Live Free and Die

Thanks to the non-regulatory state that is Texas, chemical plants with the potential to explode in a giant fireball are allowed to locate in residential neighborhoods.  A research facility handling the most deadly germs known to man is allowed in a city (Galveston) which has been leveled by hurricanes at least once and is now cut off from the fuel supplies which run the generators  which power the equipment which keeps the bugs isolated from us.  Just another clusterf*** brought to you by Texas.












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The heros among us

The talking heads at NPR were concentrating on interviewing the intrepid and motley "navy" composed of private boat owners who have rescued many stranded Houstonians from 2nd floor windows in residential neighborhoods.   They also allowed the spokesman for the National Guard to wax poetic about the heroism of the troops being mobilized to aid in the evacuation and the coming recovery from Harvey's wrath.   I appreciate the service these people are doing and applaud the selflessness on display.  What I don't like is the chest thumping about how Texans, or for that matter New Jerseyans or New Yorkers after Sandy put their neighbors first and spent time and money helping others.  Of course, that's what most humans do.  It is not a peculiarity of geography.  Throughout history humanity has consistently shown that in a crisis we react with altruism.  It's who and what we are.  Of course there are some who put their own safety and comfort above that of others, but they are in the minority.   Most of us are just waiting for the local crisis to activate that part of us which values the commonwealth over the individual.

Not a 6 foot invisible rabbit

Unlike that Harvey, the tropical storm with the same name remains a ubiquitous presence in Texas for yet another day.  By the time it begins to pound neighboring Louisiana on Thursday, this "1000 year storm" will have dumped up to 50 inches of rain in some areas around Houston.  The city may take decades to recover from the damage now being inflicted.  And who is to say another storm may already be brewing in the overheated Gulf of Mexico as I write this.  I feel for the people caught in this meat grinder, but I fear compassion will be demanded more and more as the full force of human generated climate change begins to be felt on a wide scale.  This is what they call a "teachable moment", but I doubt Cheeto Jesus sees it as just another photo op as he flies in to view the damage.  Unfortunately, it will be all about The Donald, instead of the millions of people suffering on the ground.

Not climate change

While it may seem superficial or callous to call attention to the long term implications of the weather disaster that is now tropical storm Harvey, someone has to play Cassandra, so it might as well be me.  It has already been called a 500 year storm, but in the same breath it could also be the harbinger of similar storms which may occur every 20 or 30 years from now on.  The warming atmosphere is now primed to hold more and more moisture.  Under the right conditions this water vapor can condense into the catastrophe now unfolding in Texas.  Houston may be inundated with up to 50 inches of rain in less than a week.   Far less rainfall during Katrina drowned New Orleans.  What does this mean for the country and the world?   The Tweeter-in-Chief, besides providing glowing praise for the emergency responders has done precious little but monitor the Weather Channel.  If he actually listened to the meteorologists, he would come away with a better understanding of what the human race will be confronting in the next few decades.  Harvey is another in a series of wake-up calls for humanity.  We need to stop hitting the snooze button and get out of our proverbial beds.  The time is now.

Autumnal dropping of leaves and shoes

The temperature dropped into the mid 40s on the NCR last night and it felt like Fall was in the air this morning.  The leaves on the trees are still green, but this morning was a reminder they will be turning shortly and the long slog toward winter will begin, much to the annoyance of the Divine Mrs. M.  As the weather cools down, the various investigations of last year's elections are heating up and instead of leaves, shoes will be dropping on Capitol Hill.   Robert Mueller's team will be turning up the pressure on various Cheeto Jesus henchman and at least some of them will flip on their boss.  It will be interesting to see how The Donald's most fanatic followers react as the full picture of Russian complicity with his campaign becomes undeniable.  The term deplorable seems inadequate to describe the basket of racists, misogynists, homophobes and other misfits who will probably never abandon their vision of the republican party led by the Tweeter in Chief.

