Final musings on a lost decade

    The decade now passing started with the economy in dire straits.   Unemployment was nearly ten percent, the democratic congress had passed Obamacare and had come under sustained fire from the newly minted "Tea Party" for fiscal recklessness.  As studies have since proven, the teabaggers for the most part were reacting badly to the election in 2008 of the first black president in our history.
     The racist animus which drove many to vote republican in 2010 was accompanied by the religious intolerance of white evangelicals who feared the loss of our "Christian nation" if tolerance of muslims, LGTBQ people and  other undesirables such as jews and  blacks became the norm.
      This combination of economic and religious revanchism led to the election of an historically unqualified and badly flawed human being to the presidency in 2016.   Despite the economy functioning well for a minority of population it is doing well enough for tRump to run and possibly win in 2020 despite his impeachment.   Much of his support continues to come from those who have either benefitted from the economy or who derive satisfaction from the president*s championing their social values.
      As anyone who reads this knows by now, I have little love for the decade now passing.  I can only hope we reach a higher level of political and economic comity in the 20s as well as developing the will to stave off ecological catastrophe.  Meanwhile, I will continue to enjoy the company of the Divine Mrs. M, our children and grandchildren.  They are truly what makes life worth living in these times.

A lawless end to the decade

     Five Jews stabbed in a NYC suburb.  Two killed in a Texas church shooting.  These are the headlines we are confronted with as the last days of the decade wind down.  Along with a nod to a discredited racist science in the NYT which has created its own hysterical response this is what we can look forward to as the decade of the 20s begins.
      Of course there have been lawless interludes throughout American history.  Treason in defense of slavery, aka, the Civil War is perhaps the number one example.  But ever since the backlash to the counter culture of the 1960s, there have been lawless responses to any new cultural advances.  Reaganism and its more modern theorists are the template.  Longing for an era where white supremacy was unquestioned and pesky minorities and women knew their places in the hierarchy has led to the tRump presidency and an unprecedented scorn for rule of law when it fails to justify the aforementioned domination of the "white" race.
     More shootings and attendant hand wringing are on the horizon as we enter the new decade, but the underlying cause of the violence is the wholesale scorn for the laws which protect and defend the overwhelming majority of the population.  Getting rid of the president* in 2020 is a start, but he is only a symptom of the wider malaise which grips the country and the world.  Until we grapple with the implications of a multicultural world, the hate which drives the white supremacists among us will result in more violence and death.

Shocking news

      Shockingly, Chuck Todd of Meet the Press fame was shocked, shocked I tell you that republicans would actually come onto the set of his show and lie to him about the facts surrounding the president*s impeachment!
      Since Todd has also said it is not up to him to divine the truth or falsity of statements made by politicians I was certainly surprised by his shock when Ted Cruz expounded on the meme of Ukrainian meddling in the 2016 election with a straight face.  Todd then pointed to the numerous falsehoods tRump aimed at Cruz, his father, his family and his campaign in 2016.  like the good soldier he is, Cruz remained unmoved by Todd's litany.   For someone who makes millions of dollars each year to report on politics, only stupidity can excuse the MSNBC host.
      It seems like every week the light goes on for someone in the media and they exclaim republicans are lying to them on Sundays, in prime time, on the radio and in print.   How can they do this when most of the lies are easily fact checked?
      Republicans it seems, have found their base not only doesn't mind the lies, but actually looks forward to whatever spin the GOP puts on the latest corruption of our politics by tRump, McConnell and whomever crawls out of the woodwork to impugn democrats.  This is the only function of the republican party and until the 70% of the public who still value truth stand up and call the out, republicans will keep lying to your face, Chuck and will laugh at you as they leave the studio.

Post Christmas Grumps

     Once again, my post Christmas grumpiness at the materialism and utter hedonism engendered by the holiday nearly overwhelmed me once again.  The saving grace was my grandson, Wyatt, who although kept chanting "Can I have another present please", remained in good humor throughout the day.  
     Seriously, I sometimes wonder at an economy so pitched to a mystical birthday can continue to churn out the amount of useless plastic which eventually finds its way to America's overburdened landfills or worse yet becomes part of the oceanic trash dump.   We spend weeks buying and wrapping presents for an orgy of gifting which leaves the givers and receivers exhausted and in debt for months afterwards.   Anyway, that is my rant for a December 26.

Some Chritmas Eve thoughts

      As our Christian nation prepares to celebrate the birth of its savior, many Americans are celebrating the gratuitous cruelty which has characterized our national discourse since the first day of tRump's administration.
      Instead of helping the immigrant children, of which Christ was one, instead we separate them from their parents and lock them in cages.  
       In our name, the administration has proposed new rules on food stamps which will cause hundreds of thousands of people to lose assistance.
       If Cheetolini should win the next presidential election, help for the sick via Medicaid will be withdrawn.
       These acts of cruelty, so unlike the gospels of the New Testament are a condemnation of a political party which acts more like Herod than Christ.   The nearest literary approximation of many of our fellow citizens is the character Ebenezer Scrooge in Dicken's A Christmas Carol.  But while Scrooge was a hard hearted miser who refused to help the poor, he did not positively gloat over the misfortunes of the poor.  Many in our country support the administration's social policies precisely because they inflict needless suffering on the poor amongst us.
      When we gather together with our families to celebrate the holiday and the season of Christmas, I hope we take the message of Christ to heart.   Healing the sick, helping the poor and succoring the stranger are the real "reasons for the season".   Merry Christmas to all who celebrate that spirit.

Winterlude

      Winter is here.   Having had a cooler than normal November and December has helped me get over the nitty gritty of living in the North Country.  Frequent snowfall at its attendant exertions have also eased us into the season.   Watching and participating in numerous holiday events are another antidote to the creeping cold.  About the best thing you can say about the Winter Solstice is that the underlying cause for our celebrations is that each day from now on will be a little longer than the previous.  Truly a joyful cause and effect.

One for the money, two for the show

     For political junkies, last night's cable TV lineup was catnip.   While impeachment was still front and center with most of the talking heads, the PBS/Politico debates held on public television was an interesting look at a smaller field of democrats vying for their party's nomination.  I found myself shuttling back and forth when the debate flagged in the one case or when a 5 minute bloc of commercials intruded in the other.
      I think most people came away from the debates with their choices either intact or confirmed.  No one made a huge blunder, although Mayor Pete took incoming fire from both Liz Warren and Amy Klobuchar.   His momentum may have stalled on last night's stage.   "Billionaire wine cave" will haunt his campaign for the nonce.
     Meanwhile, Nancy Pelosi continues to play no limit Texas Hold Em with Moscow Mitch.  Despite a weak hand, she is holding on to the articles of impeachment at least through the holidays and letting Cheetolini dangle in the wind.  She may be gambling the president* will force McConnell to hold a fair trial so he can bask in his eventual acquittal.  However, as new revelations come out from the open investigations which continue, republicans in the Senate may start to panic.   Dragging out the proceedings into the new year look less and less promising for the GOP.  Merry Impeachment to all and a Happy Removal in 2020.

The party of conscience

     An inner guide to feeling whether something is right or wrong.   I think that is an apt description of democrats after the historic vote yesterday which impeached the president* in the House.  Two democrats opposed the measure and Tulsi Gabbard, Putin's preferred democratic candidate for president, voted present.   31 democrats who represent districts won by tRump in the 2016 elections voted to impeach.   They had no incentive to do so other than a conscience prompted decision the evidence warranted the charge.
      Listening to a few of the republicans who aside from the apostate, Justin Amash, voted unanimously against impeachment was a form of torture.   Ignorance is not an excuse, gentlemen!  The GOP representatives were uniformly white, overwhelmingly male and mostly old.  In other words, the preferred Fox News demographic.  This is the audience they were pandering to, starting with the old white dude residing (for the moment) at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
      The democrats had no choice in voting for impeachment.   Besides overwhelming evidence of a crime, the administration's constant obstruction of their investigations guaranteed the outcome.  Republicans can willfully deny the charges, but the obstruction of the Congress' institutional prerogatives should give them pause, especially in the Senate.
     Now comes the cat and mouse game between Nancy Pelosi and Mitch McConnell.  Pelosi was asked if she would hold the impeachment articles until the Majority leader agreed to at least the appearence of a fair trial.  She did not deny the possibility.   It looks like she may be playing a better hand than the one she was dealt.

History will judge

      The ink was barely dry on Cheetolini's spittle flecked letter to Nancy Pelosi when protesters started brandishing "Impeach" signs and gathering all over the country to demonstrate their support for holding the president* accountable.
      According to tRump's scribes (there is a vanishingly small chance he wrote the text, aside from editorial input) history will judge him a victim of democratic overreach.   The problem with the argument is its willful ignorance of the Constitution, the separation of powers and simple justice.  The president* and his enablers don't believe it was wrong to pressure foreign governments to intervene in American elections.   After all, it worked in 2016!
     A slim majority of citizens believe in the impeachment of this lawless president and up to 70% believe relevant witnesses should be called during the Senate trial.  Of course this will never happen because even as he protests his innocence, tRump will never allow Mick Mulvaney, John Bolton and other witnesses with intimate knowledge of Ukrainegate to testify.   There will be no Profiles in Courage moment in the Senate because the outcome is a foregone conclusion.  
     Some pundits are already saying that within a generation this president* will be judged less harshly than most of us imagine at least in the textbooks approved in red states.  I am less sure of that.  As more and more evidence comes to light, The Donald will go down as the most corrupt and least liked president in modern times.  That is the legacy he is fighting against.

