Relativity

       There appeared to be a number of topics in the news today that provide ample scope for a short blog piece.   Solar panels used in tandem with agriculture; the LIV golf tour sponsored by Saudi Arabia; the latest on the Select Committee and its subpoena of Pat Cippolone the former White House counsel; the ongoing erosion of Constitutional rights under the Roberts court.  One thing I noticed about all of these topics is the "he said, she said" way they were written about.

       Yes, mixing solar panels and traditional agriculture would seem a no brainer and fiscally and environmentally it is.  However, NIMBYism raises its ugly head wherever the hybrid is tried.   LIV golf (The LIV is Roman numerals for 54, the number of holes played in one of the Saudi sponsored tournaments, is another seemingly easy target.  Opposing anything Saudi Arabia is attempting to "sportswash" would be easy except when you start analyzing the monopoly PGA tour which stands in opposition.

     It's a lot easier to root for the Select Committee's exploration of the tRump administration's involvement in the January 6 insurrection, unless you are a devoted fan of right wing news.   Finally, an even less likely object of affection, the Roberts Court still seems to find a few defenders who point to the hallowed traditions of the court.  This the same institution which gave us the Dred Scott decision, Plessy vs. Ferguson and other reactionary decisions too numerous to get into.   But wait, even this radical collection of justices who by a 6-3 margin would have us move back to the dawn of the 19th century has a few defenders.   What is a blogger to do?

Truth and reality

      It's almost laughable the fate of democracy in America may be on the shoulders of a 25 year old woman who was inside the room on the days leading up to the January  6 insurrection.   Her testimony to the Select Committee was poised and believable.  For those of us who have always seen tRump for what he is; a gutless mountebank who would flush democracy down the drain to retain power, Cassady Hutchinson's testimony was an anti-climax.  For the tRump faithful, it was heresy.   For the rest of the country, perhaps it was a revelation.

    How someone of her tender age became involved in the highest circles of Republican politics is a story that should be written.   Certainly her looks did not hurt her.   Powerful older men have always sought the company of beautiful young women and in the tRump administration it was follow the leader.  Nevertheless, Ms. Hutchinson did what few others have.   She guided us through the frightening prologue to January 6 and the chaos of the day itself.

    Now, Mark Meadows, tRump's Chief of Staff holds the fate of the Dear Leader in his hands.  Will he have the guts of Cassady Hutchinson and testify, or will he be just another lackey who winds up under the bus.

The GOP and the KKK

       The invaluable Paul Krugman in today's NYT, makes a very apt comparison of the modern day Republican party and the Ku Klux Klan revival in the 1920s.  While the KKK never had the reach and respectability of the GOP, it did control several state legislatures until the Great Depression.  Extremist movements are usually founded and flourish during economic hard times.  Yet the KKK reached the height of its popularity during the Roaring 20s.

     Krugman's take is the modern day GOP resembles and imitates regimes such as Victor Orban's Hungary and Erdogan's Turkey more than they do the center right parties in most of Europe.  Whipping up rural and ethnically white conservatives against immigrants with a combination of ethnic nationalism and anti science rhetoric is the common currency of authoritarians in this country and the aforementioned Orban and Erdogan.

     The KKK fell into irrelevance because it had no policies to deal with the Depression.  Roosevelt rallied most people with a vision of an inclusive and democratic America (if you weren't black or brown skinned) and we narrowly avoided the fascism which overtook Germany in the 1930s.   

     Today's Republican party, especially in the wake of the Dobbs decision by the Supreme Court, cannot be reasoned with, concludes Krugman.   It can only be defeated at the ballot box by the forces of democracy.

Why do we keep making the same mistakes

        After the dust settled from the Supreme Court's egregious yet expected ruling on Dobbs, it seems everyone has at least one contrarian take on abortion and what our society owes women as regards reproductive health care.   I can't help but compare the debate over abortion to the fight over drinking in the early 20th century which led to Prohibition.   