Once more into the breach

Hillary Clinton's autopsy of the 2016 election, "What Happened" is out and even if you don't read it, it will be excerpted to death by the media until either they or their audience loses interest.  They have already chosen a few episodes to highlight, especially the infamous stalking of Clinton by tRump in the second presidential debate.  If only she had paused and said what she was thinking and said "Back up you creep", she would have solidified her support among most women and a majority of men.  Instead she showed she was and is cool under pressure.  Unfortunately the performance was not appreciated by enough voters.  Of course the media will try to focus on mistakes her campaign made and not on the role many outlets played in boosting The Donald while focusing obsessively on her e-mails.  Some critics have even gone so far as to say the NYT and Washington Post were quick to claim they were the last bastions against Trump immediately after the election and signed up hundreds of thousands of Clinton supporters as subscribers.  As we and they know there would have been no such response if Clinton had won!  Meanwhile, we are treated to the spectacle of Cheeto Jesus appealing to his base at a rally in Phoenix.  Contrast the unhinged rant directed at the virtually everyone but his low information base with the measured tone displayed by Clinton throughout the campaign.  I will end with that thought.

Weather woes continue

Depending on where you were in the North country yesterday, you were under a tornado watch, experienced torrential rain, high winds and stifling humidity.  Trees were downed, people lost power and in general it was a miserable late summer day.  The rain was so heavy many people either pulled over on the highway or used their flashers to warn they were running well below the speed limit.  I have lived in this area for the past 16 years and have never experienced the weather extremes we have seen on a weekly basis this spring and summer.  It appears this may be the new normal.  If so, it will be a challenging and extremely risky gamble to put seeds in the ground and expect to harvest a crop in this area.  Judging by the reports from other areas around the country agriculture may replace casinos as the most risky venues to invest your hard earned dollars.

Celebrity Apprentice, presidential episode

Reading furiously from the teleprompter in front of an audience composed almost entirely of active duty service members, our president (it hurts to even think that, let alone write it) gave his best shot at looking like he is fit for the office.  Of course, every president knows he will win press accolades by appearing on TV and proposing the killing of more brown people in far off lands.  For some reason, most of the mainstream media equates American sponsored death and destruction as somehow showcasing American leadership.   Nothing tRump said was any different than what his predecessors proposed regarding the failed Afghan state.  As the Russians and British before them our leaders have discovered Afghanistan is the ultimate quagmire.  Unfortunately, they have learned nothing from this.  As a wealthy nation, we can squander large sums of money indefinitely in this corner of the world and as long as the casualties are not to noticeable.   Unless there is a horrific massacre of American troops, the carnage will continue, mostly through drone strikes.  Cheeto Jesus will not save us or the Afghans, but he will ensure that more of us die in the name of American security.

The rains of August

It's funny how an inch of rain affects crops so much differently in August than in June.  We had almost an inch and a half in storms on Friday night, yet it was dry enough to harvest for the market on Saturday morning.  Another shower later in the morning made weeding impossible for the balance of the day, but Sunday dawned bright and warm and a lot of weeds died.  I will be transplanting the last lettuce seedlings this week.  They should be ready during the first week of October to coincide with the final Farmers' Market of the season.  Lettuce has been one of the few bright spots in an other wise dreary death march in the garden.  The same rain which spurs crop growth in August was an absolute killer in late May and early June.  The tomatoes may never recover and the corn crop was a totat bust. 
Meanwhile, the story that plays the most in national news is the recovery and repentance of those who voted for tRump.  For the nearly 64 million of us who voted for Hillary this is cold comfort.  What these idiots expected from The Donald is unclear, except that he wasn't Clinton and therefore was the better choice.  A playboy wannabe, failed businessman, money launderer for Russian interests and all around racist was a better choice than someone who gave their life to public service, democratic ideals and espoused equality for all.  We should somehow care that these snowflakes have now discovered that maybe they made a poor choice.  F*** them and the horses they rode in on!

American ingenuity

It turns out that many, if not most of the "beautiful" statues and monuments Cheeto Jesus is worried about were mass produced, mostly by northern manufacturers just in time for the Jim Crow south to disenfranchise and continue the oppression of the black population.  A manufacturer in Bridgeport, Connecticut advertised a "silent sentinel" soldier statue in a zinc alloy for $450.00 .  they had a Union and Confederate version and could get one erected at the village green or courthouse in a matter of weeks from ordering.  Larger monuments like the General Lee at the center of the Charlottesville controversy took a few months longer, but were far cheaper than a marble or stone statue would have been.  As a matter of fact, the creator of the Lee statue was a native of the North Country and a contemporary of Frederic Remington.  tRump loves him some Remington, so I guess there is a tenuous connection of these statues to art.  Nevertheless, as always, Americans are ready to profit from any cause, lost or not.

