I don't like stereotyping, but this seems pretty accurate...
Thursday, February 27, 2020
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Sunday, February 23, 2020
Youth Sports
This article was in the local fish wrap this morning. Something to seriously think about. Like all of our devices and like social media, it’s so easy to get sucked in!
When Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna arrived at the private aviation section of John Wayne Airport on the morning of Sunday, Jan. 26, the waiting lounge was not empty. It was filled with passengers whose flights had been delayed by the fuzzy blanket of coastal fog that had moved onshore overnight across Southern California.
The Los Angeles police department and county sheriff had grounded their helicopters because visibility, a spokesperson later said, “did not meet our minimum standards” of 2 miles and an 800-foot cloud ceiling.
Commercial jets in the air were flying on instruments.
“It was thick,” a man in Calabasas said of the conditions there. “Imagine jumping into a pool filled with milk and opening your eyes.”
But Bryant and two other families with 13-year-old daughters got on a 29-year-old Sikorsky S-76B helicopter anyway … that was not equipped with a terrain warning system recommended (but not required) by the Federal Aviation Administration … was operated by a charter company not certified to fly on instruments in inclement weather … and had a pilot who was “counseled” by the FAA in 2015 for improperly flying into LAX airspace in poor visibility.
Why?
Because they were going to an eighth-grade girls basketball tournament 80 miles north in Thousand Oaks.
Because Team Mamba had a noon game on Court 4 of the Mamba Sports Academy in the second day of the Mamba Cup.
Because of youth sports.
As a public memorial is held for Kobe and Gianna at Staples Center on Monday, a month after they and seven others perished when the Sikorsky S-76B slammed into a hillside in Calabasas in soupy fog, there are lessons about life’s fragility. But also buried in an impact crater 15 by 24 feet wide and 2 feet deep, lost amid a 500-foot trail of smoking debris, is a lesson about life’s priorities.
About perspective.
Are youth sports really that important?
The answer is they are, in this country, in this culture. And that’s a problem.
Kobe knew it. I know it. Anyone with a kid playing club sports knows it, from the weekends with parents screaming incessantly on the sidelines, from the car (and plane and helicopter) trips to tournaments, from the hotels and restaurants and Team Moms finding laundromats at midnight to wash the uniforms, from the endless practices and camps and clinics and $60 per hour “privates.”
From the breathless Facebook accounts of reaching the final of an under-9 soccer Memorial Day tournament.
From the tangle of medals clanging from your kid’s bedroom doorknob, some of them for finishing second or third or fourth.
It is the perfect financial storm, a system that feeds on a willingness to do anything (and pay anything) for our children; a fear that our kids will fall behind if they miss a practice or game because someone, somewhere is working longer and harder; a lust for what psychologists call “reflected glory” when they hit a home run; and an insatiable, insidious thirst for victory. In the United States, by some estimates, it is a $17 billion annual industry.
Deep down we know it’s dysfunctional, we know priorities become distorted, we know an eighth-grade girls basketball tournament isn’t really that significant in the grand scheme of life. And yet we are powerless to stop it, to resist it, to change it.
I still drive my daughter, who plays both club soccer and water polo, all over California for weekend tournaments. A year ago, I was in Santa Barbara shivering on a pool deck where the lights were on. The lights were on because the sun hadn’t come up yet.
Kobe, Gianna, an assistant coach and two other families still got on the helicopter.
Kobe knew it. He often talked about the pitfalls of American youth sports (and I say American because they’re not like this, even close to this, in the rest of the world). He even served as a spokesman for the Project Play and #DontRetireKid campaigns sponsored by The Aspen Institute, a nonprofit think tank based in Washington, D.C., that has become the conscience of youth sports.
“Sports used to be something that kids went out and did for fun,” Kobe said in an ESPN interview last August about his involvement in Project Play. “Now it’s become so regimented where parents are starting to inject their own experiences or past failures, if you will, onto their children and it takes the fun out of it.”
He coached Gianna’s basketball team, and by all accounts he was a calm, reserved presence on the bench. But Team Mamba also practiced seven days a week, according to a Facebook post last October by the parent of another girl on the roster.
“That’s Mamba Mentality,” the father wrote. “Three years ago, they were a local team. Now they are one of the best eighth-grade teams in the country. Thanks Kobe.”
In September, a month after telling ESPN that “it’s not about us as coaches and us winning or losing,” Kobe posted a picture to his 20.9 million Instagram followers. It showed Team Mamba jumping in unison with the scoreboard in the background that read: 115-27.
“Two years ago, we lost to the same team 22-21,” he wrote, followed by the hashtag: “hardwork.”
It got 532,724 likes. But it also was the source of biting criticism on social media, and Kobe, to his credit, realized he had succumbed — like we all do — to the dark, petty side of youth sports. The team they beat by 88 points was from San Diego. He called the coach. He felt awful. He wanted to make it right.
So he flew down on a helicopter one afternoon in October and conducted a two-hour clinic. Just him and a dozen 13-year-old girls at a public rec center in Carmel Valley.
“He walked in with a bag of balls and said, ‘Hey, let’s go,’” says Chris Moeller, the varsity girls coach at Our Lady of Peace whose daughter plays on the youth team that lost to Gianna’s. “No fanfare. Other people started walking into the rec center and going, ‘Oh, my gosh, that’s Kobe Bryant.’ ”
Then he got on the helicopter and flew home.
It is the push and pull of youth sports, the yin and yang, the charm and the curse. The solution and the problem.
Kobe spoke eloquently about burnout in youth sports, but the Mamba Cup just wasn’t another tournament. It was 12 weekend tournaments across seven months for boys and girls from third to eighth grade, with open, gold, silver, bronze and copper divisions. Teams were required to enter at least four tournaments if they wanted to qualify for the championship event in late March.
“Of course,” the tournament’s website says, “Coach Bryant’s very own Girls Eighth Grade Mamba Club Team will participate.”
In that August interview with ESPN’s Cari Champion, Kobe was asked about creating a healthy environment for young athletes.
“Get them to think,” he said. “When they can think and problem solve on their own, the game becomes something that they own. It’s something that becomes more enjoyable to them versus having another parent on the sideline that is just barking out orders.”
Six months later, Champion’s response is chilling: “Helicopter parents, as they would say.”
Kobe chuckled and replied: “Exactly.”
When Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna arrived at the private aviation section of John Wayne Airport on the morning of Sunday, Jan. 26, the waiting lounge was not empty. It was filled with passengers whose flights had been delayed by the fuzzy blanket of coastal fog that had moved onshore overnight across Southern California.
The Los Angeles police department and county sheriff had grounded their helicopters because visibility, a spokesperson later said, “did not meet our minimum standards” of 2 miles and an 800-foot cloud ceiling.
Commercial jets in the air were flying on instruments.
“It was thick,” a man in Calabasas said of the conditions there. “Imagine jumping into a pool filled with milk and opening your eyes.”
But Bryant and two other families with 13-year-old daughters got on a 29-year-old Sikorsky S-76B helicopter anyway … that was not equipped with a terrain warning system recommended (but not required) by the Federal Aviation Administration … was operated by a charter company not certified to fly on instruments in inclement weather … and had a pilot who was “counseled” by the FAA in 2015 for improperly flying into LAX airspace in poor visibility.
Why?
Because they were going to an eighth-grade girls basketball tournament 80 miles north in Thousand Oaks.