Climate war

      Over at Mother Jones, Kevin Drum has been fulminating on the inevitable climate disaster we are making for ourselves and possible solutions to this existential threat to our species and our planet.
      He has said for many years that even the casual climate warrior and I count myself as one, will not be willing to make the sacrifices that would be required to stem our carbon dump into the atmosphere.   Not only are the population of advanced countries unwilling.  The developing world is clamoring for the same comforts we take for granted.  For them to enjoy our standard of living would hasten our demise.   Unless... Drum makes the case for massive R&D into green technologies.
      With a proposal of $700 billion per year, he would literally throw massive amounts of money at every promising project from solar to wind to carbon sequestration and fusion power.  I think he is putting these ideas out there in hopes of getting enough people to press their representatives in Congress to start pushing the R&D buttons.
      As he says, it may be too little, too late, but we must do something massive in the next few years or pray that some program being developed as I write this will make non fossil fuel power so cheap we can electrify our lives and keep the climate livable for our descendants.

The winter of discontent

      With Boris Johnson's crushing victory in the recent UK elections, pundits in the US are going into overdrive predicting a similar victory for tRump in the 2020 presidential sweepstakes.   Most are predicting electoral doom if democrats nominate Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren as these two are reckoned to be as far left as Labor's Jeremy Corbyn.
      Of course the possibility of a victory by Cheetolini is baked into the numbers.  Both the democratic and republican nominees start out the campaigns with about 45% of the voting public on their respective sides.  For democrats it is all about turning out their base, which is much larger than the republican's.  
      Most pundits writing for the largest papers and speaking on Cable news are members of the 1% and they think Sanders and Warren are harbingers of the apocalypse.   The fact they may have to sell that third home on Martha's Vineyard or do with one less domestic is reason enough to silently root for a tRump victory while simultaneously assuring the rest of us that nice things are not possible if we are to continue spending on a bloated military and making sure their latest tax cuts remain inviolate.

Doing the wrong thing

     Just as democrats in the House struggle to do what the president*'s crimes demand and follow through on impeachment, republicans have reacted in exactly the opposite fashion.  They are doing the wrong thing by defending an executive that many in the party freely admit (in private) is doing our democracy great harm.
     It is not only in the political arena where this is happening.  On global climate change, the republican party is the only major political party in the world continuing to deny our world is entering uncharted territory when it comes to weather.  As Paul Krugman points out in today's NYT, part of this is explained by the fact the GOP hoovers up most of the political donations of the fossil fuel industry.   Even that does not fully explain the mendacity of republicans.   They have become an anti-science, anti-immigrant reincarnation of the nativist Know Nothing party of the mid 1800s.  They have staked their continued existence on appealing to the basest instincts embraced by a significant minority of Americans.
     Krugman feels the only way we can save our democracy and by extension, the planet is for the GOP to suffer a series of crushing defeats.  Unfortunately, as yesterday's elections in the UK dealt a crushing defeat to the Labor Party in what may be a dress rehearsal of our own in 2020, being on the right side of history may not be enough in today's world.  

Doing the right thing

    As we come closer to the 4th time articles of impeachment have been brought against a sitting president of the United States, the anguish some democratic representatives in the House are feeling continues to get prime time coverage.
     We are told these representatives of districts tRump won in 2016 are in a tough spot.  If they vote for impeachment the conventional wisdom goes, they risk the wrath of the voters who put them in office.   Personally, I think that is total BS.  Diehard tRump voters never voted for them in the first place and most if not all of those who did vote for them are sick of the president*'s lawlessness and will vote for anyone with a conscience.  The latter is a commodity in short supply in today's GOP.  We are at a crossroads with respect to democracy.   If we let this travesty of a man continue in office, we risk the republic which Benjamin Franklin said was ours, "if you can keep it".

Shoes dropping

    The democrats p/reviewed their impeachment strategy yesterday and it looks like an attempt to satisfy all their constituencies as well as their consciences and their oath of office.
    By limiting themselves to two articles of impeachment they should be able to pass them through the House before Christmas and have the Senate take them up and start Cheetolini's trial in January.  The upside of the strategy is it satisfies the activist wing of the party and at the same time ensures the trial and foregone acquittal of the orange buffoon will be flushed down our  collective memory hole before the election season is upon us.
     The downside to this strategy is leaving so many instances of wrongdoing by the president* uninvestigated.   From obstructing the investigation into Russian meddling in our elections to violations of the emoluments clause, these eminently impeachable offenses will go unpunished to the chagrin of many.   Nancy Pelosi has decided to stake democrats' fortunes on two articles and a quick trial.   She and we know that even if the Donald was credibly shown to be the Boston Strangler he would be acquitted by the Senate, so why waste extra time detailing his many crimes?
     I think democrats can pursue both avenues in a post impeachment environment.   tRump will continue to do crimes and the dems can continue their crusade in the courts to force administration officials to testify.  The Donald may indeed be the first president to be impeached twice during his first term.

Hard Lessons

       Amid the media noise created by the tRump impeachment hearings, lesser events are given short schrift, but perhaps two things which happened in the last few days are important enough for a second look.
      Paul Volcker has died.  For millions who suffered under his anti inflation policies in the late 70s and early 80s of the last century, that is probably cause for celebration.   To be fair, the 10% inflation that characterized the era when many boomers came of age was definitely a problem that needed to be dealt with.  Volcker's chosen method was to raise interest rates in a draconian fashion and subject the working class to a decade of lost earnings.   Union busting was also part of the plan to bring down inflation as the unions were struggling to bring wages in line with inflation.  Ronald Reagan's breaking of the Air Traffic controllers union was perhaps the straw which helped break the back of a declining labor movement.  Volcker continued the harsh interest rate policy until the recession of 1982 succeeded in stemming the inflationary tide.   His legacy is the Federal Reserve's fanatical devotion to keeping inflation below 2% despite little or no evidence that is some sort of sacred limit to inflation.  
      Meanwhile, the labor department announced the unemployment rate is at a 50 year low, clocking in at 3.5%.   Right wing economists have told us for almost as long that a nearly 6% unemployment rate is built into our economy and is the price we must pay for economic stability.  Somehow, despite its warts, the present economy gives the lie to that dogma.   how many millions have sacrificed their futures on the altar of a policy which prescribed their suffering as a necessary adjunct to prosperity for the rest of the population.

Another Canary

      According to a news article in my internet opening page, perhaps the largest trucking company in the US, Celadon, will declare bankruptcy today.   As many as 3200 drivers may be stranded out on the road.   Most drivers rely on company provided credit cards to purchase fuel.
      As someone intimately involved with the freight business, this information is more pertinent to the economic future than last month's much touted jobs report.   Trucking remains the lifeblood of commerce in this country and a declining transport sector can be expected to impact the wider economy within a few months.
      As a newbie in the produce industry in the early 1980s I was in charge of hiring trucks to move loads of produce around the country.   Produce is a little bit of an outlier as far as trucking goes.   In much of the industry, rates are usually contracted years in advance.  Manufacturers know exactly how much it costs to ship each widget to market.   On the other hand, lettuce shippers in California usually negotiate with truckers on a daily basis for rates to ship their product to market.
      A trip to New York markets which might have cost $5,000 on Friday could possibly cost $8,000 on Monday, simply because there were fewer trucks available.   By Wednesday, the cost could fall again as more truckers "deadheaded" to the area in search of lucrative paydays.  With fewer trucks on the road, these paydays could become much more inviting.  
     I knew when manufacturing in the country had slowed by the number of additional trucks looking for loads of produce to keep the wheels turning.   If today's news regarding Celadon is true, rates for moving produce are likely to fall in the short term.  But for the economy in general, a decline in the number of trucks on the road signals problems in the months ahead.

Putting a little love in their hearts

     When I look at Nancy Pelosi, I see the steely eyed determination which has made her the highest ranking female in government in US history.   However, yesterday she alluded to another side of her personality while dispatching a right wing "reporter" who shouted out " Do you hate the president" as she was leaving the podium after announcing she had instructed her committee chairmen in the House to begin drafting articles of impeachment for said president*.
     The question caused her to pivot and face the hapless scribe.  After telling him in no uncertain terms he was wrong, she marched back to the lectern and described being raised in a Catholic family with "a heart full of love".   She went on to say she prays for Cheetolini despite his many horrific policies.  She implied the impeachment was forced on her by tRump's abuse of his office and her oath of office.  Finally, she faced the reporter once more and said "Don't mess with me" and marched out as the gaggle of reporters sat back in stunned silence.
     Combined with Joe Biden calling an Iowa voter a "damned liar" for implying he got his son a lucrative job in Ukraine, Pelosi's performance seems to give the lie to the media narrative of democrats in a defensive crouch when assailed by republican talking points.  Maybe Nancy is on to something and tough love is the right answer for her critics.