The morality play

As I expected, most republicans in congress issued mealy mouthed condemnations of the neo-Nazi and alt right protests in Charlottesville, but as of now, only one, Lindsay Graham called out the president for drawing a moral equivalence between the right and left protestors.  Predictably, Cheeto Jesus attacked Graham on Twitter, calling him a liar.  Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell continued the party line of placating the Orange Disgrace.  The GOP has now become a hostage to the White House, and unless a majority of republicans grow a backbone and repudiate a fair percentage of their base, things will only get worse.  The haters were emboldened by this administration and we can expect more and worse from them in coming weeks.  May the Flying Spaghetti Monster help us.

Can we all agree

I thought it was a summer thunderstorm last night which interrupted the harvest and other garden activities last night.  However, when I turned on the TV last night it was the sound of talking heads exploding that made more noise.  It seems that Cheeto Jesus finally went a bridge too far for most liberal and even some conservatives at his chaotic press conference yesterday at tRump tower.  He didn't imply, but instead drew a moral equivalence between the neo-Nazi white supremacists who gathered in Charlottesville last weekend and the counter demonstrators who stood up to the hate mongers and their confederate flag waving, swastika toting goons.  Any doubt about where the president's sympathies lie was put to rest as he challenged the "fake media" to contradict him.  Today there will be calls for people of good will working for this disgrace to the office of president to resign in protest.  I would like to believe it will happen, but most of these people drank the kool-aid long ago and will cling to their positions in the face of their boss's manifest unfitness for the job.  At some point, these people will have to explain to their children and grandchildren how they could continue to work for an administration which gives aid and comfort to David Duke and all he stands for.  Now is the time for all people of conscience to reject Donald Trump. 

USA???????????????

I was crossing the border in the normal course of events this morning and glancing to my right as I motored into Canada I saw what looked like a military camp within a stone's through of the USA.  Looking more closely at the semi chaotic mess, it occurred to me no army worth its salt would put up with this apparently unplanned state of affairs.  Besides, unless the objective was to march on Plattsburgh (the British did in 1814 and it didn't turn  out well), there is no reason for soldiers on a peaceful border.  Then it hit me.   This was a refugee camp.  Our local NPR station has been covering the exodus of dark skinned immigrants who are fleeing the US as the tRump administration continues to crack down on undocumented persons.  Many of these people are refugees from Haiti who were granted temporary immigration status after the great earthquake.  They still have no home to go back to, but in today's America, that sort of economic argument doesn't work anymore.  It's all about looking tough and showing ordinary white folks that The Donald has your back.  Meanwhile, hundreds, if not thousands of people are cheerfully crossing the border and being arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.  They are then transported to the camp on the border for processing before being released to wait for their day in immigration court.  Canada's policies are not much different from ours, but the bully boy tactics of ICE have frightened many into believing they will get a better deal with our neighbor to the north.  Somewhere, Emma Lazarus is weeping....

Spotty showers and democracy

Weather similes and metaphors are probably weak, but I think in this case they fit the news and weather over the weekend, at least here on the NCR.   Friday night and Saturday were supposed to be showery and miserable, but at Casa Monzeglio we had no rain and the harvest for the Farmers' Market on Saturday was conducted under dry conditions.  After delivering the veggies to my friends at Black Sheep Farms, I proceeded to kill weeds until mid-afternoon, when it was time to play golf with friends.  Driving 30 miles to the course, I passed through the aftermath of several thunderstorms and on arrival discovered the course was closed due to excessive rainfall during an early afternoon storm.  Heading home, there was no evidence of rain, and the cultivation and weed control continued.  Comparing the intermittent weather here to demonstrations for and against the removal of a monument to the traitor Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville seems like a stretch, but the reactions to the clash of neo-Nazi, KKK and white supremacists with "antifa" groups were as varied as the weather over the weekend.  From full throated condemnation by most responsible commentators to the tepid rejection of "many sides" by our president it ran the gamut.  It would seem Cheeto Jesus will continue to refuse to reject white supremacism.  I think he realizes his base is mostly supporting him because of his stand in this regard.  Anyone who doesn't believe 30% of our fellow countrymen are either racists or they at the very least tolerate racism is living in a fool's paradise. 

