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.