Gaslighting for fun and profit

    The House Judiciary Committee held its initial impeachment session yesterday with 3 witnesses brought by democrats and one invited by republicans.  After a grueling 9 hour session of which I watched the last half hour, the results were predictable and depressing.
     It seems republicans and democrats live in parallel universes when it comes to the behavior of the president*.   The democrats and their witnesses concentrated on the accumulated evidence showing tRump had withheld military aid and a coveted visit to the White House to force the president of Ukraine to announce an investigation of Joe Biden, his son, and a conspiracy theory that Ukraine, not Russia intervened in the 2016 elections.  Despite administration stonewalling, the intelligence committee got 12 fact witnesses to detail the plot.  According to 3 of the law professors there was more than evidence to write at least 3 articles of impeachment and start a trial in the Senate.
     Of course, the republican witness, Jonathon Turley argued there was not enough evidence yet.  In his telling, congress should fight tooth and nail in the courts to compel witness testimony.  This is the same person who through the miracle of videotape is seen to advise a republican congress in 1998 that it should impeach Bill Clinton without delay or the consequences would be horrific.
     I expect more of the same in coming weeks as the judiciary committee proceeds along partisan lines with the majority living in a fact based universe and the minority in a fact free space where loyalty to the dear leader means more than honor or country.

And another one bites the dust.

      Plauged by low polling numbers and a faltering fund raising effort, Kamala Harris dropped out of the race for the democratic presidential nomination yesterday.    While I am not surprised, it was somewhat disheartening to see the party increasingly turn toward the probability of a white moderate becoming the nominee.
      Harris' campaign never really got over the polling bump she received at the first democratic debate when she went after a wobbly Joe Biden on his opposition to busing to achieve racial balance in schools.   It seemed she kept chasing another media moment and never laid out a serious plan.   However, what did in her candidacy was a shortage of money and Biden's seeming lock on the moderate black vote she was counting on.   She could have survived one or the other, but not both.  That said, she will remain an important voice for democrats.
     

It's the economy stupid

      Two columns in the NYT caught my eye this morning.  Paul Krugman's argues and provides statistics which show life expectancy in states which voted for tRump is diverging from states which voted for Hillary Clinton.   Inhabitants of the latter can expect to live up to 4 more years than red state citizens.   He opines that Medicaid expansion and better health care in general explains the difference.
     Russ Douthat, a self proclaimed "weird catholic columnist" tackles the decline of marriage and child raising in America and slams explanations from the left and right and finally comes to the conclusion that it really is the fault of those who would change the traditional, patriarchal foundation of American marriage.
     Both men point to Europe as evidence for their assertions.   However, both of these upper middle class products of the meritocracy seem to be missing an essential point.   The majority of those in their child bearing years do not have the money to raise children in the idealized 1950's model.  Child care is probably the number one cause of the one or two child family or increasingly the no child model.   The idealized single breadwinner family seems to me to be obsolete for much of the country.  it now takes two incomes in many cases to afford the child care Krugman and Douthat take for granted.   The American dream is receding for blue and red states alike and unless the economic realities are addressed, children will continue to be a scarce commodity.

Winter is here

     Meteorological winter started yesterday with a sneaky 2-3 inch snowfall which prompted a quick round of snowblowing this morning.  Ugh.  As I have told many people over the years, I hate winter!  So far, we have had a short though fairly mild fall which came to a crashing halt with a snowstorm during the first week of November.   We struggled to reach freezing in the run up to Thanksgiving and now we are again in Winter's icy grip.  I am hoping for a short, mild season, but at this point it doesn't look promising.

Post Turkey, pre Christmas

     We are now at that perfect moment sandwiched between a symbolic, inclusive holiday asking us to be thankful for the many things most of us take for granted, and the relentless commercialization of the looming Christmas holiday.

       So far, no one has really figured how to sell a significant amount of merchandise for Thanksgiving.   Somehow, the dour, genocidal Pilgrims and their story does not lend itself to a Madison Avenue treatment.   Even the traditional Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade barely mentions the holiday it commemorates and instead makes the celebration a kickoff of its Christmas sales.

      Meanwhile, we have taken a pagan holiday, the yuletide celebration of increasing daylight and turned it into a gigantic celebration of the birth of a child which must needs be celebrated by buying and distributing gifts to all and sundry.  

      I will probably be decried as a grinch by many friends and relatives, but I don't believe in a war on Christmas.  Rather we should strive for a little more thanksgiving in the upcoming holiday.  

Thanksgiving... or not

    While the vast majority of my fellow countrymen will sit down to a Thanksgiving Day feast tomorrow with their biggest concern being a political discussion started by a crazy uncle or grandfather, many native Americans will have a day filled with existential terror as they mark another celebration of their stolen birthright.
      Most of us grew up and marked the Pilgrim's first "Thanksgiving" with their native sponsors.   With nearly half the Massachusetts Bay colony having perished during their first winter in the New World, they came together, probably a lot earlier than the fourth Thursday in November to celebrate their continuing existence and supposedly thank "Squanto" for teaching them how to grow native American crops.
     That's the Thanksgiving most of us are familiar with.  However, thanks to modern day historians who documented the systemic violence against their native benefactors, the Wampanoags and the cheating of the tribe which resulted in the Pilgrim's expropriation of native land, we can now feel guilty even before that extra helping of turkey.  
     It turns out that many, if not all of the historical events we commemorate during the course of the year are built on a foundation of racism, misogyny and cultural appropriation.  We may not appreciate being reminded that these myths are finally being exposed for the horrors they visited on natives, blacks and women, but we need to acknowledge them and try to live up to the ideals we piously express, especially on Thanksgiving.

Enabling the president*

    Many of us gnash our teeth nearly every day as Cheetolini and his henchmen make a mockery of the rule of law in America.   Even when he loses a battle, as when a federal judge ordered his former White House counsel, Don McGahn to testify regarding his knowledge of tRump's obstruction of justice during the Mueller probe, his DOJ will appeal the ruling, effectively running out the clock.  This makes us frustrated with the system.   However, it is not the system which is failing us, but the men and sometimes the women who operate the levers of government.
    Hitler did not create Nazi Germany single handedly.  He was aided and abetted by a fairly large slice of the men who operated the Wiemar government.   Some of them agreed with his vision of a Germany of ubermenschen or at least a reinvigorated country and were willing to indulge some of his more outre policies.  Others supported even the "final solution" right up until the bunker doors were closed in 1945.    This is how democracies really die.
      The next time our president* says or does something which strips us of another right or pushes us a little further down the road which leads to authoritarianism, remember, he is not doing it alone.

Gardening strikes again

       I am still not sure what next spring holds for me as far as gardening, but I did receive 2 seed catalogs on Saturday.   For some people, gardening is a hobby, but in my case it is a lifestyle choice bordering on obsession.   I pore over catalogs, imagine planting layouts and fertilizing schedules.  As retirement and its supposed abundance of free time looms, ever more elaborate schemes are afoot.
      The fly in the proverbial ointment is lack of space.   The latest edition of Casa Monzeglio does not boast large sunny areas in which to pursue my passion.   I still look longingly at the wide open spaces at our previous abode.   18 years of steady soil improvement have made my old gardening space extremely productive.  Should we not sell the property by the time spring 2020 rolls around, the temptation to continue farming/gardening will become stronger.   I guess time will tell.   Excuse me while I fantasize.

This is who they have

     It looks like the House Intelligence Committee is about to wrap up its part in the impeachment inquiry.   After taking the testimony of a bunch of civil servants willing to put themselves through the ordeal and one political appointee who is wealthy enough not to care what republicans think about his perfidy, Adam Schiff and the democrats on the committee have elicited not a smoking gun, but an artillery battery of evidence the president* conducted a bribery scheme to force the government of Ukraine to announce an investigation of a political rival.
     Needless to say, bribery is front and center as a "high crime and misdemeanor" as written in the US Constitution.   Meanwhile republicans are doing everything in their power to throw distractions into the process.   Aside from a few fanatics and opportunists; Jim Jordan is poster boy for the former and Elise Stefanik for the latter, most republicans privately abhor the president's* behavior and would gladly oust him if the political and economic cost was not so high.   Even retiring GOPers are hesitant to criticize tRump for fear the wingnut welfare system will shun them in retirement.  Thanks to his iron grip on the mostly racist base of the modern republican party, tRump can thumb his nose at the rule of law and will be safe from prosecution if he can win the 2020 election.   This possibility is what animates the zombie GOP.

Why the 99% can't have nice things

     In case you hadn't heard, the democrats had a presidential debate last night.  I doubt many people tuned in anyway after a full day of impeachment hearings in the House.  Politics overkill.  I listened through a couple of commercial breaks and came away a little disheartened.
     Although Bernie and Elizabeth Warren continue to flog their Medicare for All plans, virtually everyone else on the stage feigned mock horror at the spending it would take to cover all Americans with adequate medical care.  This, despite the trillions we spend to prop up the American Empire which mainly benefits the top 1% of the population.  To his credit, Bernie attacked the military industrial complex and its contribution to the national debt.   Unfortunately, the hand wringing over said debt was in full evidence.
     Republicans propose a 1.5 trillion tax cut and propose to pay for it with magic beans.   Democrats propose spending for health care and the media wants a 100 page white paper showing how it will be paid for.   That is our supposedly liberal media in action.   It's why we can't have nice things, like universal health insurance, family leave, etc.