Because Team Mamba had a noon game on Court 4 of the Mamba Sports Academy in the second day of the Mamba Cup.
Because of youth sports.
As a public memorial is held for Kobe and Gianna at Staples Center on Monday, a month after they and seven others perished when the Sikorsky S-76B slammed into a hillside in Calabasas in soupy fog, there are lessons about life’s fragility. But also buried in an impact crater 15 by 24 feet wide and 2 feet deep, lost amid a 500-foot trail of smoking debris, is a lesson about life’s priorities.
About perspective.
Are youth sports really that important?
The answer is they are, in this country, in this culture. And that’s a problem.
Kobe knew it. I know it. Anyone with a kid playing club sports knows it, from the weekends with parents screaming incessantly on the sidelines, from the car (and plane and helicopter) trips to tournaments, from the hotels and restaurants and Team Moms finding laundromats at midnight to wash the uniforms, from the endless practices and camps and clinics and $60 per hour “privates.”
From the breathless Facebook accounts of reaching the final of an under-9 soccer Memorial Day tournament.
From the tangle of medals clanging from your kid’s bedroom doorknob, some of them for finishing second or third or fourth.
It is the perfect financial storm, a system that feeds on a willingness to do anything (and pay anything) for our children; a fear that our kids will fall behind if they miss a practice or game because someone, somewhere is working longer and harder; a lust for what psychologists call “reflected glory” when they hit a home run; and an insatiable, insidious thirst for victory. In the United States, by some estimates, it is a $17 billion annual industry.
Deep down we know it’s dysfunctional, we know priorities become distorted, we know an eighth-grade girls basketball tournament isn’t really that significant in the grand scheme of life. And yet we are powerless to stop it, to resist it, to change it.
I still drive my daughter, who plays both club soccer and water polo, all over California for weekend tournaments. A year ago, I was in Santa Barbara shivering on a pool deck where the lights were on. The lights were on because the sun hadn’t come up yet.
Kobe, Gianna, an assistant coach and two other families still got on the helicopter.
Kobe knew it. He often talked about the pitfalls of American youth sports (and I say American because they’re not like this, even close to this, in the rest of the world). He even served as a spokesman for the Project Play and #DontRetireKid campaigns sponsored by The Aspen Institute, a nonprofit think tank based in Washington, D.C., that has become the conscience of youth sports.
“Sports used to be something that kids went out and did for fun,” Kobe said in an ESPN interview last August about his involvement in Project Play. “Now it’s become so regimented where parents are starting to inject their own experiences or past failures, if you will, onto their children and it takes the fun out of it.”
He coached Gianna’s basketball team, and by all accounts he was a calm, reserved presence on the bench. But Team Mamba also practiced seven days a week, according to a Facebook post last October by the parent of another girl on the roster.
“That’s Mamba Mentality,” the father wrote. “Three years ago, they were a local team. Now they are one of the best eighth-grade teams in the country. Thanks Kobe.”
In September, a month after telling ESPN that “it’s not about us as coaches and us winning or losing,” Kobe posted a picture to his 20.9 million Instagram followers. It showed Team Mamba jumping in unison with the scoreboard in the background that read: 115-27.
“Two years ago, we lost to the same team 22-21,” he wrote, followed by the hashtag: “hardwork.”
It got 532,724 likes. But it also was the source of biting criticism on social media, and Kobe, to his credit, realized he had succumbed — like we all do — to the dark, petty side of youth sports. The team they beat by 88 points was from San Diego. He called the coach. He felt awful. He wanted to make it right.
So he flew down on a helicopter one afternoon in October and conducted a two-hour clinic. Just him and a dozen 13-year-old girls at a public rec center in Carmel Valley.
“He walked in with a bag of balls and said, ‘Hey, let’s go,’” says Chris Moeller, the varsity girls coach at Our Lady of Peace whose daughter plays on the youth team that lost to Gianna’s. “No fanfare. Other people started walking into the rec center and going, ‘Oh, my gosh, that’s Kobe Bryant.’ ”
Then he got on the helicopter and flew home.
It is the push and pull of youth sports, the yin and yang, the charm and the curse. The solution and the problem.
Kobe spoke eloquently about burnout in youth sports, but the Mamba Cup just wasn’t another tournament. It was 12 weekend tournaments across seven months for boys and girls from third to eighth grade, with open, gold, silver, bronze and copper divisions. Teams were required to enter at least four tournaments if they wanted to qualify for the championship event in late March.
“Of course,” the tournament’s website says, “Coach Bryant’s very own Girls Eighth Grade Mamba Club Team will participate.”
In that August interview with ESPN’s Cari Champion, Kobe was asked about creating a healthy environment for young athletes.
“Get them to think,” he said. “When they can think and problem solve on their own, the game becomes something that they own. It’s something that becomes more enjoyable to them versus having another parent on the sideline that is just barking out orders.”
Six months later, Champion’s response is chilling: “Helicopter parents, as they would say.”
Kobe chuckled and replied: “Exactly.”
Saturday, February 22, 2020
Trump or ?
First Trump. I wasn't a supporter but I've come to admire his tenacity. I mean, he gets the shit beat out of him and his family every day and he wakes up in the morning, puts his pants on and hits it again. I admire his wife even more. No way she deserves the treatment she gets. No need to recount 2016 and the last three years. As in any three year period, there have been ups and downs. And everyone's perspective will be different depending on their circumstances. It's the classic "where you stand depends on where you sit". From my perspective, while there have been some episodes I don't like and his personality and arrogance sometimes makes me cringe, I'm a supporter. The economy is racing along, unemployment is at all time lows especially for minorities, he is executing historic trade deals, his administration has eliminated thousands of burdensome regulations, and our standing in the world from a national security perspective has been dramatically improved. He is holding allies accountable and demanding they pay their fair share and he is working towards disengaging from the endless wars we've found ourselves in in the Middle East. He is working toward establishing and implementing a coherent immigration system. Not perfect, but workable. There are more but these come to mind. And all of this amidst the cockamamie 3-year Russia investigation, the pointless impeachment, and the relentless ad hominem attacks. It's been pretty unprecedented and brutal, but he seems to just keep going. More about this below.
Trump stimulates the most outrageous and agitated responses in his detractors and these attitudes seem to multiply as they get disseminated. The idea that the President would go directly to the people on social media is abhorrent to them. But they don't realize or recognize that the conventional media in no way gives him a fair shake. Virtually everything he does or any action he takes is met with derision from the media and spun to his detriment. The media never, and I mean never, uses adjectives that aren't extreme to describe Trump. He's not angry or mad or disappointed, he's furious. He's not strategic or tactical, he's chaotic. I don't think it would be possible for anyone to be as bad as they make him out to be and still draw so many supporters. So that in turn causes people to go to their corners and the cycle just grows. Those that hate him usually fall into two camps. The Democrats, which is understandable (although the level of hate isn't understandable). These people have a seething hate. A monumental hate that is difficult to understand. They have a hatred that results in them spouting myriad "statistics" and "facts" about Trump that have been fed to them by the media that hates him. Who hasn't heard some hateful Dem use unbelievable language about Trump, regurgitate the 16,000 lies myth, pronounce him guilty of rampant mysogyny, confidently state that he is a racist despite all evidence to the contrary, accuse him of massive tax cheating with no evidence and so many other dastardly deeds. They seem to have lathered themselves into a place that I'm not sure is that easy to come back from. The most telling thing about the character of these people will be 2024. Because there will be two traditional opponents. If we can't get back to civility then, I fear it's gone forever. And the Republicans/Independents who are proudly never-Trumpers. They seem to take this position because they don't like the way he acts, that he's not "Presidential", that he is ethically challenged. Okay...I get that. But a couple things come to mind. I'm not sure the never-Trumpers have a clear understanding of history. I'm not sure they have looked at other Presidents and realized their faults and foibles. True, Trump's are much more "out there" and visible, but is that because we have a hostile media vs. a protective media? Don't know but I suspect if the onion was peeled in a time when the 24-hour news cycle (really the 4 hour news cycle) wasn't omnipresent they'd find some pretty significant warts on a lot of our Presidents. The other thing that perplexes me is their single-mindedness without thinking about the alternatives. Which brings me to the Democratic field.
