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.