For whom the Sondland tolls

     With an abrupt turnabout from his first deposition before the House Intelligence committee, Gordon Sondland threw a good number of administration officials under a rather large bus.  tRump, VP Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were deposited beneath the wheels as Sondland testified that indeed there was a quid pro quo involved in releasing military aid to Ukraine and he kept everyone in the loop throughout the attempted extortion.
     Up until now, the republicans on the committee have claimed there is no witness who can provide first hand testimony.   Sondland is the man to do that, especially after being outed for calling Cheetolini from an unsecured cell phone in a Ukrainian restaurant.   However, having changed his testimony, he will be an easy target for the minority's attacks on his credibility.   It will be a long slog for Sondland, but so far it seems he is more interested in avoiding perjury charges than protecting the president*.   Time to start the popcorn.

Weatherunwise

     It's slightly past mid November and here in the North Country we have already had a 6-8 inch snowfall and we are experiencing a dangerous freezing rain event as I write this.   While this kind of weather is not historically unusual here, it has been the exception over the last few years.   The local golf courses were open for business at Christmastime in 2015!
     October 2019 is in the books as the 2nd warmest October since worldwide recordkeeping started.  Unfortunately for those who hope mankind will stir before the apocalypse a large part of the US was experiencing below normal temperatures.  This emboldened climate change deniers to proclaim the rest of the world is embracing a Chinese hoax meant to deny righteous Murcans their pickups and SUVs.
      Amazon deforestation has spiked, oil drilling continues apace and our grandchildren will look back at the early 21st century as probably the last chance to avert catastrophic climate disruption.  I will not be around for the reckoning, but I hope we can step back from the brink, starting with the 2020 elections.   We need to address the problem now.  I'll get right on it, as soon as I scrape the ice off the sidewalk.

Out of touch

      The democrat taking on the odious Elise Stefanik in my congressional district raised nearly a million dollars thanks to Elise's partisan antics during the impeachment inquiry hearings last week.   Tedra Cobb was languishing in her second bid to unseat Stefanik until the latter's tRump polishing enraged democrats nationwide.   Cobb will probably not beat Stefanik in 2020.  NY 21, which stretches from just north of Albany to the Canadian border and west to Watertown could be transplanted to northern Alabama and would probably feel right at home if not for liberal enclaves like Plattsburgh, Potsdam and Canton.
     Stefanik, along with most of the republicans in the House have already decided they will hitch a ride in the tRump clown car.  The only things they have to lose is their dignity, self respect and identity as patriotic Americans.  

Collateral Damage

    As the impeachment inquiry wends its way through Congress with the inevitable failure of the Senate to convict and remove the president*,  Paul Krugman in today's NYT lists at least one of the ways in which our failure to rid ourselves of Cheetolini is actually causing preventable deaths in the general population.
     Krugman cites a study by the Bureau for Economic Research which estimates the rollback of environmental regulations under tRump will probably cause 10,000 preventable deaths each year.  But of course for his base, owning the libs is far more important than dying of lung disease!

See no evil...etc.

      The democrats opened the tRump impeachment hearings with perhaps the best witnesses they have;  William Taylor, a decorated Vietnam vet and George Kent a lifetime 2nd generation diplomat with impeccable credentials.  They might have been named Frick and Frack for all the respect the republicans on the intelligence committee showed them.
      While they were smart enough not to impugn their personal reputations, the republicans rejected their sworn testimony and instead insisted they were second hand witnesses with little knowledge of the real story, which was obviously all about Crowdstrike, Ukraine's intervention in the 2016 elections and Hunter Biden's corruption.  Whatever.
      What they were unprepared for was Taylor's testimony that one of his assistants overheard a telephone call between Gordon Sundland and tRump the day after the infamous call in which our president* demanded investigations into the "scandals" involving Joe Biden.   Taylor's assistant said he heard tRump demanding to know if the Ukrainian president was on board with the investigations.  Sundland told him he was.
      As Nicholas Kristoff noted in a column in today's NYT, if the manager of a Social Security office stopped payment of a widow's check and told her if she wanted it back she had to give him her husband's rare coin collection he would be subject to firing and a criminal investigation.  Why should the chief executive of our country be any different?

The circus come to town

     Live, televised impeachment hearings start today.   As a survivor of the Watergate hearings in 1973-74, I am somewhat surprised at the notoriety of today's open sessions.   My local paper plastered the information on the front page along with a "who's who" of the initial witnesses.  I don't recall the media being so attentive in the 70s until Watergate transformed political culture after the Nixon tapes were revealed.
     I think many people feel the tRump impeachment hearings are too partisan, with democrats saying the facts matter and republicans disputing the concept entirely.   Unfortunately, the same thing happened with Watergate.   There again, republicans rejected the entire premise until the actual tapes showed Nixon orchestrating the coverup of the break in at the DNC headquarters.  I believe that unless or until an audio of Cheetolini demanding the Ukrainians investigate the Bidens as a prerequiste for receiving  hundreds of millions of dollars of military aid is uncovered, these hearings will only harden the partisan divide.

Climate change and perception

    The urgent need to combat climate change will take another hit tonight.  According to the National Weather Service more than 200 locations across America will register new record low temperatures between now and Friday.   In the North Country we are expecting up to a foot of snow tonight, followed by  temps in the low single digits the following night.  That is more like a January forecast.
     What we will be told by our president* and his enablers is this is prima facie evidence that climate change is a hoax and if anything, we need to worry about a new ice age!  The fact the rest of the globe has been broiling all year and indeed, 2019 will probably go down as one of the hottest on record will have no significance to many Americans.   They will look at this cold blast as permission to drive gas guzzling pickups and continue business as usual.

Suffocating centrism

     Aside from the control of most traditional media by aging boomers, the singular ideology which unites the opinion shapers is a creepy centrism which treats the views held by a majority of Americans as unworthy.  
      One of the founders of Politico, which along with Morning Joe on MSNBC is seen as must consume media by Washington Insiders, confesses to a reporter at Vox that he has a bad case of centrism.   He reflexively dismisses populists like Bernie or Liz Warren precisely because they violate the tenets of the bipartisan fantasy centrists celebrate, even though they know it hasn't been in effect in over 40 years.
     The average American these pundits prefer is socially liberal and economically conservative.  According to polls, that label describes less than 4% of the public.  Many, if not most of us are either socially and economically liberal or in the case of many tRumpists, socially conservative and economically liberal.   Most of us don't fret over the national debt and are willing to fund things like the expansion of social security.   But media elites self identify with the wealthy establishment wisdom that debt is bad, social security is unsustainable and foreign wars are great.  Until someone like Sanders and/or Warren is elected, the best we can hope for is a return to the status quo pre tRump.   As someone who lived through the Clintons, Bushes and Obama eras, I believe that is not enough!

It's not OK Boomers

     Being of a certain age, I confess to not always being up on the latest slogans regarding the culture wars.   I'm certainly old enough to remember my generation's rallying cry, "Don't trust anyone over 30".   If that was a truism, I guess I can't even trust my youngest daughter, who passed that milestone last year.   But the latest generational rallying cry, "OK Boomer" is a little mystifying.
     Just like every generation that came before us, boomers include all classes, political outlooks and life experiences.   We are certainly not a monolithic bloc.  It pains me that quite possibly a majority of my fellow boomers are tRumpists, but it is not something I can do much about.   I see the angry facebook posts by my contemporaries and remember all the Archie Bunkers I had to deal with as I made my way in the post 60s world.
     Every generation has a large cohort which as it ages longs for a certainty that never existed in the imaginings of the youth they have lost.   They tend to be bitter and also support those of their generation who would demonize and disempower the following generation.   If each generation can remember that bit of "boomer" wisdom, perhaps they will not be so quick to criticize.

Truth and Consequences

    Even with a visit from tRump and state so deep red that republicans won every other state wide office, Matt Bevin was unable to eke out a win against Andy Beshear  and so Kentuckians elected a democrat governor of the state.
    Democrats may gloat about that victory, but it took an unusual set of circumstances for it to happen.   Bevin managed to alienate teachers, police and virtually every labor oriented organization.  He also tried to reverse and destroy the state's popular Obamacare clone, Kynect which was installed by the last democratic governor, Beshear's father, Steve.   Even  though he proved he is a thoroughly loathsome human being, Bevin still only lost by a half percent and will probably demand a recount.  Of course, his national avatar won the state by over 30 points in 2016, so any margin of defeat for Bevin is a stern rebuke.   I guess there are some lines even a tRump crazed electorate will not cross.
     In other election news, dems consolidated their hold in Virginia, winning both houses of the state legislature and effectively turning the state blue.    Despite gerrymanders, voter suppression and sundry dirty tricks, the handwriting is on the wall for all to see.

Looking for the new bogeyman

     Since the media and republicans can't seem to entice Hillary out of retirement, it looks like it's time to find another scary bogeywoman under our collective bed.   Step up Elizabeth Warren and show your socialist face!
       A new poll being brandished by the NYT supposedly shows Warren, as well as Bernie and Biden being toast in the same battleground states which gave Cheetolini his electoral college victory in 2016.    Since Warren is either leading the democratic gaggle or running second to Biden in most polls, she is the target of the MSM and republican leaning pundits.  There have been a flurry of op-ed pieces pointing out the flaws in many of her famous plans, but especially of  her Medicare for All details.
       It seems the mostly male opinion makers can't seem to deal with a strong woman who is fighting for structural changes which will cost them money.   Even tRump, with all his baggage would seem preferable to Warren's brand of enlightened capitalism according to many.   If Warren manages to win the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, look for an all out attempt by a "sorrowful" media to take her down.  Since the Pocahontas meme won't fly anymore and the latest trial balloon launched by the NYT regarding her work for corporations in the 80s died quickly, the search for an e-mail like scandal will jump into high gear.