Shades of the Red Queen

For those who relish allegories, I would direct you to Alice in Wonderland as the prescient exposition of the tRump administration written over 100 years ago.  I particularly wish to point out the Red Queen.  I don't know who Carroll had in mind when he created the ruler of the deck of cards, but she perfectly prefigures The Donald.  It is almost as if he read the book (I know, given his shortcomings in this regard it is unlikely) and decided to model his adult life on the Queen.  The scary part is we are living in this world and the call of "Off with his head" is likely to echo through the White House often in the next few months.

Snatching defeat...

A new controversy has broken out between the Clinton and Sanders' wings of the democratic party which may endanger the party's ability to win national elections in the short term.  Nina Turner, the outspoken Sander's spokesperson is railing against the DNC because of a perceived slight when she arrived at the office with a petition.  Personally, I find Ms. Turner an abrasive and hard to figure personality.  She is a black woman who I believe fixated on Bernie Sanders as a vehicle to espouse her radical brand of politics which seemingly relies on confrontation rather than consensus building.  She is about as far from the typical "dudebro" Sanders supporter as can be imagined, but her unswerving loyalty to Bernie has elevated her stature in his movement.  Said movement is really an alternative to most democratic power structures which are controlled by more traditional dems.  The clash between these two alternative democratic visions will hamper the party's message going forward as it faces a zombie republican party whose brains were eaten by Trump, but nevertheless continues as a unified force to elect those faithful to its ideology of fealty to the .01%.  The challenge for both Sanders and Clinton is to unite their disparate followers and create a truly national party which can advocate for both of their visions without the disharmonious litmus tests of fealty to single payer health care, etc. which causes the problems democrats continue to manufacture for themselves.  Come on people, let's get together.

The Fire next time

According to bible scholars, fire will be the agent of choice when the flying spaghetti monster decides to cleanse the earth.  Thanks to the tRump administration we may have a choice in how we are incinerated and at what rate.   A new climate report by government scientists, which was leaked to the press before Scott Pruitt's EPA could redact it, states there is incontrovertible proof human caused climate change is a thing and it has already affected weather in the US.  It will be interesting to see how The Donald's lackeys spin this latest "leak".   I doubt Cheeto Jesus will read more than a paragraph or two before declaring it as fake news, just like every other inconvenient truth he is presented with.  Meanwhile, he threatened North Korea with "fire and fury"  if they keep making threats and testing missiles and weapons.  Kim Jong Un then threatened to attack Guam.  The ball is now in the president's court.  So, what will it be, long term climate annihilation or short term nuclear extinction.  Over 60 million Americans voted for this choice.

Re-building the ark

After marveling at the 10 inches of rain in New Orleans last week, the local environs were treated to their own "rain bomb" which dumped 6 inches of rain in approximately 30 minutes.  Along with the rain, we were treated to 70 mph winds, which made a hash of leafy greens on the verge of harvest.  It was a highly localized event, with farms less than 5 miles away sustaining very little or no damage.  Growing up in an agricultural area on Long Island, I don't remember anything approaching these levels of rainfall.  We had some droughty spells, which involved moving a lot of irrigation pipe, but we rarely lost a day or a crop due to excessive moisture.  The weather forecast in this area continues to feature rainy forecasts through next week.  Growers who were hurt by the latest deluge  have very little time to make up for the damages they incurred.  Transplanting is delayed by soil which is still too wet to work and we are approaching the last days when it will be feasible to expect the crop to mature before frost.  If a cool and wet climate regime becomes the norm in this area for the immediate future it will definitely alter the crop mix growers will consider.  Many acres may be abandoned or turned to other agricultural uses such as grazing.  That is how climate change is already making itself felt in this area.