First is Bernie. Because he is the scariest.
But before that let me categorically state that whoever wins in November will be my President. If it's someone from the other side, I'll have to grit my teeth, but that's the way our system works. I'll be opposed and hopeful that their radical ideas will be thwarted by the brilliant checks and balances our founders implemented but it will depend upon the election. I don't think it'll happen, but if it does, it will four years of loyal opposition. The other thing I want to make clear before mentioning candidates from the other side is that these are my opinions. This is my blog and I can say whatever the hell I want. If you have another opinion, great. But you're not going to change my mind. If we were in a bar having a political discussion over beers, you wouldn't change my mind. So don't think it's going to happen here. And it's not going to happen on social media. So don't wast your time.
So back to Bernie. I wrote a post about him a while back and you can read it here. I haven't changed my mind. I still believe he is a great and existential threat to our country and way of life. Certainly he's a bigger threat than Russia. In short term he's a bigger threat than China. In so many ways, his Presidency would be a disaster. The only glint of hope are checks and balances. But we'll see. But let me give a bit of full disclosure. In 1971, when I was a college student and young and stupid, I campaigned for George McGovern. In fact both my future wife and I walked door to door for him. Here's the deal. At that time I, like so many other Americans had come to believe that the Vietnam Was was immoral and a tragic waste of lives. McGovern promised to get us out and I bought the line. But I wasn't thinking about much else. There's an old saying that if you're not a liberal when you're twenty you have no heart, and if you're not a conservative when you're forty, you have not brain. I've obviously matured since then but the point is that I understand the draw of Bernie to young, impressionable voters. But I don't understand the draw to anyone who has any understanding of history or economics. I don't think he can win a national election, but I thought the same thing about Trump. So we'll see. But no matter what, I think he's a huge threat to our country.
Warren. I will refrain from all the name calling and characterizations. But she has two huge problems. First, her proposals are unbelievably radical and outside the mainstream. She latches onto causes like a bulldog and can't/won't let go. And most of the issues are of little interest to the average American. Her other big problem (and maybe bigger than the first) is that she is just so unlikable. Don't think she's reached Hillary level yet, but close. She's just so icky. And phony. And myopic. I don't see her with a ghost of a chance. I think she'll be gone after super Tuesday. And good riddance.
Biden. What is there to say. He's old, tired, cranky, corrupt and wrong. Wrong on so many things. Famously he's been wrong on every national security issue since he started his political career. He's got a ton of vulnerabilities and doesn't seem to connect. The only good news about Biden is that he's been around long enough and is pragmatic enough to tack back to the middle once he wins the nomination. But he ain't gonna win. Here's all you need to know. Where's Barrack? If he was the guy, Barrack would be on the stump. He's done after super Tuesday.
Mayor Pete. Young, photogenic, hip, veteran, gay, smart, business experience. What's not to like. Except that it's starting to be obvious that he's an inch deep and a mile wide. It turns out that you really do need experience to be elected President. His experience as the mayor of the 4th largest city in Indiana isn't gonna cut it. Maybe someday, not today. His star will sink fast. He may last past super Tuesday, but at some point he'll run out of money and supporters.
Amy. I like Amy. I do. I could see her as President. She's smart and politically savvy and pretty gutsy. And I think she'd shed some of her more radical ideas if she were to get the nomination. But her traction is isolated and sporadic. She can't hold the audience. Bottom line is that she'd be a reasonable occupant of the White House and could bring people together. But her attraction, experience and funding is waning. I think she'll be a strong consideration as VP for whoever gets the nod.
Bloomberg. Not my cup of tea. Haven't ever really liked him. Seems too cold and calculating. He finally tore it with me in the debate when he said in his closing, "this is a management job". Breathtaking misunderstanding of the job. He thinks he can buy the election and I think he's wrong. He got in too late and the only way he gets the nod is that the DNC steals it from Bernie. That could easily happen and he could be the guy. But there would be hell to pay inside the Dem world. This one is too difficult to call. By all accounts he should be done in one to two months. But the unknown is how much the Dem establishment is terrified of a Bernie nomination.
Steyer. The ultimate angry man. His hatred for Trump is palpable. He's another rich guy trying to choose his battlegrounds not understanding that is a steep hill to climb. And I don't think many folks have won things with the fundamental key of their message is hatred of someone else. I can't see it. I can't see that in a national election, we'd be voting for someone to vote against someone. But that's just me.
Are there others? Yeah, but no-one who matters. It's a crazy election year and I've never seen the country more polarized. It will be an interesting few months and my fervent hope is that whoever wins in November can count on the support of all Americans. I'm not optimistic but that's my hope. We'll see.
Thursday, February 20, 2020
Sunday, February 16, 2020
Thursday, February 13, 2020
Why Trump?
Someone asked me the other day why I support Trump. Good question with a lot of different answers. And the answers take a lot of time, thinking, and rationalizing. I stumbled across an article over on Medium from a Dem who has become frustrated and turned to Trump. She even attended a rally. Here is her story. And her story could be the story of many, many of us.