Where we are

      With a few minor exceptions, the garden is rapidly approaching its seasonal end.   We finally had the killer frost which ended the galinsoga plague in the spinach patch.  Unfortunately, the dead leaves will weld themselves to the healthy spinach leaves, rendering them useless.  That will probably be  moot point as increasingly cold weather begins to damage even the collards and kale.  The torrential rains and wind we experienced last Thursday and Friday added to the stress on late season vegetables, so I guess it is time to turn the page and start looking for spring catalogs!
     Meanwhile, a couple of stories related to energy production caught my eye this morning.   Increasing oil production from Norway, Canada, Brasil and Indonesia will keep the price of the commodity stable or lower for at least a few years.   A second story about the increasing demand for oil from the countries of Southeast Asia in coming years sounds even more dire.   If we can't wean humanity from fossil fuels in the face of climate change, we may as well write our race's obituary.   It seems these nations are spending money of fossil fuel exploration instead of solar and wind research.  Why is this?

Moving the goalposts

     My local congresscritter, rising GOP star Elise Stefanik voted with every other republican in the House against the authorization of the rules for an impeachment inquiry.   This, after Stefanik has been echoing the party line which up until now was all about demanding the authorization vote.  Now, it is all about the chairmen of various committees "abusing" their power and limiting the rights of the minority.  What she really means is limiting the ability of republicans to turn the hearings into a media circus and discredit witnesses.  I'm sure if the chairman of the intelligence committee, Adam Schiff offered to step down in favor of Devin Nunes republicans may be satisfied.  Short of that outcome, they will keep moving the goalposts and nattering about process.  That is all they have, and unfortunately for American democracy it may be enough to prolong this farce of an administration for another year.

Alternate realities

     Those of us who choose a reality based world view are occasionally exposed to the alternatives offered by Faux News and other fantasy right wing sites.   Yesterday, Maria Bartiromo hosted another conspiracy author who confided the present impeachment process is a "secret rite" propagated by cult leader Nancy Pelosi and her lieutenant, Adam Schiff.  The very fact that this bonkers take on a legitimate congressional inquiry can get a national audience is a testament to the Bizzaro World many of our fellow Americans live in today.
     Speaking of alternate realities, the Washington Nationals overturned conventional World Series history by winning 4 games on the road, including the clinching game 7 in Houston.   The Nats have turned many of us into fans, including I'm sure many Montrealers who remember the team's previous incarnation as the Expos.

Baseball as metaphor

   We are six games into a World Series where the visiting team has won every game.  I don't know, but suppose this has never happened before.  I'm sure the stats people have looked it up and will gleefully let us know.  Game 7 could be a tight, well played thriller or a first inning blowout followed by 8 anticlimactic frames.  In either case, I will be sleeping by the time the winning team hoists the trophy.
     I started to write this post using the World Series as a metaphor for either the tRump reelection campaign or the democratic primary currently engaged in selecting a nominee to contest the election. on second thought, it looks like too much of a reach to compare the 2020 elections to a baseball game, although the four hour snoozers I have watched over the years do bear comparison to our convoluted election system.   The presidential sweepstakes has already been running for over a year.
     Cheetolini's effort to gain the approval of the Washington Nationals' fans the other night resulted in a resounding fail as a cascade of boos followed the announcement he was attending the game.  This was followed by chants of "lock him up".   Maybe baseball is a metaphor for the coming election after all.   I look forward to game 7 in both cases, but I am rooting for the first inning blowout in the political campaign.

Of boo-birds and human scum

     Conservatives and some democrats are clutching their pearls and taking to their fainting couches in the wake of the avalanche of boos the president* had to endure at game 5 of the World Series in D.C. the other night.
     Chants of "lock him up" also freaked out the commander in chief who obviously hasn't been at a public event outside of the partisan rallies which validate his ego driven presidency.   Of course the pundits who considered the same chant directed at Hillary Clinton during campaign rallies as tRump being tRump are now calling out anyone who applauds him getting the same treatment as hypocrites.  However, it seems to me that what is good for the goose is good for the gander.
     tRump's reference to anyone who doesn't love him as human scum is another low point (if it can get any lower) of this presidency.  As Michelle Goldberg writes in the NYT today, while it seems anyone who criticizes The Donald from inside the GOP is offering tepid condemnation at best, we should at least acknowledge the courage it takes to even hint the president* is sullying the office he holds and almost daily violating the oath he took in 2017.   While it is hard for me to sympathize with Mittens Romney, I will make the attempt.

Gardening update

    Another inch of rain over the weekend makes he happier than ever I planted my garlic between 1 and 2 weeks ago under much more clement conditions.  The present warm wet weather will give way later this week to cold wet weather and a few snowflakes on Halloween.   There is always a fear of planting garlic and other fall bulbs too early and seeing them sprout in November only to see them nipped by the winds and cold of winter.   I have become more sanguine about this risk in my old age, preferring comfort and risk to planting in frozen mud.  I will leave that delight to my brother Neil.
     We celebrated a slew of October birthdays at Casa Monzeglio last night.  There used to be a paucity of nativities in the 10th month, but the additions of Rick, Benny and Wyatt to the roster to go along with Natalie has made it much busier.  Congratulations to all the Birthday people!

The real silver bullet

      As virtually every pundit says at least once during presidential elections, "it's the economy, stupid".   No matter how personally repugnant the current occupant of the Oval Office may be, the conventional wisdom is if voters are feeling good about their economic prospects, they may feel tRump deserves another 4 years.
     Now comes a column by nobel laureate Paul Krugman which may throw cold water on the tRump campaign's supporters.   Krugman lays out the case that although the economy in general is still in pretty good shape, the president's* trade wars and erratic foreign policy is harming global growth and causing ripples in the key states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania which delivered the 2016 election to the GOP candidate by a collective margin of less than 75,000 votes.
     I am reminded of the economic argument by conversations with an obvious tRumper with whom I was playing golf last week.  Despite the unspoken rule that politics is a taboo subject on a golf course, this yahoo, who was a random addition to our foursome for a charity tournament averred that while The Donald may not be the nicest human on the planet, at least the economy was growing on his watch.   That may be the current perception, but the collapse of business confidence in the face of our erratic commander in chief's policies may overtake the rosy economic narrative by the late summer of 2020.   Combined with the probable impeachment of Cheetolini, even diehard republicans may have to revise their allegiance to this boil on the collective butt of America.

The fragility of democracy

     As demonstrated by the demise of such varied democracies as ancient Athens, Rome, the French Republic and the Wiemar republic in Germany, the vesting of actual governmental power in ordinary citizens through the exercise of the voting franchise is under constant attack.  The tRump administration is the latest example of how the powerful try to undermine democratic norms.
     A lawyer for the administration actually made the argument the president is above the law and immune from investigation or prosecution short of impeachment.  Meanwhile, the White House counsel is arguing the president* does not have to cooperate with an impeachment inquiry.   So, 243 years after starting a war to free ourselves from the tyranny of King George III, we are now witness to the spectacle of Cheetolini declaring himself a virtual monarch.   Coupled with his vague threats to delay the 2020 elections, we are now spectators to the slow motion implosion of American democracy.
     Now comes a court order compelling the administration to turn over documents related to the impeachment investigation.  Should tRump order non compliance with the order, we will have reached a crisis point.  The judicial branch has no ability to force compliance with court orders except through the DOJ.   That department, under William Barr is unlikely to do anything in this regard.  This is how democracies die.

Oxygen starvation

     As usual, the latest tales of malfeasance by the tRump administration are dominating news coverage to the exclusion of many stories of vital significance.   The confirmation by a career state department official that indeed a quid pro quo was operative in the Ukraine scandal has certainly ensured most other news will be blotted out for days if not weeks.  Similarly, the fight to get the release of The Donald's tax returns will soak up the efforts of many reporters who would ordinarily be covering news of climate change and a hundred other pressing problems facing humanity.
   

Eye of the storm

    From a democratic perspective, the events and revelations of the last couple of weeks concerning the malfeasance of the tRump administration have been a godsend.  In the wake of the Mueller report and it's author's refusal to say point blank in testimony before Congress that Cheetolini and his henchmen colluded with the Russians the party was in free fall.  Then tRump decided to up the ante by hijacking American foreign policy to facilitate his re-election.
    In addition, since most of the competent people in the administration have been forced out or resigned, the lickspittles who remain seemingly can't keep their stories straight.  So, impeachment must be a slam dunk.  Maybe, but I can't help feeling democrats are missing an opportunity.   Nancy Pelosi wants a "laser focused" investigation of the Ukraine scandal, excluding virtually all of tRump's other corrupt acts.  She says it will be simpler to make the case to the American people if the House concentrates on one scandal amidst the plethora of corruption.
    Many democrats feel a wide ranging investigation over a timeline which ignores the impending 2020 elections is the way to approach this opportunity.   A continuous avalanche of information recounting this corruption will peel away most thinking citizens, leaving The Donald with the cult following of roughly 30%.  These people would literally let their dear leader get away with murder.  However, their numbers are not enough to get him re-elected.

