   Time to get the last harvest gathered.  Beets, carrots, broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts are still abundant, but sensitive enough that they should be harvested before a hard freeze.  The kale and collards should survive the initial onslaught if warmer weather returns as December approaches.  If not, the stalks will stand as silent sentinels in the garden until next spring.  At least the gardening catalogs will be coming out soon!

Birthday musings

I haven't paid much attention to my own birthday since I was in my teens.  The big milestones, like getting a driver's license, voting for the first time, draft registration and legal drinking age were the touchstones.  For the rest, 30, 40, 50 and 60 came and went without much fanfare.  65 was once the gateway to old age.  Time to get the watch and sign up for Social Security benefits and play with the grandkids for a few years.  Now, it's just another day for one of the boomer generation who expects to live forever.  Besides, the Divine Mrs. M is taking a long trip down a certain river that runs through Egypt when it come to her next birthday, so the celebration at Casa Monzeglio will be a muted affair this evening.  The recent election has thrown even more cold water on the idea of a golden autumn of life.  It is time to keep all the options open and reassess as each new year passes.   I remember my paternal grandfather at 65 and hope I can live the rest of my life as fully as he was able.   

Jerry would not be proud

As someone who I respected throughout my association with him, I think Jerry Shulman would be outraged by the results of the recent election.  The "Arc of Justice" has not been bent, but severely deformed and probably not amenable to repair in what remains of my lifetime.   But I think I will try to do what Jerry would probably have done.  I'll continue to go to work each day and make a difference where I can.  I intend to become more involved in causes which are working for the general good.  I will oppose the forces of hatred and bigotry.  These are all things I believe Jerry would have done in a similar situation.  We are entering uncharted territory and the examples of those who went before us are valuable guides as we try to make sense of what is a dark time in our history.  Meanwhile, the Divine Mrs. M and I had the chance to spend time with our mothers over the past weekend.  Both seem in good health and spirits.  Fortunately they will be spared the worst of what is to come in their remaining years.   For others in our families the results of the recent elections will not be so benign in their personal lives.  We will hope for the best and prepare for the worst.  That's what Jerry would have done.

Thank the Flying Spaghetti Monster it's Friday

Maybe the weekend will help put the worst aspects of this election in the rear view mirror.  To continue the autopsy of what  went wrong will help some and make others crazy.  The revelation that Trump's campaign was in contact with Russian intelligence and was fully briefed on the wikileaks dumps of the hacks to the DNC is outrageous enough.  One can only wonder what the right would have said if Obama's campaign had been accused of that.   Personally, I think Putin is just messing with us in an effort to further delegitimize our electoral system.  It's going to get very ugly in America over the next few years as people realize what a fool's bargain they made with Cheeto Jesus.   One man who bears an outsize blame for this is Jim Comey and his self righteous letter to Congress 10 days before the election.  More than any other incident, this probably pushed Trump over the top in the handful of rust belt states which ultimately decided the election.  My oldest daughter's 7 year old asked her if we are going to have a war now!  How did it come to this?  The idiots on NPR ran a story this morning about how religion will bring us together.  I would say religion brought us to this pass and the best thing we can do is ignore anything the evangelicals have to say about politics.  They revealed themselves as Pharisees who nakedly grasp for power.  I think I better stop here...

Processing the fallout

I have never been what most people would consider an activist.  I have voted for liberal candidates and causes, donated money on occasion and even manned phone banks for local congressional candidates.  I even write this occasionally political blog on a daily basis.  But I never considered becoming an active member of a political action group.  That will change.  The fact a large minority of my fellow citizens were able to vote for a manifestly unqualified candidate for president with the ridiculous slogan of "make America great again" makes me want to get involved in the political life of my country.  This sounds a little self righteous, but I think every citizen needs to spend time to inform themselves of the issues involved in elections and make an educated choice.  Basing your vote on idiotic slogans and your own self interest is a good way to lose the democracy we have.  Especially when the person you voted for says he is "the only one" who can fix whatever problems we have.  Beware of anyone peddling that solution.  I hope to work for an organization which will clearly explain the issues and possible solutions to the electorate as well as the people who actually have the passion and expertise to implement the programs.  The next four years will not be kind to most people in this country.  Let's roll up our sleeves and lay the foundation for a smarter America.

Post election

As the Divine Mrs. M said many months ago, don't think what happened last night was ever impossible.   Having lived through the Nixon, Reagan and Shrub presidencies you would think there  would  be enough  scar tissue on my psyche to deal with a Trump presidency.  I don't think so.  I have not processed the extent to which the constant presence of this racist, misogynist, homophobic asshole in my life will damage me and mine.  The  consequences for the environment, international relations, and the future of the planet will be incalculable.  We must take the time to figure out how this could have happened and make sure it is only a four year horror.  That's all I can say for now.

E-Day

The long national nightmare is finally over.  Today, each American gets to make the decision which defines a democracy.  To participate in the governance of our country or cede that right to others who make the time and effort necessary to be citizens.   The Divine Mrs. M and me are political junkies.  We have contributed to campaigns and I have worked for a few, so we can't really understand someone who opts out of the democratic process by not voting.  The lame excuse that "My vote doesn't count" is the self serving whine of someone who really doesn't believe in his or her fellow citizens.  If we don't take the time to be fully engaged in the democratic process, we can't complain when it is hijacked by those who hate it.  But enough of pontification.  Get out and vote. 