I’ve been a Democrat for 20 years. Here’s what I experienced at Trump’s rally in New Hampshire.Karlyn BorysenkoNormally when I publish content online, I focus on the world of work. I hope you’ll forgive this brief departure, but I think that those of us on the left need to take a long look in the mirror and have an honest conversation about what’s going on.If you had told me 3 years ago that I would ever attend a Donald Trump rally, I would have laughed while assuring you that was never going to happen. Heck, if you had told me I would do it 3 months ago, I probably would have done the same thing. So, how did I find myself among 11,000+ Trump supporters in Manchester NH? Believe it or not, it all started with knitting.You might not think of the knitting world as a particularly political community, but you’d be wrong. Many knitters are particularly active in social justice communities and love to discuss the revolutionary role that knitters have played in our culture.As a casual knitter, I never really paid attention to this. I knit as a way to relax and escape the drama of real life, not to further engage with it, but for anyone who is active in the knitting world on Instagram, it became almost impossible to avoid it. It started about a year ago when roving gangs of online social justice warriors started going after anyone who was not lockstep in their ideology. People were bullied and mobbed by hundreds of people for such offenses as publishing an article expressing excitement about going on a trip to India, posting a video saying they were leaving IG because they were uncomfortable, and posting a poem asking for kindness. Katherine Jepsen Moore has documented the full stories extensively and the BBC recently covered it as well.I started paying attention after one man who was attacked got mobbed so badly that he had a nervous breakdown and was admitted to the hospital on suicide watch. There was something that was not right (well, so many things really) and it witnessing the vitriol coming from those who I had aligned myself with politically was a massive wake up call.You see, I was one of those Democrats who considered anyone who voted for Trump a racist. I thought they were horrible (yes, even deplorable) and had worked very hard to eliminate their voices from my spaces by unfriending or blocking people who spoke about their support of him, however minor their comments. I watched a lot of MSNBC, was convinced that everything he had done was horrible, that he hated anyone that wasn’t a straight, white man, and that he had no redeeming qualities.But when I witnessed the amount of hate coming from the left in this small, niche knitting community, I started to question everything. I started making a proactive effort to break my echo chamber by listening to voices I thought I would disagree with. I wanted to understand their perspective, believing it would confirm that they were filled with hate for anyone that wasn’t like them.That turned out not to be the case. The more voices outside of the left I listened to, the more I realized that these were not bad people. They were not racists, nazis, or white supremacists. We had differences of opinions on social and economic issues, but a difference of opinion does not make your opponent inherently evil. And they could justify their opinions using arguments, rather than the shouting and ranting I had seen coming from my side of the aisle.I started to discover (or perhaps rediscover) the #WalkAway movement. I had heard about #WalkAway when MSNBC told me it was fake and a bunch of Russian bots. But then I started to meet real people who had been Democrats who had made the decision to leave because they could not stand the way the left was acting. I watched town halls they held with different minority communities (all available in their entirety on YouTube) and I saw sane, rational discussion from people of all different races, backgrounds, orientations, and experiences. I joined the Facebook group for the community and saw stories popping up daily of people sharing why they are leaving the Democratic party. This wasn’t fake. These people are not Russian bots. And moreover, it felt like a breath of fresh air. There was not universal agreement in this group — some were Trump supporters, some weren’t — but they talked and shared their perspective without shouting or rage or trying to cancel each other.I started to question everything. How many stories had I been sold that weren’t true? What if my perception of the other side is wrong? How is it possible that half of the country is really overtly racist? Is it possible that Trump Derangement Syndrome is a real thing, and had I been suffering from it for the past three years?And the biggest question of all was this: Did I hate Trump so much that I wanted to see my country fail just to spite him and everyone who voted for him?Fast forward to the New Hampshire primary and we have all the politicians running around the state making their case. I’ve seen almost every Democratic candidate in person and almost universally their message is one of doom and gloom, focusing on not only on the obvious disagreements with Donald Trump but also making sure to emphasize that the country is a horribly racist place.Now, I do believe there are very real issues when it comes to race that we as a society have yet to reckon with. I believe that everyone from every background of every gender should have equal access to opportunities and that no one is inherently more or less valuable or worthy than anyone else. And while Charlottesville was a tragedy precipitated by real racists and real nazis and real white supremacists, I started to see that those labels simply don’t apply to most people who support Trump.But with all of this, I was still reticent to even consider attending a Trump event. I do not believe that Trump’s attitude is worthy of the highest office in the land. I abhor his Twitter. I am vehemently opposed to so many of his policies. But still, I wanted to see for myself.I’m not going to lie, I was nervous, so I thought I would start my day in familiar territory at an MSNBC live show that was taking place a few blocks away from the rally. I decided to wear my red hat that looks like a Trump hat but with one small difference — it says “Make Speech Free Again” as my small protest against cancel culture. I even got a photo with MSNBC host Ari Melber while I was wearing it, just for kicks.The funny thing about that hat is that it’s completely open to interpretation. When I wear it around left-leaning people, they think I’m talking about the right. When I wear it around right-leaning folks, they think I’m talking about the left. It’s a really stark reminder of how much our own perspectives and biases play into how we view the world.In chatting with the folks at the taping, I said casually that I was thinking about going over to the Trump rally. The first reaction they had was a genuine fear for my safety. I had never seen people I didn’t know so passionately urge me to avoid all of those people. One woman told me that these people were the lowest of the low. Another man told me that he had gone to one of his rallies in the past and had been the target of harassment by large muscle-bound men. Another woman offered me her pepper spray. I assured them all that I thought I would be fine but that I would get the heck out of dodge if I got nervous.What they didn’t know is that they weren’t the only ones I had heard from that were afraid. Some of my more right-leaning friends online had expressed genuine fear at my going as well….but not because they were afraid of the attendees. They were afraid of people on the left violently attacking attendees! This was one day after a man had run his car through a republican voter registration tent in Florida and there was a genuine fear that there would be a repeat, or that Antifa would bus people up from Boston for it. Just as I had assured those on the left, I told them I thought I would be fine because we don’t really have Antifa in New Hampshire.But I’m not going to say it didn’t get to me a bit. When everyone around you is nervous for your safety, it’s hard not to question if they have a point. But it also made me more determined to see it through because it was a stark reminder that both sides view each other exactly the same way. They are both scared of the other side and what they are capable of. I couldn’t help but think that if they could just see the world through the lens of the other for a moment or two, it would be a stark revelation that they don’t know as much as they think they do.So I headed over an hour and a half before the doors were scheduled to open (which was 4 hours before Trump was set to take the stage) and the line already stretched a mile away from the entrance to the arena. As I waited, I chatted with the folks around me. And contrary to all the fears expressed, they were so nice! I was not harassed or intimidated and was never in fear of my safety even for a moment. These were average everyday people. They were veterans, school teachers, and small business owners and they had come from all over the place for the thrill of attending this rally. They were upbeat and excited. In chatting, I even let it slip that I was a democrat and the reaction was “Good for you! Welcome!”Once we got inside, the atmosphere was jubilant! It was more like attending a rock concert than a political rally. People were genuinely enjoying themselves. Some were even dancing to music being played over the loudspeakers! It was so different than any other political event I had ever attended. Even Obama in 2008 didn’t feel like this.I had attended an event with all of the Democratic contenders just two days prior in exactly the same arena and the contrast was stark. First, Trump completely filled the arena all the way up to the top. Even with every major Democratic candidate in attendance the other night, and the campaigns giving away free tickets, the Democrats did not do that. With Trump, every single person was unified around a singular goal. With the Democrats, the audience booed over candidates they didn’t like and got in literal shouting matches with each other. With Trump, there was a genuinely optimistic view of the future. With the Democrats, it was doom and gloom. With Trump, there was a genuine feeling of pride of being an American. With the Democrats, they emphasized that the country was a racist place from top to bottom.Now, Trump is always going to present the best case he can. And yes, he lies. This is provable. But the strength of this rally wasn’t about the facts and figures. It was a group of people who felt like they had someone in their corner, that would fight for them. Some people say “well obviously they’re having a great time. They’re in a cult.” I don’t think that’s true. The reality is that many people I spoke to do disagree with Trump on things. They don’t always like his attitude. They wish he wouldn’t tweet so much. People who are in cults don’t question their leaders. The people I spoke with did, but the pros in their eyes far outweighed the cons. They don’t love him because they think he’s perfect. They love him despite his flaws because they believe he has their back.As I left the rally (walking by thousands of people who were watching it on a giant monitor outside of the arena because they couldn’t get in), I knew that there was no way Trump was going to lose in November. Absolutely no way. I truly believe that it doesn’t matter who the Democrats nominate: Trump is going to trounce them. If you don’t believe me, attend one of his rallies and see for yourself. Don’t worry, they really won’t hurt you.Today, I voted in the New Hampshire Democratic Primary for Pete Buttigieg. I genuinely feel that Pete would be great for this country, and maybe he’ll have his opportunity in the future. But tomorrow, I’ll be changing my voter registration from Democrat to Independent and walking away from the party I’ve spent the last 20 years in to sit in the middle for a while. There are extremes in both parties that I am uncomfortable with, but I also fundamentally believe that most people on both sides are good, decent human beings that want the best for the country but have dramatic disagreements on how to get there. But until we start seeing each other as human beings, there will be no bridging the divide. I refuse to be a part of the divisiveness any longer. I refuse to hate people I don’t know simply because they choose to vote for someone else. If we’re going to heal the country, we have to start taking steps towards one another rather than away.I think the Democrats have an ass-kicking coming to them in November, and I think most of them will be utterly shocked when it happens because they’re existing in an echo chamber that is not reflective of the broader reality. I hope it’s a wake-up call and causes them to take a long look in the mirror and really ask themselves how they got here. Maybe then they’ll start listening. I tend to doubt it, but I can hope.Karlyn Borysenko
I’m an organizational psychologist and mindfulness expert, author of Zen Your Work, and owner and principal of Zen Workplace.