      Both the pro-life movement and the anti-drinking forces represented small minorities who implacably opposed fairly popular policies.   Working behind the scenes as well as in national campaigns, proponents were able to convince state lawmakers to implement policies which in the case of Prohibition led to mob control of alcohol production and distribution.  The Supremes have now set the stage for a nationwide ban on abortion which could conceivably spark another civil war between blue and red states.

     In both cases, politicians felt they could control the movements which supported them.  Prohibition and now pro-life have proved them wrong.  Politicians reacted like the proverbial dog who caught the car.   They were and are unsure what to do next.   Thousands died during Prohibition due to a band of zealots taking over the system.   Thousands will die in coming years due to another band of true believers.  Why do we have to repeat the mistakes history shows us are avoidable?

Chipping away

       Despite the naysaying pundits who predicted the January 6 Select Committee's open hearings would be a bust, the ratings have been much better than most people expected.   While there hasn't been a single blockbuster revelation, the committee has tied together a consistent narrative implicating Republicans at the highest levels of the administration.   Also, according to committee chairman, Benny Thompson, the success of the hearings has encouraged many more potential witnesses to come forward.

     Even viewers of Faux news are seeing some of the non prime time hearings and a majority of Americans in the latest polls feel tRump is at least partly responsible for the chaos surrounding January 6.  I'm not holding my breath, but for the first time in a long while I'm thinking it's possible the failed former president may actually be held to account for plotting the end of democracy in America.

Smoking gun?

       The January 6 committee has subpoenaed a British documentary film maker who recorded hours  of footage of the tRump campaign from September 2020 through the events of January 6, 2021 and into the final days of the administration of the failed former president.   Of course, my initial reaction to the news was it's probably a nothingburger.   After all, who would record details of a scheme to break the law?  Oh, wait...

Sriracha sauce and climate change

      David Tran, the largest maker of a popular Vietnamese condiment, sriracha sauce is warning customers he will have to take a hiatus from production from early April until September.   The reason is a catastrophic failure of his Mexican suppliers crops of chili peppers due to drought in northern Mexico.   The same drought is affecting his California suppliers, so his prediction of a resumption in production later this year may be wishful thinking.

     Most people do not know that a sizable percentage of America's winter vegetable supply originates in Mexico.   Thanks to low labor costs, irrigation projects and gringo know how, delicacies like asparagus which once graced our tables for a brief period in the spring are now a 12 month staple in the produce aisle.   Now as a mega drought threatens production in the American and Mexican west, everything from avocados to zucchini will become more dear as production of winter vegetables shifts back to places like Florida.  

     The southeast will also face challenges to production as climate change, population growth and the retirement of a generation of farmers threatens the area's ability to meet our demand for winter vegetables.  Hot sauce may indeed be the canary in the coal mine when it comes to vegetable production.

      Even once bustling seasonal producing areas like the northeast and midwest will deal with droughts, floods and other obstacles.   Much of the farming infrastructure in these areas has gone by the wayside as California has overwhelmed its eastern competition with supplies of cheap vegetables in the summer months.  That advantage may be coming to an end with the advent of $7.00/gallon diesel.  However, as many farmers age out of the system, their replacements are for the most part boutique growers with small acreage catering to an upscale clientele.   I believe in the not too distant future, fresh vegetables may become the prerogative of the rich.

An uncivil war

        Eric Greitens, disgraced former Missouri governor and candidate for the US Senate started running an ad showing him in Navy Seal regalia, armed with a shotgun and surrounded by a thuggish looking crew.   He says he is RINO hunting and brags there is no bag or tag limit and he will continue the hunt until America is safe.  I guess he is referring to the pernicious influence of normal members of the GOP if there is such a thing.

     During his tenure as governor, Greitens was accused by a former mistress of sexually abusing her and photographing the abuse.  His wife also accused him of abusing her and the couple's children.  This led to his impeachment and removal from office.   I wonder how many of those legislators would vote against a man who clearly has left his senses and would probably threaten them with weapons.   I don't know if he violated any Federal laws in the making and distribution of this ad, but I hope some jurisdiction will hold him responsible for this hate filled manifesto.