Summer and Boomer's last hurrah

It was 26 degrees this morning on the NCR.  To the hardy souls who inhabit the area, it's a reminder that summer is over and winter is around the corner.   Unlike more southerly areas, we don't usually have a long mild fall.  The change from temperate to frigid can be shocking.  The garden will continue to hang on for another couple of weeks, but this morning's temp readings is the proverbial handwriting on the wall (or the frozen windshield); get ready for winter.   It's probably much too trite, metaphorically speaking to compare the change in the weather to the twilight of the boomer generation's participation in this election.  We are being asked to choose from two archetypes of our cohort;  the blustery, hard charging egotist against the avatar of our better, albeit flawed human nature.   The weather is changing and our generation is beginning the late fall and winter of our eclipse by the millenials.   Hopefully we will choose a representative which will make us proud, rather than shamed as we go not gently into this good night.

4 more days

The relentless barrage of media coverage of the farce known as the 2016 Presidential election will mercifully be over next Tuesday.  Unfortunately, like a tsunami or other natural disaster, the harm done by partisans on the republican side will take years to clean up.  Some of the damage done to our institutions and their reputations may be irreparable for a generation.  The candidacy of Donald Trump has laid bare the intellectual bankruptcy of the republican party.   Whether consciously or not, most leaders of the party have decided the democratic candidate, no matter who the party nominates is illegitimate.  Hillary Clinton suffers from a 30 year war on her reputation, but it would not have mattered if Bernie had been nominated.  The lies would have been different, but the implications would be the same.  As one pundit put it, we now live in a post-truth world, where nearly half the population believes in a universe where black  can be white, up can be down and freedom is slavery.  They inhabit a bubble which still believes climate change is a hoax.  In this world, a serial molester, failed businessman and pathological liar is seen as their best candidate for the most powerful office in the world.  Somewhere, democracy is lying in a dark room in a fetal position waiting for this to be over!

One curse down, one to go

I couldn't make it to the end of last night's game 7 of the World Series, but it certainly didn't look good for the Cubs and their manager.  Every time the Cubs put a few runs on the scoreboard, Joe Maddon would make a pitching change and the Indians would strike back.  Putting in Chapman, who was clearly gassed allowed the Indians to finally tie the score in the 8th and they clearly had momentum on their side.  I went to bed figuring the Cubs, winless in World Series play since 1908 would tack another year of futility onto the string, but they managed 2 runs in the tenth and held off the Tribe.  Generations of Cubs fans have lived and died without seeing the Cubs win the Fall Classic, so I am sharing the feeling vicariously.  As a lifelong Yankees fan it is hard to feel the angst the Cubbies have endured, but as a lifer in the Democratic party, particularly in the 70s and 80s, I can commiserate.  One silver lining of Chicago's triumph is this interesting statistic.  Since I was born, whenever the American league team wins in a Presidential election year, Republicans also win the White House.  Guess what happens when a National League team hoists the World Series Trophy!  The fact Hillary is a Cubs fan will add an extra something to the celebration that will come next Tuesday.

Empathy for Me, but not for Thee

The liberal bi-coastal media is on the hunt for the true snark; a Trump voter who they can empathize with.  Forget the yahoos who populate the rallies wearing their "Trump that Bitch" t-shirts and screaming Jew-S-A at the thoroughly intimidated press corps in their pen.  The media has fanned out across Murica in search of someone who simultaneously is for Trump and is not one of the following, racist, sexist, homophobic, islamophobic and/or generally intolerant.  The best they seem to be able to do is tag most of them as "angry".  This seems to be a perpetual state of these citizens' existences.  They are pulsing inchoate hatred at anyone they perceive as different or more privileged than they are.  As you might imagine this is a significant number of their fellow nationals.  Somehow, a belligerent supposed billionaire has come to embody all the protest these people feel.   Voting for someone totally unqualified for high office is their middle finger to the elitists who look down on them.  So what if his policies will actually make their lives harder both short and long term.  It's worth it if it pisses off liberals!  How anyone can empathize with this world view is far beyond my understanding.

New Normals

It was a bracing 50 degrees F when I stepped out of the door this morning.  Normally we wouldn't expect to see that temperature until next April even here on the NCR.  We still have not had a hard freeze in the garden and non are expected for at least 10 days.  It is so mild, I'm contemplating spraying BT on the broccoli to kill cabbage loopers!  While the gardener in me is thrilled with the late harvest of vegetables, the grandfather is appalled by the implications of this warm November for future generations. 

Whistling past the graveyard

The Divine Mrs. M is getting more nervous each day as Election Day approaches and Cheeto Jesus appears to be getting closer in the polls to Hillary.  As most Democrats have pointed out, the country is polarized and partisans will wind up coming home to their roots.  The fundamental problem for the GOP is they have alienated a majority of the citizens; people of color, latinos, women, gays and most college educated professionals.  As long as these people are motivated to vote, Clinton can't lose.  The republican traditionally turn out in higher percentages than dems, but as they lose the white, educated demographic, even the turnout figures will go against them.  Many of the yahoos who populate Trump rallies and scream insults at all and sundry are either not registered to vote or will not be motivated to participate in a "rigged" system.  They will probably spend election day cleaning their guns in preparation for the revolution they have been promised when the Donald loses.  And lose he will.