Wednesday, February 12, 2020
The Stupidity of Socialism
Most thinking people with any life experience knows that Socialism is a fools game. As Maggie Thatcher famously said, "sooner or later you run out of other people's money". You can look at almost anyplace in history that has tried Socialism and you'll find a trail of broken dreams, death, starvation, and wrecked societies. And yet, we have an old Commie in his late 70's propagandizing and lulling our people into believing that Socialism will work. I believe he is the biggest danger to our way of life since the Soviet Union. The only good news that I can see is that there are enough people out there who will reject his deadly message and will eventually reject him. But he has won the first two Democratic primaries and is on a roll. We'll have to see how it unfolds in the coming weeks and the conventional wisdom is that he'll fade as he gets to a bigger audience and/or the Democratic base will somehow take him out. I don't particularly care how it occurs, but I sure hope that conventional wisdom is right.
Baseball is Back
Pitchers and Catchers report for Spring training today. To me it's the most optimistic day of the year. Every year fans of every team hopes and prays that their team will be playing in the World Series in October. There is a long, long way to go but for today...the run for the pennant begins. Go Pads!
Sunday, February 9, 2020
Friday, February 7, 2020
Other Than That Mrs. Lincoln...
You know the old joke when things are going to shit. "Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?" Well, the Democrats are there. Their week has been bad...real bad! I seriously don't know where they go from here.
The Iowa caucuses were a complete and unmitigated disaster. You can see what I wrote on Tuesday here. And it only gets worse. Supposedly Bernie and Mayor Pete are so close they can't call a winner. But no one really knows. The head of the DNC has called for a recount. Meanwhile the candidates have all moved on to New Hampshire and are all claiming wins.
Then there was the State of the Union. You all have seen how crazy that was. In the "where you stand is where you sit" world, I thought the speech was pretty good. Nancy and the Dems obviously did not. I wrote a little thing about it a few days ago that you can read here. Since the speech Nancy has been widely derided by her antics. She is a pretty tough old bird, but I think she seriously fucked up and knows it. I think she's losing it. And I think the House is ripe to flip to the Republicans.
Then the impeachment vote comes the next day and the Republicans remain solidly (except for Mitt but that's no surprise) for acquittal. The idiot Dems exerted so much effort, so much time, cashed in so many chips to get a conviction, and they walk away with nothing. Now they are making noises about continuing the investigations. Think any sane person wants that to occur? Me neither. So after 3 years of Russia, Russia, Russia got them nowhere and then Schiff and his little traitorous cabal went after Trump and got nowhere, they've got to be reeling. I bet the Democratic bars in WDC are doing very well tonight.
Then Trump holds his little victory lap meeting in the East Room of the White House. How many people reading this wished that Trump would calmly accept the victory and reach out for reconciliation? Me too. But is that in Trump's DNA. Obviously not! He is a master at trolling and boasting. He won't give an inch. And I have to say, it sorta reminded me of a ready room with the CO standing up and reving up the troops. It wasn't all bad.
And then Pocahontas has 8 "women of color" quit her campaign in Nevada claiming a toxic work environment. How ironic. She is the ultimate receiver of white privilege. This is a slap in the face of huge importance. It is gonna make a great Republican commercial. She is so unlikable and so removed from reality that she's just gonna ignore it and move on.
So tonight (a Friday night) they have scheduled a 3 hour Democratic debate. On Friday night! Who's going to watch. And they changed the rules so Bloomberg gets in. And they are still locking Tulsi Gabbard out. They are so, so tone deaf. If you watch (don't know why you would) listen for platitudes, generalities, and puff questions. It will be nauseating.
Finally today the U.S Court of Appeals threw out a suit that was brought by over 200 Dem Congressmen/women. It was all about emoluments and the Trump organization (and by default Trump) benefiting from foreign transactions while he is President. The court ruled that they don't have standing and therefore can't bring suit. And of course, Trump touted it as a major victory, which it was. And it is like gas on a fire.
And really finally, the economy seems to be humming along on all gears. Job growth up, unemployment down, employment of minorities soaring, people feeling good about their lives, etc. The Dems keep saying that the economy is only good for the rich, but everyone knows that's bullshit. The average person on the street is doing pretty well. The Dems want to use this as a major issue in the election, but that ain't happening.
So what do we have? A Democratic party that can't run a caucus in a small, rural state and yet wants to run your healthcare. A Democratic party that got behind taking Trump out at all costs including getting anything done for the people and they've utterly failed at it. A Democratic party that is scared to death that a Socialist is going to be their standard bearer. Keep watching because mark my words, they are going to take him out. And if they do the guy they would hang their hat on is the former Mayor of South Bend, Indiana. Another thing that they are facing is that they have become the bitter, mean, frustrated, obsessive party. Did you see them at the SOTU? Masterfully, Trump brought a lot of people and stories to talk about that almost anyone would applaud. But they sat there glum and bitter. They are losing a lot of people and they don't seem to care.
I don't know what other shoe is going to drop, but they are in freefall. In other times I would expect the adults in the room would step in and start them on the road to recovery. But all the adults in that world seem to have gone crazy too. As an American who believes in the two party system, it's concerning. As a Republican, it's sorta fun to watch!
Thursday, February 6, 2020
View of Afghanistan
Got this from a friend. No reason to believe it's not legit. It's shocking...but not really. Those of us who have any sense of the world know this is an accurate view of the shithole we send our troops to and the barbarians we expect them to work with. This is just a small, tiny little window on the idiotic and dangerous situation our troops have to contend with.
I'm no shrinking violet when it comes to recognizing our leadership role in the world. I believe there are legitimate roles we have to play to provide stability, contribute to the defense of allies, and conduct humanitarian activities. But it's long past time to get our folks out of this shithole. Way past time. Trump has the instinct to do that and is trying, but it's complicated. One thing that complicates it (in fact a big thing) are the bureaucrats and armchair generals who see us remaining for various reasons, most of which are self-serving.
The comment about our citizens not knowing what they are doing and not wanting to know is spot on. And that's the way it's always been. Our citizens sleep safely at night because rough men and women on the other side of the world are willing to endure unspeakable hardships and live in incomprehensible conditions. In this situation, the media is just a more sophisticated enemy than the Taliban. Been there, done that. They care about only one thing. Getting a story that will enhance their network, get their name in lights, and sell advertising. And you can bet your ass that if there is any tiny question of our guys doing something wrong, they'll proudly line up against them. The vast majority are snakes.
