A barista, or a guide on Mt. Everest.
Unconscionable Neglect
Stephen Miller for National Security Advisor? Superb choice, Donald. Can’t think of a better guy for the job. A member of the inner sanctum brain trust, he of the creepy demeanor and bedside manner of Caligula. Perfect.
And kudos for all the misdirection while America implodes. The media is already hypothesizing what a land battle– with Canada!— would look like. The news outlets are all getting the vapors over your wanting to reopen and expand Alcatraz– for the worst of the worst, or whoever, in America. You know– because most of us are rotten at our core and deserve to be locked up or otherwise silenced, taken out of commission for the dastardly offense of disagreeing with you or having skin that’s just too dark for your liking. Meanwhile, it’s becoming a legitimate risk to fly, the economy sucks (not Joe’s fault), and the rest of the world is in the process of waving us goodbye.
The second hundred days look to be even more dizzying than the first. A real whirlwind of accomplishments and too many reasons to count when it comes to why we here in the good old USA should be optimistic about, well, everything. Because you’re in control, Donald. You’re gonna dazzle us all with your intellectual acumen, with your brilliant deal making and tireless efforts at peacemaking. I’m sure Ukraine will be beside themselves with joy over the deal you’re gonna cut for them, especially after you get your precious metals deal and pay lip service to Vladimir’s skullduggery.
It should be clear to everyone but the true MAGA zealots that Donald Trump and the rest of the pretenders are clearly outmatched, outwitted and, in general, shamefully unqualified. Up until now, and with rare exceptions, the people who occupied the office seemed pointed in the direction of sane, with at least a modicum of humility and normal human sensibilities. Much of the current crew are dead inside. They have emerged from under rocks and at the behest of the Heritage Foundation, under the handicapped tutelage of Bannon, Roberts, Vought, and a gaggle of billionaires who wave wads of cash in front of Trump’s nose, along with lawyers who somehow have managed to keep Trump from facing the consequences of his calculated villainy.
What we’re watching– and can no longer afford to simply observe from the sidelines– is a pathetic display of unparalleled and infuriating incompetence, with an angry, vengeful, soon-to-be 79-year old teenager calling the shots. Or is someone else doing that?
Will there ever be a last straw?
Much ado …
When it comes to reviews of big-ticket items one might be in the market for, there’s no reason not to look online or poll friends and family and get some input. Personally speaking, brand names emerge as important for items like footwear (Hoka, Brooks, Asics, Rockport), and electronics (Apple, LG, Sony, Bose). Vehicle-wise, I’d only ever consider a Toyota, maybe a Honda or Mazda.
On rare occasons, I’ll order something from L.L. Bean or RailRiders as a treat. But most clothing items I have are what look decent and are on sale at Boscov’s, a regional department store boasting a wide selection of brands and styles.
When it comes to food, I prefer Utz ripple chips, 8 O’clock whole bean Italian espresso, Cliff Oatmeal and Raisin energy bars, either Dunkin’ or Starbucks cold brew with a shot, Bob’s Oatmeal, Bush beans, Dietz and Watson or Boar’s Head deli meats, Troeg’s Perpetual IPA, etc.
In the wood shop, I look for Makita, Milwaukee, Bosch, and Dewalt tools, though I’d take a Saw Stop table saw if someone gave it to me. And there’s a whole other level of manufacturers that are beyond reach, cost wise.
Wow, I feel like a walking advertisement, talking breathlessly and subjectively about brand loyalty as if it’s something important. This is a revealing exercise– for a few minutes, we become advocates for and experts on consuming.
Eyes and Hearts
My wife, my siblings, a brother-in-law, an uncle, our children and their spouses, a couple of college friends.
In the wider world, there are a few who seem to have, or had their heads screwed on properly and seen enough of life to be sensitive to the human condition– Abraham Lincoln, Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, FDR, Maya Angelou, MLK, Jr., Erma Bombeck, Yuval Harari, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, several historians and comedians, and certain other authors and musicians who aren’t coming to mind.
Nobody in the Republican party, except a few defectors.
And, in a category all his own, the Apostle Paul. Not sure he ever existed, but I like what he had to say.
Duty and Right
Yes, though I need to improve my record of voting in the more local ones– school board, county commissioners, etc. It seems, anymore, that all elections are important, even pivotal.
Pearls
Nothing comes to mind immediately, though my memory was jogged when I started searching. One attributed to Martin Luther KIng, Jr.: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
I’ve always found certain pearls of wisdom from Albert Einstein to ring true and perceptive. For example, “Weak people revenge. Strong people forgive. Intelligent people ignore.” Or “The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.” Or “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” Or “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.”
Then there’s Will Rogers: “There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.”
I’ve always liked the one attributed to John Lennon: “Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans.”
And one from Maya Angelou leaves its mark: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Trustworthy Sources
I think I understand the press’s role of reporting the news, the facts, while attempting to remain objective and unbiased. But there has to be a more aggressive tact than the current antiseptic, measured way the press speaks of what’s going on in the country.
Yes, people are sounding the alarm, but there also continues to be this annoying tendency to restrain a sense of urgency, to refuse to be angry, to treat what’s happening in Washington as just another fascinating news story, or some sort of harmless novelty. Non-descript headlines, like they’re reporting on some inconsequential shuffleboard tournament, aren’t helping. There has to be some middle ground between words that incite violence or reek of bias or incur the wrath of Herr Donald, and words that are just not strong enough to goad people into serious reflection and action.
Then again, I suppose if the news organizations are doing their job, it’s left to us– the viewers and listeners and readers– to decide whether or not we take this seriously.
Cornered Rat
Donald Trump is sloppy and he doesn’t care. He’s likely flirting with a sense of invincibility. He’s survived the 91 counts, including the 34 that got him a mug shot. Nothing sticks, many are still pandering and bending the knee before him. The beast is being fed.
His poll numbers are pretty bad, and people are protesting, but even these things don’t matter to him, ultimately. As shaken as he might get from time to time, he’s not going anywhere. He’s got an army of lawyers looking for loopholes. And if they can’t find any, he’ll use sheer heavy-handedness. He’ll dig in the heels, try to hold onto power by any means necessary. He knows he can probably count on enough of his worshipers to make trouble and turn things ugly if need be. People are already being silenced and bought. The intimidation has already started. Let’s just acknowledge that this is where we are now.
It’s going to become increasingly difficult to keep things peaceful, especially as the administration continues to chip away at the foundation, as the tariffs and uncertainty and the staffing and funding cuts and all the other brainless things really start taking their toll. Life is liable to get more difficult than it already is.
We’ll all be needing stiffened spines, especially members of Congress.
Yuletide Cheer
Probably still Christmas. It’s easy to tap into the storehouse of memories, even if it doesn’t hold the same magic and mystique it once did. There’s still the music, the family time, the joy of watching the grandkids’ reactions to the small mountain of goodies under the tree. It still feels like a day that’s set apart– different from the rest, somehow.
The Great Outdoors
Yes, many times. It started when we were kids. We’d go to Vermont or New Hampshire, use my grandfather’s vintage, old, musty, square, heavy canvas tent. We’d cook on the Coleman stove, swim in a brook, and generally enjoy being outside for extended periods of time.
Then I joined the Boy Scouts and we of course learned the finer points of preparedness and really got into equipment and cooking and all things camping. There were many overnighters and mountain trips to New Hampshire, along with hiking and camping in the Sangre de Cristo range of the southern Rockies at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico.
We’ve since been with our own kids, but not for a while now. Watkins Glen State Park was a favorite spot.
3 Cents' 