Seasonal dread

    As the gardening season winds down, the pleasure of harvest without continuous planting and weeding is balanced by the thought that soon Mother Nature will curtail all gardening activities.  I planted the rest of my garlic seed to avoid the possibility of an early freeze.  With the temperature right now registering a balmy 60 degrees with bright sunshine that fear seems unfounded.  But as a North Country resident for almost 19 years, I know the weather can turn in a heartbeat.  In 1972, according to Vermont public radio on this day, temperatures were in the low teens in Burlington and they never recovered from that.  Just sayin.....

When you have lost David Brooks...

     For those of you under 60, the title of this post recalls LBJ's anguished quote, "if I've lost Walter Cronkite, I've lost middle America" in reaction to the CBS news anchor's criticism of the Vietnam war in 1968.  Cronkite's criticism caused Johnson to not run for a 2nd term in 1968, paving the way for republicans to regain the White House after their landslide loss in 1964.
     Of course, David Brooks is no Walter Cronkite.  The latter had cachet among a wide swath of America.  His credibility was the gold standard at the time.  Brooks is a cranky right of center columnist for the NYT who specializes in pretending non partisanship while always skewering the democratic side of any issue.   I'm sure he is mostly ridiculed by the Faux News viewership of flyover America if anyone out there pays him any attention.   However, his column today is likely to be quoted on the moderate side of the right wing.  He anguishes over a hypothetical choice in the 2020 election between Cheetolini and Elizabeth Warren and comes down pretty firmly for Warren.
    There are many months to go before the nominating conventions, but the possibility of the dems nominating Warren has gone from a fringe dream to a valid possibility and if conservatives like Brooks are counseling a vote for a champion of the supposed far left, Warren can probably count on a least a half dozen votes from moderate republicans who actually read Brooks' column!

Waiting for clarity

     As a supporter and contributor to Elizabeth Warren's campaign, I was both gratified and somewhat puzzled by her performance in Tuesday night's debate.   As the frontrunner, she was the target of virtually everyone on the stage and for the most part she met the attacks with the insouciant confidence which inspires my support.
     However, on one issue that may be a harbinger she chose to deflect instead of clarify.   When asked by one of the moderators in typical "gotcha" type format whether she intends to raise taxes on the middle class in order to pay for her version of Medicare for All, she demurred and stated that costs would go up for the wealthy and corporations, but not for the middle class.   You can call this disingenuous or a polite answer to a loaded question, but I think in the long run, Warren will have to give explicit answers to this and other questions which will frame her candidacy.
      Yes, taxes will go up for many in the putative middle class, especially those with gold plated health care plans they obtain through their employers.   The flip side of this is that many more will see their out of pocket expenses and premiums go down.   The hard truth is in order to cover all Americans with decent health care, a significant percentage of us will pay more.
      Ms. Warren needs to tell us exactly how her plan will work for all of us in such a manner we will be inspired by the access we will all have to quality care.   The republican tactic will be to divide us on the basis of who will assume an extra burden in order to guarantee access for the less fortunate among us, much as they did when Bill and Hillary Clinton tried to reform the system in 1992-93.  I think there is a hunger in America for a populism which lifts and unites us instead of Cheetolini's version which encourages division.   Liz owes it to all of us to trust our better angels.

scary consensus

    At least according to the media, Liz Warren is the new front runner in the democratic primary race.   She certainly endured the most attacks.   Her fellow candidates seemed mostly to want her to admit she will raise middle class taxes in order to pay for Medicare for all.  That, or the horror of "kicking people off their private insurance".
    I  suppose this was inevitable, given the rise of Warren in the polls.  There is something about her earnest, folksy mannerisms and her rollout of a "plan for this" every week that encourages many democratic voters to believe we finally have a candidate to beat the incompetent buffoon who now inhabits the White House.  It is a little dispiriting however, when you realize that virtually every person on the debate stage last night would be a better president than Cheetolini and the only way they get to prove it is by attacking each other until the last man/woman standing.

Decisions

      Democrats in the House have been given plenty of cover to vote for the impeachment of Cheetolini by the recent testimony of the former ambassador to Ukraine and tRump's former chief advisor on Russian affairs.  Both Marie Yovanovitch and Fiona Hill blew the whistle on Rudy Giuliani's shadow foreign policy in Ukraine despite being instructed not to appear before Congress by the State Department and the White House.  To tRump's detractors they are hero's.  To his fans they are turncoats.
     The main thrust of both women's testimony (notice it is women who continue to defy the Orange Buffoon) is Giuliani had both the blessing of his client and somehow he acquired the means to spend extended time in Ukraine putting pressure on the government of that country to present the tRump campaign with dirt on Hunter and Joe Biden.  The fact it would be made up scandal seems not to have bothered either of the conspirators.
     It looks like a steady stream of witnesses have decided to violate the omerta demanded by the Oval Office.   We will probably be presented with blockbuster testimony on a daily basis as more and more career officials decide not to take one for Donny douchebag.   There remains only the vote for impeachment and the spectacle of republican congressmen soiling themselves as they try to justify votes for or against the trial of the president*.
      In other, more pressing news, I did decide to split the difference.   I planted half of my garlic seed yesterday and will wait 2 weeks to plant the rest of it.  That should be a real world trial of whether it is better to plant under optimum conditions or possibly be stuck jamming cloves into muddy, half frozen soil.   I am so not looking forward to the latter possibility.

To Plant or Not to plant

      It is a little early to be planting garlic in the North Country, at least now in the era of climate change.  A warm, wet spell from now until early November, such as we had in 2016 could cause the garlic to sprout.   Even a normal winter with some zero degree days would be enough to kill the sprouted plants.  However, with 2 inches of rain predicted on Wed. and Thursday and no warming predicted after, I think I will take the gamble and plant.
     Of course for me it is a double whammy.  We are planning to sell Casa Monzeglio sometime in the next few months and there is a real possibility all my work will ensure the new owner harvests a bumper crop of garlic.   I guess we will see how this plays out between now and next spring.  

What will it take

      Far too many of the blog posts I read on a regular basis are now speculating about the damage the president* may do to our democracy during a second term.   I know it is prudent to imagine a worst case scenario when it comes to the 2020 elections, but I wonder if the mere imagining of a second term for the orange buffoon gives oxygen to a campaign with a lead pillow on its face.
     Some of my conservative facebook friends were ecstatic over the story that Elizabeth Warren's claim she was let go at a teaching job in New Jersey in 1971 because she was pregnant was false (spoiler alert, it is true).  An interview with the principal at the time should clear up the controversy, but that is not the way tRump's true believers bought in to the story.   The fact their dear leader trains a fire hose of lies on the public every day of his presidency* means nothing.  Even the possibility of an opponent lying even once is enough to fuel their outrage.  I truly believe there is no smoking cannon large enough to dent their faith in Cheetolini.
     Meanwhile, the MSM continues to play the "both sides" card.   The NYT published an op-ed by the discredited hack Peter Schwiezer , the author of "Clinton Cash", claiming there is really a Biden scandal in the Ukraine.  With a feckless media on The Donald's side it makes me anxious for the future of this country.   As Paul Krugman points out in the same NYT, our only hope may be in the character flaws such as stupidity, laziness and an inability to admit he is wrong that tRump deals with every day of this nightmare presidency.

Facebooking our way to totalitarianism

     It seems Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook can be bought if you are willing to fork over $1.7 million a week for "fake news" ads targeting an increasingly credulous audience.  That is how much the tRump re-election campaign is paying Facebook.  In return, the social media giant is allowing the lies contained in these ads  to go unchecked and into circulation.  There they are liked, shared and passed on as truth by millions of the president's* poorly educated fans.
     Facebook claims this exception to their policy of not allowing obvious falsehoods in their ads is reserved for politicians, but it seems anyone with sufficient amounts of money can conjure their own reality and force the rest of us to share it.

The latest and the greatest

    The sectors of the media which cashes in on either opposition to or adoration of Cheetolini have been having a field day as new revelations about the administration's Ukraine policies waterfall over every other concern.   Followers of Rachel Maddow and Sean Hannity alike are treated to doomsday scenarios which involve usurpation of government by the left or the right.
    That is not, of course to argue that this is a "both sides do it" as the rest of the MSM likes to do.   The facts are overwhelmingly in favor of Maddow et al.   The transcript of tRump's call to the Ukrainian president, doctored though it probably was show not only an illegal attempt to obtain something of value from the Ukrainians, namely help to smear Joe Biden, tRump's supposed electoral challenger, but an obvious quid pro quo.  Our president* was threatening to  withhold military aid to the Ukraine until his request was fulfilled.
    The White House counsel has now sent an absurdly political document to Congress essentially saying the legislative branch cannot investigate the president because he stands above the law.  I think even Hannity might have trouble swallowing that minnow.  The impeachment process will now drag out into 2020 and republicans will howl that democrats are playing politics.  However, tRump knows this is his last refuge as more and more of those pesky, liberal leaning things known as facts undercut his defenses.