Could you imagine your son or daughter spending a year there, constantly in danger and realizing there is no good reason for them to be there. And that there's a fair chance they will come home wounded. If it's physical, they'll get help but their life will be changed forever. If it's psychological, not so much. It is utter bullshit. We need to leave. Trump needs to get the message that we can accomplish much from other places that are more hospitable in the Middle East. It's a given that whenever we leave, no matter what kinds of terms are negotiated, the asshole Taliban barbarians are going to rise again. So be it. We need to come home!
RECON MARINE'S VIEW OF AFGHANISTAN--
From The Sandpit... A very interesting read, a Marine's View of what is really going on. This young man is articulate and has a flare for colorful language, and descriptive prose, Scorpions, Chiggers & Sand Fleas. It’s a great letter, a must read for every American citizen .
It's freezing here. I'm sitting on hard cold dirt between rocks and shrubs at the base of the Hindu Kush Mountains, along the Dar'yoi Pamir River, watching a hole that leads to a tunnel that leads to a cave. Stake out, my friend, and no pizza delivery for thousands of miles. I also glance at the area around my ass every ten to fifteen seconds to avoid another scorpion sting.
I've actually given up battling the chiggers and sand fleas, but the scorpions give a jolt like a cattle prod. Hurts like a bastard. The antidote tastes like transmission fluid, but God bless the Marine Corps for the five vials of it in my pack. The one truth the Taliban cannot escape is that, believe it or not, they are human beings, which means they have to eat food and drink water. That requires couriers and that's where an old bounty hunter like me comes in handy.
I track the couriers, locate the tunnel entrances and storage facilities, type the info into the hand held, and shoot the coordinates up to the satellite link that tells the air commanders where to drop the hardware. We bash some heads for a while, and then I track and record the new movement. It's all about intelligence. We haven't even brought in the snipers yet. These scurrying rats have no idea what they're in for. We are but days away from cutting off supply lines and allowing the eradication to begin. But you know me; I'm a romantic. I've said it before and I'll say it again: This country blows, man. It's not even a country. There are no roads, there's no infrastructure, there's no government.
This is an inhospitable, rock-pit shit-hole ruled by eleventh century warring tribes. There are no jobs here like we know jobs. Afghanistan offers only two ways for a man to support his family, join the opium trade or join the army. That's it. Those are your options. Oh, I forgot, you can also live in a refugee camp and eat plum-sweetened, crushed beetle paste and squirt mud like a goose with stomach flu, if that's your idea of a party. But the smell alone of those 'tent cities of the walking dead' is enough to hurl you into the poppy fields to cheerfully scrape bulbs for eighteen hours a day.
I've been living with these Tajiks and Uzbeks, and Turkmen and even a couple of Pashtus, for over a month-and-a-half now, and this much I can say for sure: These guys, are Huns, actual, living Huns. They LIVE to fight. It's what they do. It's ALL they do. They have no respect for anything; not for themselves, their families, or for each other. They claw at one another as a way of life. They play polo with dead calves and force their five-year-old sons into human cockfights to defend the family honor. Just Huns, roaming packs of savage, heartless beasts who feed on each other's barbarism. Cavemen with AK-47's. Then again, maybe I'm just a cranky young bastard. I'm freezing my ass off on this stupid hill because my lap warmer is running out of juice, and I can't recharge it until the sun comes up in a few hours. Oh yeah! You like to write letters, right? Do me a favor, Bizarre. Write a letter to CNN and tell Wolf and Anderson and that awful, sneering, pompous Aaron Brown to stop calling the Taliban "smart". They are not smart.
I suggest CNN invest in a dictionary because the word they are looking for is "cunning". The Taliban are cunning, like jackals, hyenas, and wolverines They are sneaky and ruthless, and when confronted, they are cowardly. They are hateful, malevolent parasites who create nothing and destroy everything else.
Smart? Bullshit! Yeah, they're real smart. Most can't read, but they've spent their entire lives listening to Imams telling them about only one book (and not a very good one, as books go). They consider hygiene and indoor plumbing to be products of the devil. They're still trying to figuring out how to work a Bic lighter. Talking to a Taliban warrior about improving his quality of life is like trying to teach an ape how to hold a pen. Eventually he just gets frustrated and sticks you in the eye with it.
OK, enough. Snuffie will be up soon, so I have to get back to my hole. Covering my tracks in the snow takes a lot of practice, but I'm good at it.
Please, I tell you and my fellow Americans to turn off the TV sets and move on with your lives. The story line you are getting from CNN and other news agencies is utter bullshit and designed not to deliver truth but rather to keep you glued to the screen so you will watch the next commercial. We've got this one under control. The worst thing you guys can do right now is sit around analyzing what we're doing over here. You have no idea what we're doing, and you really don't want to know We are your military, and we are only doing what you sent us here to do.
From a Jack Recon Marine in Afghanistan, Semper Fi.
"Freedom is not free, but the U.S. Marine Corps is paying most of your share".
Send this to YOUR FRIENDS so that people there will really know what is going on over here.
God Bless America.
PS: Why would any civilized country want to bring these barbarians into their cities or states.
To do so is total suicidal insanity!
I'm no shrinking violet when it comes to recognizing our leadership role in the world. I believe there are legitimate roles we have to play to provide stability, contribute to the defense of allies, and conduct humanitarian activities. But it's long past time to get our folks out of this shithole. Way past time. Trump has the instinct to do that and is trying, but it's complicated. One thing that complicates it (in fact a big thing) are the bureaucrats and armchair generals who see us remaining for various reasons, most of which are self-serving.
The comment about our citizens not knowing what they are doing and not wanting to know is spot on. And that's the way it's always been. Our citizens sleep safely at night because rough men and women on the other side of the world are willing to endure unspeakable hardships and live in incomprehensible conditions. In this situation, the media is just a more sophisticated enemy than the Taliban. Been there, done that. They care about only one thing. Getting a story that will enhance their network, get their name in lights, and sell advertising. And you can bet your ass that if there is any tiny question of our guys doing something wrong, they'll proudly line up against them. The vast majority are snakes.
Could you imagine your son or daughter spending a year there, constantly in danger and realizing there is no good reason for them to be there. And that there's a fair chance they will come home wounded. If it's physical, they'll get help but their life will be changed forever. If it's psychological, not so much. It is utter bullshit. We need to leave. Trump needs to get the message that we can accomplish much from other places that are more hospitable in the Middle East. It's a given that whenever we leave, no matter what kinds of terms are negotiated, the asshole Taliban barbarians are going to rise again. So be it. We need to come home!
RECON MARINE'S VIEW OF AFGHANISTAN--
From The Sandpit... A very interesting read, a Marine's View of what is really going on. This young man is articulate and has a flare for colorful language, and descriptive prose, Scorpions, Chiggers & Sand Fleas. It’s a great letter, a must read for every American citizen .
It's freezing here. I'm sitting on hard cold dirt between rocks and shrubs at the base of the Hindu Kush Mountains, along the Dar'yoi Pamir River, watching a hole that leads to a tunnel that leads to a cave. Stake out, my friend, and no pizza delivery for thousands of miles. I also glance at the area around my ass every ten to fifteen seconds to avoid another scorpion sting.
I've actually given up battling the chiggers and sand fleas, but the scorpions give a jolt like a cattle prod. Hurts like a bastard. The antidote tastes like transmission fluid, but God bless the Marine Corps for the five vials of it in my pack. The one truth the Taliban cannot escape is that, believe it or not, they are human beings, which means they have to eat food and drink water. That requires couriers and that's where an old bounty hunter like me comes in handy.