     We are rapidly sliding into an abyss where violence against fellow citizens will not only be condoned, but encouraged.    The national leaders of the GOP would in the ordinary course of events be expected to condemn Greiten's ad and call for his ouster from the party.  However, the inmates seem to have taken over the asylum.   I'm afraid someone will take this nut's ravings seriously.  Dog help us all.

Lions and tigers and bears

       In today's NYT, columnist Ezra Klein uses 3 seemingly unrelated stories in the news to illustrate how hard it is to relate to each as a present day happening.   UFOs have been more of a funny page happening than serious news for a long time.  Each generation comes up with a new explanation to explain the enduring fascination with aliens.   Now, the government seems to be willing to provide evidence that can be interpreted  as proof that something we don't fully understand is out there looking us over.

      Klein's second present day story which is hard to keep in the present tense is the recent claim by a google engineer that he believes a program the company has developed has achieved sentience.   The engineer was promptly suspended by Google, but the debate about AI has heated up again.   Here also, it is hard not to jump ahead and speculate on the impact of this new technology.  AI done right would be the most significant achievement in human history.  However, like so many other technological breakthroughs throughout history the downsides of computer sentience are formidable.  Thus as Klein sees it, we are taking our eyes off the ball and vaulting into speculation.

      Finally, he presents the hearings by the January 6 committee as the final piece of present day information which is hard to keep in the the present tense.    The evidence speaks for itself, but once again, most of us will leap to various conclusions based on our own biases.   As Klein puts it, things are weirder than we know.

What it is ain't exactly clear

       I have to admit I started to doze off as retired judge, Michael Luttig, droned on and on about competing theories as to the meaning of the 12th amendment.  He ultimately opined John Eastman's bogus reading of the statute would never hold up in court, but by that time, most of his audience was probably snoring.

      As Chris Hayes on MSNBC pointed out, Eastman, et al. had hit on an interpretation of the Electoral Count Act which would allow the Vice-President to unilaterally decide to disallow "disputed" slates of electors and merely count those he agreed with.   In a phone call with tRump several days before the ceremonial counting of the certified electoral votes, Pence admitted he desparately sought legal justification to carry out his Cheeto Jesus' instructions, but was unable to find a fig leaf of legal jurisprudence to cover his perfidy.

     It seems, based on the Committee's findings, we came perilously close to seeing the failed former president becoming a dictator for life.  This with the full support of one of our two political parties.  I can't wait for what the next hearing will reveal.

How does he do it

       The January 6 Committee has put together a pretty damning report on the events leading up to the insurrection on that date.  tRump was at the heart of it, taking advice from anyone with an idea of how to overturn a free and fair election.   Yet, among a sizable percentage of the population, the man can do no wrong.  The surest way to get Facebook flamed by tRumpists is to doubt the Big Lie of a stolen election.

      Why do so many people who are otherwise thoughtful citizens get so worked up if anyone casts doubt on Cheeto Jesus' motives?   I have said this before, but it bears repeating.  The Donald seems to articulate the victimization felt by so many of his followers.   To question the motives of a racist, misogynistic, patriarchal idiot is to throw into doubt the entire belief system of his followers.   He has given them permission to let their freak flag fly and they will back him in the face of the many crimes he will soon be called to account.

New Horizons

       I finished bundling the Divine Mrs. M and her sister into the family car for a jaunt to North Carolina and a meeting of the Jane Austin Society of North America (JASNA).  Who knew such an organization  existed, let alone have a large membership throughout the continent.   Jane Austin was a proto feminist and writer in the early 19th century, author of I think 8 novels which seem to have captured the imagination of many women of a certain age.   Much as men like to dress up and recreate Revolutionary and Civil War battles, women in JASNA dress up in period costumes and relive elaborate teas, dances and other activities associated with the lifestyle of early 18th century England.