The new/old GOP

   As Paul Krugman and Jamaal Bouie point out in today's NYT, the republican party of today is not your father's or even your crazy uncle's GOP.   It has out crazyed the small government conservatives who voted for or at least tolerated the Bob Dole wing of the party.   Dole and others like him, while decrying democratic policies were at least willing to work across the aisle to pass needed legislation.  The give and take of politics drove both parties to at least occasionally work together for the common good.
     Fast forward to 2019.  The grim reaper of the Senate, Moscow Mitch McConnel has unilaterally killed any bill originating in Nancy Pelosi's House.  Meanwhile, the Senate has passed no legislation worth compromising.   They are too busy confirming arch conservative and in many cases unqualified judges to lifetime positions where they can block any  progressive agenda.
    This is the present day GOP.  As with any political party hanging on to power, the only way to get republicans to change is to defeat them convincingly at the ballot box.  As long as enough Americans like the policies the party represents; low taxes for the rich, an increasingly shredded social safety net and casual cruelty to immigrants and the poor, they will remain in power.

Weather or not

   Well, we flirted with our first frost of the season at Casa Monzeglio this weekend and it was a mixed result.  We were kissed, but not carried to the logical conclusion of the courtship.  The leaves on the last row of greenbeans were burned and the open zinnia flowers were singed, but otherwise the remaining crops in the garden were untouched.  Even the dread galinsoga weed, my personal plant thermometer was barely touched.  We are getting a fairly heavy rain this morning, but the rest of the week looks dry and will be a bit warmer which should help the broccoli continue to generate side shoots and bring on the last of the cauliflower.
    Meanwhile, we had a 21st century yard sale.  By that I mean I was treated to a lesson on how to generate interest in old junk and new!   As we sat and waited for customers for some of the larger items and some unopened treasures generated by the Divine Mrs. M's QVC addiction, my eldest daughter leaped into action and posted some items on facebook and local versions of same.   The posts generated immediate results and we were able to sell many items online instead of haggling with the yard sailors who would probably have snatched some merchandise at distressed prices and promptly offered it online.  Nevertheless, we probably averaged about 15 cents on the dollar overall.  It was better than hauling much of it to the local landfill, but it was 2 days of my life I'll never get back.   One customer asked us if we did this every weekend!  Now that is my idea of perdition.

Normalizing the unthinkable

    As most democrats face palm themselves and the MAGA crowd cheers him on, The Donald, fresh from a public meltdown has apparently doubled down on his impeachable conduct by calling for the Chinese to launch an investigation into the Biden family.  This comes after new information shows career diplomats were horrified by tRump's plan to extort the Ukrainian government's cooperation in smearing Biden by denying military aid needed to combat Russian aggression.
    It sure looks like Cheetolini has decided to test the infamous boast he mad during the republican primaries in 2016, claiming he could shoot someone in broad daylight on 5th Avenue and he would not lose support.  Now he is committing a breach of the public trust in front of reporters with the China gambit.   He knows the democrats have him on Ukraine gate with more evidence appearing every day.  By committing another crime in front of the nation he obviously is trying to normalize criminal conduct.   So far he is not succeeding.  Polls show a majority of Americans in favor of impeachment.
     While the ultimate aim of impeachment is removal from office, it would take a tsunami of republican voters turning away from the president* to convince GOP senators to vote for conviction.  This will not happen unless the economy continues to tank in coming months.  The party will continue to support this embarrassment of a presidency so long as the good times roll.  The worst part of this whole episode is how it lays out a blueprint for future demagogues to further erode the foundation of our democracy.

Whining past the graveyard

   The spittle flecked rage the world was treated to yesterday must look pretty alarming to our allies and enemies alike.   The president of Finland was in a front row seat as tRump put on a show for the national news, not to mention the dozens of deranged tweets he put up earlier in the day.
    As many pundits have noted, Cheetolini's default setting is outrage and his favorite attack mode is whining about the terrible treatment he is receiving from the media and congress.   No president has ever been treated as badly as he, despite the continuing fawning coverage by right wing media with the possible exception of the straight news division at Fox.  At least this is what he claims.  Barack Obama and certainly Hillary Clinton would beg to differ.
    Like a terrier with a rat in its mouth, Congress has the Ukrainegate scandal and it is not likely to let it go.   That means we will be treated to several months of self pity and aggrandizement by the tweeter in chief.  All the while, his staff and republicans in congress will have their fingers in the wind, measuring public reaction to the latest scandal du jour and plotting their own endgames.  It could get very lonely at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. by Christmas.

The coming crisis

     Unless our president* does something so outrageous it cannot be ignored we are headed toward an election night crisis in 2020.   The current Ukrainegate scandal barely registers with tRump's base and Moscow Mitch will make sure even if impeachment occurs, any trial in the Senate will be a farce.  That leaves a free and fair election as the only means of removing a manifestly unfit man from the most powerful position in the world.
     The latest talking points coming out of the White House and the deranged tweets by it's titular inhabitant posit more of the "deep state" cabal trying to illegitimately remove Cheetolini in another witch hunt.  More worrying of course is the thinly veiled threat that tRump will ignore election results if he loses and the possibility many republicans will continue their craven support even at that juncture.  Worse yet, with his tiny fingers on the levers of power, however ineptly, the possibility of rigged election results remains a viable scenario.
     While talk of a civil war fought in the streets of America on behalf of the orange buffoon seems wildly over the top (most of his most ardent supporters use walkers or electric scooters), the threat of armed conflict along with election rigging is enough to give pause to those who believe in American exceptionalism.

Hazy and Lazy

     In the universe of cable news there is a very clear dichotomy;  Faux News and its fellow travelers, Limbaugh and Breitbart posit the glorious reign of the benevolent Emperor tRump.   In this scenario, everything in the news is clear evidence Cheetolini is pure as driven snow and any dispute of this is virtual treason.   Most of the rest of cable is either posing as a neutral arbiter of the facts, ala Rachel Maddow, or making every fact fit a predetermined narrative as her following program host, Lawrence O'Donnell does.
     Most of the news junkies and politically active citizens fit into one camp or the other.  The rare bird who calls BS on both sides is the exception and there are few who do so on a consistent basis.  Facebook is full of people who post on both sides of every issue, but again, I think in most cases it is knee jerk conservatism or liberalism which motivates them.  Both sides aim to provoke tears of rage from each other.  Clarity and facts be damned.
    The trouble with both models is they premise a loyal audience willing to be disappointed again and again as  the narratives spun on a nightly basis fail to catch up with the prosaic reality.

Seasonal changes

     We crossed the North Country gardener's seasonal rubicon last week.   The autumnal equinox is particulary relevant in this area because first frosts in mountain hollows such as Saranac Lake are probably happening as I write this.  Meanwhile, most of the mid-atlantic states are waking up to temperatures in the 60s.   Due to a quirk in the climate change scenario, this area will keep the temperature status quo for at least a few more years than many other regions around the world.  Instead we will be dealing with excess rain and periodic drought.  This of course will lead many to believe there is no "global warming".
     The fall bounty continues unabated.  This is the time of year when the brassicas really shine.  Broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collards and cabbage are at or near their peaks.   Many people say their flavor is improved by a little frost.  Unfortunately, in this area there is usually no such thing as a "little" frost.  When the killer arrives it is likely to damage the growing points of most crops.  Growth stops and the season grinds to a halt.  Occasionally we will have an indian summer, but you can't count on it.
     I harvested most of the winter squash and got them under cover ahead of the wet weather we are promised for later in the week.   As I said earlier, instead of the traditional dry fall growers count on, we are likely to have a wet cold season leading into winter.  Bah, humbug!

Come Together

     On the 50th anniversary of the Beatles' Abbey Road album, Americans should take John and Paul's advice and "Come Together right now.  However, instead of "me", make the last word in the line tRump.
     While many in the media decry the latest push toward impeachment of the president* based on the whistleblower's revelation of tRump's attempt to corrupt and enlist a foreign government in his re-election campaign, I think this is an opportunity to repair out tattered national dialogue.   As the seriousness of his latest crime becomes ever more apparent, at least a sizable fraction of his remaining fans will conclude their support is wasted on this walking, talking locus of bad.  There is a certain percentage of deplorables who would support the Antichrist if doing so would induce liberal tears.  Even after the Watergate tapes were revealed, 25-30% of the public still supported Nixon.
    If 65-70% of Americans can agree tRump and the Republican party as presently constituted are a danger to democracy, we can remake Congress and the presidency in the next election.  With a democratic House and Senate, president Warren can make the big, structural changes necessary to reduce inequality, combat global warming and make America the ideal we all want to believe it to be.  Who knows, maybe a significant chunk of tRump supporters may come to appreciate a country where even their voices are heard.  

Walking and Chewing

    The old saw states we should be able to walk and chew gum at the same time.   However, when it comes to politics, it seems we are either walking or chewing, but not both at the same time.  As the political press and cable news ramp up their coverage of impeachment to a numbing barrage, it is fair to ask if they are not sucking the oxygen from other, more important stories.
     As one blogger pointed out today, Greta Thunberg's anguished plea to the UN to take climate change seriously has already flamed out of the news cycle.  The increasing pace of change in our climate should be front and center every day unless and until all national governments around the world are mobilized to do something about it.  The shiny bauble of tRump's impeachment has overwhelmed most of the coverage Thunberg managed to generate.
     I understand the urgency many feel toward impeaching and removing Cheetolini.  Perhaps getting him off the world stage will help generate more support for tackling climate change.  Unfortunately, the potential replacement, Mike Pence is arguably even worse than tRump to the degree he is even marginally more competent in carrying out the dismantling of government.
     What we need to do and demand from the media is multifocused coverage of the major issues of the day in order to educate the average American to the dangers which face our society.  The corruption of our government by the president* is important, but our future hangs in the balance and is rapidly tipping against us.  We need to do better...