I track the couriers, locate the tunnel entrances and storage facilities, type the info into the hand held, and shoot the coordinates up to the satellite link that tells the air commanders where to drop the hardware. We bash some heads for a while, and then I track and record the new movement. It's all about intelligence. We haven't even brought in the snipers yet. These scurrying rats have no idea what they're in for. We are but days away from cutting off supply lines and allowing the eradication to begin. But you know me; I'm a romantic. I've said it before and I'll say it again: This country blows, man. It's not even a country. There are no roads, there's no infrastructure, there's no government.
This is an inhospitable, rock-pit shit-hole ruled by eleventh century warring tribes. There are no jobs here like we know jobs. Afghanistan offers only two ways for a man to support his family, join the opium trade or join the army. That's it. Those are your options. Oh, I forgot, you can also live in a refugee camp and eat plum-sweetened, crushed beetle paste and squirt mud like a goose with stomach flu, if that's your idea of a party. But the smell alone of those 'tent cities of the walking dead' is enough to hurl you into the poppy fields to cheerfully scrape bulbs for eighteen hours a day.
I've been living with these Tajiks and Uzbeks, and Turkmen and even a couple of Pashtus, for over a month-and-a-half now, and this much I can say for sure: These guys, are Huns, actual, living Huns. They LIVE to fight. It's what they do. It's ALL they do. They have no respect for anything; not for themselves, their families, or for each other. They claw at one another as a way of life. They play polo with dead calves and force their five-year-old sons into human cockfights to defend the family honor. Just Huns, roaming packs of savage, heartless beasts who feed on each other's barbarism. Cavemen with AK-47's. Then again, maybe I'm just a cranky young bastard. I'm freezing my ass off on this stupid hill because my lap warmer is running out of juice, and I can't recharge it until the sun comes up in a few hours. Oh yeah! You like to write letters, right? Do me a favor, Bizarre. Write a letter to CNN and tell Wolf and Anderson and that awful, sneering, pompous Aaron Brown to stop calling the Taliban "smart". They are not smart.
I suggest CNN invest in a dictionary because the word they are looking for is "cunning". The Taliban are cunning, like jackals, hyenas, and wolverines They are sneaky and ruthless, and when confronted, they are cowardly. They are hateful, malevolent parasites who create nothing and destroy everything else.
Smart? Bullshit! Yeah, they're real smart. Most can't read, but they've spent their entire lives listening to Imams telling them about only one book (and not a very good one, as books go). They consider hygiene and indoor plumbing to be products of the devil. They're still trying to figuring out how to work a Bic lighter. Talking to a Taliban warrior about improving his quality of life is like trying to teach an ape how to hold a pen. Eventually he just gets frustrated and sticks you in the eye with it.
OK, enough. Snuffie will be up soon, so I have to get back to my hole. Covering my tracks in the snow takes a lot of practice, but I'm good at it.
Please, I tell you and my fellow Americans to turn off the TV sets and move on with your lives. The story line you are getting from CNN and other news agencies is utter bullshit and designed not to deliver truth but rather to keep you glued to the screen so you will watch the next commercial. We've got this one under control. The worst thing you guys can do right now is sit around analyzing what we're doing over here. You have no idea what we're doing, and you really don't want to know We are your military, and we are only doing what you sent us here to do.
From a Jack Recon Marine in Afghanistan, Semper Fi.
"Freedom is not free, but the U.S. Marine Corps is paying most of your share".
Send this to YOUR FRIENDS so that people there will really know what is going on over here.
God Bless America.
PS: Why would any civilized country want to bring these barbarians into their cities or states.
To do so is total suicidal insanity!
Wednesday, February 5, 2020
Impeachment...the Aftermath
Just finished listening to and watching the final couple of days of the impeachment trial of President Trump. This started 84 days ago. Hearing after hearing. I think about 17 witnesses. Untold number of documents. A complete trial in the Senate. And a vote to acquit. Vindication...of sort. My view is that he wasn't "impeached for life" nor is he "acquitted for life". There were plenty of smarmy, underhanded, disgusting acts and statements on both sides. If you've been following at all you've seen them.
If there was any winner here it was probably the media. This is the story that kept on giving. I think people were firmly in one camp or another and as they listened to the channel or network that affirmed their views, the ratings went up. They sold more advertising. Their news personalities and "analysts" gained favor. So they won.
But at the end of the day, I've got two overriding thoughts. I can still hear each Senator standing up and voicing their vote for guilty or not guilty. It was a time of gravity. And yet their votes somehow lessened and cheapened the gravity. The Dems all voted guilty. The Republicans (except Romney who voted guilty on abuse of power) all voted to acquit. In other words, they put their party loyalty ahead of the country. Here's why. I'm absolutely positive that there were some Dems who didn't think Trump was guilty and if they did they didn't think it warranted impeachment. And I'm just as positive that there were some Republicans who thought Trump had some amount of guilt and maybe some of them even thought he should be removed. But we'll never know. Because many put party over country. Simple as that.
The other thing is the absolutely disgusting performance of the Democratic leaders in the House. There were so many issues, so much wrongdoing, so much denial of due process, so much exaggeration of charges, so much denial of the reality of the collusion to create impeachment that it is very disheartening. They have proven to be lying and unethical assholes. Simple as that.
So now what. After last night's SOTU, I think it's not gonna get better any time soon. So stand by for more accusations, more hearings, more lying, and more acrimony. And as for the upcoming campaign, buckle your seat belts.
If there was any winner here it was probably the media. This is the story that kept on giving. I think people were firmly in one camp or another and as they listened to the channel or network that affirmed their views, the ratings went up. They sold more advertising. Their news personalities and "analysts" gained favor. So they won.
But at the end of the day, I've got two overriding thoughts. I can still hear each Senator standing up and voicing their vote for guilty or not guilty. It was a time of gravity. And yet their votes somehow lessened and cheapened the gravity. The Dems all voted guilty. The Republicans (except Romney who voted guilty on abuse of power) all voted to acquit. In other words, they put their party loyalty ahead of the country. Here's why. I'm absolutely positive that there were some Dems who didn't think Trump was guilty and if they did they didn't think it warranted impeachment. And I'm just as positive that there were some Republicans who thought Trump had some amount of guilt and maybe some of them even thought he should be removed. But we'll never know. Because many put party over country. Simple as that.
The other thing is the absolutely disgusting performance of the Democratic leaders in the House. There were so many issues, so much wrongdoing, so much denial of due process, so much exaggeration of charges, so much denial of the reality of the collusion to create impeachment that it is very disheartening. They have proven to be lying and unethical assholes. Simple as that.
So now what. After last night's SOTU, I think it's not gonna get better any time soon. So stand by for more accusations, more hearings, more lying, and more acrimony. And as for the upcoming campaign, buckle your seat belts.
Tuesday, February 4, 2020
SOTU
As the partisan divide deepens and members of Congress bloviate and hyperventilate to an even greater height, the State of the Union speech becomes a bit more interesting to see what fireworks or drama will take place. Well...there was plenty of that tonight. First Trump declined to shake Pelosi's hand at the beginning. Some say he didn't see it and he didn't shake Pence's hand, but I think it was a snub. And then in the most petty of all petty gestures, Pelosi ripped up Trump's speech at the end with all the cameras and eyes on her. It was really pretty astounding. She's gotta be monumentally pissed. Pissed that her fellow Dems led her down the impeachment road. Pissed that Trump will be acquitted. Pissed that she continually loses every confrontation with Trump. I sorta wonder if she's losing it.