     Many of these women live and breathe the Jane Austin era here in 21st century America.    It's not for the faint of heart and/or the light of pocketbook or reticule as the case may be.  As we as a people live longer, there is a need for activities such as this.   JASNA may appear frivolous from the outside, but it fills a need.   We are social animals and as such we seek out those who share our outlook.   Much as I have said golfers as a group are trustworthy and likable, so it appears to me are the "Janites".   Long may they live!!

The media's ADD problem

        If I didn't know better, after sampling a few media outlets this morning, I would guess the war in Ukraine is over.  Literally months of 24/7 coverage of the war seems to have ended with first inflation, then the January 6 investigation, then the horrendous school and supermarket shootings taking all of our attention.   The aforementioned issues will quickly be subsumed by the media's quest for the next new thing which will keep us consuming their commercial messages.

      Once upon a time, the priority of news coverage was decided by a few news editors and TV anchors.  These men generally agreed on the importance of a given story and all of them came within a whisper of each other's coverage.   There is no one center of influence today.  We seem to be dragged in different directions by the most sensational story on any given day, only to drop that narrative as soon as another, more "urgent" one comes along.

    Maybe I am at an age where the multitude of media outlets and their constant roar makes me long for the simplicity of the 60s and 70s, at least as far as the gathering and broadcast of the news goes.

Deja vu all over again

        To those of us who depend on mainstream and legacy media for information last night's public hearing by the January 6 Committee seemed a little like a rerun.   Aside from a slickly produced video showing the insurrection occurring  in chronological order with some never before shown snippets of extreme violence, the committee and especially Liz Cheney laid out the case against tRump and his henchman for trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

     The Committee's members have said they will prove their case against the failed former president.  Rupert Murdoch and Faux News must believe Bennie Thompson et al have the goods.   The network aired Tucker Carlson's nine o'clock show without commercials as if they were afraid their viewers might switch to the other major networks who were covering the hearings.  

     Of course these hearings are all about convincing the tiny sliver of voters who have not yet made up their minds regarding tRump's guilt.  For the rest of us, these hearings will confirm what we already believe.

refreshing the tree

        Thomas Jefferson famously once wrote, "The tree of liberty must occasionally be refreshed with the blood of patriots and tyrants".   He was referring to Shay's Rebellion in Massachusetts.   In 1786-87, a group of disgruntled farmers and revolutionary war veterans too up arms to protest confiscatory laws which they believed benefitted the governor's cronies.   The rebellion was put down by a private army financed by said cronies.  Writing from his post as ambassador to France, Jefferson sympathized with the rebels and provided the now famous quote which is used to justify many different agendas.

      Most recently, the tree of liberty quote has been used by gun rights groups to justify the sale of military grade weapons to civilians.   It seems we must now refresh the tree with the blood of children.

Tut tutting as an art form

        Maybe because a contrarian take on the news is always popular, many pundits have written off the House Select Committee' s public hearings on the January 6 insurrection in advance.  Their reasoning runs the gamut from public indifference to the outright hostility of Fox news to any coverage at all.  The latter means millions of citizens who already believe the big lie about the 2020 elections will never have a chance to compare tRump world's propaganda with truth.

      As one pundit concluded, in our fractured media universe, most people consume the stories they agree with and rarely venture onto other platforms to sample opposing views, much less compare the different versions of the same story.  For those who grew up in the 50s through the 90s, the three major networks, ABC, CBS and NBC held a monopoly on the stories of the day.   With the advent of Faux News in the late 90s, right wing grievance became the network's daily dish.   The proliferation of social media from 2000 and on further split the media's influence.  

     If a democratic polity can't agree on the facts, I'm not sure of the future of democracy.  

The walls are closing in

      tRump seems to be on the proverbial ropes as the second half of the year approaches.  Civil suits in New York, a renewed investigation by the DOJ in Washington and perhaps most dangerous of all, the investigation by the Fulton County District Attorney into the failed former president's call to Georgia Secretary of State, Brad Raffensberger to pressure him to "find" enough votes to overturn the election in that state.

