Full time projection

      House Republicans stepped on the proverbial rake once again.   In their first day of hearings on Hunter Biden's laptop, a House Committee accused Twitter of bending to White House pressure and taking down tweets relating to the infamous laptop, only to learn the social media site routinely took down tweets at the request of tRump, Kevin McCarthy, Elise Stefanik and other Republicans during the administration of the twice impeached former guy.  I have a feeling more disappointment is in store for the doughty GOP warriors as they continue their assault on the present administration.

Longevity

       On a night when LeBron James surpassed Kareem Abdul Jabbar as the NBA's all time scoring leader, Joe Biden flaunted his longevity in his State of the Union  Address.   At one point, Biden told his audience he has served longer in the legislative and executive branches than any of them.   Meanwhile, at 38 years old, King James appears nowhere near done as far as his career goes.  If he plays until he turns 42 as Jabbar did, he will probably own most all time NBA records.

     Biden seemed at ease as he bantered with Republicans as they heckled him for pointing out truths they would rather forget.   In particular, Empty G kept yelling "Liar" even after Biden invited her to "check it out''.   This is the new face of the GOP.   The SOTU is a bully pulpit for the president and Biden used it to his advantage.  Like James, Biden, despite a few lapses continues to play the game at a high level.

In a state of wonder

       For a majority of Americans, tonight's State of the Union address by president Biden is a big nothingburger, tying up the major TV networks and providing Cable news with a blizzard of hot takes on Biden and his administration.  For political junkies, a far smaller subset of the population, the SOTU is an opportunity to read the entrails of whatever Biden says.  

      Will the president run for reelection?  Will he criticize the Supreme Court?  Will he negotiate with House Republicans?  Inquiring minds want to know.   While i can't say I'll be hanging on every word, I will spend the evening getting my political fix.

It's no wonder

       The white supremacist wing of the Republican party continues its campaign to whitewash American history, at least in states with a GOP trifecta.   Florida and Ron DeSantis have become the poster children of this effort.

       It is understandable that DeSantis and his ilk would go after the teaching of history in the US.   Whites in America have a dismal record on race relations from the very beginning of settlement in North and South America.   Slavery began in 1619 and the genocide of native Americans not too much later.  In the west, aside from wiping out the indigenous population, whites turned their attention to Chinese immigrants with widespread violence from the 1840s through the 1920s  with sporadic outbreaks to the present day.

     Let's not forget the hatred and violence toward white immigrants from Ireland, Italy and eastern Europe.   Now, black and brown migrants looking to a better life for themselves and their families have attracted a fresh wave of hatred.   Especially troubling is the hate on this latest wave of immigrants from their precedents.   People previously scorned as "Micks", "Wops" and "Polacks" are among the most fervent opponents of today's immigrants.

     All in all, it is a sordid history which many white supremacists would like to wipe from our collective memories.   History needs to be taught without fear or favor if we would learn from our continuous failures towards the "other", whether they be white, black, brown, red or yellow.

Cold enough for you?

       It's -5 degrees F as I write this and most local schools have declared a 3 day weekend.  With a moderate breeze, the wind chill is -15 and exposed skin will be frostbitten in 10 minutes or less.  I remember when we first moved to the north country when the temperatures remained at or below zero for up to a week and there was no school holidays.  I know, my next assertion is the kids walked to school in flip flops and tank tops.   But seriously, it would seem we are getting softer in this era of climate change.

Move over Brett

       Well, it looks like Tom Brady has retired again.  I expect an unretirement announcement sometime during the offseason for football.   As the Super Bowl hype machine prepares to go into overdrive during the next 10 days, Brady's retirement will flush out several teams who will offer him stupid money to play for them next season.   So, somewhere around June, Brady will do the Brett Favre thing and unretire, possibly for the last time!

Fighting the last war, again

        Inflation hawks, led by people like former treasury secretary  Larry Summers don't seem to believe that inflation can be reduced unless plenty of ordinary people suffer through an extended period of economic suffering.  Even as key economic indicators show inflation nearing the Federal Reserve's target of 2 percent there are calls for more interest rate hikes.  Many, if not most of the loudest voices in the debate lived through the stagflation of the 1970s.  They seem hell bent on living out the Paul Volcker fantasy of high unemployment and layoffs to crush inflation.  What they don't seem to realize is the battlefield has changed, but their strategy remains the same.