But to focus on the speech, it was arguably the best speech of his Presidency. He clearly was trying to tone it down. He was trying a broad appeal in several sound bites. He was pointedly reaching out to minorities. And the guests in the gallery that he introduced were perfectly positioned to tug at the heartstrings and inspire. Of course, I would think that since I'm of like mind with Trump. But beyond that, for me, the closing of the speech was magnificent. I don't know who his speech writers are, but they hit a grand slam home run in the closing. In case you missed it or didn't pick up on the specifics, here it is.
But to focus on the speech, it was arguably the best speech of his Presidency. He clearly was trying to tone it down. He was trying a broad appeal in several sound bites. He was pointedly reaching out to minorities. And the guests in the gallery that he introduced were perfectly positioned to tug at the heartstrings and inspire. Of course, I would think that since I'm of like mind with Trump. But beyond that, for me, the closing of the speech was magnificent. I don't know who his speech writers are, but they hit a grand slam home run in the closing. In case you missed it or didn't pick up on the specifics, here it is.
"As the world bears witness tonight, America is a land of heroes. This is the place where greatness is born, where destinies are forged, and where legends come to life. This is the home of Thomas Edison and Teddy Roosevelt, of many great Generals, including Washington, Pershing, Patton, and MacArthur. This is the home of Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Amelia Earhart, Harriet Tubman, the Wright Brothers, Neil Armstrong, and so many more. This is the country where children learn names like Wyatt Earp, Davy Crockett, and Annie Oakley. This is the place where the pilgrims landed at Plymouth and where Texas patriots made their last stand at the Alamo.The American Nation was carved out of the vast frontier by the toughest, strongest, fiercest, and most determined men and women ever to walk the face of the Earth. Our ancestors braved the unknown; tamed the wilderness; settled the Wild West; lifted millions from poverty, disease, and hunger; vanquished tyranny and fascism; ushered the world to new heights of science and medicine; laid down the railroads, dug out canals, raised up the skyscrapers — and, ladies and gentlemen, our ancestors built the most exceptional Republic ever to exist in all of human history. And we are making it greater than ever before!This is our glorious and magnificent inheritance.We are Americans. We are the pioneers. We are the pathfinders. We settled the new world, we built the modern world, and we changed history forever by embracing the eternal truth that everyone is made equal by the hand of Almighty God.America is the place where anything can happen! America is the place where anyone can rise. And here, on this land, on this soil, on this continent, the most incredible dreams come true!This Nation is our canvas, and this country is our masterpiece. We look at tomorrow and see unlimited frontiers just waiting to be explored. Our brightest discoveries are not yet known. Our most thrilling stories are not yet told. Our grandest journeys are not yet made. The American Age, the American Epic, the American Adventure, has only just begun!Our spirit is still young; the sun is still rising; God’s grace is still shining; and my fellow Americans, the best is yet to come!Thank you. God Bless You. God Bless America."
Iowa
Presidential elections in the U.S. have become a bit ridiculous. Those who want to be President start too early, spend too much money, eat all kinds of stuff like rubber chicken and anemic ribs, cow tow to every special interest group out there (when they know they are issuing hollow promises), become exhausted, and focus on a very narrow part of the country. Namely Iowa and New Hampshire. They are the first two states who hold primaries. Or rather, New Hampshire does.
Iowa, as most know, holds something they call the caucuses. The simple explanation is that a caucus is a meeting at which local members of a political party register their preference among candidates running for office or select delegates to attend a convention. I've not been but I've been told that they gather and physically group together to support one candidate or another. Then they take a physical vote but raising hands, or marking paper, or something like that. If your candidate doesn't get a minimum number of votes that is pre-determined, then you need to switch to your second choice. After a lot of shuffling and deal-making, they wind up with a final tally for your precinct. And then the results get called in to a central counting center. I don't know if any other state does it this way, but it's a bit of a goofy process.
So yesterday they had the Iowa caucuses and it was a colossal fiasco of epic proportions. It was monumental! Like...unprecedented. Late in the day they announced that no results would be forthcoming because of "irregularities". Apparently there were issues with counting, there were issues with a new app they were using to communicate the vote, and there were issues with calling in the votes. Just to be clear...THEY HAD TWO YEARS TO GET THIS RIGHT!! Unbelievable.
Now... a few thoughts. I think the day of the caucus has clearly come and gone. Iowa ought to think long and hard regarding continuing this tradition. There are clearly better ways to do it. I've heard today that this new "app" was procured from a company called Shadow, Inc. They are owned by a company called ACRONYM. According to Shadow's website they see themselves "as building a long-term, side-by-side “Shadow” of tech infrastructure to the Democratic Party and the progressive community at large.". ACRONYM says that they "build power and modern infrastructure for a new progressive movement". Nothing wrong with either of them. If they see a market for their services, then good for them. But...the reporting today says they are almost entirely populated by Hillary operatives and the Shadow has a relationship with Mayor Pete. May be innocent. But given Hillary's dishonesty, I'd put nothing past her. The excuse that the phone lines were too busy to call in votes is way beyond believable. THEY HAD TWO YEARS TO GET THIS STRAIGHT!! So it is a fiasco of major proportions.
Another predictable result from the Iowa fiasco was the media's response. Or should I say non-response. No criticism, no big deal, yawn...move along...nothing to see here. Their hatred of Trump comes through in everything they do and so their only move was to make excuses, say it doesn't matter, explain the unexplainable, and continue to treat us like we're idiots. Predictable.
The thing about Iowa is, it's the first event in a long, long Presidential election campaign. Who wins isn't as important as the momentum that it provides. Don't get me wrong, winning is important. But there have been plenty of Presidents in the modern era who haven't won Iowa. But there are two important parts of competing in Iowa. The first is to be able to claim a real or moral victory and move on to New Hampshire with momentum. The second is to demonstrate to donors that they should invest in a candidate. The fiasco in Iowa prevented both of these important things. Most of the candidates simply left and claimed some sort of victory. But they are pissed. Really pissed. And the Dems have to be mortified and embarrassed.
This afternoon the Democratic party of Iowa came out, apologized and provided partial results. It's the day after and they still don't have results! As of this writing Mayor Pete is in first, Bernie is in second, Lizzie is in third, Biden is in fourth, and Amy is in fifth. So the winners here are Pete, Amy, and Bernie. The loser is Lizzie. And for Biden it's a total and complete disaster. If this order holds up he's in deep, deep trouble. The public and donors will desert him. As for the rest, I still believe that Bloomberg will be the nominee and Amy will run as his VP. Pete isn't electable in a national election. Lizzie is a dead duck...she just doesn't know it yet because she's so full of herself. I'm not sure there has ever been a more unlikable candidate for President. Check that...I forgot about Hillary. Okay, she's the second most unlikeable. As for Bernie, the DNC and many, many Dems will go to the mat to prevent him from getting the nomination. If you haven't been following, you can see what I think of Bernie here.So no matter how many Bernie Bros there are who will vent their nasty comments against other Dems, he's not gonna get it. And if I'm right, most of those naive Bernie Bros will stay home on election day, further exacerbating Trump's win. At least that's my take. I may be wrong. Things may change. Events on the ground may jumble everything up. But as of today, that's how I see it.