     Donnie Two Scoops has evaded the law up until this point, but the investigations outlined above seem designed to at the very least embroil him in the justice system in the run up to the 2024 election.  The House Select Committee investigating  the January 6 insurrection is about to hold public hearings about the events leading up to the mob violence designed to nullify a free and fair election.  Most of the people who need to hear the Committe's report will avoid it since it conflicts with their prejudices.  Let's hope the legal system and public opinion will finally bring tRump to justice.

Fantasy Politics

       In today's NYT, Josh Marshall, the editor of Talking Points Memo, says the Democrats can retain their majority in the House and increase it in the Senate if they will only pledge to codify Roe vs. Wade and make it law.   Marshall is a persuasive writer, but I think he has drunk the Capitol Kool-Aid if he believes there are enough voters who will make abortion their number one issue in the coming elections and vote with the fervor the other side will surely muster.

     With the specter of inflation front and center in the media, the price of a gallon of gasoline is liable to be more on many people's minds than reproductive rights for women.   Democrats must cater to a big tent party with dozens of issues competing for voter attention.  Climate change, gun regulation, inflation, LgBTQ rights are just a few of the issues competing for voter attention.  Then there is the notorious drop off in Dem voter participation in off year elections.  Many voters seem to muster up the ambition to do their civic duty only in presidential election years.

      Marshall makes the point Democrats must pledge if voters give them a majority in the House and at least 52 Democrats in the Senate they will break the filibuster to pass Roe legislation.  It seems like a steep uphill climb, but perhaps the only path to electoral success.   At least Marshall doesn't counsel giving up!

Intergenerational trauma

       Most baby boomers have very vivid memories off "duck and cover" drills in school during the late 1950s and 60s.   The threat of nuclear war was existential, but for those of us in grammar school the drills were a respite from schoolwork.   I certainly never imagined a nuclear explosion sweeping away Sister Esther's 1st and 2nd grade classes.  Fortunately we never experienced WW 3.

      Cut to the present day.  My grandchildren are now participating in "live shooter drills" in preparation for the invasion of their school by a deranged 18 year old with hurt feelings who will execute them with a weapon of war.   Knowing them, i doubt these 5-7 year olds really believe such a monster will really appear in Peru, New York, much less kill them or their friends.   I'm sure the children in Uvalde felt the same way right up until they were slaughtered.

     The solution to the present crisis is presented in almost every advanced nation but ours.  It is hard to buy firearms of any type in Europe.  Canada has just started the process of banning handguns in the general population.   It is time to start the same conversations here.  

Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl...

       Turning on the TV this morning was an invitation to Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebration.   For the networks, it is hours of free programming.   Lots of men in ersatz bearskin shakos and regiments of horsemen parading before Buckingham palace is fun and a spectacle.  The sheer longevity of the Queen's reign is notable in today's ephemeral world.

      The popularity of the monarchy in England has been up and down over the centuries.  However, for every Queen Victoria or Elizabeth there is an Edward or a Harry who chased American commoners to the dismay of the populace.   What the enduring charm of the monarchy means is that the average person in the english speaking world likes the idea of a supposedly powerful leader swathed in the insular pomp of royalty.  Witness the use of the word Camelot to describe the Kennedy presidency.  As long as it costs the average person little actual money to support a monarchy she will do so.  Long live the Queen!!

Molehills and mountains

        tRumpers finally got their trial of the century.   After 3 years of digging by special prosecutor John Durham, his office finally indicted Michael Sussman on one count of lying to the FBI.   After 6 hours of deliberation, a jury found him not guilty.  If he was leading with his best case, Durham is truly between a rock and a very hard place.   Fox news and the failed former president  (twice impeached) advertised Durham's investigation as the proof that Robert Mueller's probe of tRump's campaign's ties to Russia was a massive hoax.  It would seem there was less to Durham than meets the eye.

      Meanwhile, tRump is now claiming voter fraud after Georgia governor Brian Kemp beat tRump's endorsed candidate by more than 50 points.   This should give his supporters pause when he claims the 2020 election was "rigged".