On Lipstick and Pigs

In a decidedly puffy piece in today's NYT, we are told the Koch brothers are trying to soften their image.  Instead of the new gilded age industrialists who have tried (and continue to) buy the political system with a blizzard of cash, they want to be seen as classic libertarian liberals who "feel our pain" and want to encourage everyone to strive for success the way they did.  As in Donald Trump's case, it certainly helps if your old man leaves you an empire worth billions and you manage to continue its upward trajectory.   Unfortunately, most of the rest of us don't have the leg up these paragons of virtue obtained in life's lottery.  We need the social programs they would love to gut and the safety net they have every intention of shredding.  The fact they can even make the case for a kinder gentler Koch brothers is a scary reminder of the world we live in.   Most of the Koch enterprises are connected with fossil fuels.  As a society, we need to stop the burning and use of this form of energy.  The Kochs and their fortune are inextricably bound up with oil.  Does anyone really think they will wind down their business for the good of the environment and future generations?  All the smiley faces and social media wizardry they bring to bear can't disguise the fact the Kochs are fundamentally opposed to all the policies needed to combat climate change and bring social justice to the majority of the population.  

Bernie!

The Divine Mrs. M and I attended one of the meetings for Bernie Sanders last night and it was pretty awesome.   A good number of people were our age and older, but there were couples with young children and young adults also.  After a musical interlude by  a local band, the senator addressed us via conference call with a plea to organize.  Stating we don't have billions of dollars, but we do have millions of hands with which to make calls, knock on doors and spread the word.   No one will ever mistake Bernie Sanders for Abe Lincoln as far is oratory is concerned, but his message seems to resonate with people across the political spectrum.  Despite Hillary's huge lead in the polls, Sanders is drawing closer and more importantly making Hillary move to the left on many important issues.  The only jarring note was an overheard conversation between two guys helping direct traffic.   One of them said if Bernie didn't get the nomination, he wouldn't vote for Hillary.  That is so wrong on so many levels.  I hope the race doesn't hurt the eventual nominee, as either would be a good president.  The appointments to the Supreme court alone should be more than enough to bring out every democrat for the general election. 

Another Fair day ends in wrath

As surely as we couldn't buy a drop of rain in May, we can't turn the tap off in July.  The garden was promising to round into shape for a late surge, but if the rains keep coming, I'm seriously thinking of waving the white flag and surrendering.  Fortunately, I don't depend on the garden for a living, but there are many growers in this area who are looking down the barrel of a large caliber loss of income due to this crazy weather.  Corn is stunted, hay is not being made and soybean yields will be impacted even if we get a great August and September.  Being dependent on the weather has always been a factor in farm life.  It is now becoming the preeminent force in most farmer's planning.  That is not a good situation.

Picking up the pieces

The manhunt has been over for a month.  Richard Matt was killed by police and David Sweat was shot and captured.  The hundreds of law enforcement professionals and media representatives who participated in the carnival that followed the escape of the convicted murderers have long since moved on.  The sordid little back stories continue to play out in relative privacy.  The woman who aided the two escapees signed a guilty plea yesterday in exchange for no more charges than have already been levied against her.  In a tale of furtive encounters and gradually escalated involvement, she admitted the two men made her feel special, even as they plotted to drug and kill her husband, who also worked in the prison tailor shop with them.  Like a pebble dropped into a pond, the ripples of this infidelity and its effects on those near Ms. Mitchell will continue to be seen in the months and years to come.  It will almost certainly be fodder for studies of what happens when hardened killers with nothing to lose come in contact with local men and women who depend on the correctional system for employment.   The north country of New York is particularly dependent on this type of arrangement.  The sooner this area moves away from dependency on incarceration for economic growth, the better for all the Kathy Mitchells in the system and the families potentially in harm's way because of it.

Bernie and the Trump

Nowhere is the difference between the Republican and Democratic parties more in evidence than in the success of their insurgent candidates.  Bernie Sanders represents the better angels of the Dems.  While he calls himself a socialist, he is really a throwback to the best of the New Deal liberals.  He empathizes with the struggles of the middle and working classes and is willing to sit down and have a discussion regarding the policy initiatives which will begin to make his vision a reality.  People all over the country are coming out in droves to hear him speak.   He is making his points without malice toward any other candidate.   What a contrast to The Donald.  A bombastic blowhard whose rise to the billionaire class was essentially bankrolled by his father and his connections to old time power brokers in NYC, Trump represents himself as a brilliant self made man who is donating his time to run for president as a favor to the rest of us.   He has no policy proposals except to build a wall on our southern border to keep out the drug dealing rapists the Mexican government is sending to America.  He is at his best when attacking his fellow republican candidates and appealing to the dark side of a minority of Americans.   Following a well worn script dating back to the 1830s and the rise of the Know Nothing Party, Trump seeks to demonize immigrants and win the support of people who feel threatened by people of color.   It is the politics of hate.   While neither of these two candidates is likely to capture their party's nomination, they do represent the zeitgeist of Dems and Repubs.  Who do you wish would represent us for the next four years?

vagaries of weather

It looks like we will move from one extreme to the other as far as rainfall is concerned.   After an early summer of deluge after deluge, it is looking like a hot dry week will stress any of the garden survivors.  Most crops developed a shallow root system in response to the relentless rain and will be hard pressed to adjust to a drier regime.  The fall crops will be better able to adjust since most of them have just been planted.  I noted in my Friday blog we were expecting a wet weekend, but aside from stray thunderstorms, most areas, including mine were warm and dry through most of the last 72 hours.  I was able to till several areas in the ultra secret garden for the first time since May.  There was quite a cover crop of weeds in some areas, but hopefully most of them went under before setting seeds.  The galinsoga continues to germinate all over the garden with sinful profligacy.  The hoe and cultivator are still the most useful tools in the shed as we approach August.

Another wet weekend

Looks like outdoor activities will be dampened this weekend here on the NCR.  I planted the first fall spinach last night as well as some cilantro and transplanted several different varieties of brassicas in some fairly dry soil.  A light shower overnight got everything off to a good start.  I've got a lot more to do this weekend, but the prospects are not good.  The heavier soils are still semi-saturated and I have planted all the lighter more well drained areas.  Meanwhile, the lawn areas are starting to look shaggy.  I can only hope the forecasters are getting it wrong and keep plugging away.  The longer this season goes, the more it is looking like a lost cause.