Countdown to disaster

After a wet weekend, we endured on and off showers yesterday.  The wet conditions have steadily worsened prospects for many crops.  The saturated soils and cloudy weather have slowed the warm weather crops to a crawl.  My main crop of tomatoes, planted on heavy soil is barely holding its own and with more showers expected throughout the week I am not too optimistic.  The peppers are likewise in dire straits.  The cool weather lovers, carrots, beets, chard and lettuce are still doing well, but pretty soon, rice will be the only thing thriving in this weather regime.

Myth and Reality

While we all cheered and felt a profound sense of relief when the second escapee from the Clinton Correctional Facility was captured on Sunday, I think in a small, dark corner of our minds, there was disappointment.  The myth of the convicted felon with the heart of gold, represented in movies notably by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid holds a strange appeal for many in the baby boom generation.  The spectacle of literally thousands of law enforcement officials scouring the North Country for 2 convicted killers fired up the meme of the plucky convicts on the lam against overwhelming odds.  The fact no civilians were harmed or even threatened by Matt and Sweat also shifted sentiment.  Of course, we know that Bonnie and Clyde, John Dillinger and the aforementioned Cassidy and the Kid went down in a hail of police bullets, but it doesn't make their stories any less compelling.  There are probably dozens of word processors whirring as I write these words as screenwriters begin the process of turning the events of the past three weeks into a movie.

The triumph of reason

It would seem that Chief Justice John Roberts and President Obama will have a common legacy in years to come.  Roberts is probably the single biggest defender of the ACA, aka Obamacare and the key to the latest victory over the conservative challengers of the law's legitimacy.  By broadening the Court's decision to prevent further lawsuits based on grammar and focusing on the law's intent, Roberts essentially said the future of the ACA will be decided by the legislative branch of the government, not an activist judiciary.  Of course, Antonin Scalia's head exploded!  As Paul Krugman points out in today's NYT, the law has worked much better than its proponents hoped and its detractors feared.  The same idiots on the right (I'm talking to you, Ted Cruz) who are still calling for repeal would have been in the forefront of the battle to kill Social Security in the 1930s and Medicare in the 60s.  Within a few years, I predict we will move toward universal coverage and eventually single payer health care, or Medicare for all.  As Social Security and Medicare helped make the last years of life more secure for seniors, Obamacare will take away some of the anxiety for the rest of the population.   Expect to see the following slogan at future Tea Party rallies;  "Keep your hands off my Obamacare"....

Dunces in the Confederacy

The breathtaking speed with which symbols of the Confederacy are being attacked and removed from view has taken many racist bigots by surprise.   As usual, Rush Limbaugh is leading the charge from the right.  Condemning those who would tarnish the reputation of the treasonous secession of the 11 southern states, Limbaugh seemingly has never encountered a hateful meme he didn't like.  As many have pointed out, the major reason for secession was the fear that a President Lincoln administration would chip away at the institution of slavery and eventually end the practice of one human being owning another.  Though many poor whites in the south never owned slaves and fought under the stars and bars for various reasons, it remains true that the elites broke away from the United States because they wished to preserve the economic system enabled by slavery.  The present day nostalgia for the Confederacy is mystifying to me.  While the provocation provided by the addled Mr. Roof has resulted in a new debate regarding the Civil War, I can only hope it continues until even the diehards realize their ancestors fought and died for a despicable cause, despite the heroism many exhibited while fighting and dying for it. 

Monsoon Blues

I could have emptied the rain gauge again last night, but the effort would have been profoundly depressing, so I ignored it.  We have had roughly 5 inches of rain in the last three weeks and the soils in this area are saturated.  The heavier soils need at least a week or two of dry weather to get into shape to allow me to stand on them, let alone plant, weed or harvest.   The corn is turning yellow, the tomatoes are drowning and most of the rest of the plantings in the back gardens  are barely holding their own.  Two years ago we had a similar inundation and I had to wait until late July to begin planting fall crops.  I don't know if I have the patience or fortitude to do the same thing this year.  I have a feeling the next few years will bestow similar disappointments on anyone farming or gardening on marginal soils.  The ideal soil for the conditions we will face is a well drained sandy loam.  Good luck finding that type  of soil in this area.  I used to laugh at people who claimed the future of farming high value crops was in a controlled indoor environment.  I'm beginning to think they will have the last laugh.

Playing at Rebellion

The big flap over the Confederate battle flag in the wake of the Charleston massacre last week is somewhat ludicrous and at the same time ominous.  The maniac whose hatred was nourished by the white supremacist propaganda which is still ubiquitous in the south is shown in many selfies waving the symbol of southern resistance.  As a kid growing up in New York, my trips to and through the south were an eye opening experience.  Virtually every pickup truck had a gun rack and a confederate flag emblazoned on the rear window.   The southern states had been defeated for over 100 years, but were (and are) still waving the symbols of their rebellion, much as a child will keep fighting parental authority long after the curfew has fallen.   The fact a 21 year old in 2015 is still breathing in the hatred and intolerance associated with slavery and its aftermath gives the lie to those who would have us believe that a color blind America is reality.  That President Obama used the N word in an interview and was subjected to endless dissection of his motives is another indication we have not yet moved beyond the judgement of people based on the color of their skin. 

Golfing hell

Regardless of the fact he is a millionaire and soon to be married to Wayne Gretsky's daughter, you have to feel some of the pain Dustin Johnson experienced on the 72nd hole of the US Open yesterday.   Standing behind a 12 foot putt to win the Open outright, he lived every duffer's nightmare.   He missed the first putt for eagle, then missed the birdie that would have forced a playoff with Jordan Spieth, finally settling for par and a share of second place.  After missing many shots on the back nine, his chance for redemption went down like a $2.00 Nassau at my local course.  Still a young 31, he should have many chances in the future, but based on his past trials, he will probably be stuck with the title "Best player never to win a major", until he excises this latest demon.