The big shoe just dropped

     Now, the republicans and their dear leader have something to worry about.  They just pissed off Nancy Pelosi.   Announcing she supports an impeachment inquiry going forward means the gloves are off and she now considers tRump's behavior so egregious she is going against her political instincts to support the rule of law in this country.
     Although I don't think Cheetolini knew or planned his actions with the expectation of the Speaker's forbearance, much of his lawbreaking, from flouting the emoluments clause to obstruction of justice, has depended on Pelosi's calculation that impeachment was politically fraught for democrats.  Her first duty of course is to protect and defend the constitution, but in order to do so, she obviously felt she needed to protect vulnerable members facing re-election battles in districts tRump carried in 2016.
     She now feels the weight of her responsibility to the founders either outweighs the political situation, or the latest revelations about the Ukraine will build public support to hold the president* accountable.   Either way, she came to the only viable decision under the circumstances.  Now it is time to let the chips fall where they may.

The Sounds of Silence

     Most of the news and accompanying punditry this week, and for that matter throughout the tRump presidency*, have focused on the fecklessness of top democrats.  The question of why Nancy Pelosi will not endorse Cheetolini's impeachment is somehow seen as cosmically important and an indicator of democrats weakness in the face of obvious wrongdoing.
      The flip side of the coin is why are there no republicans calling for at least an inquiry into the latest flagrant corruption of this administration.   The breathtakingly transparent call to the Ukrainian president four days after freezing nearly $400 million in military aid to argue the corruption of Joe Biden's son must be investigated by Ukrainian prosecutors is a classic case of extortion.  tRump's argument that it is legitimate is redolent of Nixon's protestation that nothing the president does is illegal.
      If even a handful of GOPers break ranks and call for an investigation of the whistleblower's complaint regarding this call and presumably others, there would be no question of impeachment.   Paul Krugman in today's NYT argues republicans have sold themselves as super patriots for the last 50 years.  Now it is time for them to prove it or lose the right to call themselves the protectors of American democracy.

Can it get worse

    While virtually admitting he asked a foreign government to interfere in US elections, Cheetolini also said he did nothing wrong.   This bit of flaming falsehood was seized upon by his supporters in Congress to assail democrats and the "deep state" presumably for bringing up an inconvenient truth.

     If the whistleblower complaint alleging tRump pressured the leader of Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden's son's time as a lobbyist in that country is true, there is no question the president* must be impeached.  If, in addition, he offered the Ukrainian president a quid pro quo, he should also be imprisoned.

    Many have said this latest episode is the culmination of a long process of lying, enriching himself at government expense and pursuing policies which benefit himself instead of the nation he is supposedly leading.  I think this incident stands alone and should be used to make the party which has enabled this lawless scumbag to take responsibility for him.  Any republican who votes to acquit him should own their complicity in the destruction of American democracy.

Weather is wierd

      It has been a roller coaster of a weather season in the North Country as well as in much of the rest of the US.   It started much as the last couple of years have; wet and cool.  Planting, except for the most well drained soils was delayed until nearly June as rainy weather continued.  Then, Mother Nature turned off the spigot.  The initial wave of dry, warm weather was welcome and plantings picked up.  Residual moisture in heavier soils kept growth on track, but by the middle of August I was cautiously wishing for rain.   A couple of showers late in the month helped with late brassicas and spinach, but once again it is a little too dry as I write this.
     If I was a younger man with hopes of growing mixed veg in this area, I would be looking for extremely well drained soils with ample water for irrigation.  In the short term, climate change in this area means cool wet springs, hot, dry summers and so far at least dry autumns.   This regime may or may not be long term, but as someone once said, in the long term, we will all be dead.  

The T word

     Now comes a story which may even turn off some of the president's* base.  A government whistleblower is now saying tRump made a promise to a foreign leader in a telephone conversation that so unnerved the witness he or she felt they had to let someone know.   Speculation converges on a phone call Cheetolini made to Vladimir Putin on July 31 supposedly to offer help fighting Siberian wildfires.  
    So far, Trumpkins have ignored the boorishness, corruption and lawbreaking of our commander-in-chief.  However, violating and compromising the national interests and security of America in communication with a foreign adversary will resonate with at least some of his followers.  If this latest scandal encourages other witnesses of his corruption to come forward, it will further erode his support.  Coming on during the increased tensions with Iran, we can only hope the orange buffoon does not start a war to cover up his possibly treasonous acts with Putin.  

The Obstruction Presidency

     I'm sure Jerry Nadler knew what he was getting into when smarmy a**hole Corey Lewandowski agreed to appear before the House Judiciary committee.  Lewandowski, a former campaign chair for Cheetolini and aspiring politician himself was looking for a platform to launch his bid for the Senate seat in New Hampshire next year and was counting on this hearing to give him some impetus.
      I think both Nadler and Lewandowski got something and lost something in the exchange.  The democrats on the committee were treated to maximum obstruction from both the witness and their fellow legislators on the republican side.   Nadler faced numerous resolutions to end the hearing and Lewandowski was combative to the point of contempt for those asking about his errand to Jeff Sessions from tRump which was supposed to curtail the Russia investigation begun by Mueller.
     However, the hearing took a turn in a positive direction when the Committee's staff lawyer calmly pinned Lewandowski and forced him to admit his testimony to Mueller in which he admitted the president* had conspired to obstruct justice.   I doubt Lewandowski will appear again before Nadler unless subpoenaed and forced by court order to do so.
     Both sides will declare victory in the aftermath, but the final reckoning will not come before November 2020.  In the meantime, the obstruction will continue.

They haven't lost the playbook

     I am old enough to remember the Gulf of Tonkin incident which launched the US military into the Vietnam quagmire.   In 1965, we were already involved in South Vietnam, propping up a dictatorial regime opposed to the communists in the north.  We were handed this mess by the French who threw in the towel after Dien Bien Phu.
    President Lyndon Johnson went on national TV to report the North Vietnamese had treacherously attacked an American destroyer which was minding its own business in the aforementioned Gulf of Tonkin.  Popular sentiment was immediately swayed and the war was on.  No one asked the obvious question.   Why would the North Vietnamese attack the most powerful navy on the planet and engage that military against them when they were winning the war against the South by attrition.
     This same scenario is playing out in real time right now, only this time it is the Iranians.  Why would they launch an attack against an American ally from their own soil and virtually ensure a hostile military response from the US.  It made no sense in 1965 and it makes no sense in 2019, unless war is what our government desires.

Lies and the lying liars, etc.

      Once again, the tRump administration tops itself in the race to become the prevarication champion of all time.   Now it is alleged Brett Kavanaugh lied his way into a lifetime sinecure on the Supreme Court.    Kavanaugh strenuously denied thrusting his penis at a woman at a drunken party at his alma mater, Yale in the mid 80s.   It seems the FBI somehow made a cursory effort to check out the charge, but refused to interview several attendees at the party who would have confirmed Deborah Ramirez's account.
    Another episode of genital waving was also uncovered and again, the FBI was held back from a complete investigation of the charges.  In a new book, two authors trace these allegations and the government's refusal to take them seriously, especially in light of Christine Blasey Ford's accusations of sexual assault against Kavanaugh.
     It would seem the nominee was being protected from charges which in combination with the Ford testimony would have surely sunk his confirmation and possibly resulted in reputational disgrace.   I guess being a white man of a certain age bestows immunity for sexual impropriety, especially with a president* whose own profligacy in this regard seems to pay no price.   Some democrats are calling for Kavanaugh's impeachment, but the Faux News and Breitbart audiences will probably never hear any of the new evidence, much less believe it.   Once again, lying seems to be the key to advancement in our present political situation.

A little more clarity

     10 people on stage for a one night only debate made for more clarity than the previous 2 night free-for-alls with candidates having no legitimate shot at the presidency clogging the stages.  Personally, I think the criteria for entering the next debate should be tougher yet, enabling us to winnow the field at a faster pace.
      I was able to watch the entire process last night and was surprised the team from ABC asked better questions and managed to keep the debate mostly on track.  I didn't watch the post mortems, as I prefer my own take on the candidates as opposed to that of hacks like Chris Matthews.   As I watched Julian Castro take on Joe Biden's age by accusing the 76 year old of forgetting the answer he gave to a question regarding health care, I felt it was a legitimate stab at the issue.  The pearl clutcher brigade was out in full force this morning decrying Castro.  I don't think it will play out that way.  The average voter has qualms about Biden's age and many of us were looking for someone to call attention to the issue.
    In general, I don't think anyone will move very much in the polls based on this debate, but it did serve to normalize the presence of women and minorities on the stage as equals to the white men who have dominated presidential politics.  Elizabeth Warren in particular came off as cool and collected as she answered every question without hesitation.   she is rapidly emerging as the new standard bearer for the progressive faction of the party and will likely make the left wing a more accessible place for democrats than Bernie Sanders has been able to.
     The primaries are still in the future, so there is plenty of time for a new front runner to emerge, but it will take more than a couple of hours on stage for it to happen.