That famous river in Africa

Denial was front and center as Chuck Schumer addressed a gathering on the NCR last week.  The local NPR reporter was figuratively scratching his head as Schumer opined he could work with McConnell and Trump on many issues.  He added the democrats were rolling out an economic plan focused on the economic worries of "middle class" (read white) voters and would remain laser focused on economic issues.  If economic worries were what motivated whites in the last election, Hillary would have won in a walk.  She presented real policies which would have addressed the issues facing America in the 21st century.  What they really wanted was what tRump offered, namely the permission to hate and fear those who don't look like them or believe the things they want to believe.  A case in point is the state of West Virginia.  A higher percentage of the population depends on federal government programs in that state than any other, yet republicans control virtually all of the state government.  The recently elected democratic governor just changed his registration to republican.  Oh, and did I mention the population is overwhelmingly white.  Unless and until democrats realize they are the party of those left off the whites' only train and start pumping up their base of blacks, latinos, Asians and educated whites, they will be a pathetic also ran.  As the republicans found out many years ago, racism is a potent issue and will remain so in many areas for years to come.  Economics has little to do with the resentment and hate felt by many of Schumer's working class voters.

A bigger issue

Those of us who think politics have been consumed since the 2016 elections by the phenomena of Donald Trump.  How this blatantly unfit charlatan could have been chosen as the republican candidate and then elected is so far beyond me as to be in another universe.  His constant antics and the hateful policies he pursues rivet our attention to the exclusion of virtually all other issues.  However, after reading a new article about the coming climate apocalypse in New York Magazine, I am truly terrified for the future of the human race.  While the worst scenarios won't play  out in the remainder of my life, my grandchildren will be at ground zero when the wild weather, ocean rise and other associated climate changes start the process of mass extinction of most life on earth.  Whether it is suffocation as oxygen starts to decline, starvation because of crop failure or death by hurricane or other natural disaster, it looks like a grim future for our immediate descendants.  Our fascination with Trump will be looked at in the not too distant future like a distraction which helped keep us from focusing on the biggest problem confronting the human race.

Illusions

There is a heady whiff of bi-partisanship floating in the air around DC this morning that is probably launching a thousand beltway pundit articles praising this development.  I am referring to Tennessee senator Lamar Alexander and his co-chair of the senate Health Education Labor and Pension committee who will hold hearings next month on the possibility of stabilizing the health insurance markets.  As anyone looking at this issue with a clear eye can tell you there is no compromise possible between democrats, who want to cover as many people as possible as a basic human right and republicans who feel health care is a privilege which must be earned.  This is an either/or decision not something that can be compromised.  If a few republicans cross over, a  deal could be done, but those defectors would inevitably be challenged by the crazies in future primaries and would lose their seats.  It would take a true profile in courage for that to happen.  I'm not holding my breath.

Augustian Blues

August is one of the hardest months to sell produce through ordinary distribution channels here on the east coast.  Farmers' Markets, roadside stands and backyard gardens yield a bounty of fresh produce which jaded consumers snap up with resulting poor sales at local supermarkets.  Unless it is an item which is hard to grow, such as spinach or other cool season crops, there is little demand.  Everyone is waiting on local tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers.  Besides, there are still vacations to take and children leaving for college.  The combination of all these factors make produce sales devilishly hard in August.

The Follies continue

Kelly is in.  The Mooch is out.  Ivanka is whining.  tRump is tweeting.  It would seem we can just rinse and repeat for the next 3 1/2 years or until the GOP grows a backbone and starts impeachment proceedings.  Athenae at the blog "First Draft" takes down a National Review columnist who opined that republicans were taken in by the con of Donald Trump.  He advertised he was a businessman who could run the country like the well oiled machine that was the Trump Organization.  As she puts it, that is BS.  Once it was clear The Donald was going to win the nomination against a field of under achievers, the establishment made a Faustian bargain to support him in the expectation he would sign the bills which would disestablish decades of social progress.  For the average Trump voter, most did not care about his business record, but were inspired by his relentless political incorrectness.  They voted for him to stick their thumb in the eye of the vicious coastal liberals who Fox News and Rushbo were telling them looked down on their values.  Thanks to the cover provided by the GOP, Trump was able to sustain his message of racist, immigrant bashing misogyny with very little pushback.  With an assist from James Comey, he was pushed over the electoral college finish line and in an everlasting stain on our republic is now the president.  I don't see any way out of this...